Week of 4/28-5/4: New - The Grace Shaped Family of God

Day Three: James 2:18-26 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder. Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

HAVE YOU EVER KNOWN SOMEONE THAT claimed to know a famous person? A friend of mine in high school used to tell us his cousin played for the Dallas Cowboys. It was tough to believe him because he didn’t have any pictures, never went to any games, and never visited him. This became a joke to the rest of us. We still don’t know if he was telling the truth or not, but all the evidence pointed to it being a lie.

Unfortunately, this example symbolizes

the perspective of many people who claim to be Christians quite well. “Well, I am a Christian, I have faith in God. I’m just not walking with God right now.” “Yes, I asked Jesus in my heart. I’m not a Jesus freak, I’m not going to hell”. These are modern examples of James 2: I have faith, but no works.

Faith and works are inseparable. If you say you have faith, your life should reflect that truth. If you admit that the God of the universe is alive and inside of you right now, your life should at least begin to look different than it did before Christ.

Our works do not produce salvation for us. We understand our works do not grant us faith. Works can strengthen our faith, but they are not the source of our faith. Our “good works” are actually the fruit of our faith and are a response of worship because of what Jesus has done for us. We do not do good works in order to be accepted. Rather, we do good works because we have already been accepted by God. Today, your good works should flow from a heart of gratitude for what Jesus has done for you.As you love God and serve others, your faith will grow and others will be pointed to Jesus.

PAUSE AND REFLECT:

▷▷Why is it important that our works be a result of our faith?

▷▷As a follower of Jesus, how do we know that God already approves of us?

▷▷List a few ways your life has changed since giving your life to Jesus.