James 2:14-26 English Standard Version (ESV)
14 What good is it, my
brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith
save him? 15 If a brother or sister
is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 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[a] is that? 17 So also faith by itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say,
“You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works,
and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is
one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown,
you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our
father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was
active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was
fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as
righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is
justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was
not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the
messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart
from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
How
should we live as Christians? Do we
merely just believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved? One of the biggest dividers in the church
today and one that has caused churches to be split into denominations is the
subject of Baptism. Some churches
believe that baptism is the way to salvation while others believe it is an
outward sign of an inward change. Still
others believe that it is not good enough to just believe in the Lord Jesus
Christ but to complete your salvation you must be baptized. Then, not to mention all the different forms
of baptism from infants to believers from sprinkling to pouring to immersion,
all different ways that people have decided we should be baptized.
Following
Jesus footsteps in baptism is probably the easiest part of a Christian’s life,
yet it is also the most difficult because it is that first step. I know my mother had a difficult time with it
because she was afraid of water but she did it to show others that she was
changed by the saving power of the Lord Jesus Christ. Why do I speak of baptism in this
passage? There is no mention of it here
in James 2! I mention it merely to bring
out the portion of salvation that is called “works”. Wait a minute, salvation is not from
works! What is salvation? What are we saved from? Salvation is the result of faith. We are saved by believing that the Lord Jesus
Christ died on the cross for our sins, that He was resurrected after three
days, and that He walked on this earth and then returned to His Father in
Heaven. We believe that Jesus Christ is part of God, that He Himself is
God. That is faith, we put our trust in
something that we have not seen and believe in something that has not yet
come. Without faith, there is no way to
get to the Father. If we merely believe
and have nothing to show for our beliefs then do we really have faith at all?
This
scripture tells us that there is more to salvation than just believing because
the demons even believe. Have you ever
known someone that believes there is a God but still chooses to live their life
as if there is no God? They are not
saved because they have chosen not to follow in the steps of Jesus. Which brings me back to baptism. My belief is that baptism is the first sign
of a changed life, it is a symbolism, yet some may still come out of that water
the way they went into it. It takes
faith to believe, it takes courage to profess it, and it takes a choice and the
help/guidance of the Holy Spirit to see it through.
Can
we ever do enough to earn our salvation?
No! However, by doing we are
living out our faith not merely speaking the words and going through the
motions. I can sit here and write all
day but if my words are just words then it is in vain. If I truly believe what I write, I will go
out and show to others the love of Jesus Christ. If we really want others to experience the
love of Christ we must share it. As you
seek Him, remember, that our actions speak louder than any words. Seek Him, ask for Him to guide you, so that
your works will result in fruitfulness.
Seeking
Him with all my heart,
Sheila
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