Title: Faith with works (James 2:26)
The theme of the book of James is faith in action. Faith must be accompanied by works. If you are a believer in Jesus Christ as your Savior, you must be able to explain your salvation to others and prove that you have been saved. Proof of that fact is shown by the act of the believer. How, then, can we explain our beliefs by actions?
James presents the 實例實例 of faith in action like this:
① It is said that living faith is helping neighbors in need with actions rather than words.
Among our brothers and sisters, there are those who are naked and suffer from lack of daily bread. What good would it be if someone who had faith told them to pray for peace, keep warm, and eat well with only words? It is a dead faith. Faith without works is called dead faith.
② The faith to be saved must be proved by a changed life.
Faith is not mere intellectual consent, but obedience and obedience.
Verse 19 says that even the demons tremble when they know that there is one God. But it is not called saved faith. Because they tremble at knowing that there is only one God, but they still remain in hell. We can also learn from the encounter with Jesus with the demon-possessed man who lived in the Gerasea region recorded in the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 8:28-34, Mark 5:1-20, Luke 8:26-39). The demons knew who Jesus was. "Jesus, Son of the Most High God, what have I to do with you? I beg you, do not trouble me." But the man possessed by a demon did not obey Jesus. Saving faith is not limited to intellectual assent or understanding. It must be revealed as an 'act of faith' in obedience to the requirements of God's Word.
③ Faith and works are inevitably linked like two sides of a coin.
The book of James does not speak of works before believing. It teaches about works after faith. He teaches that faith and works must always go together, but true faith must be accompanied by works. That is the law of faith. I hope you will realize that just as a person who eats a lot of salt seeks water, those who have faith in Jesus Christ are bound to act according to their faith.
James teaches faith in action by giving the example of two faithful saints in the Old Testament times.
One is Abraham (21-24). Abraham confirmed his faith through three great events.
First, I obeyed the command to “leave” without knowing where I was going (Genesis 12:1, Hebrews 11:8).
Second, through the promise of the conception of a son.
It was said that God would give the old Abraham and his wife a son, but it was scientifically unbelievable. But before God, Abraham was different. We believe that God's promises will be fulfilled through us when we have faith to believe and act on the wonderful blessings, gifts, and promises that God has established.
Paul describes Abraham's faith in this way in Romans 4.
“When he was 100 years old, he knew that his body was dead and that Sarah’s womb was dead, but his faith did not weaken, nor did he doubt the promises of God through lack of faith. was sure that it would be true, so it was able to be counted as righteousness to him” (Romans 4:19-22). He had the faith to hold on to God's promises without questioning. When we read or hear the Word, we should also have faith to trust completely without doubting.
Third, when the command to sacrifice Isaac was given as a burnt offering, Abraham's faith was confirmed once again (Genesis 22:9-12).
James cites the faith of another prostitute, Rahab, as an example.
Faith in action teaches that destiny-changing blessings follow. He was a foreigner, a woman, a corrupt, sinful prostitute and a prostitute. But she was the daughter of faith (Hebrews 11:31). Rahab said to the spies: “The Lord your God is God in the heavens and the earth. Therefore, I beg you. Since I have treated you well, you will also do good to my Father’s house, to save my parents, my brothers and sisters, and all who live in them, so that our lives may die. Now, swear by the LORD to deliver me from the land, and give me a true mark” (Joshua 2:11-13). He hid the spies who had come to conquer Jericho and helped them return safely. parasitism
It was not because of words and knowledge that Hap was saved. It was because of his conduct. Because of his works, he received the favor of God. The parasitic was a being who could not be saved either by the social environment of that time or by the laws of Judaism. But he was saved by the works of faith. Is there anyone who has a sense of inferiority, anxiety, emptiness, pessimism, and vain thoughts of giving up on himself because of the various circumstances of the world? I hope that we will hold on to the word of God and move forward with action. In doing so, Rahab became a person who occupies a position among the physical ancestors of Jesus (Matthew 1:5). She became the mother of Ruth's husband, Boaz. As the great-grandmother of King David, she became a woman recorded in the genealogy of Jesus in the Bible. God blesses us and changes our destiny when we obey and act on His Word.
Dear saints,
Please believe that the relationship between the Word and deeds is like the relationship between the body and the soul. Just as the body is dead when there is no soul, so faith without works is dead. Faith without words and deeds has no merit. Faith must be accompanied by works. We, Chungnam Jeil Church members, pray in the name of the Lord that everyone can follow the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and act.