Not all
faith is powerful. There is a faith that fails. There is a faith that is
worthless. James says that faith without works is dead. The deeds we do are the
natural outgrowth of our faith. If there are no deeds, no works of the flesh,
then there is no real faith because real faith works.

The Faith that Fails

Is arrogant, religious, worthless, dead. Yet, it has the appearance of life and
is often mistaken for the faith that saves.

The Faith that Fails …is a faith that is cultural

It is the way of our family. We go to church. It is our religious duty. We are
Catholic; We are Presbyterian; We are Lutheran; We are Baptist; We are
Pentecostal; We are well, you fill in the blank. It really doesn’t matter
because it isn’t personal. It’s cultural.

Those who are raised culturally are those who graduate HS and then attend a
state college where their faith is rocked and their beliefs shattered by the
first intelligent agnostic they meet.

The Faith that Fails … is a faith that is seasonal

It is expressed in seasons of distress and grief. It is seen in the religious
seasons of Christmas and Easter. It is seen in the seasons of loneliness and
weariness. It’s a faith in God that is dependant on the moment and the need.

The Faith that Fails … is a faith that is nominal it’s more of a label than a lifestyle

Nominal faith is merely a label. Actually it is a mislabel. When you hear of
the difficulties between the Protestants and Catholics of Ireland I would
submit that what you see is a battle between two groups of thugs. One group
mislabeled Protestant and one mislabeled Catholic.

The Faith that Fails … is a faith that is minimal

Some have faith but only the minimum. They want just enough to get by. Too much
would mean commitment, change, challenge, compassion and cost. Rather than
getting too caught up and carried away it is far better to have the minimum
amount of faith to keep God off their backs and still do what they want to do.

The Faith that Fails … is a faith that is sensible

The final faith that fails is a faith that is “sensible”. You can think of it
as a faith that is much like a fire extinguisher. It’s there, in the corner,
behind the cans of corn and tomato soup just in case there is a fire. Just in
case it’s true. It never hurts to be ready.

Tomorrow…… The Faith That Works