Begin with two minutes of silence and stillness before God.
Before we begin our Daily Devo today, take a moment to read James 2:14-26. “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” James 2:26
When reading James 2, it seems that this passage sits contrary to every other message about faith and works in the Bible. Throughout the rest of the Scripture, it is made clear that salvation simply happens through faith alone for all who believe in Jesus Christ. James 5:24 says, “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment but has passed from death to life.” Similarly, Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” So, what is the second half of James 2 telling us? Is it opposing the rest of God’s Word? How do we reconcile these words from James in light of the rest of Scripture?
When we look at the context of this verse, we can see that James isn’t saying anything that opposes the rest of Scripture or the message of the Gospel but instead offers practical advice and clarity for living a life of faith. Just like we talked about yesterday, James was writing to the early believers, Christian Jews, scattered throughout the world. Many of these Jews, new to Christianity, were turning so far away from the religious and legalistic constraints of Judaism that they were misunderstanding newfound spiritual freedom to mean, “I can live however I want!” James is reminding them that true freedom in Christ means living in submission to Him, and just as a body with no spirit is known to be dead, faith with no evidence of life change is lifeless. The word “dead” in this sense means a faith that is useless and ineffective, not one that is “non-existent.” If we profess a faith in Christ, we also have to surrender to Him in obedience.
James isn’t saying that you have to do a certain number of good deeds or works to attain salvation. Instead, he is saying that works that glorify the Lord should be the fruit and overflow of a life of faithfulness! It’s not through works that we receive justification, but it’s our justification that spurs us on to good works that show evidence of Christ to those around us. True faith results in us doing something!
Take two minutes to reflect in silence.