Fundamentally and before all else, Christianity is a
relationship with the God who loves us so much that He died for us. Through
faith in His free gift, we now have been forgiven and have received eternal
life:
·
Of his own will he brought us forth by the word
of truth [the Gospel], that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his
creatures. (James 1:18)
Nevertheless, James doesn’t stop with our relationship with
our Savior. He, along with the rest of the Bible, indicates that our life in
Christ is also a religion, a matter of obedience and of following the law which
gives liberty – the does and the don’ts:
·
But the one who looks into the perfect law, the
law of liberty [the law of Christ], and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets
but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. If anyone thinks he is
religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s
religion is worthless. Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the
Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep
oneself unstained from the world. (James 1:25–27)
Christianity is also a religion with its laws and blessings
for keeping the law. To refuse to follow these teachings proves that his
“religion is worthless.”
This does not mean that we are saved by faith and good
deeds. Instead, a genuine faith will obediently follow the Savior. Faith
and obedience are inseparable. If we believe in our Lord, we will do what He
instructs. In the same way, if we truly trust our doctor, we will do what he tells
us to do. Therefore, James taught that our faith is seen in our obedience:
·
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he
has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or
sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 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? So also faith by itself, if it does not
have works, is dead. 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.
(James 2:14–18)
It's a package deal. A faith which doesn’t produce obedience
is not a real faith. To illustrate this point, James claims that the demons
have “faith.” They know that Christ had died for our sins, but it isn’t a real
faith, a faith that flows out of a regenerated heart, the gift of faith, and
wants to please the Savior:
·
You believe that God is one; you do well. Even
the demons believe—and shudder! (James 2:19)
However, demons are not obedient. Consequently, they do not
have a real faith. James therefore concludes this segment:
·
For as the body apart from the spirit is dead,
so also faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:26)
Those who disconnect obedience from faith are self-deceived:
·
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only,
deceiving yourselves. (James 1:22)
Nor can we separate a relationship with our Savior from
religion, our obedience to His teachings.
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