Pondering His Holy Word

The Apostle Paul tells us that “we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law “(Roman 3:28). Yet, James says that “faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead” (James 2:17). James and Paul seem to oppose each other on the very surface level. This may be a stumbling block for believers (especially new believers) without digging deeper. To answer this question, one would need to answer, “What is faith?” Does faith simply mean assenting to Christ being our Lord and Savior? Are we justified by simply agreeing that Jesus is God? James poses this same question to the early church. “You believe that God is one.” Then, he explains how simply “believing” can be problematic. “Even the demons believe – and shudder” (2:19). So simply believing that Jesus is good is something that even demons do. 

James’s point was evident in the Gospels when Jesus expelled an unclean spirit from the man who lived in the tombs. When Jesus approached him, the demon screamed in agony, “What have you to do with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I adjure you by God, do not torment me” (Mark 5:7) This uncleaned spirit, or should I say spirits because there were many, fell on their knees at the sight of Jesus. They acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God. This is not the only time either. When Jesus taught in the synagogues, an unclean spirit said nearly the same thing. “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God” (Mark 1:24). So the uncleaned spirits “believed,” but they were not saved. Now, angels and demons have a different relationship with God than humans. Yet, this points out that simply agreeing that Jesus is the Son of God is not the same as having faith. 

Let’s look at it this way. Suppose someone owes you for a job you completed. Suppose this same person provides you a note which is worth the amount of which they owe. You both know that this note is backed by the government that issued the note. As a result, you accept the note as payment for the debt. If you substitute the word note with whatever currency (dollar, pound, euro, yuan, yen, rupee, peso, and so on), then it would make more sense that you would accept this note as a legal tender because it is backed by your country’s central bank. In the United States, we put a lot of faith in the dollar. If a company hires us, we will work in good faith that our supervisor will pay us. 

Let’s be clear, God does not owe us anything. Yet he promised us that he would redeem us (Genesis 3:15). The Lord’s promise carries weight. Simply saying, “Let there be light,” there was light. God’s decree is so binging that Him merely speaking, the universe came into being from nothing. So when He put forth the blood of Jesus Christ as a propitiation for our sins, his acceptance was binding. There is nothing we can do to make his acceptance more binding. We simply need to have faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. So again, what is faith? Do those who believe in him are justified? 

Does salvation only require agreeing that Jesus is the Lord? Well, if I get a job and never work. Do I get paid? No, I have to behave in a manner that shows my faithfulness. If the Lord is justifying us by our faith in Jesus Christ, he is justifying us by our belief in his promise. The fruit that comes from our faith is called works. To have faith in God’s word, genuine saving faith, produces fruit. Abraham left his family and his home country and went to the land of Canaan because God promised him that He will bless and bless all the families of the earth through him” (Genesis 12:1-9) 

Abraham was not blessed because he moved from him his homeland. He was blessed because he believed, and the fruit of his beliefs was obedience to God. If we have faith in Jesus as our Lord and Savior, it will produce obedience to God. Someone can say they are believers, but if their fruits do not support it, their words mean nothing. As James says, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 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? (James 2:15-16). 

So if you are a believer, but you are not spreading the Gospel. Worshiping, spending time with God, uplifting, and encouraging your brothers and sisters, then what good are your words. Let the Holy Spirit produce obedience to His commandments through your faith. Let your faith draw you nearer to Jesus. Let your faith uplift your brothers and sisters. Let your faith send you out to the nations to proclaim that Jesus died and rose. As the old hymn says, we are charged with the same commission that Jesus gave his disciples before he ascended to reign over all the heavens and earth,