GraceUncovered

Authors home articles Gracelife

GRACE BLOGS COLLECTION

Faith Without Works Is Dead

by

There is perhaps no more controversial scripture in the Bible than this gem from James:

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? (James 2:14)

Since this seems to contradict what Paul says – “We’re not justified by works, but faith alone” (Gal. 2:16) – people have come up with some strange conclusions:

  • Paul and James preached different gospels
  • James did not really understand grace
  • putting James in the Bible was a mistake
  • James is not talking about works for salvation but other kinds of works

Let me suggest that these conclusions are wrong. There is only one gospel, the gospel of grace, and both James and Paul preached it.

And both men preached justification by faith. James does so just a few verses later when he says “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Jas 2:23).

But then James adds:

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)

Which kinda sounds like James is changing his mind from verse to verse:

  • Abraham believed and was reckoned righteous
  • You see? He was justified by works and not faith alone!

Make up your mind, James.

Or maybe, James isn’t flip-flopping but he has a specific definition of works in mind.

Faith without works

When we think of works, we tend to think of the dead works of self-improvement. “I must do this and that to make myself right with God.”

But James is talking about faith works. What are works of faith? He’s just told us: Abraham believed.

James is talking to Jews who believed in God but they weren’t sure about his Son Jesus. To say “faith without works in dead” means “having faith in God without believing in the One he sent means your faith is useless.”

Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is the action that reveals our faith. It may seem strange to think of believing as a work, but believing in Jesus is the work of God (see John 6:29).

Faith vs believing

The Biblical word for faith is a noun (it means persuasion or conviction), but believing is a verb. If faith is the state of being persuaded that God saves you by grace alone, then believing is the verb or activity that flows from that persuasion.

We do not believe in order to create faith. Rather, believing is the action that reveals our faith. “Having the same spirit of faith… we also believe” (2 Cor. 4:13).

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (James 1:22)

To be a doer of the word is to receive, with humility, the word of truth that can save our souls (Jas. 1:21). To receive is to accept, believe, trust, and rely on the promises of God regarding our salvation.

James does not leave us guessing when it comes to works of faith. He says we need to

  • submit and draw near to God (Jas. 4:7–8)
  • humble ourselves and receive his grace (Jas. 4:6, 10)
  • hold onto the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. 2:1)

Sadly, many think that James is preaching good works or charitable works as a substitute or complement to faith. As a result, they try to balance the grace of God with their works.

“I am saved by grace, but I have to prove my salvation through good works.”

There is no balancing grace with works (Rom. 11:6). It’s one or the other, not both. Any works done to earn or maintain right standing with God are dead works.

Faith by itself is dead

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (James 2:17)

We are all creatures of faith, but unless our faith is in the Savior, ours is a dead or useless faith (Jas. 2:20, 26). Faith in Christ leads to eternal life (John 3:16), but faith in anything else leads to death.

John Calvin famously said that faith alone justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is never alone. In other words, faith in Christ will lead to good works, and those works prove that one has faith in Christ.

While it is true that right living follows right believing (Matt. 5:16, Eph. 2:10), James is not discussing charity or works of service in general. He is talking about salvation (Jas. 2:14), justification (Jas. 2:21, 24–25), and being made right with God (Jas 2:23).

In this context, the work that counts is believing in Jesus Christ.

—–

Extracted and adapted from The Grace Bible: James.

Grace Glossary word of the week: Faith. Read more about works of faith.

Get grace every week by email:

Faith Without Works Is Dead

by

There is perhaps no more controversial scripture in the Bible than this gem from James:

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? (James 2:14)

Since this seems to contradict what Paul says – “We’re not justified by works, but faith alone” (Gal. 2:16) – people have come up with some strange conclusions:

  • Paul and James preached different gospels
  • James did not really understand grace
  • putting James in the Bible was a mistake
  • James is not talking about works for salvation but other kinds of works

Let me suggest that these conclusions are wrong. There is only one gospel, the gospel of grace, and both James and Paul preached it.

And both men preached justification by faith. James does so just a few verses later when he says “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Jas 2:23).

But then James adds:

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)

Which kinda sounds like James is changing his mind from verse to verse:

  • Abraham believed and was reckoned righteous
  • You see? He was justified by works and not faith alone!

Make up your mind, James.

Or maybe, James isn’t flip-flopping but he has a specific definition of works in mind.

Faith without works

When we think of works, we tend to think of the dead works of self-improvement. “I must do this and that to make myself right with God.”

But James is talking about faith works. What are works of faith? He’s just told us: Abraham believed.

