The necessity for Faith and Works in the Salvation of Man

Introduction

The sermon you are going to hear from me tonight is an important sermon I will preach. I tell
you so because it concerns the eternal (walang hanggang) salvation of our precious
(mahalagang) soul. It’s based on a question asked by many Christians. Is faith alone sufficient to
be saved or should faith be accompanied by works?

At a glance (sa isang sulyap) this looks like a question any child of God can answer with a
simple yes or no. But is it that simple? Truth be told Jesus dedicated plenty of his time to answer
it, using parables such as The Good Samaritan, Lazarus and the rich man, The Vine and the
Branches. Today I decided to answer that question once again from the book of James, because
the apostle James answers the in a much straight forward manner. So please turn your Bible with
me to James chapter 2.

Read James 2:14-26 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[a] 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.

1. Faith without works is words without deeds

James 2:14-17

James (iginiit) insists faith without works is good for nothing because it cannot save us, (James
2:14). Now some of you might wonder, why then Paul taught (Ephesians 2:8-9) salvation is by
faith alone and not by works. But James isn’t saying we are saved by works. He is saying we are
saved by faith verified (patunayan) by our works! (James 2:15-16).

What type of works is able to verify our faith? They are definitely not works such as observing
religious rituals or keeping of traditions because in James 2:8 we are told the following.

But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself,” you are doing well.
So by works James actually means, treating one another with brotherly love. Without love faith
is dead and therefore cannot save because love is the only external manifestation (labasang
naghahayag) of true faith, (James 2:17). Now we do know other religions also teach their
adherents (tagasunod) to love everybody. Then what difference does Christianity make in the
salvation of man? All those religions teach we are saved by our works verified by faith. But only
Christianity teaches we are saved by faith verified by our works!

Illustration: A small boy bought a dozen eggs for his mother. Unfortunately he tripped
(natalisod) while walking out of the store, and dropped the sack. All the eggs were broken and
the sidewalk was a mess. The boy tried not to cry. A crowd gathered to see whether he was
alright and told him how sorry they were. In the midst of the works of pity, one man handed the
boy a quarter. Then he turned to the group and said, “I care 25 cents worth. How much do the
rest of you care?”

Implications: A living faith is expressed by works motivated by brotherly love. Aren’t some of
us are guilty tonight, because we have failed to treat someone with such love at some point in
life? We have preached to people about salvation when they needed to be fed. We have blamed
the government and the social workers, for the misfortunes of the society but not done anything
on our own. What shall we do then? We need to treat each other with brotherly love because
that’s what God expects from us, (Leviticus 19:18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a
grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself) and
that love is best expressed in deeds not speech! (Galatians 6:10).

2. Works are the natural result of faith in God

James 2:18-19

Faith and works cannot be separated. Either they coexist in the believer or don’t exist at all,
because works are the natural result of faith in God! Where there is faith there are works and
without works there is no faith, (James 2:18).

In the next verse James says intellectual belief by itself cannot save us. Even the demons believe
and tremble but God condemned them for they disobeyed. There’s not much difference between
those demons and the Christian who doesn’t obey what he already knows. It’s obedience that
distinguishes us from those demons and the heathen (pagano). Not the head knowledge.

James is also implying (ipinahiwatig) it’s impossible to say that God once wanted people to do
good works and now wants them to do nothing. He is “one” in His mindset. God cannot disagree
with Himself. Instead salvation is a gift, resulting in people no longer having to live by the Old
Testament Law and the natural output of believing in that salvation is doing good works, which
is in line with God’s ways, (James 2:19)

Illustration: The Doctrine of Faith and Works are like the Theory of the Cause and the Effect.
Every cause has an effect and every effect has a cause. One cannot happen without the other. In
Christianity faith is that cause and works that lead to salvation are its effect.
Implications: The New Testament teaches that we get justified when we have true faith in Christ,
but thereafter our faith should be accompanied by our works of obedience. It’s true we are not
saved by deeds. But it’s also true that we are saved for deeds, (John 15:1-8).

