Faith in action
James 2:26(NKJV) For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
The Bible is very clear that we are not saved by works but by the mercy of Christ. By faith, we receive our salvation and forgiveness offered for sins, and in doing so, we submit to the lordship and authority of Jesus Christ.
Titus 3:5(NLT) he saved us, not because of the righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He washed away our sins, giving us a new birth and new life through the Holy Spirit
Romans 4:5(NLT) But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.
Ephesians 2:8-9(NLT) God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.
Good works are fruit born from our relationship with Christ. A life absent of good works and good fruit will often indicate a faith that is dead. Works are not the cause of salvation; works are the evidence of salvation. Faith in Christ always results in good works.
Faith without works is dead because it shows that we have not been transformed by God. When we have been changed by the Holy Spirit, our lives will demonstrate that new life. Our works show our obedience to God.
I concluded with James 2:14-24(MSG) Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.” Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove. Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands? Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that weave of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?