Works with Faith
Notes
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder!
20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness” — and he was called a friend of God.
24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
- Shouldn't be a gap between what we believe and how we act
- 1 Saving faith or dead faith v14-17
- ~Self proclamation isn't relevant
- 2 What about "saved by grace"?
- ~ Ephesians 2
- 3 A current misconception v18-19
- No longer an intellectual exercise and persuasion - show me your change
- Is there any behavioral change evident post salvation experience?
- Genuine faith is seen and felt
- can we be humble enough to accept rebuke from our heavenly father?
- 4 Justification by works? V20-26
- "Justification is an instantaneous legal act of God in which He (1) thinks of our sins forgiven and Christ's righteousness as belonging to us, and (2) declares us to be righteous in his sight " Rude pg 723
- Biblical faith is lived out
- 5 Faith can be...
- ~Real, saving our soul from death & punishment v14b
- ~ Dead v17b
- ~ Demonic v19
- ~ Useless v20
- ~ Active, producing works that reveal its authenticity v22
- ~ Completed v22
- ~ Rahab v25