Real Faith, Real Results
But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. —James 2:18
If you were in a rowboat and wanted to move forward, which would better? The right oar or the left oar? You actually need both, because if you use only one oar, you will go in circles. But when both oars are working together in harmony, they will get you to the shore.
The same goes for faith and works. Faith in God, resulting in works, will result in a balanced Christian life. They are essentially inseparable. The apostle Paul put it all together when he said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast" (Ephesians 2:8–9). Then he continued, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works . . ." (verse 10). Paul was saying that if you really have faith, then it will result in works in your life.
In his epistle, James chose two very different examples to illustrate the kind of faith that God desires: Abraham and Rahab (see James 2:21–25). He could not have chosen two people more different in character or backgrounds. But he did so to clearly show that no one, whatever his or her condition, nation, or class in society, has ever had a real faith without results.
Abraham was known as the father of faith and of the Jewish nation. Rahab, on the other hand, was a Gentile and a sinner. Yet both of them had faith that produced results in their lives. If you have a genuine faith, then it will show itself in works.
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