I could not help but notice an incident that happened with a father and his daughter at our Bible booth last week. The dad was answering the question about James 2:24: “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” He pushed the button that answered that, “we are said by faith only” and he found out he was incorrect. Undeterred by the verse, the man was still convinced that we are saved by faith only. “I would argue that point!” he said.

It is interesting how people who claim to believe in God and His word are so quick to disagree with what our savior said. This is problematic for the man, but it is even more concerning to realize that he is passing this attitude on to his daughter. It is easy to disregard verses that challenge our ideas of faith, but God’s truth is unchanging (Heb. 13:8).

To specifically deal with the man at the fair, many people get defensive and think that James is teaching that faith is not essential to salvation. Of course it is! Nobody will ever get to heaven without faith (Heb. 11:6; 10:38; I Pet. 1:5, etc.). The text did not say that faith does not save – it said that faith only (sometimes translated as “faith alone”) does not save. Why is that? James answered that in verse 26: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”  Who would conclude that the body can live without the spirit? The person who believes faith alone saves!

Not all “faiths” are equal. For example, we are told about many individuals in Biblical times who had a faith that was dead. They did have faith though. John 12:42 describes people that believed in Jesus but did not want to confess their faith for fear of man. We are told that they loved the praise of men more than God (verse 43). James mentioned that even demons believe in God (James 2:19). Clearly, having faith in God is not the same as being faithful.

Logically speaking, who thinks that acknowledging danger means they are automatically safe? No one! If I believe I am trapped in a fire and could die, I still must do something to be saved. Likewise, if I believe in Jesus Christ and know that I am lost in sin, I am not saved yet. This is why James taught that faith without works is dead (2:26).

Arguments about “faith only” are usually connected to a misunderstanding of grace. When Paul stated that we are saved by grace through faith and not by works (Eph. 2:8), the apostle was not teaching that grace “does the works” that James said was necessary to be saved. Grace is the gift of the PLAN of salvation. In other words, we would all be lost without Christ coming, dying on the cross and providing a way to have the remission of sins.

Grace does not mean that man should not do good works. If works were not necessary, then everyone (faith or not) could go to heaven just based on grace. Remember, God’s word calls belief a work (John 6:28). The fact that mankind was given conditional salvation (i.e. that we must do things to be saved) does not lessen God’s grace. It would if one thought they were earning their salvation. This was the point Paul made in Ephesians 2:9: “not of works lest anyone should boast.”  Faith without works is just as useless as works without grace. Works alone cannot save a soul. No matter how many good things you do, you cannot earn your salvation. It is a gift that has conditions.

Jesus made many powerful statements about salvation: “Unless you believe I am He you will die in your sins,” (John 8:24); “Unless you repent you shall all likewise perish,” (Luke 13:3); “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved.” (Mark 16:16). Notice how they all contain conditions. Faith without works is dead, and works alone does not save either. May we seek God’s salvation, not our own!

Chuck