Stepping out in Faith

"You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead." - James 2:24-26

Rahab, a prostitute, was a woman who didn't have much. She would most likely have been quite poor. Not only that, but she was a terrible sinner. In the book of Joshua, the Israelites desire to view the promised land, Jericho, before they enter it. Sending spies to go and view the land, the spies lodge at this harlots house. The King of Jericho, upon finding out that there are spies in their land who are staying with Rahab, sends word to Rahab telling her to give them the men who are staying lodged at her home. Rahab, by this point, has hid the men, and she responds to the officials at her door by saying she doesn't know who the men were and they left some time ago. The officials then leave and go looking for the spies. Rahab hurries up to the roof where she hid the spies and tells them,
Don't like reading? Listen to this post at: 

https://soundcloud.com/oursimplefaith/stepping-out-in-faith


“I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have melted away before you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. Now therefore, please swear to me by the Lord, since I have dealt kindly with you, that you also will deal kindly with my father’s household, and give me a pledge of truth, and spare my father and my mother and my brothers and my sisters, with all who belong to them, and deliver our lives from death.” 

The spies told her that they would deal kindly with her and her family as she asked. This story being referenced by James is a powerful story of a sinful woman who turned to God and trusted not in people, but in God. It is the story of a woman who risked everything because she was sure of the truth the Israelites believed. Why was she sure? Because she had heard of the great deeds of God and believed them. Rahab knew very well that the body apart from the spirit is dead. That is why she stepped out in faith, she knew that God would destroy them and so she chose the correct side in order that God might spare her life when destroying the rest of Jericho. 

If we are to be physically alive, our spirit must have a body, without the body, we are not physically alive. We may have personality and emotion, but without a body to express these characteristics, we cannot really be a full person. The same is true with faith. We may have faith, but if this faith is not being expressed through works externally, than we can not really have a complete faith. In order to be spiritually alive, we must have faith, and show that faith through our actions. Rahab's faith came before her works. The only reason she hid the spies was because she believed that God did exist and did have the power to destroy her if she fought against him.

If we really believe what we say we believe about God, are we willing to risk it all? Are we willing to risk our lives and trust in God alone? Are we willing to leap out in faith and put our life at the mercy of God? Only once we have done and are willing to do this will we once again have a living faith. A faith that refreshes us every day because we are bold to live for God. A faith that is willing to sacrifice anything for the sake of Christ. The most refreshing thing you can do for your faith is step out in faith.