Justification and our Good Works

James 2:20-26 “You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

This short study of the doctrine of Justification by faith has said over and over again that it is not enough to say that we are justified by faith, for everyone who professes a belief in sacred Scripture confesses that we are justified by faith. The division is between those who believe that justification is by faith alone and those who believe that justification results from a combination of our faith and our good works.  

Ephesians 2:8-10 “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Our “good works” are related to our justification, but we must understand how they are properly related to God’s justifying verdict. Simply put, good works follow God’s decree of righteousness as the fruit of “saving faith”. In James 2:12-26 (portion above), the Apostle is concerned to distinguish “authentic faith” from the mere profession of faith. You cannot demonstrate faith without good work (just like you cannot demonstrate life without vital signs).

2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

Why are “good works” the necessary proof that faith is real? The study proclaims that the answer is because everyone who has actually trusted in Jesus Christ is a new creation. God does not declare us righteous based on His transformation of us, but only on the basis of the perfect righteousness of Christ. Nevertheless, all who have trusted in Jesus alone for salvation have also been transformed by Him and are being renewed from glory to glory; from redemption and sanctification on earth, to our glorious eternal welcome into heaven. They cannot help but do what is right, though imperfectly this side of eternity. And if there are no good works in the life of a professing believer, that person has not been changed and so has not been given the gift of true faith, which requires the change God the Holy Spirit works in our regeneration of our spirit.

In Holy Scripture, the word translated as “”justify” sometimes means “prove” or “demonstrate”. The first definition of “justify” in the 1828 Webster’s dictionary is: To prove or show to be just, or conformable to law, right, justice, propriety or duty; to defend or maintain; to vindicate as right. That is how the Apostle James used it here. Our works demonstrate our faith. That is , our faith is justified or proven by our “good works”. True, justifying faith is outwardly revealed in our desire and efforts to obey the Lord.

Blessed it Christ.