James 2:20—Faith without works is useless

But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?  James 2:20

James labored with this group of believers. You can hear it in his tone in this portion of the letter. Evidently, they thought that being “saved by grace through faith” meant that they could coast from here on out. They were “in” with God for eternity; the rest was gravy. Indeed, there was some cause for their ease—authentic faith in Christ and http://www.aerosail.com/sales-viagra/ His atoning work on the cross truly did make them new men and women. But again, it appears they mistook their position of rest in Christ for license to live for themselves without regard for the conviction and promptings of the Holy Spirit.

It is likely that these believers were so thrilled with the message about grace that they took it to the lebillet.ch levitra extreme to the exclusion of the rest of the teachings of the apostles. The same tendency is alive and well today, and as a result, the teaching of God’s wonderful grace gets a bad rap. The fact that you are loved by God despite your sin is foundational to salvation; without His grace, you can’t get saved. The fact that you live in this dispensation of grace—a set time in history in which God views you through the blood of His Son Jesus—is absolutely true and should set your life ablaze with thankfulness to Him. The fact that God’s grace is always extended to you in your life, unconditionally connecting you to the Father as a son or a daughter is intended by Him to comfort, encourage, and empower you.

Yet despite the wonder and all-encompassing depth of His grace, the Bible is also very clear about another important truth: you are accountable to God for your choices and behaviors in this life. Faith in Jesus and browse around this website His accompanying grace does not exempt you from responsibility to live uprightly and to walk in love with others.

James was adamant about this. When he asked, “Are you willing to recognize…?” he was spotlighting the root of the problem—the will of man. As it is now, so it was in James’ day—people want to believe what they want to believe and are often unwilling to hear anything else—even if it comes straight from the Word of God.

He even called them foolish, using a Greek word that means “empty, vain, devoid of truth” (see http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/Lexicon/Lexicon.cfm?strongs=G2756&t=KJV ). They were foolish because they assumed that they could live their lives believing in Jesus without ever manifesting His love to others.

…faith without works is useless…

Faith without works is useless, but works won’t save you. However, if you say that you believe in Jesus without exerting any effort to help others, yours is a very unstable faith, at best, and according to James, that type of faith is useless.

I know that I need to lean upon the grace of God to do the works of God whether they are supernatural or completely natural. If I pray for the sick or lead the lost to Jesus, I need grace to empower and direct me. If I buy groceries for someone or write out a check so they can pay rent, I need the grace of God to empower and direct me. If I open a door for a stranger, say a kind word, or catch someone’s eye and smile, I need the grace of God to remind me that it’s not all about me.

James was unwavering—he taught that faith without works is useless, similar to lighting a lamp and then hiding it under a bushel (see Matthew 5:15). Jesus’ death freed us from sin; He did not redeem us so we could live for ourselves alone or just be like everyone else. Instead, His sacrificial death empowers us to walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4), to manifest the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place (see 2 Corinthians 2:14), and to declare His praises (1 Peter 2:9). It is an honor and an adventure to take part in the works of faith, however God may lead you. And He will lead you.

May your faith be demonstrated by the gracious works of God!

Dorothy

…prove yourselves to be blameless and http://www.virtuallawnet.com/levitra-georgia-online/ innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life… Philippians 2:15b-16a