Works follow belief
Featured Image: Missionary in the 50’s – serving in the Peruvian Andes
-By Pastor James K Waiya; Kenya
Faith, according to Hebrew 11, is believing unseen things and the substance of things hoped for. Such faith made men and women of Old Testament great. For example, in Hebrews 11 we see:
- Abel worshipped God by faith.
- Enoch walked by faith so deeply that he was even taken away without tasting death.
- Noah’s faith pleased God for he built an arc according to God’s instructions and God was pleased to save him from the flood.
- Abraham lived by faith and became the friend of God.
So according to Hebrews, without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). Hebrews looks at faith as the conviction in your heart, but James looks at faith as practical. Both – your conviction and the practical, do not contradict each other, but rather, they go together like two sides of a coin.
Faith, according to James (James 2:14-26).
James asks practical questions on faith – to define practical faith. For example:
Faith plus action – not just belief.
What profiteth? James 2:14: that means faith must be followed with works. Without works that faith is useless and profits nothing.
Can faith save? It is true: faith alone is the requirement for salvation. Works alone cannot save (Ephesians 2:8-9). But according to James works are produced by faith and salvation is followed by good works. Works are a sign of a changed life – from the old man to the new man (2 Corinthians 5:17; Ephesians 4:17-24).
James says that even demons have faith in God! But their faith is defective because their works do not match their faith – for their works are against God (vs 19).
How was Abraham justified? Hebrews 11:17-19: Abraham is called the father of our faith. His faith was justifiable when he offered his son Isaac, thus demonstrating his works together with his faith. Faith demonstrates commitment, and works demonstrate obedience.
What about Rahab? Hebrews 11:31: The fact is – Rahab was a harlot. She is an example of depravity. But she was justified by faith – for she rescued God’s messengers.
CONCLUSION: James 2: verses 5-8, 17,20,24.
• Faith without works is dead.
• Faith is perfected by works. That means faith is incomplete without works.
• Faith gives us compassion to help the needy.
• Faith and works make us friends of God like Abraham’s friendship relationship with God.
• The body without a spirit is dead. Likewise – faith without works is dead.
-By Pastor James K Waiya; Kenya
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