Read:
James 2:14-26
Today’s
passage is famous for theological controversy because on the surface it looks
like James is contradicting Paul who talks about how we are saved by
grace. Before we go any further we must
note that the Bible does NOT contradict itself.
All Scripture is inspired by God, therefore, Paul and James are not in
contradiction with each other. We must
remember that each had a specific purpose in mind when writing their
letters. We also need to remember not to
take only one passage and make doctrine out of it. Scripture interprets
Scripture so we must look at the totality of the Word of God. This devotional is not the place for this
debate so instead we will focus on what James has to say.
James is
writing to believers who profess to believe in Christ but do not have any fruit
to show for it in their lives. He is
not disputing that we are saved by faith alone; he is just arguing that genuine
faith results in good works. We won’t
get into heaven through good deeds alone.
We also won’t get into heaven by believing in Jesus intellectually
without it changing the way we live.
James uses
the example of a person without clothes being told to “go in peace, keep warm and well fed” (v. 16, NIV) without doing
anything about his physical needs. He
calls that faith dead (v. 17, 26) and useless (v. 20). The key thing to remember here is that you
cannot separate true faith from good deeds.
If someone claims to have faith but has no good deeds his claim proves
nothing. Likewise, if a person has all
sorts of good deeds but does not turn from their sin and trust in Jesus as
their Lord and Saviour their good works will not get them into heaven.
Believing
right doctrine is not sufficient for salvation, genuine saving faith is always
connected to new birth and results in a life of good deeds. James describes both Abraham and Rahab as
examples of those who had genuine saving faith which manifested itself with
good deeds. Abraham’s obedience in
sacrificing Isaac did not save him but rather proved his faith was genuine (v.
21-23). Rahab, a woman and pagan
foreigner, also had faith that resulted in obedience as she did the right thing
in hiding the spies (v. 25).
Prayer and Journaling
1. Thank
the Lord for the opportunity of doing good works for Him! Ask Him to show you 3-5 things that you are
doing well. Write a prayer committing to
continuing in those good deeds.
2. Ask
the Lord to show you an area in your life where you need to put your faith into
actions through good deeds.
3. Pray
for the lost to see the good deeds of believers and be drawn into the kingdom
of God through that testimony.
