The Working Faith of James

Mosaic family,

We’ve described the Book of James as a common sense, no-nonsense letter to all Christians, and the apostle known in his day as Ya'aqov in Hebrew and Iacobus in Greek hasn’t disappointed. This week, we’re going to talk about one of his most pointed and challenging statements: “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” (James 2:26, NIV). The NIV translation uses the word “deeds,” which is a synonym for the word most Bible readers are accustomed to when citing this verse - “works.”

If there is any doctrine so central to the New Covenant that without it, the covenant is meaningless, it is that we are saved by faith and not by works. This not only centers the source of eternal life on the Lord and not us, but it frees us from the impossible task of doing enough to please God and earn our way into heaven.

So, what in heaven’s name is James talking about? Could the half-brother of Jesus and the leader of the first Christian church in human history have gotten it wrong? The answer to that last question is “no,” and this Sunday, we’ll get into the Scriptures and the teachings of Jesus, Peter, and Paul to answer the first one. I look forward to sharing the Word with you!

See you then,

Ron Miller