"Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17)

Anyone who has engaged in the eternal security discussion has probably been confronted by the legalist's reference to James 2:17 "faith, if it hath not works, is dead," when the mention of works comes up during the discussion.

Is this passage proof that a one time faith in Christ is not good enough, that one's salvation cannot be obtained without works, thus making eternal security a false concept?

The answer to that is, of course, that this verse is often misunderstood by the legalist (those engaging in legalism), as this passage does not say salvation without works is dead, but rather "faith" without works is dead. What this means is that one's faith will be proven by the type of action or "work" that follows that faith.

This passage, of course, condemns the theology of the legalist, not affirms it. For the action or work that follows true faith in the blood of Christ - grace - is the action or work of not working to obtain eternal life. However, the person who doesn't trust grace, who doesn't have true or total faith in the blood of Christ - grace - will have his faith in works proven by his action or "works" of trying to do good works to get into heaven.

The believer in grace works the work of not working; the believer in works works the work of works. Each of these two actions - not working for salvation, or working for salvation - proves what it is that one believes.

James even set up the legalist in his writings, at the beginning of his writings, when he reminded them before he wrote the 2nd chapter on faith without works is dead, where he told them, in the Spirit, not to be a just a hearer of the perfect law of liberty, but a doer. This means for the person who was about to possibly stumble in the 2nd chapter to stand firm on grace while interpreting scripture, so as not to stumble in the following 2nd chapter through misinterpretation.

He was simply saying to not forget that we are saved only by grace - meaning to not be someone who hears they are saved by grace, but forgets this precept when reading scripture that sounds otherwise; but rather be a "doer" of grace - meaning one who does not forget this precept and abandon it when difficult scripture comes along - and thus stand firm on this sure foundation when one then goes on to read the next chapter. And by doing so, God would open one's eyes to what it really meant, not thinking that it meant that one must have works to have salvation.

See if you can see this:

"But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." - James 1:22-25

Those who are told they are saved by grace, not by works, but then forget this and then think the scriptures say that they must "endure" and have works to have salvation, do so because they have in a sense forgotten the "perfect law of liberty," which is salvation by grace and grace alone, and they therefore have stumbled at such difficult scripture because they failed to remain upon the sure foundation of grace; meaning they have forgotten what "manner of man they were;" meaning men saved by grace and only grace, not by any works whatsoever.

But those who refuse to interpret scripture in haste, but remain upon the sure foundation of grace and grace alone, remembering what manner of man they are - saved by grace, not by works, not by any works of any kind at any time, the perfect law of liberty - are blessed for this faith, and their eyes are therefore opened to the true meaning of these scriptures; in which all scriptures only refer to grace, and never contradict salvation by grace and thus, eternal security.

James prepared the reader for the 2nd chapter - which the Holy Ghost knew that many would stumble over - by reminding us of salvation by strictly grace, in the 1st chapter. And the Holy Ghost did so as an anchor to the doers of the word, doers of grace, and as a testimony against those who were not doers of the word, but rather only hearers, and the stumble they would take in the 2nd chapter.

God's word is truly amazing, and a treasure unto those who wait upon the sure foundation.

God bless.

 

"The believer in grace works the work of not working; the believer in works works the work of works."

It takes awhile before it hits one right smack dab between the eyes. I believe I read once where Calvin himself even had difficulty understanding James 2.

Faith without works is indeed dead. However, salvation without works is not.

The word of God is sharper than any twoedged sword.

You show me your faith in the grace of God, the blood of Jesus Christ, by your work of trying to work your way into heaven; I'll show you my faith by my work of not trying to work my way into heaven, by my entering into God's rest. One shows faith in works; the other shows faith in Christ.

And here's the more confirmation, another "tongue twister":

"Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief." - Hebrews 4:11

Translation: Let us work ("labour") the work of not working, the work of being at rest in the work of Christ on the cross.

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone." - James 2:17

One cannot say they believe in something, if they have not the proper actions (works) that prove such faith.

The same verse translated:

"Even so faith, if it hath not the proper action which proves such a faith, is therefore not true faith."

See if you can see this here, in another passage which many a legalist has also misinterpreted:

"Not every one that saith to me "Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. For many shall say unto me on that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And I will profess unto them, I never knew you, depart from me ye that work iniquity. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken unto a man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. But whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon the house; and it fell, and great was the fall of it." - Matthew 7:21-27

The legalist will think this verse means that one must "endure until the end," that one has to keep doing the "will of the Father in heaven;" they thinking that the "will of the Father in heaven" is to try to get to heaven by trying not to sin by trying to keep written commandments. However, to the person who is a doer of the "perfect law of liberty," he will know that the "will of the Father in heaven" is not to be justified through works, but through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, the sure foundation, the rock.

