James 2:21-24
When you think of the word faith or hear it, what are some of the first things that come to your mind? For most of us, we would immediately think of religion, trust, or believing in something you can’t see or feel sometimes. I doubt for any of us that the first words that come to mind would be good deeds, or even actions. In Romans, chapter 4, Paul writes that, “But people are righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God…” BUT in James, chapter 4, verse 21, James writes, “Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.” There is a special correlation between these two verses. James and Paul are not contradicting each other; rather they are simply complimenting what each is saying. Paul, on one hand, is not saying that God’s law is unimportant but that it is impossible to be saved simply by just obeying it. Paul emphasizes faith. James, on the other hand, compliments what Paul is saying by stating, “…His faith and his actions worked together.” He does not say, however, that our good deeds justify us.
Let’s break it down:
In verse 21, Abraham’s faith caused him to DO something he knew he had to do.
In verse 22, it proves this by saying that, “his faith and his actions worked together.”
In verse 23, it says that, “Abraham believed God…” This goes to show that Abraham had faith in what God was doing in his life. Therefore, “God counted him as righteous because of his faith.
And in verse 24, “…we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.” — “Faith brings us salvation; active obedience demonstrates that our faith is genuine.”
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