James is talking to Jews who believed in God but they weren’t sure about his Son Jesus. To say “faith without works in dead” means “having faith in God without believing in the One he sent means your faith is useless.”

Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is the action that reveals our faith. It may seem strange to think of believing as a work, but believing in Jesus is the work of God (see John 6:29).

Faith vs believing

The Biblical word for faith is a noun (it means persuasion or conviction), but believing is a verb. If faith is the state of being persuaded that God saves you by grace alone, then believing is the verb or activity that flows from that persuasion.

We do not believe in order to create faith. Rather, believing is the action that reveals our faith. “Having the same spirit of faith… we also believe” (2 Cor. 4:13).

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (James 1:22)

To be a doer of the word is to receive, with humility, the word of truth that can save our souls (Jas. 1:21). To receive is to accept, believe, trust, and rely on the promises of God regarding our salvation.

James does not leave us guessing when it comes to works of faith. He says we need to

  • submit and draw near to God (Jas. 4:7–8)
  • humble ourselves and receive his grace (Jas. 4:6, 10)
  • hold onto the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. 2:1)

Sadly, many think that James is preaching good works or charitable works as a substitute or complement to faith. As a result, they try to balance the grace of God with their works.

“I am saved by grace, but I have to prove my salvation through good works.”

There is no balancing grace with works (Rom. 11:6). It’s one or the other, not both. Any works done to earn or maintain right standing with God are dead works.

Faith by itself is dead

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (James 2:17)

We are all creatures of faith, but unless our faith is in the Savior, ours is a dead or useless faith (Jas. 2:20, 26). Faith in Christ leads to eternal life (John 3:16), but faith in anything else leads to death.

John Calvin famously said that faith alone justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is never alone. In other words, faith in Christ will lead to good works, and those works prove that one has faith in Christ.

While it is true that right living follows right believing (Matt. 5:16, Eph. 2:10), James is not discussing charity or works of service in general. He is talking about salvation (Jas. 2:14), justification (Jas. 2:21, 24–25), and being made right with God (Jas 2:23).

In this context, the work that counts is believing in Jesus Christ.

—–

Extracted and adapted from The Grace Bible: James.

Grace Glossary word of the week: Faith. Read more about works of faith.

Get grace every week by email:

Faith Without Works Is Dead

by

There is perhaps no more controversial scripture in the Bible than this gem from James:

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? (James 2:14)

Since this seems to contradict what Paul says – “We’re not justified by works, but faith alone” (Gal. 2:16) – people have come up with some strange conclusions:

  • Paul and James preached different gospels
  • James did not really understand grace
  • putting James in the Bible was a mistake
  • James is not talking about works for salvation but other kinds of works

Let me suggest that these conclusions are wrong. There is only one gospel, the gospel of grace, and both James and Paul preached it.

And both men preached justification by faith. James does so just a few verses later when he says “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness” (Jas 2:23).

But then James adds:

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24)

Which kinda sounds like James is changing his mind from verse to verse:

  • Abraham believed and was reckoned righteous
  • You see? He was justified by works and not faith alone!

Make up your mind, James.

Or maybe, James isn’t flip-flopping but he has a specific definition of works in mind.

Faith without works

When we think of works, we tend to think of the dead works of self-improvement. “I must do this and that to make myself right with God.”

But James is talking about faith works. What are works of faith? He’s just told us: Abraham believed.

James is talking to Jews who believed in God but they weren’t sure about his Son Jesus. To say “faith without works in dead” means “having faith in God without believing in the One he sent means your faith is useless.”

Believing in the Lord Jesus Christ is the action that reveals our faith. It may seem strange to think of believing as a work, but believing in Jesus is the work of God (see John 6:29).

Faith vs believing

The Biblical word for faith is a noun (it means persuasion or conviction), but believing is a verb. If faith is the state of being persuaded that God saves you by grace alone, then believing is the verb or activity that flows from that persuasion.

We do not believe in order to create faith. Rather, believing is the action that reveals our faith. “Having the same spirit of faith… we also believe” (2 Cor. 4:13).

But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. (James 1:22)

To be a doer of the word is to receive, with humility, the word of truth that can save our souls (Jas. 1:21). To receive is to accept, believe, trust, and rely on the promises of God regarding our salvation.

James does not leave us guessing when it comes to works of faith. He says we need to

  • submit and draw near to God (Jas. 4:7–8)
  • humble ourselves and receive his grace (Jas. 4:6, 10)
  • hold onto the faith of the Lord Jesus Christ (Jas. 2:1)

Sadly, many think that James is preaching good works or charitable works as a substitute or complement to faith. As a result, they try to balance the grace of God with their works.