If the legalists in here will happen to look at the answer given by the condemned as to why they pled they should be allowed into heaven, it is revealed that they did not trust in the blood of Christ for their salvation, his cross, but rather their own words testified that they trusted in their "many wonderful works." For not one time did they mention the cross, what Christ had done, but rather each answer they gave revealed that they trusted in what they had done.

If the legalists will also notice, Christ did not say that he knew them once, but then they fell away; rather he said that he "never" knew them, meaning they had never been saved.

Christ mentioned the hearers and the doers in that passage, just like they are mentioned in the first chapter of James. And James reminds us, just as Christ did in the Spirit, that it is faith in the grace of God that is the will of God, faith in the cross, not righteousness through works; the doers of grace, not the ones who hear they are saved by grace, but then turn to try and justify themselves through works.

"But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." - I Corinthians 2:7

I pray the legalists and the babes in Christ who do not understand their salvation as of yet, listen to the Spirit.

God bless.

 

Good works are not works done for pay; therefore those who think they have to have good works to get to heaven are not performing good works, they are performing dead works.

And they are denying the blood of Christ as being good enough to provide salvation to them.

A truly good work is a work done through love, without any fear of anything happening to one if they don't do such works; a work done without any "pay" attached to the end of it.

Christ did a truly good work upon the cross. He did not have to die for us, for he was God and he had eternal life. He was not trying to earn anything for himself, rather he was trying to earn eternal life for us. He did what he did strictly out of love for us, through the "will" of his inward nature, his Holy Spirit. He would not have gone to hell had he not done so; he had nothing to fear personally if he did not do what he did.

Likewise, the saved are born of the Holy Spirit who will, by nature, produce truly good works of love in those born of God. However, those works do not save anyone, nor do they insure anyone their salvation after they are saved. And the theology which teaches that one must do such dead works to insure their salvation, is not from the Lord, but from the very "seducing spirits" and the "doctrines of devils" that I Timothy 4:1 speaks of, and what the following mentions even further:

"O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn from you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? It it be yet in vain." - Hebrews 3:1-4

Does the legalist understand this? These Galatians had been saved through faith in the cross ("before whose eyes Jesus Christ had been evidently set forth, crucified among you"), but they had then thought they must stay saved, or in other words "insure" their salvation, by trying to keep the righteousness of the law; in other words, by a continual effort of trying to do what they thought was "serving Jesus" by trying to justify themselves through their attempts to keep written commandments for their justification.

Paul reveals here in Galatians, as he does in I Timothy 4:1, that this theology against eternal security, grace, is not from God, but is from a "bewitching" spirit. In I Timothy 4:1 he referred to such beliefs as from a "seducing spirit," from the "doctrines of devils."

Paul tells these "foolish Galatians" (who were actually saved babes in Christ who did not understand their salvation), that if they received salvation by faith in the cross, not by works, that why then did they now think they would continue in their salvation, insure their salvation, through trying to justify themselves through trying to obey the law; through works. He says to them:

"Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? are ye so foolish, having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain."

Translated: "Did you receive salvation and the new birth of the Holy Spirit by the righteousness through trying to keep the law, or by faith in the blood of Christ? Are you so foolish to think that if you were only saved by faith in the blood of Christ, not by the works of the law, that you would then now think that after you were saved in such a way that now the only way you could continue to be saved is by a way that could not bring you salvation in the first place? And if so, then has not then all of the efforts and sufferings and denials you have done, through by trying to get righteousness through the law, been useless and a waste of time for you? However, if you learn something by this, then this foolish experience and belief of yours can be used for good in the future."

Paul was trying to tell these ignorant babes in Christ that if they were not saved by the righteousness of trying to keep written commandments, the righteousness of the written law, the righteousness of trying not to "sin," then why did they now think that those things would insure their salvation that they only got not by those things in the first place, but instead by having faith in Christ and his cross, alone.

If you are only saved by faith in Christ, what he did upon the cross, not by the works of the law, then you only stay saved the same way, not by your own efforts of self-righteousness through the law. And this means any written law.

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" - I Corinthians 2:14

Glad you are blessed, Star.

