Testament of Faith
“But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
As we come off the wonderful message from this weekend covering the “Hall of Faith” in Hebrews chapter 11, it seems fitting to stay on the topic of faith, especially as my daily reading this week took me into James. James is a book that discusses matters of the heart, in how we respond to various aspects of life, in relation to our faith. James essentially outlines a series of tests by which a person’s faith may be measured. How we respond to those challenges is a testament to the authenticity of our faith. Borrowing the outline from a commentary we see:
The Test of Perseverance in Suffering (1:2-12)
The Test of Blame in Temptation (1:13-18)
The Test of Response to the Word (1:19-27)
The Test of Impartial Love (2:1-13)
The Test of Righteous Works (2:14-26)
The Test of the Tongue (3:1-12)
The Test of Humble Wisdom (3:13-18)
The Test of Worldly Indulgence (4:1-12)
The Test of Dependence (4:13-17)
The Test of Patient Endurance (5:1-11)
The Test of Truthfulness (5:12)
The Test of Prayerfulness (5:13-18)
The Test of True Faith (5:19, 20)
As we think about these various tests, I am confident that if we have walked in faith for any length of time, we have likely faced every one of these tests at some point, and often, probably without even realizing it. We saw from the message on Sunday that the Old Testament characters were tested in many of the same ways and in the end proved to have passed their tests of faith. So, as we wrestle with these things, we are reminded by James that our actions through these various tests in life reveal where we stand regarding godly faith. We cannot go through life as a believer with merely an intellectual foundation of faith.
As James 2:14 says “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works? Can that faith save him?” We can know that our faith is genuine by our works which are produced from that foundation of faith. Our faith in God sets us in motion to do good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). We cannot walk through life just showing up on Sundays, maybe attending a random church event here and there while saying, “yep, I believe” and think “I’m good to go.” There is more to it. James 1:22 says:
Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
We, by God’s word and in faith, are motivated to do the works God commands us to do and in the trials of life, we are trained to respond to life’s situations in a godly manner. James 1:2:
“Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
So, coming back to the initial text in James 2:18-26, we see James confirms his argument by referencing the faith of Abraham and Rahab, just as we saw in Hebrews 11 last week. And how was their faith justified? They believed in God (v.23) and their faith produced action – action of obedience. In a reciprocal manner, as their faith produced righteous works, their righteous works confirmed or authenticated their faith. James 2:22:
“You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; [23] and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God.”
It’s so easy to read the stories of the Old Testament and think to ourselves that those characters were special, or different, but they were not. They were ordinary people just like you and me. We too can follow in their footsteps by walking in faith, and through faith produce good works, which then justifies or verifies the authenticity of our faith, and then just like Abraham, we can also be called a friend of God.
As we saw in Hebrews 11, the characters of faith believed in the promises they never saw come to fruition and, in that belief, they walked in obedience to the commands of God. Their faith was credited to them as righteousness. They looked forward to Christ’s fulfillment of God’s promises at the cross. We are in a similar position in that we look back to the cross. Just like the Old Testament characters who never lived to see the coming messiah and yet believed in faith, we though having not been there nor having ever seen it, in faith, believe in the person, the work, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The faith of Old Testament saints and New Testament saints hinges on that one critical event in history – the moment where Christ’s redeeming work was finished on the cross and after the resurrection He sat down at the right hand of God (Matthew 26:64, Mark 16:19, Luke 22:67, 69, Acts, 2:33, 5:31).
We can take our faith one step further in that we all have the glorious hope of Christ’s return to judge the earth and restore His people in the establishment of His eternal kingdom.
As we reflect on these things, may our hearts be motivated to worship as we approach the Easter holiday and remind ourselves of what God has done for us through His Son Jesus. May we be reminded that our faith is much more than mere intellectual awareness or understanding, but instead is so much more. We have a faith that moves us to action – not action purposed for earning our salvation or godly favor, but faith-driven action to do good works out of our love and appreciation for what God has done for us in Christ. It is faith-driven action or works that are for the sole purpose of God’s glory. In that pursuit of walking obediently in faith, producing good works for the sake of others, we will receive and enjoy godly blessings.
James 2:26 NASB:
For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
Through Christ, may we live in genuine faith, may we fervently endure the tests of our faith, and through that faith may we always seek to do good works for God’s purpose.
