Faith to Action

James 2:14-26 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. 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. 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? 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. 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. I remember, years ago, trying to understand the thought behind “Good Works”. Early on, I found the passage of Scripture in Ephesians 2:1-10, which states that by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. I guess that I grew up with the concept of earning your way into Heaven. That the idea of good deeds in life out-weighing the bad deeds that I do would be a factor. Maybe because our society works that way and we need to earn our keep, to pay the way, so we deserve to go to heaven. That is the concept behind Semi-Pelagianism, defined as a moderated form of Pelagianism, taught that man has retained the ability to seek God in and of himself apart from any movement of God's grace. But this flew in the face of Ephesians 2. It made sense to me when I finally found James 2:14-26 and saw that faith and works work together, like the spirit in the live body. A dead body that lacks life and breath can do nothing, so a dead faith, lacking action in godly desires and works from the regenerated Spirit of God, is not functioning and dead. The true faith of the regenerated heart is evidenced by the natural actions of godly deeds. I’ve heard the phase that we don’t do “good” works to get saved, but do “good” works because we are saved. But it is even deeper than that … “good” works is just what a regenerated heart does because faith and “good” works work together. Born again and anew from above though belief in Jesus Christ. Loving, trusting, obeying, seeking, growing, and fruitful in godly works prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Faith justified in actions of producing and bearing good fruit in works.

In Christ, Brian