Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

WITHOUT WORKS

This entry was posted on 12-03-2009 and is filed under INDISPENSABLE THINGS.

Today's Bible study should really have followed an earlier one, "Without Faith." Oh, well. This only proves I am far from perfect. But you already knew that, didn't you? O.K., here we go.

"What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 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 is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead" (James 2:14-17 ESV). Let's say that I am sitting here this cold December day and you come to visit me. There is no heat in the house, no food in the pantry, and I am clad in rags. And you, a fellow believer, say, "Buck up, Vic!" and leave the premises. You may call yourself a believer but the lack of a good work here nullifies that claim. Or vice versa. Faith without works is as dead as the bird that flew into my office windowpane some time ago.

I notice that the NIV substitutes the word "actions" for "works" in our text. Maybe that is because many evangelicals just don't like the word "works." But this chapter clearly teaches us that the faith that saves is the faith that obeys. Look at the great Faith Chapter, Hebrews 11. In every instance the believer demonstrated his or her faith by his or her works. Faith is the root and works are the fruit. Missouri is called the "Show Me" state. James is the "show me" book. "Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works" (2:18). That "faith alone" is not enough is seen when James reminds us of Abraham's faith. "You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works ... You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone" (2:24). By saying this James does not mean we are saved by "works alone" anymore than he is saying we are saved by "faith alone." Saving faith is demonstrated by serving works. After recounting Rahab's works he concludes: "For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead" (v. 26). We will be judged, in part, "according to our works" (Rev. 20:12), so no more of this putting down works as being of man, unnecessary, or even dispensable.

Hymn: "When we walk with the Lord in the Light of His Word, what a glory He sheds on our way! While we do His good will, He abides with us still, and with all who will trust and obey. Trust and obey, for there's no other way to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey" (J. H. Sammis)