Zombie Faith

Read: James 2:14-26

We’ve all seen at least glimpses of horror movies featuring zombies, coming out of graves to terrorize frightened people trapped in their home or town, threatening to bust down the door or the walls to get to them and most disturbingly, eat them! Michael Jackson’s video, “Thriller”, comes to mind for me and maybe you too. These types of scenes may give us a “fun” scare, or even be mildly amusing, but it’s no laughing matter when we come to realize that the “zombie”... may be us!

It’s sad to say, but the truth of the matter is that there are too many who profess to have faith in Jesus, but in actuality have no outward evidence of the same in their lives. In short, if they were to be in a court of law and forced to prove with unmistakable evidence that their lives have really been changed as a result of their relationship with Jesus, living by faith, the jury and judge would sadly find that there is insufficient evidence for sentencing. They are professing to be alive in Christ, when in fact, they are actually dead in their faith. Effectively, they are “the walking dead” of the world, so yeah, they’re “zombies.” How can this be?

Jesus illustrates that these types of people exist even right up until the time of judgement day itself. Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV) reads as follows: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” Also, in Matthew 23:27 (AMP), Jesus talking to the Pharisees: “Woe to you, [self- righteous] scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which look beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and everything unclean.” Jesus was extra clear that outward appearances, and for that matter, words and deeds that are ostensibly done in His name, are all absolute forgeries if not done with true faith. Such will never be acceptable to Him. So it is with our insincere professions of faith, which fails to demonstrate real “fruit,” or true evidence of our inward heart convictions for Jesus.

The key passage from James 2:14-26 as reflected below clearly summarizes the differences between living and dead (“Zombie”) faith: 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. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

The last thing this world needs is a zombie apocalypse, especially in the church! Let’s be sure to allow the Holy Spirit to fully and deeply reveal to us the areas in our lives where our professions of faith may not be followed with demonstrated acts of faith. Let’s strive for true, living faith, that is consistent with God’s desire for us as His children.

Prayer:
Lord, we ask You to remove all the “zombies” that may be lurking deep within us. We ask that You come into our hearts, minds and attitudes and clean house of any such forgeries of faith that are robbing You of the glory and honor that You alone deserve. We ask that You breathe life-giving breath into our professions of faith, just as you did with Ezekiel and the dry bones in the valley, so that our zombies can become flesh and blood to glorify You. Help us to be absolutely compelled to follow our professed faith with acts and deeds that prove the authenticity of our faith. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen!