Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Misinterpretation: Verses 14, 17, 20, 22, 24, and 26 emphasize that faith without works is dead Where these verses get misinterpreted and, unfortunately, misapplied is when they are taken out of context by claiming they infer works to be a component of salvation. That is easy to do when you read verses separate and apart from other Scripture.
Truth: Your Works Simply Justify that Your Faith is Genuine
Let’s Break It Down
Literal Biblical translation of a few words:
Faith: Complete trust or confidence in
Works: Good things that we do
Dead: inactive, powerless, fruitless
Completed: perfected, made whole, or spiritually matured
Justified: Show or prove to be genuine
Let’s put it back together using a literal translation
Verse 17: So also faith [a complete trust in Christ Jesus] by itself, if it does not have works [good deeds], is dead [inactive, powerless, fruitless].
This is confirmed by verse 22: You see that faith was active along with his [Abraham] works [the things he did], and faith was completed [perfected, made whole] by his works.
Verse 26: For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works [good deeds] is dead [inactive, powerless, fruitless, not impactful].
The Bible is clear about Salvation and Works
1) There is only one way to be saved. Romans 10:8-10,
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
2) Works do not save you. 1 Corinthians 3:13-15
13 each one's work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved [even without works], but only as through fire
Your works, your good deeds, your words and actions should glorify Christ Jesus not to get saved but rather to show gratitude that you have already been saved.
