FAITH THAT WORKSLesson 6

KEY TEXT

“For as the body

without the spirit is

dead, so faith

without works is

dead also” James 2:26

James 2:14-17 James 2:18 James 2:19-20 James 2:21-24 James 2:25-26

FAITH

“faith by itself, if it does not

have works, is dead”

“I will show you my faith

by my works”

“faith without works is dead”

“faith was working

together with his works”

“faith without works is dead”

THAT WORKS

Faith in actionShowing our

faithThe faith of

demonsAbraham’s

faithThe faith of

Rahab

Faith and works Faith examples

“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17)

Is there a faith that does not save?

A living faith saves. A dead faith cannot save.

How can I distinguish if my faith is alive or dead?

According to James, my faith is shown on how I treat others.

When we confront somebody’s need and we do nothing about it, we are not practicing our faith. That faith slowly weakens and dies. A faith without works gradually dies.

“But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)

Genuine faith is shown by selfless actions, “which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)

Paul stated that God “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us.” (Titus 3:5) Then, he wrote:

“This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.” (Titus 3:8)

Both James and Paul agree; faith and works are inseparable. But works cannot save us anyway, only faith can.

“Our characters are revealed by what we do. The

works show whether the faith is genuine.

It is not enough for us to believe that Jesus is not an

impostor, and that the religion of the Bible is no

cunningly devised fable. We may believe that the

name of Jesus is the only name under heaven

whereby man may be saved, and yet we may not

through faith make Him our personal Saviour. It is

not enough to believe the theory of truth. It is not

enough to make a profession of faith in Christ and

have our names registered on the church roll. ‘He that

keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He

in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by

the Spirit which He hath given us.’ ‘Hereby we do

know that we know Him if we keep His

commandments.’ 1 John 3:24; 1 John 2:3. This is the

genuine evidence of conversion. Whatever our

profession, it amounts to nothing unless Christ is

revealed in works of righteousness.”

E.G.W. (Christ’s Object Lessons, cp. 24, pg. 312)

“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:19-20)

The faith James is talking about is just a certainty that some doctrines are true. We could be convinced because of the evidence we may find in God’s Word, but our heart could remain coldand unconverted.

So a mere mental belief alone cannot save us. That’s the “faith” of a “foolish man.” That’s a dead faith; the faith of demons.

Only the faith in Jesus as our personal Savior can save. That faith becomes visible in my life as it did in the lives of Abraham and Rahab.

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you

see that faith was working together with his works, and

by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says,

‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God.

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (James 2:21-24)

ABRAHAM’S FAITH

“What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed

God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as

grace but as debt.”(Romans 4:1-5)

Both James and Paul studied Abraham’s example. James concluded that we are justified by works, but Paul concluded that we are justified by faith. How can we explain that apparent contradiction?

James PAUL

Let’s see how Paul theologically studied Abraham’s life.

1. Abraham did no work that could justify him before God (Romans 4:1-5)

2. He obeyed God by faith when he was ordered to leave his homeland (Acts 11:8)

3. He believed that God could give Sarah a son by faith (Romans 4:19)

4. He offered Isaac by faith (Hebrews 11:19)

So Paul (and James) understood that Abraham’s faith was PERFECTED by his works. He gradually walked more firmly in his faith.

James said that Abraham was justified by his works. That is, the works that show his faith was true; the faith that actually saved him.

ABRAHAM’S FAITH

“Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

(James 2:25-26)

Would her faith have saved her if she hadn’t hidden the messengers?

Would her faith have saved her if she hadn’t placed that crimson thread at her window?

Would her relatives have been saved if they hadn’t stayed at Rahab’s?

So James concludes that if you are saved by faith, then you will live according to that faith. If you don’t, your faith is dead.

Rahab believed that the God of the Israelites would conquer Canaan (including Jericho)

“We need the faith of Abraham in

our day, to lighten the darkness that

gathers around us, shutting out the

sweet sunlight of God’s love, and

dwarfing spiritual growth. Our

faith should be prolific of good

works; for faith without works is

dead. Every duty performed, every

sacrifice made in the name of Jesus,

brings an exceeding great reward. In

the very act of duty, God speaks and

gives His blessing.”

E.G.W. (Reflecting Christ, March 6)

JAMES, THE BROTHER OF JESUS

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