When Our Faith Stops at Belief
I have a confession to make.
There were several years of my life when I could not have been further from the Lord. I barely prayed. I barely opened my Bible — maybe once a month, maybe once every two months. I let life wear me down until it shaped my behaviour more than Scripture ever did.
If you asked my former coworkers what I was like, they’d probably say I was friendly… or a bit stuck up. More stuck up, honestly. And the worst part? I was that believer who judged others for how they lived — their vices, their habits, their choices — while completely ignoring the fact that I wasn’t even pleasant to be around.
How could I judge someone who didn’t believe in God for how they lived, when I did believe in God and couldn’t even manage the bare minimum of treating people kindly?
I wasn’t practising my faith. At all.
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
James 2:14-17
Faith Without Deeds… Includes How We Treat People
For the longest time, I assumed this passage was only about evangelising — preaching the gospel while helping people in need. I feel silly admitting that now, because the passage is so much more than that.
It isn’t just about doing “good deeds” in the obvious sense.
It’s about how we live.
How we behave.
How we treat people in every corner of our lives.
Our witness is not just our words. It’s our presence.
Salt and Light Isn’t Just Evangelism — It’s Behaviour
For years, I thought this was about evangelising too.
But looking back, reading it again, I think Jesus is talking about our behaviour — the way we carry ourselves, the way we respond to people, the way we show up in the world.
Salt changes the environment it touches.
Light reveals what’s true and safe.
If an unbeliever had been asked whether they thought I was a Christian during those years, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they said no. I didn’t act like someone who had hope. I didn’t act like someone who feared God more than life. I acted like someone shaped by stress, fear, and frustration — not by the Spirit.
13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.
14 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16
The Part We Don’t Like to Admit
This is something you don’t hear many churches talk about. And I know that’s bold to say, but from experience, people who behave the way I used to often hold positions in ministry. They volunteer. They serve. They’re involved.
And yet…
We set impossibly high standards for unbelievers while refusing to acknowledge our own behaviour.
We judge them by our beliefs, not theirs.
We expect them to act like Christians while we struggle to act like Christ.
It’s uncomfortable to admit, but necessary.
If I Could Go Back…
Honestly, if I could go back, I would apologise to the people who encountered me at my worst. The world is already treacherous enough. People don’t need more harshness, coldness, or judgment from someone who claims to follow Jesus.
They should feel safer around us, not smaller.
They should feel seen, not scrutinised.
They should sense the presence of the Lord — not the weight of our opinions.
A Quiet Challenge for All of Us
Being a Christian is so much more than belief.
It’s more than knowing Scripture.
It’s more than attending church or serving in ministry.
It’s how we behave around others.
It’s the atmosphere we carry.
It’s the way people feel after interacting with us.
We are called to be salt and light — not just in our theology, but in our tone, our kindness, our patience, our humility, our presence.
Our behaviour is often the first sermon people ever hear
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