Faith and Deeds

Do your works matter?

James 2:14 ESV

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

James asks an important question, but why is he asking this question?

The Israelites relied on works alone, but it was not enough. The church was relying on just the faith but had no works.

James 2:15–17 ESV

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.

Ill pray for you conversation

We have to be the hands and feet of Jesus. Often, we are the answer to prayer that we are praying for, but we over look it.

James 2:18–19 ESV

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!

Belief equals action

Demons even say they believe, but where is the action.

James 2:20–22 ESV

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;

Abraham was counted as righteous because of his faith in the Lord, and he put that faith to practice.

Genesis 15:6 ESV

And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

Romans 4:1–3 ESV

What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Galatians 3:6 ESV

just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

Hebrews 11:8–10 ESV

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God.

Hebrews 11:17–18 ESV

By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.”

Abraham put his faith into practice

James 2:23–24 ESV

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.

Our works do not save us, but they are fruit of our faith.

John 15:5 ESV

I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

We are told to bear fruit, and we are told that we can only bear that fruit if we are abiding in Christ. This means that the works that we do are an outpouring of what Christ has done in our lives.

James 2:25–26 ESV

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.

Another example of faith with works.

we have to have works with our faith.