- Living faith is not but authentic.
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21)
2. Living faith is not but involved.
“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?’” (James 2:15-16)
3. Living faith is not but cooperative.
“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17)
“Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (James 2:20)
“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26)
“Faith is a living, busy, active powerful thing; it is impossible for it not to do us good continually. It never asks whether good works are to be done, but has done them before there is time to ask the question, and it is always doing them.” – Martin Luther
4. Living faith is not but on display.
“But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” (James 2:18)
“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)
5. Living faith is not assent but intimate.
“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (James 2:19-20)
“If demons might hold such faith, and still remain in perdition, men might hold it and go to perdition.”
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the one true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” (John 17:3)
6. Living faith that is accompanied by works is not with New Testament teaching.
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?” (James 2:21)
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Romans 3:28)
Two uses for the word justify:
- To as righteous. (Paul’s use)
“He who knew no sin became sin that we might become the righteousness of God in Christ.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)
2. To as righteous. (James’ use)
is the of salvation; are the of salvation.
“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.” (James 2:22-24)
“And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:25-26)
“Faith alone justifies, but faith that justifies is never alone.” – John Calvin