Sermon Video: Making Faith Complete - James 2:20-26

After his conclusion that faith that is not accompanied by works is dead, James offers two Old Testament examples to further prove the point.  The first example is the revered Patriarch, Abraham, a man renowned for his faith and righteousness.  The second example is quite the opposite, the Gentile prostitute Rahab, a woman with no interaction with God prior to the moment when she risked her life to save the spies sent by Joshua.  In both cases, actions confirm what faith has already begun, in Abraham's case, decades after it had begun, in Rahab's case, at its inception.  These two examples thus offer proof that actions (works, deeds, whatever they're called) are necessary to vindicate faith, for both those coming from a high position with a track record of faith, and those coming from a low position with no pretense of having a righteousness of their own.  The discussion of the necessity of actions along with faith by James offers a counter-balance to those who might misinterpret the writings of Paul and thus get stuck on the fact that our salvation is indeed by grace alone without moving beyond our initial repentance to focus upon the absolute necessity of having works of righteousness as part of our discipleship.  The path to being reconciled with God is grace (faith in what Christ has already done for us), the only way to walk with God once we have been reconciled is for our faith to propel us to take action.

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