In the Bible certain Biblical authors tend to stress coming to faith and others stress living out that faith. Jesus does not see these as two different things but as two aspects of a life in God. He proclaims that genuine followers are “those who hear the word of God and act on it.” Faith and action are intimately connected. The Bible has in mind a particular kind of action as evidence of a genuine believer: care for the poor. We read in the book of Proverbs: “He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will himself also call and not be heard.” A good yardstick to measure the vibrancy of our faith is our attentiveness to those who are in need.
