The Faith That Works

“Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is never alone.” ~ Martin Luther Paul: “And to the one who does not work but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,” ~ Romans 4:5 James: “14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” James 2 Do their teachings contradict? Are they giving two options for salvation? No. Paul tells us how to become a Christian (faith in Christ alone, apart from works); James tells us about an ongoing reality in the life of a Christian (faith expressed in good works). What is the connection of saving faith and good works? "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” ~ Eph. 2:10 You cannot separate your faith from your walk; you cannot separate your faith from your works: I. Mere Announcement Portrays a Dead Faith. (vv. 14,17) There is a kind of faith that is dead. A surgeon claiming that he is a surgeon but does not do surgery, or a pilot saying that he is such a one yet he does not fly a plane, makes a useless claim. Merely saying, merely announcing that we are saved, does not make us true believers. If you say that at one point in your life you have prayed the sinners prayer and received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, then well and good - you have made a PROFESSION, but that is not a guarantee that you indeed get a POSSESSION of eternal life. It does not mean that you have a relationship with Jesus Christ already. If faith is genuine, there is always an expected result in the life of a person who professes to know God. And James says that if it does not result in good works, what kind of faith is that? That is of no use. There is no profit there for your soul. What James asserts is that “If you truly love Jesus, you must express that love by walking in his laws.” II. Mental Agreement is a Picture of a Demonic Faith. (vv. 18-20) 'Show me your faith apart from works.' You cannot have one inch of faith, one kilogram of faith. You simply cannot show faith itself, because it is a reality in the heart of a believer, given by the Holy Spirit at the moment of conversion. You would have faith in Jesus that does not result to good works? Then very good. Even the demons believe, but unlike you they shudder, they tremble. So faith in the head and even in the heart is useless, given that that is our definition of what faith is. Faith is not tangible, but the reality of faith is shown through good works. III. Manifest Action Proves Genuine Faith. (vv. 15-16) The dead faith faith sees a need and maintains blindness and deafness toward meeting that need. A person with a genuine faith looks at the Gospel, remembers the Gospel and remembers that in Christ He was hungry of spiritual food and the Lord meet it. He was naked and unclothed, devoid of any goodness, but God in His grace gave Him and clothe Him with the righteousness of Jesus. And because of the Gospel, that motivates the person with the genuine faith to not only wish well for the brother or a sister who is in need, but to give them what is necessary… That is the picture of the person with the genuine faith. True saving faith results always in a new heart. And that transformed heart now is moved and motivated by the Spirit of God with a whole new set of purposes, a whole new set of goals, a whole new set of values, a whole new set of loves, a whole new set of desires, a whole new set of thoughts, and because of that, a transformed way of living life. Genuine faith has a new heart to love God and love others. Love is the expression of genuine faith. Good works are a manifestation of genuine faith. CONCLUSION: Only genuine faith saves us apart from works; but genuine faith sets us apart for good works.