Faith Verses Works
Many Christian leaders have regularly stated that Faith in Christ is the most important thing and that everything else is secondary. In many ways, they say that salvation or the spiritual is more important than the earthly or social things that happen here on Earth. According to this logic, the primary job of Christians is to proclaim the message of spiritual salvation through Jesus Christ without devoting time to social activities that can divert our attention away from what is truly important.
It is not that social issues are unimportant; rather, it is that they are not necessary and might serve as a diversion from what is genuinely important. One preacher recently stated, "If you care about social justice but do not preach the gospel, the people we serve will end up in hell anyway."
This mode of thought, however, seemed to me to reflect a false duality between the spiritual and the earthly. Faith and works are not mutually exclusive, but rather always go hand in hand. God's grace in our life is a combination of both. Only by faith in Christ can we be forgiven of our sins by God's grace (Ephesians 2:8-10). This gift is not dependent on us, and it is only received through faith.
The good acts that we are able to perform are also the product of divine grace, which inspires in us both the desire and the ability to work for His glory (Phil. 2:13). As a result, both the spiritual and physical manifestations of our faith are inextricably linked in Christ's in our lives. There can be neither a spiritual gospel without action on the ground nor a social gospel without a belief in Christ.
The apostle James explains this unity between the spiritual and the physical in his biblical letters. The Bible teaches us in James 2:14-26 that our faith in Christ and our actions to help others must always be inextricably linked. It is impossible to say that one region can function without the other because they are supposed to be indivisible areas with no contradictions. Faith and works cannot be separated, as some believe, because faith without good works is not true faith.
The problem is that we tend to focus on either faith or works to the detriment of the other, as Martin Luther did when he put the epistle to James to an appendix in his biblical translation because he thought faith was more important and James did not affirm it as he believed.
When the apostle Paul wrote to the Romans, he didn't teach a different gospel than James did. James is just emphasizing that faith and works are inextricably linked to Christ's redemptive work in our lives. James cautions us against hiding behind a purely theoretical faith that has no practical application. James begins and ends this section by affirming that faith and works are inextricably linked. He supports his claim with three examples, one from his daily life, one from theological thought, and one from practical experience.
"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone professes to have faith but does not have works?" James 2:14 says. Can their faith save them? Then James asks them if it is possible to say that you believe in Christ without doing good works. Perhaps some who desired to follow Christ were willing to keep their faith private and away from any social responsibilities. James teaches that this is impossible, and he responds to the questions in verse 14 with an example from everyday life verses (15-17)
Consider the situation of a brother or sister who is unable to provide for themselves. What good is it if one of them says, "Go in peace; stay warm and well fed," but does nothing to meet their physical needs? In the same manner, if faith is not accompanied by works, it is essentially dead.
In verses 18-19, James continues to demonstrate the relationship between faith and works with a theological example: "You have faith; I have works,". Show me your faith in the absence of good works, and I'll show you my faith in the absence of work. You hold the belief that there is only one God. Good! Even the devils believe it, and it makes them shudder. Despite the fact that people may choose a side between faith and works, the reality is that the two are constantly interconnected. Faith is a practical as well as an intellectual practice. Faith is exhibited in our actions that reflect God's character, not just theological knowledge (even demons know God), but faith is manifested in our works that reflect God's character. Verses 20-25 show two biblical examples of the inseparable relationship between faith and works.
You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?
James concludes his argument in verse 26 this way: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead. God's grace in our life is indivisible from our trust in Christ and our works for the benefit of others. We cannot know God unless we serve Him, and we cannot serve God unless we understand Him.
