Faith is one of the most beautiful gifts we receive from God, but Scripture reminds us that not all faith is alive. St. James writes, “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). That verse often startles people—it seems to challenge what we believe about faith as a free gift. Yet what James is teaching is not that we must “earn” salvation, but that real faith is a living faith—one that breathes with love, hope, and action.
Living faith is not simply agreeing with certain truths about God. It is trusting God with your whole being. You can believe that God exists and even admire His teachings, but until your heart begins to move toward Him—until you begin to love what He loves and follow where He leads—your faith remains dormant, like a seed that has never been planted.
True faith is alive because it unites us to the living Christ. In the Gospels, when Jesus calls His disciples to “follow Me,” He’s not asking them to sign a statement of belief; He’s inviting them into relationship. To have living faith is to walk with Him daily, to trust His word when life feels uncertain, and to allow His Spirit to shape how we see others. As St. Paul says, “The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20).
A living faith bears fruit. It shows itself in mercy, patience, and forgiveness. It makes us want to serve the poor, comfort the suffering, and seek justice. This is why the saints—though ordinary people like us—shined so brightly: their faith became a channel through which Christ’s love touched the world. When faith is alive, it transforms not only the mind but the heart, and through that heart, the world around us.
To have living faith, then, is to let Jesus live in you. It is to wake each morning with trust that He is present and at work, even in the smallest things. It is to love, to forgive, and to persevere—because your hope is not in yourself, but in Him who conquered death.
Lord, breathe Your Spirit into my faith. Let it not be words alone, but life—alive in love, steadfast in hope, and fruitful in good works. May my heart beat with the rhythm of Yours.
— Fr. John Matthew, for Christian Way
