Faith Without Works – James 2:15-26

I was talking to a man and asking who among his siblings was saved.  His brother was told by Joel Osteen that if you pray the prayer of salvation, you are saved.  His brother prayed that prayer but never has shown any evidence of salvation.  The man will chide his brother, when he acts like an unbeliever, “I thought you said you were born again.”  Saying it doesn’t make it real.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 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? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

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. 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? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 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. 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 2:14-26, ESV)

How can you show that you have saving faith? The mere declaration is insufficient. Demons believe that there is one God but are not saved. They don’t believe in the sense of willing submission to and love for the Living God. But how does that faith prove itself? By works. It is that kind of faith that saves us, the kind that proves itself in works of righteousness, such as helping a fellow believer in need.

This is the kind of saving faith Abraham had, declared to be his by God in Genesis 15:6 but proven to be so in Genesis 22 when he was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac. Rahab had this kind of faith, saving faith, as demonstrated when she hid the spies. James would say Abraham and Rahab were justified (shown to be legitimate in their saving faith) by works. Paul would say we were justified (declared righteous, counted as righteousness, by God) by faith alone, but would add that the faith that saves is never alone but is always accompanied by works (Ephesians 2:8-10). Paul and James use the word “justify” with different meanings, but are in complete harmony as to the necessity of faith being demonstrated by works.

So if you and I are going to declare that we are saved we must show it to be so by the way we conduct our lives. If there is no evidence for this our salvation is called into question. If we are genuinely saved, have faith, it will eventually show itself. One can have works that look good from the outside and that alone doesn’t prove the person is saved. Only God knows the heart. But one cannot say one is saved without the proof of good works. Show us the works.