Faith Without Works…

Journal Entry

August 9, 2005

Henry Bartel

Scripture references:

James 2:14-26

Matthew 8:5-13

Matthew 15:21-28

These passages all deal with faith, redeeming faith. James 2:14-26 says faith without works is dead. I’ve always taken this to mean that salvation was based on more than just faith, but I was wrong in that interpretation. Reading Matthew 8:5-13 and 15:21-28, I see Jesus help people because of the faith they have. This faith is good enough He says, but this faith is also acted upon when presented to Jesus. The centurion in chapter 8 of Matthew has faith that Jesus can heal his child, but that faith alone doesn’t save his child’s life. No, he asks, even begs Jesus to heal his child out of faith that he can do it. And in chapter 15 of Matthew, the Canaanite woman has faith that Jesus can heal her child but again that faith alone didn’t do it. She asked Jesus to heal her child out of faith and then it happened. Faith by itself is nothing if we don’t act on it. I can have all the faith in the world that I will win if I buy a lottery ticket, but if I never buy the lottery ticket, that faith is useless. So when James says faith without works is dead, he’s not talking about works of salvation, he’s talking merely about works by faith and from faith; the fruition of faith.