DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT 01-27-2015 UNDERSTANDING WHAT FAITH WITHOUT WORKS MEANS By Fred Trokie James 2:14-20 says: 14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? 17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. 18 But someone may well say, You have faith and I have works ; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. 20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? This discourse in James is about evidence of salvation. James is arguing that if a man declares that he is saved by faith, then logically there will be some visible proof to substantiate that declaration. James further explains in verse 19 that believe alone should not be the finale proof of salvation, because demons (and even Satan) also believes in God and look what spiritual condition their in. James instead leans on evidence for salvation as being the works that faith produces (verse 18). In other words good works does not produce salvation, but rather is a result of salvation by faith, and needs to be manifested in the individuals life as a verification of their truly being saved. Ephesians 2:8-9 says: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. We are saved by the grace of God through faith, and not by any works that we have done or will do in the future. Ephesians 2:10 says: 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them. Verse 10 makes it very clear that God has provided the evidence for our salvation Himself by preparing good woks for us to walk in. (walk: Greek - Peripateo - Strongs# G4043 - means to set ones lifestyle by and to live under and be regulated by). It is very clear that God desires for believers in Jesus Christ to be consistently walking in the good works of Ephesians 2:10 as a verification to the world that we have been truly born again. These then are the works that James is referring to in regards to our faith (Ephesians 2:10). We are not saved by them, but when we walk in them our salvation will become evident, and we will always be able to please God and bring glory to Him. God Bless - Fred
Posted on: Mon, 26 Jan 2015 23:54:48 +0000
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