3. Faith is made complete by our good works

James 2:20-26

It’s foolishness to say faith by itself is sufficient for salvation because there’s biblical evidence
which say otherwise. The faith of Abraham is one such evidence. His faith and actions worked
together. His works completed his works. That’s the faith which God credited to Abraham as
righteousness, (James 2:21-24).

By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the
promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is
through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even
raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. (Hebrews
11:17-19)

The Amplified Bible defines righteousness (kabanalan) as conformity (pagsangayon) to God’s

will in thought and deed. Abraham conformed to God’s will in thought when he reasoned in his
mind God could even raise the dead. He conformed (sumunod) to divine will by deed the
moment he bound and placed Isaac on the altar in obedience to God’s command.

Then we meet Rahab the professional prostitute (patutot). She was probably the worst sinner in
Canaan by God’s standards but still Rahab and her household were spared and considered
righteous because she treated God’s people with honor. So based on these evidence as sure as
body without the spirit is dead faith without works is dead, (James 2:20-26).

The examples of Abraham and Rahab indicates James is talking about a second type of works
here. Jesus said those who love him will keep his commandments, (John 2:14-15). Abraham
obeyed because he loved God. So works also mean obedience to God not out of obligation but
love, (Deuteronomy 6:5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your
soul and with all your might).

Illustration: In the living room of his parent’s house where he grew up, hanging from the wall is
a replica of a painting of a tearful boy, by the Italian painter Giovanni Bragolin. One day when
he was still a very small boy, he asked his father why is the boy in the painting crying? He
answered that according to legend the boy was in a voyage with his father who happened to be a
sailor. The father told the boy to stay put in their cabin while he work in the ship.

While the father was busy a fire started in the ship and soon the smoke spread to the cabin in
which the boy was. But he stayed right where he was, in perfect obedience to his father’s
instructions which caused his death by smoke inhalation.
Implications: A legend is a semi-true story. Nevertheless I shared the story of that boy with you
for a purpose. He obeyed his father’s instructions but perished. In fact he died because he
obeyed.

But the story of Rahab says, God protects those who obey him. Here’s why? The king of Jericho
certainly knew that the spies were in Rahab’s house. Rahab wasn’t a good liar. She told the
king’s men the spies were indeed in her house but left at the dusk and she doesn’t know which
way they went, (Joshua 2:2-7 2 And it was told to the king of Jericho, “Behold, men of Israel
have come here tonight to search out the land.” 3 Then the king of Jericho sent to Rahab, saying,
“Bring out the men who have come to you, who entered your house, for they have come to search
out all the land.” 4 But the woman had taken the two men and hidden them. And she said, “True,
the men came to me, but I did not know where they were from. 5 And when the gate was about to
be closed at dark, the men went out. I do not know where the men went. Pursue them quickly, for
you will overtake them.” 6 But she had brought them up to the roof and hid them with the stalks
of flax that she had laid in order on the roof. 7 So the men pursued after them on the way to the
Jordan as far as the fords. And the gate was shut as soon as the pursuers had gone out). In those
days who in his right mind will leave the safety of the civilization to venture out in the dark?

The king’s men were not James Bond or Ethan Hunt. But they were not fools either. Why did
they trusted the word of a lowly prostitute? They should have searched her house but didn’t! Had
they discovered the spies, it would have been the end of not just the spies but Rahab and
everyone else in her family also. But God’s shadow of protection was over Rahab. Likewise God
has guaranteed the eternal salvation of souls of those who not just believe in him but also obey
his will, (John 8:51 51 Truly, truly, I say to you, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see
death.”).

Conclusion

Just like we need both hands to clap, salvation also needs both faith and works. Think of your
right hand as faith and your left as works. Cut off one and your salvation becomes null and void.
Works are not the root of salvation but the fruit. Faith brings a person to salvation, and works
bring that person to fruitfulness (pagkamabunga).