“I am saved by grace, but I have to prove my salvation through good works.”

There is no balancing grace with works (Rom. 11:6). It’s one or the other, not both. Any works done to earn or maintain right standing with God are dead works.

Faith by itself is dead

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. (James 2:17)

We are all creatures of faith, but unless our faith is in the Savior, ours is a dead or useless faith (Jas. 2:20, 26). Faith in Christ leads to eternal life (John 3:16), but faith in anything else leads to death.

John Calvin famously said that faith alone justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is never alone. In other words, faith in Christ will lead to good works, and those works prove that one has faith in Christ.

While it is true that right living follows right believing (Matt. 5:16, Eph. 2:10), James is not discussing charity or works of service in general. He is talking about salvation (Jas. 2:14), justification (Jas. 2:21, 24–25), and being made right with God (Jas 2:23).

In this context, the work that counts is believing in Jesus Christ.

—–

Extracted and adapted from The Grace Bible: James.

Grace Glossary word of the week: Faith. Read more about works of faith.

Get grace every week by email:

Judged for Our Work and Living in Fear

by

A reader asked me how to read the following verse through a new covenant lens:

If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth. (1 Peter 1:17)

Hmm, sounds scary.

Didn’t Jesus say something about having to give an account for every careless word? And didn’t Paul say something about being tested with fire?

Sounds like we’ve got some kind of big exam coming, and it’s going to be brutal.

Hollywood and Judgment Day

Every movie about Judgment Day portrays it as a terrifying, apocalyptic nightmare. But you know what? Jesus isn’t scared of Judgment Day and you shouldn’t be either:

By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as he is, so also are we in this world. (1 John 4:17)

When you know how much God loves you, you will have zero anxiety about Judgment Day. In fact, John says you can have confidence on that day, and Jude adds that you will be able to stand “blameless and with great joy” (Jude 1:24).

I have never seen a movie showing people who were confident and joyful on Judgment Day, but that’s how it will be for those who are one with the Lord.

(Shameless plug: If you liked that last bit, it comes from my new and expanded book The Grace Bible: 1–3 John & Jude which is coming out soon in paperback!)

Okay, so Peter says we will be judged according to our work. Here’s what is NOT going to happen on that day. The great Judge will not open the books and say something like this:

My records tell me that you sinned an average of 267 times per week, you had impure thoughts 14 times a day, you cheated on your taxes 37 out of 38 years, you uttered 3,588 profane words, and across your lifetime you had 157 overdue library books. Now, let’s play a tape of some of your bigger sins. Roll tape…

Sounds silly, right? Yet that is what many people think will happen on Judgment Day. We’ll queue up and God will open the books and give each of us a line by line audit of our earthly performance. It’s a good thing we have eternity for this review, because that is going to be one slow-moving line.

No, no, no.

When Peter says we will be judged according to our work, he means we will be judged by what we have done with Jesus.

Judged for our work

On several occasions Peter heard the Lord talk about us being judged or repaid for what we have done (Matt. 16:27, John 5:29). He understood that the one work that counts is the work of believing in the One God has sent.

Jesus answered and said to them, “This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent.” (John 6:29)

You are not judged for what you did with your taxes or library books, but what you did with Jesus. Did you heed him? Did you take him at his word? When he offered salvation did you raise your hand?

“But what about all my sins?”

Jesus dealt with them at the cross. They’re all gone. Contrary to what you may have heard, God is not recording your sins and building a case against you (2 Cor. 5:19).

“So how will I be judged?”

You are not judged for your sins but by your response to the Savior.

Jesus spoke of an hour when those in tombs would hear his voice and those who had done good deeds would come forth to resurrection life (John 5:28–28). What are the good deeds that lead to new life? He tells us a few verses earlier:

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears my word, and believes him who sent me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life. (John 5:24)

Those who put their faith in Jesus are not judged because they have been judged already. The moment they said yes to the Author of Life, they judged themselves as worthy of eternal life.

Do you see? You have nothing to fear from Judgment Day because in Christ you have already passed the test. How? You heard the word of grace and you believed. When Jesus came knocking, you opened your heart, and now you have the Holy Spirit as a pledge guaranteeing the good things to come.

Living in fear

Okay, what about the second part of that verse where Peter says, “conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth”?

Although the original word for fear (phobos) literally means fear, Peter’s use of this word in other contexts suggest reverence or deference (e.g., 1 Pet. 3:2). In the new covenant, to fear the Lord is to worship and revere him.

