Faith Works - May 23

Read James 2:20-24

Do you want to be shown, you foolish person that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”-and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Reflect

We know that we are saved by grace alone through faith alone, not through our works. But do our actions and our deeds still matter? Why or why not?

Remember the Philippian jailer from Acts 16? The one who asked Paul what he must do to be saved after God had miraculously freed Paul and Silas from their shackles and broke open the prison doors? Paul told him that all he had to do to be saved was to believe in the Lord Jesus (Acts 16:31).

Acts 16:31-34 records that after listening to Paul and Silas explain the Gospel, the jailer and his whole household confessed their faith in Christ and were baptized that very night. They believed and they were saved at that moment.

And then, it’s like the jailer became a new man: “And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds…Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that had believed in God (Acts 16:33-34).”

After he put his faith in Christ, the jailer went from holding Paul and Silas captive in a jail cell to inviting them into his home. He cared for their wounds and fed them. He showed them hospitality and gratitude.

You see, it’s not that faith has nothing to do with works. It’s just that our works do not save us. In the case of the Philippian jailer, his faith came first and good works flowed out from that. The good deeds he did for Paul and Silas were evidence that God had changed his heart.

Today’s passage can sometimes throw believers for a loop. They know that in Ephesians Paul says “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). But now James is telling us on one-hand that when we believe in God it is counted as righteousness, but on the other hand that we are justified by works and not only our faith. Which is it? Is this a contradiction?

No, it’s not a contradiction. Take James’ example of Abraham. You can read the account that he is referring to in Genesis 22. God told Abraham to sacrifice his son, Isaac, the very son that God had promised to him. I can’t imagine all that was going through Abraham’s mind as he set off for Mount Moriah. But he trusted God so much that he was willing to obey Him even when He asked him to do something so hard. In Genesis 22:8, Abraham demonstrated his trust in the Lord: “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” And God did provide, of course. In Genesis 22:12-13, God told Abraham not to harm the boy because Abraham had proven his faith by his actions. God provided a ram caught in the bushes for Abraham to sacrifice instead.

In his New Testament Commentary, Dr. Warren Wiersbe called this “dynamic faith.” He wrote: “Dynamic faith is faith that is real, faith that has power, faith that results in a changed life…True saving faith leads to action. Dynamic faith is not intellectual contemplation or emotional consternation: it leads to obedience on the part of the will. And this obedience is not an isolated event: it continues throughout the whole life. It leads to works.”

James said that “faith without works is dead.” If we put our faith in Christ, that’s great! But if that faith doesn’t change us, what is the point of the faith? And, if we aren’t changed, are we really saved?

You see, it’s not a contradiction. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone. But, every true conversion results in a changed life. When we believe God, that is counted to us as righteousness. But obedience to God and good works should flow from that faith. We are new creations in Christ so why would we want to remain living like our old selves? I don’t know about you but I don’t want a useless faith. I want a living, active, transformational faith. Not a dead faith, but a dynamic one. Faith works.

Respond

Lord, what a gift it is to be saved by Your grace. My hope is in You alone for my salvation. And yet, I don’t want my faith to be dead and useless. I want a living and dynamic faith. I want a faith that works. Help me to walk with You in obedience, demonstrating my faith to others by the way that I live my life. Amen.

Reveal

Is there an area of your life in which you are not walking in obedience to the Lord? Ask God to help you make a change. Then, whenever anyone asks about your transformed life, you can share your faith and give God the glory.