“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” James 2:18

We are living in curious times, perhaps the culmination of time, as it seems several streams of human invention and intention are flowing towards a head on a collision course with God’s divine plan for the ages. It was one of these curiosities that my wife and I were talking about not too long ago—the propensity of people today to want to live their lives on the other side of the lens.

What do I mean by that?

Well, many people today, Christians included, have stopped living life the way God intended and have instead decided to live vicariously through the actions of others. Instead of living a life of faith, a life “full-tilt,” an engaged life, they’ve decided to be a spectator and watch the exploits of others through the lens of a phone or television. We have become a generation of watchers, of observers, of those who get their kicks from the safety and security of our personal spaces, and while that may sound harmless, there’s a problem with that that many do not see.

The life of faith, which, by the way, is the only type of life that pleases God, is designed to be lived viscerally, not vicariously. It is designed to be experienced personally, not through various forms of virtual reality! Yet this is what many of us do on a daily basis, so much so that some have rarely ventured out of their houses in months going on years. It makes you wonder what’s the draw to this kind of lifestyle. How could people be happy living through the experiences of others? Then you think about it for a while and it begins to make sense.

There is safety in living vicariously. You don’t have to take risks, feel the bruises, experience the losses and associated humiliation. You don’t have to be vulnerable when you live on the other side of the lens. Plus, for some, there’s entertainment to be had on the other side of the lens. You can watch and enjoy the hard work of others without having to put much in yourself. On the other side of the lens the lazy man can be a professional champion of whatever as well! Finally, there’s affirmation for some on the other side of the lens. Some people watch the foolish mistakes of others and comfort themselves with the thoughts that, surely, they aren’t that dumb.

So, there is a tremendous pull for us to play it safe and live our lives as passive observers of other’s deeds (or misdeeds), and our numerous forms of social media have made that more possible for this generation than any that’s come before, but with this draw to live vicariously comes drawbacks. First, this kind of life gives us a false sense of reality. People build a life without really living at all. They are in attendance in a sense but never really present, and that carries over from the couch to the pew! These people are missing out on the thrilling life of faith because they have been conditioned to be spectators instead of doing things themselves.

The Bible teaches that the life of faith is active, not passive; it’s a life engaged. If you’re living by faith, you’ll be a doer, not an observer! The second chapter of James is a worthy read as it warns that faith without accompanying works is “dead,” or in other words, dormant and without power. Brothers and sisters, if we are going to enjoy this life the way God desires and live by His kind of faith we need to get out from behind the other side of the lens and be present and accounted for. We need to disconnect from the vicarious and reconnect with what is truly the most important things in life—the Lord and our call to serve Him.

Greg Crum is the pastor of Calvary Temple in Lovely.