Stagnant Faith
My children were watching a cartoon recently, and the mother and daughter in the cartoon were stuck in a cave. The daughter went to drink some water from a little pool, but the mother warned her not to because, as she explained, the water was stagnant. My kids asked me what stagnant meant, and my wife and I proceeded to explain that stagnant means still or unmoving; it’s dangerous to drink stagnant water because, unlike water that is flowing or running, bacteria and parasites can more easily breed in water that isn’t moving. I was struck by the similarity of the stagnant water and a stagnant faith. Without being active in our faith, sin, like bacteria in stagnant water, has a greater opportunity to take root and live in the shadows of our hearts. Without being active in our faith it can be harder to discern Biblical teaching if we are not studying the Bible ourselves.
“For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. They will reject the truth and chase after myths.” (2 Timothy 4:3-4)
“But you have received the Holy Spirit, and he lives within you, so you don’t need anyone to teach you what is true. For the Spirit teaches you everything you need to know, and what he teaches is true—it is not a lie. So just as he has taught you, remain in fellowship with Christ.” (1 John 2:27)
Ways that you can stay active in your faith are to pray constantly (1 Thessalonians 5:17), confess your sins (James 5:17), repent of your sins (Matthew 4:17, Acts 3:19), study the Scriptures daily (Joshua 1:8), and share your faith with others (Matthew 28:19-20). James had a lot to say about the importance of a faith filled with action.
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” (James 1:22)
“If you are wise and understand God’s ways, prove it by living an honorable life, doing good works with the humility that comes from wisdom.” (James 3:13)
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? (...) So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” (James 2:14, 17)
“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” (James 2:19)
“So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. (...) Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.” (James 2:24, 26)
A stagnant faith is very dangerous. James said that faith without good works is dead and useless, and that we are not made right by faith alone but by what we do. Make sure you are active in your faith, praying constantly, studying the Scriptures daily, remaining in fellowship with other believers, and confessing and repenting of your sins. Don’t let sin take root in your life because of a stagnant faith.
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
—Redeemed
