April 19th 2017 / FAITH AND GOOD WORKS OR GOOD WORKS AND FAITH?

The age old argument that the letter of James presents is about our faith and good works. People have confused this issue with an idea that good works are a part of being saved. But it is not at all what James was talking about. James was explaining that faith is the root of our salvation and that good works are the fruit of having been saved or an outward expression of our salvation but not what saved us. Now James was also explaining that once you are saved by faith alone you should be led by the Holy Spirit to want to do good works for God and others. If you ignore the Holy Spirit urging you on to do good wholesome things then you will bear no fruit (no good works) on the tree of your faith. All you will have are the roots of faith with nothing to show for it.

James 2:20-26Christian Standard Bible (CSB)

20 Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? 21 Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete, 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 justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Prayer: Father, give us guidance and let us listen to the Holy Spirit to do good and reject evil that our faith will be the salt of the earth, in Jesus name, amen.

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