November 3, 2026 -Faith and Works Work
“[12] Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, [13] because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment. [14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? [15] Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. [16] If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? [17] In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. [18] But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. [19] You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. [20] You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? [21] Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. [23] 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. [24] You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. [25] 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? [26] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”
James 2:12-26 NIV
We just finished reading the book of Hebrews that speaks to the Jews and also to us today that all would understand that the law shows that no one is able to fulfill the law for themselves and that Jesus has done what we cannot do. They had difficulty changing their focus to faith because they had lived their lives focused on the law. They had constantly lived thinking about what they should and should not do in order to please God without turning their hearts to God. But Hebrews 11 ties that faith together with works. Or what I think is better stated as action. Remember belief must lead to faith which leads to trust and then to action which is demonstrated over and over again as the writer reviews the lives of many different people of faith and how their action was the evidence of their faith. Today we see some of those same people mentioned in James and he again tells Jewish Christians who are scattered across the world that if they have faith it should be evident by their actions. People who have not read the entire bible and taken it as a whole try to say that James is saying that we are saved by works and that it is a contradiction in the bible, but it is just the opposite. We see the consistent message that belief leads to faith which leads to trust and will always result in action. The action will be good works that are pleasing to God and show a love for God and a love for people. Those actions come from a heart that trust God and wants to please Him out of love not out of law or obligation. It is a condition of the heart that only God can truly know but that should make a difference in our live and how we live.
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