Barbara came through surgery well. The cancerous nodule is gone. She looks to be cancer free again. We are waiting for the results of tests to prove so. Thanks for all your prayers. Keep lifting Barbara up in prayer as she recovers from her surgery. God bless every one of you.
Now to our Bible insight for today: We pick up where we left off in James 2:20-26. In these verses, James has another imaginary conversation in which someone confronts him and demands evidence for what he has just said. He is very direct and blunt in his response: "But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?" (v. 20, NASB).
The definition of "foolish" is "empty." It refers to a deficiency that is intellectual, moral and spiritual (Strong's Concordance; biblehub.com). Those who rest only in head knowledge are spiritually bankrupt. In verses 21-25, James gives evidence of genuine faith through two examples that were very familiar to all his readers: Abraham and Rahab.
Abraham's action with Isaac is an example where faith works—not dead, but active; alive! "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (vs. 21-24).
Verse 21 is explained in verses 22-24. Do not isolate verse 21 from those verses or you will misinterpret what James is saying. The explanation: faith and action work together—because they are inseparable. Justifying faith has a certain quality—a vitality that makes it the producer of good deeds—it is action-producing!
Faith is the means of obtaining salvation, but by its very nature it produces good deeds. If it doesn't, it is incomplete (v. 22), "dead" (v. 17), and "useless" (v. 20). What Abraham did when he offered his son in Genesis 22 was the out-working of his faith as described in Genesis 15. It proved his faith was complete—alive, and useful!
Rahab's action is quite a contrast to what Abraham did, but it also proves that faith without works is dead. "In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" (v. 25). She is unlike Abraham in almost every way, yet her faith moved her to risk her life to protect the spies. As a result, she was declared righteous, not because of what she did, but because her good deed proved her genuine faith. Her faith led to her good works.
"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (v. 26). Genuine faith shows itself in good works. If you are saved, you will do good works. If your faith is genuine, you will serve your brother in Christ. You will use your gifts and skills for his benefit. An obedient life proves that your faith is genuine. Amen.
The definition of "foolish" is "empty." It refers to a deficiency that is intellectual, moral and spiritual (Strong's Concordance; biblehub.com). Those who rest only in head knowledge are spiritually bankrupt. In verses 21-25, James gives evidence of genuine faith through two examples that were very familiar to all his readers: Abraham and Rahab.
Abraham's action with Isaac is an example where faith works—not dead, but active; alive! "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.' And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (vs. 21-24).
Verse 21 is explained in verses 22-24. Do not isolate verse 21 from those verses or you will misinterpret what James is saying. The explanation: faith and action work together—because they are inseparable. Justifying faith has a certain quality—a vitality that makes it the producer of good deeds—it is action-producing!
Faith is the means of obtaining salvation, but by its very nature it produces good deeds. If it doesn't, it is incomplete (v. 22), "dead" (v. 17), and "useless" (v. 20). What Abraham did when he offered his son in Genesis 22 was the out-working of his faith as described in Genesis 15. It proved his faith was complete—alive, and useful!
Rahab's action is quite a contrast to what Abraham did, but it also proves that faith without works is dead. "In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" (v. 25). She is unlike Abraham in almost every way, yet her faith moved her to risk her life to protect the spies. As a result, she was declared righteous, not because of what she did, but because her good deed proved her genuine faith. Her faith led to her good works.
"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead" (v. 26). Genuine faith shows itself in good works. If you are saved, you will do good works. If your faith is genuine, you will serve your brother in Christ. You will use your gifts and skills for his benefit. An obedient life proves that your faith is genuine. Amen.
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