“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith
without works is dead also.” (v.26)
Which
is more important faith or works? At the close of chapter 2, James answers emphatically:
both are! Works “complete” our faith—they show that it is awake and alive.
Faith and actions work “together” (v. 22). They are not in competition and they
are both necessary in the Christian life.
Here
in chapter 2 James gives us two examples of faith in action, Abraham and Rahab.
Abraham is identified because of the offering of his son Isaac to God,
believing God would raise him from the dead to fulfill His promise to him (v.
23). Rahab, at great risk to her own safety, harbored spies (v.25) and misled
representatives of the king of Jericho believing in God to save both her and
her family (Joshua 2:4-6). Her bravery is recounted again in Hebrews 11:31 among
other great examples of faith.
The
key here is faith, believing in God, and once you have that, dramatic works of
obedience will follow as a natural outpouring of your belief. As John Calvin
put it, “Faith alone justifies, but the faith that justifies is never alone.”
The
Truth: “For we are
His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared
beforehand so that we would walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10)