Why do we worship the Lord? Because he redeemed us from our bondage with the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18–19) and because we have been born again of imperishable seed (1 Pet. 1:23).

Peter finishes with an old prophecy about grass withering and flowers dying before adding, “this will not happen to you because the word of the Lord – which you heard and believed and which now dwells in you – endures forever (1 Pet. 1:24–25).

TL;DR. Peter is encouraging us to worship the One who has given us eternal life.

Read in context, Peter’s words are a wonderful reminder of what God has done. They inspire us to look forward to the future with confidence in our hearts and praise on our lips.

Those who have tasted the kindness of God have nothing to fear.

Not now, not ever.

—–

What are Works of Faith?

by

What is the relationship between faith and works? And are we saved by faith or faith plus works? Many people are confused about these things, and it’s not hard to see why:

Paul: “We are justified by faith apart from works” (Gal. 2:16, Eph. 2:8-9)
James: “We are justified by works and not faith alone” (Jas. 2:24)

So who’s right, Paul or James? Are justified by faith? Or faith plus works? And if works, what are the works that count?

At first glance, it seems that Paul and James are not on the same page. This has led some to say they preached different gospels.

“Paul preached grace while James preached works.” Nothing could be further from the truth.

Both Paul and James understood that we are saved and made righteous by faith alone, and without regard to anything we have done. And both spoke of works that accompany faith:

Paul: “We remember your work produced by faith” (1 Th. 1:3)
James: “Faith without works is dead” (Jas. 2:17)

We are saved by faith and not our works, but faith without works is dead and useless. So…

What are the works of faith?

The Bible has a lot to say about this subject and most of what it says can be found in the many imperative statements involving faith.

What’s an imperative statement? It’s one that sounds like an order or a command or an instruction. For example:

The kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. (Mark 1:15)

This statement has two imperative verbs or action words; repent (change your unbelieving mind) and believe the gospel. Repenting and believing are things you do. They are works of faith.

In the New Testament alone there are more than 200 imperative statements connected with faith. (I counted them.) Some of these statements exhort us to receive Jesus (e.g., John 5:43), heed the good news of Jesus (Rom. 10:16) and turn to God in repentance (Acts 26:20).

Other scriptures encourage us to accept the word (Mark 4:20), confess Jesus as Lord (Rom. 10:9), call on the name of the Lord (Act 2:21), eat the bread of life (John 6:50-51), be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:20), submit to God’s righteousness (Rom. 10:3), and be born again (John 3:3, 7).

But the one imperative that appears far more than any other, is the instruction to believe.

Again and again we are told to believe in Jesus (John 3:15), believe that he is the Son of God (1 John 5:13), and believe that he has been raised from the dead (Rom. 10:9). In fact, this is more than an instruction – it’s a command:

This is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ… (1 John 3:23)

What are we supposed to do? We are supposed to believe the good news of Jesus (Mark 1:15, 16:16). As Jesus said to the doubter:

Do not be unbelieving, but believing. (John 20:27)

The work of God

If faith is the noun – the state of being persuaded that God loves you – then believing is the verb or activity that flows from that conviction. It’s a work of faith. Indeed, believing in Jesus is the work of God:

This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent. (John 6:29)

We do not believe to create faith; rather, believing is the action that reveals our faith. “Having the same spirit of faith… we also believe” (2 Cor. 4:13).

Which brings us back to James.

Why did James talk about having faith plus works? Because he was speaking to religious Jews (see Jas. 1:1) who had faith in God (Jas. 2:19) but who did not believe in the One he had sent.

Like religious people everywhere, the Jews wanted to do things for God, but they didn’t do the work of God – the one thing that God requires of all of us – which is believe in Jesus.

What you believe determines everything

You may say, “Is that it? I just have to believe? That’s easy. It’s nothing at all.”

Only it’s not nothing; it’s everything.

Don’t you see? The course of your life is not determined by what you do as much as what you believe.

What you believe defines everything about you – who you marry, what you do, where you live, and how you live. Everything, really.

Believing in Jesus is so much more than a single decision or prayer. Believing in Jesus is a bit like migrating to a new country and learning a new language, only moreso. It’s like getting adopted into a new family or getting married.

Believing in Jesus is like being born again into to a brand new life.

There are 1001 things we might do for God, but all of them count for nought if we fail to do the one thing that matters; believe in Jesus.

Just as Adam lost his life through unbelief, we receive and enjoy divine life every day by believing that Jesus is risen and we are seated with him on the throne.

