“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
There has long been a debate in Christianity regarding faith and works. Is a person saved by faith or by works? Many have argued in defense of each position. Unlike many other theological debates, however, this issue is clearly explained in Scripture.
Biblically, it is certain that a person is saved by faith alone. Our works of righteousness are “filthy rags” to a holy God. At first glance, James seems to contradict this statement but this is not so. The position that James takes is that, yes, it is by faith that we are saved but it is proven or demonstrated by works. Good works are the “feet” of faith. A person who claims to be a Christian but continues to live in sin shows no evidence of a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. It is extremely doubtful that such a person is saved.
One should not have to wonder if a person is truly a Christian or not. There should be such a mountain of evidence to back up the claim. One oft-used illustration is that of an accused Christian and it asks, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Dare I ask this question of myself? It is my sincere hope that the answer would be yes, but this question must be answered not only by me, but by the ones who know me best. What would they say?
Christianity is no good if it is a religion of words. It must be a relationship with works. Jesus does not, at this time, live and walk on the earth. Christians are the only picture many people will have of Christ. That is a serious charge. Saying all the right things and saying, “God bless you,” is not sufficient. There world is lost and dying, and many need to see the love of Christ expressed through the hands of those who love Him.
Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by our love. Love cannot be expressed solely by words in long-term relationships. There must be actions which back up and confirm those words. Does my faith have “feet?” If not, why not? God grant us the grace to meet the needs of the lost, and in so doing, point them to the Savior.
Ian Lawrence
2/9/2007
James 2:14–17
“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
There has long been a debate in Christianity regarding faith and works. Is a person saved by faith or by works? Many have argued in defense of each position. Unlike many other theological debates, however, this issue is clearly explained in Scripture.
Biblically, it is certain that a person is saved by faith alone. Our works of righteousness are “filthy rags” to a holy God. At first glance, James seems to contradict this statement but this is not so. The position that James takes is that, yes, it is by faith that we are saved but it is proven or demonstrated by works. Good works are the “feet” of faith. A person who claims to be a Christian but continues to live in sin shows no evidence of a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ. It is extremely doubtful that such a person is saved.
One should not have to wonder if a person is truly a Christian or not. There should be such a mountain of evidence to back up the claim. One oft-used illustration is that of an accused Christian and it asks, “If you were accused of being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” Dare I ask this question of myself? It is my sincere hope that the answer would be yes, but this question must be answered not only by me, but by the ones who know me best. What would they say?
Christianity is no good if it is a religion of words. It must be a relationship with works. Jesus does not, at this time, live and walk on the earth. Christians are the only picture many people will have of Christ. That is a serious charge. Saying all the right things and saying, “God bless you,” is not sufficient. There world is lost and dying, and many need to see the love of Christ expressed through the hands of those who love Him.
Jesus said that the world would know that we are His disciples by our love. Love cannot be expressed solely by words in long-term relationships. There must be actions which back up and confirm those words. Does my faith have “feet?” If not, why not? God grant us the grace to meet the needs of the lost, and in so doing, point them to the Savior.