God bless.

[ August 07, 2002, 09:55 PM: Message edited by: Ruht ]

 

Why ask someone, if you think they are interpreting scripture "backwards?"

But so you learn, he means those who have faith in his blood, not those who have faith in written commandments. For one is not "obeying" God if one tries to justify themselves through written law:

"And this is his commandment, that we should believe on the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment." - I John 3:23

"For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them." - II Peter 2:21

And, the only people who truly obey the righteousness of the law are those who do so through spirit, not those who try to do so through letter:

"Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision doth transgress the law?" - Romans 2:26&27

"Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life." - II Corinthians 3:6

"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets:" - Romans 3:20&21

"For as many are are of the works of the law are under its curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for the just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them." - Galatians 3:10-12

"... the strength of sin is the law." - I Corinthians 15:56

And as for the claim of James being a book of error, every word of it is from the Holy Ghost. There are no errors in it. The problem with men is that it can only be properly interpreted through the Holy Ghost, not through the natural understanding of man:

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." - I Corinthians 2:14

God bless.

 

Amen, Star, love is the fulfilling of the righteousness of the written law, not the keeping of the law to the letter.

And this love can only be done by man when one is born of the Spirit of love, the Holy Spirit.

I ask the legalists in here which of the two examples do you say is the fulfilling of the righteousness of the law:

1) A person who sees his neighbor drowning in a lake which has a sign he sees posted at the lake which says, "No swimming of any kind ever allowed for any purpose," and therefore he decides to obey the written law and does not swim out to his neighbor and save him, and his neighbor therefore drowns.

Or,

2) A person who sees the same sign, but decides to swim out and save his neighbor anyway.

Who do you say obeyed the righteousness of the law, in that instance? Who do you say "loved" his neighbor?

Love is the fulfilling of the righteousness of the law, not the fulfillment of the written law to the letter. Therefore the person who keeps the written law, but does not keep the righteousness of the written law, his keeping of the written law is counted as not keeping the law. However, the person who does not keep the written law, but nevertheless keeps the righteousness of the written law, which is love, his keeping of the righteousness of the written law is counted as the keeping of the law, even though he did not keep it in letter.

And this is what God was saying when he wrote this:

"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is counted for uncircumcision. Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? - Romans 2:25-27

What does this mean? what I tried to show you before. To translate this passage:

"For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law (For the letter of the law is good, if it is used lawfully, meaning if it is done through love, for only love is the fulfilling of the law): but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is counted for uncircumcision (but if you be a breaker of the righteousness of the law, love, then your keeping of the letter of the law is not the fulfillment of the law, and not counted as such). Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? (Therefore if the people who do not necessarily keep the letter of the law, but do keep the righteousness of the law, shall not they nevertheless be counted as keeping the law, even though they do not necessarily keep the letter of the law?) And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfill the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law? (And shall not those who do not keep the letter of the law, but who keep the righteousness of the law, by nature through the birth of the Holy Spirit, expose the shortcomings of those who do not fulfill the righteousness of the law, love, even though they have and keep the letter of the law?) - Romans 2:25-27

A person who is born of the Holy Spirit keeps the law through keeping the righteousness of the law, through love, by nature; the person not born of God tries to keep the law against his true nature, through the letter, not through love but through fear of condemnation, and in hope of earning salvation.

A person born of God does not need written law to do good, he will do so by nature, through love. Therefore the law is only for the unrighteous, not the righteous; as witnessed to in I Timothy 1:9.

God bless.

[ August 08, 2002, 03:34 AM: Message edited by: Ruht ]

 

"For one is not "obeying" God if one tries to justify themselves through written law:"

This includes any written law, not just the written law of Moses.

A person is not changed inside by trying to change the outside. A person is only changed on the inside by being born of the Holy Spirit. Written law, any written law, cannot change the heart of man. Only the birth of the Holy Spirit changes the heart of man.

Some mistakenly try to justify themselves by what they call "new laws" of Jesus Christ. What they are doing is simply trading one set of written laws for what they think is another. But Christ meant all written laws, as the cleansing of the outward man does not cleanse the inward man.

God does not do good because he has a set of written laws telling him how to do good. Rather God does good because he is good, and he is good because his Spirit is good. And he makes us the same way when he puts his same Spirit within us when we are saved and born again. Therefore we also then do not need written laws in order to do good, for as you said, we now have the law "written in our hearts," meaning we are now born of the Holy Spirit.

God bless.