09/02/2026
Is Your Faith Authentic?
During the month of August, we journeyed together through the book of James. Next to the Gospels, James is my favorite book of the Bible because he is challenging Christians directly and doesn’t pull punches. He challenges us, calls us out, and forces us to ask ourselves uncomfortable questions.
And to be clear, James wasn’t writing to people who had never heard of Jesus. He was writing to the first generations of Christians. He was writing to people who had already claimed Jesus as their Lord and Savior. He was challenging them, and today he is challenging us, to think about what it actually means to call ourselves disciples of Christ.
And that brings us to the question James keeps asking beneath all of his teaching:
Is our faith alive and authentic?
In other words, does what we say we believe actually show up in how we live?
James isn’t concerned with whether Christians look different on the inside. He is concerned with whether we live differently from the world around us.
Thankfully, James gave us a pretty practical picture of what authentic an authentic Christian faith looks like:
Week 1 — James 1:17-27
We learned that faith isn’t just about hearing God’s Word; it’s about actually doing God’s Word. Our faith should be visible in our actions and words.
Week 2 — James 2:1-17
We were called out on how we show favoritism. James reminds us that if we truly follow Jesus, we cannot claim to love God while treating some people as more valuable than others. Our faith must be expressed through love and mercy to everyone, not just those we like.
Week 3 — James 3:1-12
James told us the power of our words. He told us that our tongues can bless or destroy, encourage or harm. So an authentic faith means we use our words in ways that reflect the God we claim to follow.
Week 4 — James 4:1-12
James asked us, “Where do our conflicts come from?” James tells us that conflict comes from envy, selfish ambition, and desires that have taken control of our hearts. It comes from a desire to be right instead of wanting to understand our neighbors. He tells us that true faith will show up in humility, repentance, and a desire to draw closer to God.
Week 5 — James 5:13-20:
Finally, this past Sunday, James reminded us of the power of prayer. We are called to pray when we suffer, when we rejoice, when we are sick, and when we need help we are told to seek help.
However, we aren’t called to only pray for ourselves. We are called to be a community that prays for one another. We are called to be a community who helps supports those in need no matter what. It is through helping one another find that we will find our way back when we wander.
When you put all five weeks together, James gives us a pretty clear picture of what a living and authentic Christian faith looks like.
It acts.
It loves without favoritism.
It speaks with grace.
It chooses humility over pride.
It seeks peace instead of conflict.
It prays for others.
James reminds us that Christianity isn’t simply about saying the right things or believing the right things. Our faith should change the way we live to the point that people know we are Christian by our daily actions.
I have always held the belief that if you are screaming at the tops of your lungs to the world that you are a Christian, then maybe there’s some growth needed in your faith. Because we shouldn’t have to scream we are Christian’s, people should just know we are by how we live.
Now, to be clear, there isn’t anything wrong with being open and proud about our faith. But ultimately, our lives should speak just as loudly as our words do. The people around us should be able to see something different in the way we love, the way we speak, the way we treat others, and the way we respond when life gets difficult.
And that brings us to an important question, not just for James’s original audience, but for Christians today:
Are we living the way Christ has called us to live, or are we living the way the world has told us Christians are supposed to live?
Because those aren’t always the same thing.
The world can tell us that Christians should be angry. The world can tell us that we are being persecuted. The world can tell us that Christians should decide who belongs and who doesn’t. The world can tell us that strength means never admitting we’re wrong. The world can tell us that winning is more important than loving. The world can even convince us that being a Christian is more about what we stand against than Who we are called to follow.
James gives us another way.
He tells us to follow Jesus. To love our neighbor, all of them. To control your tongue. To always seek wisdom that comes from God. To choose humility over pride. Be peacemakers. To pray for one another. And above all, let our faith become visible in the way we live everyday.
So here’s the question James leaves us with:
If someone never heard you say that you were a Christian, would they know it by how you live?
That’s the challenge of James. And I think it may be one of the most important challenges Christians need to hear today.
Don’t just hear the Word. Live it everyday.
God Bless,
Brother Jesse Guffin
