James 2:19-24

[clark thompson]

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James 2:19-24

New King James Version (NKJV)

 
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?[a] 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 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. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

New King James Version (NKJV)
The Holy Bible, New King James Version Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.

               These are my thoughts please share yours.
  19 Believe there is a God does nothing unless we allow the one true God to be our God.
  20 Without works or the Spirit working us no one can see the change we went through by God's hand. Without the works or faith does no good.
   21 God had Abraham sacrifice his promised child the Lord stepped in before Abraham was kill Isaac for sacrifice.  Later God gave up His Promised Child up for our sacrifice.
   22 If Abraham would of with held his son it would of showed his son meant more to him than God did. Abraham works showed his faith and in the same way a lack of work would of showed a lack of faith in God. We learn from Hebrews that Abraham still believed all God's promises about Isaac and if Abraham killed him he believe God would bring Isaac back to life after the sacrifice. God did bring back a son after sacrifice it was the Son though.
  23 When we believe God we have a relationship with Him as Father and son but we also have a friendship with Him as well.
  24 We are saved by faith alone but without works are faith remains unused or as James says dead. If we have faith we will have the works of the Spirit moving thru us. Yes we are saved by faith alone but works show our faith in the Lord.

                      Better to be a servant of the King than to be a king in hell.

[Zant Law]

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The text above describes Abraham's work as a willingness to follow God's commandment even if it was against his will.

What was Abraham's work? Abraham did what God commanded him to do even though he did not understand it, and even though God commanded him to do something that was against his own will.

The case of Abraham proves that the justifying faith is a working faith. So can our faith be shown to be a working faith? What kind of works did our Lord commanded us to do?
Here are a few scriptures that point out to us that we were commanded to love one another as our Lord loves us.

    Joh 13:34, A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; even as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
    Joh 15:12, This is my commandment, that ye love one another, even as I have loved you.
    Joh 15:17, These things I command you, that ye may love one another.
    Rom 13:8, Owe no man anything, save to love one another: for he that loveth his neighbor hath fulfilled the law.
    1Th 4:9, But concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another;
    1Pe 1:22, Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently:
    1Jo 3:11, For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another:
    1Jo 3:23, And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment.
    1Jo 4:7, Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is begotten of God, and knoweth God.
    1Jo 4:11, Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.
    1Jo 4:12, No man hath beheld God at any time: if we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us:
    2Jo 1:5, And now I beseech thee, lady, not as though I wrote to thee a new commandment, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another.


All justifying work should come from love that we have learned through Christ our Lord. There is no love in Satan, and any work that is not derived from the love of God will not justify anyone's faith in God.

[Fat]

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I was working on something else today and I ran across this verse and I think it has something to say about the limitations of man's good works.


Proverbs 20:9 Who can say , I have made my heart clean , I am pure from my sin?