Image:  “The Hand of God” by Yongsung Kim

—

Get grace by email:

Escape to Reality is proclaiming the good news everywhere thanks to the support of our readers:

Are your deeds incomplete?

by

If Christians are worn out, it is for one of two reasons: (1) they don’t know how much their Father loves them and (2) they have an unbiblical definition of work. Hey, I’m not judging anyone here. When it comes to overwork, I’m guilty as sin. I’m a workaholic who regularly pushes himself past breaking point. I’ve learned a lot through my mistakes, but sometimes I wonder whether I have learned anything at all. So put this one in the “Do as I say, not as I do basket.” On the subject of rest vs work, I have much to learn, but one thing I know for certain is this: Jesus does not want you to work yourself to exhaustion. Rather, he wants you to rest from your labors, and trust in his finished work. “But Paul, what about all those scriptures that say things like Jesus knows our deeds and we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling and we will be rewarded for doing good?” I encourage you to check out the 30+ articles I have written on these and other deeds-scriptures. (You can find them in the Archives>Subject Index under “works”.) Today I want [...]

What does it mean to keep his deeds?

by

If you were to make a list of big topics discussed by Jesus and the New Testament writers, the subject of deeds or works would have to be on that list. They all spoke about it, and no one more than Jesus. Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for not doing the works of Abraham (John 8:39-40), and said we would be judged for what we have done (John 5:28-29). This frightens some people. They think we have to get busy for the Lord and that he will judge us on our performance. “Am I doing enough? Will I make the grade?” Others are confused. “I thought Jesus wanted to give me rest (Matt. 11:28). Why did he say “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62)? What does he want from me – rest or hard work? All confusion and dead works would end if we only understood the Biblical meaning of work, which is this: Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you… The work of God is this: to [...]

What deeds does Jesus know?

by

“I know your deeds,” says Jesus to the churches. He exhorts the Ephesians to do the deeds they did at first (Rev. 2:5), he rebukes the Sardisians for having incomplete deeds (Rev. 3:2), and he promises to reward the Thyatirans according to their deeds (Rev. 2:23). Clearly our deeds or works matter to Jesus. But what sort of deeds is Jesus referring to? The preacher of law says, “Jesus is referring to our law-keeping performance. We must keep the commands to please the Lord.” A similar interpretation is offered by the preacher of works. “Jesus is saying we need to work out our salvation, do the deeds that prove our repentance, and pursue the spiritual disciplines.” Yet both interpretations raise uncomfortable questions: How many deeds are needed to qualify? What if I neglect to keep all the commands? Worse, both interpretations do nothing but promote dead works and pride. What are dead works? We can distinguish dead works from faith works. Dead works of the flesh lead to death, while faith works release abundant life. The former relies on self; the latter leans on the Spirit. Living under any form of law is a dead work because the law is [...]

What Are Heavenly Treasures?

by

We know there are heavenly rewards, because Jesus says so, but what are they? Some say God is going to dispense treasure, mansions, and even cities to those who have proven faithful. “There had better be some reward for my hard work—a gold star at least—otherwise why I am working?” Others say there are no rewards at all. “Everything comes to us by grace alone, so there can be no rewards for effort.” I have problems with both views. My problem with the God-of-the-gold-stars is that he promotes a servant mentality when we are sons. And my problem with the idea that there are no rewards, is that it contradicts what Jesus said: Lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. (Matt 6:20, NKJV) The issue of heavenly treasures or eternal rewards is riddled with question marks. It’s a subject that has been abused by some (“Store up treasure by giving to my ministry”) and left in the too-hard basket by others. Grace-minded folk seem particularly allergic to any talk of earning rewards, and this is understandable. Grace and rewards don’t go together. Yet Jesus said [...]

Is Grace a License to Be Lazy?

by

One of the complaints made against the gospel of grace is that it promotes sin and slothfulness. However, those who say such things know little about the grace of God that empowers us to reign in life. Elsewhere I have addressed the misperception that grace is a license to sin. Today I want to look at its […]

The Parable of the Two Sons

by

From time to time people ask me to write about the parables of Jesus. This is something I enjoy doing because I love the parables. The parables of Jesus are launch pads to revelation and if we have ears to hear they reveal the wisdom of God. Especially this one: What do you think? There […]

Rewarded for Doing Good?

by

Jesus and Paul both said we would be rewarded for doing good, which sounds like a punch in the face to the gospel of grace. In the previous post we looked at the words of Jesus (in John 5:28-29) and saw that “doing good” means trusting him. But what about Paul who said this: God […]

Categories

Recent Posts