Faith is often preached as a private feeling — a mystical virtue to be nurtured in the quiet of one’s heart. Yet, in Scripture, faith is never passive. It is active, risky and visible in obedience. Abraham, the father of all who believe, embodies faith that walks. James, the servant-leader of the early church, insists that such faith must be proven in works. Together, they provide a balanced theology — belief that acts and obedience that trusts.

Abraham’s journey began not with certainty, but with a call into the unknown. “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you,” (Genesis 12:1). He went, though he had no map, no timeline and no guarantees. His faith was credited to him as righteousness, not because of moral perfection, but because he trusted God’s word without visible evidence (Genesis 15:6). Faith, in Abraham’s case, was not an idea; it was motion — a willingness to leave the familiar for the invisible.

Centuries later, James picks up Abraham’s example to make a vital point. “Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? His faith and his actions were working together,” (James 2:21–22). James does not contradict Paul; he completes him. Faith without works is a seed without soil. Works without faith are leaves without roots. It is in their union that righteousness takes form.

The modern church often falters in holding both truths. In one stream, faith is reduced to slogans — something we declare without demonstrating. In another, works are exalted as performance — human effort without divine dependence. Abraham teaches us to trust; James teaches us to act. The believer’s maturity lies in the meeting point of both. True faith must move the feet, not just stir the lips.

Abraham’s obedience was not convenient. His faith demanded departure, sacrifice, and waiting. Yet every step of obedience was an altar — proof that faith breathes in action. Faith that only speaks is noise; faith that obeys is worship. It was not enough for Abraham to believe God for Isaac; he had to climb Moriah, knife in hand, trusting that obedience could not kill a promise God made.

In this generation, God still calls His people to journeys without maps, to promises without timelines. Faith, therefore, remains a verb — not a mood. It is not measured by how loudly we speak but by how far we go in trust and obedience. Abraham’s faith walked before it saw. It trusted before it touched. It obeyed before it understood. And through that obedience, heaven counted him righteous.

The church today must rediscover that kind of faith — faith that moves, faith that builds, faith that obeys even when the outcome is unclear. Such faith still pleases God.

• Sunday Ogidigbo, Senior Pastor, Holyhill Church, Abuja. Twitter/Instagram/Facebook: @SOgidigbo. Email: [email protected]