Faith Like Abraham
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Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
This is a verse that causes great problems for some people, for it seems to say that when Abraham offered up Isaac in obedience to God’s instruction, he was justified.
That is, Abraham was justified by works.
Is a man justified by works?
Is that what is meant here, NO.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
What James is saying is that Abraham proved that he was justified; he proved that he was justified by what he did—by his works.
Abraham’s faith was proven to be a true and living faith by his works or by what he did.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
If all you have is faith in words only, you don’t have anything.
1. Abraham’s faith wrought (worked with, cooperated with) his works (v. 22).
Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
That is, his faith was acted out and proven by his works.
2. By his works Abraham’s faith was made perfect, that is, finished, completed, carried to the end
Perfect - to complete, accomplish, or (figurative) consummate (in character) :- consecrate, finish, fulfill, make) perfect.
Abraham’s faith was proven, shown to be a complete faith.
A true and living faith works: it completes and finishes its course.
If a faith does not work or act or complete or finish its course, it is a dead faith—an incomplete, unfinished, and unproven faith.
3. Abraham’s faith fulfilled Scripture.
What Scripture?
The Scripture that said “Abraham believed God; and it was imputed unto him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:6).
And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
These words were declared some thirty years before Abraham ever offered up Isaac.
God pronounced that Abraham was justified and saved thirty years before this event referred to by James.
James plainly declares that when Abraham offered up Isaac he was proving his faith, [not earning it].
The reason Abraham offered up Isaac was because he did believe God.
THE CONVERTED HARLOT WHO PROVED HER FAITH BY WORKS
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Why mention Rahab?
Because she was a harlot, the very lowest of society.
She was very opposite of Abraham, a rich and respected man.
All people, even the lowest person who claims to believe in God, must do good works.
They must clean up their lives and follow God. Rahab did.
When the spies for Israel were being hunted down by the Jericho soldiers, she hid them.
Why would she betray her country and protect the Israelite spies?
Because she believed in God and His promises.
She said to the spies
And she said unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land, and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you.
And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.
She believed in God, therefore, she acted. She put her faith to work.
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
A body without the spirit or breath is dead. It does not move, act, live, or work.
It is empty, totally useless and worthless.
It is a dead body. So it is with faith: faith without works is dead.
It does not move, act, live, or work.
Faith without works is empty, totally useless and worthless.
It does not live for Christ, does not follow Him in righteousness or purity nor work for Him in reaching people and meeting the needs of a destitute world.
ILLUSTRATION: We must back up what we believe with action to demonstrate that we really believe what we say we do. We must prove our faith by our works.
The listeners critically stared at the speaker in disbelief. He made an unbelievable claim. “I have something in my pocket which no one in the world, including myself, has ever seen. And after I show it to you, no one will ever see it again.” Then the man took out a peanut, cracked the shell and showed them the kernel. Then he ate the kernel—SOURCE UNKNOWN.
This man backed up his words with action. Likewise, if we are to affect our world for Christ, we must show that what we claim is the truth.
NOT MANY BELIEVERS SHOULD BECOME TEACHERS BECAUSE TEACHERS SHALL FACE A STRICTER JUDGMENT FROM GOD.
My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
A teacher tells others how to live and corrects them when they come short.
In fact, a teacher is responsible for the lives and spiritual growth of those under him.
God holds him responsible. Therefore, if the teacher fails to live what he teaches, he will bear a greater judgment and condemnation.
The teacher must live what he preaches and teaches.
Note three facts.
1. This verse stresses a pointed truth: a person should commit his life to teach only if he cannot keep from teaching.
Teaching is a high calling; therefore it has a large responsibility and is to receive the greater condemnation by God.
2. However, a person is not to fear this responsibility and neglect the gift of teaching.
If he is called and gifted to teach, then he must teach. The great responsibility and potential condemnation enhances its great dignity.
3. A teacher’s main tool for work is speech or the tongue. Therefore, it is the tongue and its use that will have a great bearing upon the teacher’s condemnation.
The tongue is where the first great temptation attacks teachers, the temptation to misuse the tongue.
For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
THE TONGUE STUMBLES AND SINS OFTEN, STUMBLES IN WORD AFTER WORD.
Note: “we all offend” (stumble, fall, sin). This includes teachers as well as other believers.
No believer—no matter how great a teacher he is or who he is—is free from stumbling and falling.
In fact, note what the verse says: “In many things” we all stumble.
We do not just occasionally fall and sin; we are always coming up short before God.
And this includes all teachers or preachers as well as all other believers. What is the proof of this?
Our tongue shows that we [do not always love, we are not always]...
In no uncertain terms, the tongue shows us that we are always stumbling and coming short.
This is not to excuse us, nor to say that we are not to control the tongue.
We are held accountable by God for every word we speak.
Therefore, we must learn to control our tongues so that we can become perfect, mature, a fully developed person.
If a person will learn to control his tongue, he can learn to control any passion or appetite of the body.
In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin:
But he that refraineth his lips is wise.
ILLUSTRATION:
A fire raged on a natural gas platform that had been built out in the ocean. Firefighters worked night and day to put out the blaze, but their efforts were unsuccessful. It was discovered that the fire was so hot, it actually burned beneath the surface of the water where the pipe had been damaged and the gas was fueling the fire directly. In order to extinguish the fire, divers had to go below all the flames and cut off the gas supply first. Only then could they put out the fire above.
How similar that blaze is to our tongue. We must go below the tongue down into the heart and cut off the evil desires that fuel the tongue.
We must daily win the spiritual battle within us, the source of disagreeable talk.
Otherwise, the tongue will never be controlled.
From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?
