The Test of Righteous Works
James 2:14-26
Godly Response: This is probably the most important test of faith to understand, and it is probably the test most easily misunderstood. First, it is imperative to understand that salvation is a free gift (not earned by good works), and eternal life is available to us based on what Jesus did to save us. He lived the perfect and righteous life and died on the cross to suffer our punishment as our substitute. He was resurrected thereby defeating death and proving the sufficiency of His atonement for our sin. Because He provided atonement for our sins, He can forgive our sins and maintain His perfect and holy justice. To those who follow Him and accept Him as Lord and Savior, Jesus freely forgives our sins and gives us His righteousness. It is His forgiveness and His righteousness that makes us worthy. Otherwise, if we were dependent on our own worthiness (without the gift of eternal life from Jesus), "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God", and "the wages of sin is death". The good works we do here in this life have nothing to do with (and are totally inadequate for) our exaltation to heaven.
Having repeated all that (again), God's word also repeatedly emphasizes that Christians WILL DO GOOD WORKS. Jesus said in the sermon on the mount "Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." This not only says we are to do good works, but we are also to know that God is accomplishing these works through us, so we are to give God the glory. Then later in the same sermon He says "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter." Again, "the will of My Father" would represent good works through obedience.
To be sure, "good works" do not earn your way into heaven, and we are not even required to successfully achieve goods works to some minimum threshold. Instead, a Christian's motivation toward good works and the movement in your life toward increasing good works demonstrates that the Holy Spirit is working in your life, and the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life validates that your faith is genuine. Remember that if your faith is real, your life will experience a transformation by the indwelling Holy Spirit. As part of that transformation, the Holy Spirit will inspire and enable you to participate in good works. Essentially, the good works we are lead to do are just as much a gift from God as forgiveness and eternal life. The specific works that a person is called to will vary from person to person based on the spiritual gifts given to each person and how God wants to use each person in His kingdom.
Worldly Response: The worldly response is to side-step acts of service and Christian ministries or any good works. The worldly person will go back home and go back to work and continue living their life much the same as they did before joining the church, and there is no visible transformation in their life (i.e. no genuine repentance from sin either). Your actions reveal your heart. Those who side-step good works as taught throughout the Bible simply do not have Jesus in their heart. James describes the example of a person coming into the church who is somewhat destitute. Then someone says, "Go in peace. Be warm and filled", but they do nothing to meet that persons needs. That response is not only unhelpful, but it is somewhat cruel. The parable of the Good Samaritan clearly teaches that we are to extend a helping hand to those with a genuine need.
In James 2:18-26, James makes an additional distinction that is particularly important to grasp. Some in the church had a clear intellectual understanding of the Gospel (as reviewed at the top of this page), and they embraced those teachings to be true. However, there was no submission to Jesus as Lord. There was no transformation in their lives that lead them into good works. James is unapologetic in saying that they had a "dead faith" that was no better than the faith of demons (who are clearly doomed to hell). The message here is that the "saving faith" of a genuine Christian will include a foundational submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer and as the One Who created all things and as the One to Whom all authority was given in the heavens and on earth. That submission will be inseparably linked to the indwelling Holy Spirit, repentance from sin, good works, and an on-going transformation in your life, which Jesus referred to as being born again, and Paul referred to as being a new creation.
Unfortunately, this is a somewhat controversial issue in the church today. Even some prominent Bible teachers say that salvation is by faith through grace and that good works are not required at all. It is baffling that hard-working, learned pastors could stumble over such a foundational issue. While it is true that salvation is purely by faith through grace as stated definitively in Ephesians 2:8-9, LOOK AT THE NEXT VERSE! Ephesians 2:10, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them."
Even baby Christians will start participating in basic good works like repenting of your sin, Bible study, and growing in your prayer life. If you sense an absence of good works in your life, PLEASE take a step back and make an objective assessment of your life. Ask yourself, "Do I submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ?" "Do I have the indwelling Holy Spirit?" "Am I enriched by acts of service?" Lots of questions could be asked here, but also bear in mind that you are not your own, but you have been bought with a price, and that price was the very precious blood of Jesus Christ. Christians will always have areas of struggle, but the person who is truly saved can answer yes to the questions above and will eventually be able to grow in these areas over time.