When believers remind themselves about the standards God expects of us, there is one part they often overlook.
James 4:17 NKJV says,
“Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin”.
For the past few weeks, we have been talking about grace and our freedom from the Law. One emphasis we have repeatedly made is that although we are free from the Law, we are not free to live recklessly. Our freedom still exists within the boundaries God has established.
One of those boundaries is found in James 4:17.
Many believers understand that sin is doing what God has forbidden. But James introduces a different perspective. He explains that it is possible to avoid wrongdoing and still be guilty before God because we refused to do the right thing. Sin is not only committing evil, it is also omitting or neglecting good.
One of the clearest illustrations of this is Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25–37). A priest saw the wounded man and passed by. A Levite also saw him and continued on his way. They may both have had reasons for doing so. Perhaps the priest feared becoming ceremonially unclean before performing his temple duties (Lev. 21:1–3). Perhaps the Levite was occupied with his own responsibilities. Scripture does not tell us why they walked away.
What it does tell us is that only the Samaritan stopped to show mercy. The issue was not merely what the priest and Levite did wrong, but the good they failed to do when the opportunity was right before them.
That’s why I consider it interesting whenever people compare Christianity with other religions based on discipline. The standards God has set for us are far higher than many realize. They are so high that He gave us His Holy Spirit to enable us to walk in them. (Matt. 5:48, Ezek. 36:26-27)
Many Christians have misunderstood grace and salvation by faith to the point where they downplay the importance of doing. They believe, but they do not act. This is one of the major challenges facing modern Christianity. We have many professing Christians whose lives do not reflect Christ. They say Christianity is about love, but do nothing to prove this. In doing so, not only do they fall short of what is expected of a believer, they also misrepresent Christ.
In our conduct, speech, passions, and actions, people should be able to recognize that we belong to Christ. The name “Christian” was first given to believers because their lives resembled that of Jesus (Acts 11:26).
Ephesians 2:10 tells us that we are “created in Christ Jesus for good works”. We are saved by grace not through good works, but for good works. When we fail to do those good works, we neglect part of the very purpose for which God saved us.
Paul understood this responsibility. After encountering Jesus, he could have simply acknowledged his former errors and quietly lived as a Christian. Instead, he declared, “Necessity is laid upon me… Woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!” (1 Cor. 9:16 NKJV). He understood that salvation came with responsibility. He had been saved so that others, too, could come to know Christ through him.
One of the greatest good works Scripture commands us to do is preach the gospel. If you truly believe the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom. 1:16), then you cannot remain silent about it.
To know that Christ alone saves and yet deliberately withhold that message from those who need Him is to neglect one of the greatest responsibilities entrusted to every believer. The greatest good we can ever do for anyone is to point them to the One who can save their soul and preserve them eternally.
One day, we will all stand before God. May it never be said of us that we knew the good we ought to do, yet left it undone.
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