“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” -
James 2:26
Literally, this means you do not have faith unless you act on it.
Yes, it means what it clearly says. A more complete picture is given if we include James 2:17:
- Faith if it has no works is dead by/according to itself 2:17
- Faith (the body) is dead separate/apart from works (the spirit) 2:26
- So, unless Faith includes works, it is not Biblical Faith
- We should start here instead of in Paul as this is foundational information about Faith
- The question becomes: Who created the plan of Salvation and did the work to finalize it, so it could be given to us? The popular Eph2 verses, among others, give some of the answer - it wasn't us and Salvation is gifted to us when we truly and foundationally believe that Jesus is YHWH's Christ/Annointed/Messiah.
- Can a faith that doesn't work save us (James 2:14)? The answer to this rhetorical question is, No. Biblical Faith works. And then, what is the full scope of Biblical Salvation?
But Jesus said nobody can go to heaven by working.
"I am the Way and the Truth and the Light. Nobody comes to the Father except through Me." -
John 14:6
So what is the big deal about works?
I agree, what is the big deal about works? We're created to do them (Ephesians 2:10). Belief in Christ without them is dead faith (so not Biblical Faith in Christ).
Jesus didn't create the big fence around works for coming to Him. We created it with errant thinking & understanding. When Jesus was teaching to bring people to Faith in Him, He had no problem recognizing the need for some human effort in the process - in fact He commanded it:
NKJ John 6:27 "Do not labor for the food which perishes, but [
for clarity insert "labor"] for the food which endures to everlasting life, which the Son of Man will give you, because God the Father has set His seal on Him."
- Jesus clearly commanded these people who were working/laboring to follow Him for free meals, to work for the food that He will give them that remains for eternal life. That food in context is the information about who He is. So, Jesus just commanded them to work for the gift of [enduring teaching that remains for] eternal life. In context, work to listen, so you can believe what God teaches about who Jesus is for eternal life.
- In John 6:28 they misunderstand (again) and ask what they should do to "work the works of God"
- 6:29 Jesus straightens them out (again) and in essence tells them that God's work (the work of God) is that they believe in that One He sent.
- God is working to get us to believe in Jesus Christ (6:29): He is drawing us to Him by teaching us (6:44-45). Our Faith in Christ is God's work.
- We work (in obedience to Christ's command) to receive the gift of the information God is working to give us about His Son whom He sent to us (6:27, 29, 44-45). Our work to listen and learn what God works to teach us and come to Christ as God works to draw us to Him (6:45) is obviously secondary and in response to God's work and God's Plan that God worked to institute for us.
There's an entrance by Faith that works - then a walk doing the good works God created for us to do in a Faith that works - a Faith with works that God both created and worked to draw us into.
The works and Works of Law that Paul is addressing is another topic of discussion. James is foundational to understand what Biblical Faith actually is. "Faith Alone" was derived from theological battles long past. "Faith is never alone" was a theological response to it.
We're overzealous in protecting Faith from works. Our zeal is not always according to knowledge. We don't have to over-swing the pendulum in this theological battle. Let the Word speak. Think and speak as He speaks. Let God teach about works and think accordingly. Let Him delineate where, when and how our works are applicable. Next time we hear from a stage, "pfft, we don't work for a gift [IOW, how dumb to think such a thing]!" ask what Jesus means and commands in John 6:27. Listen and learn what God is teaching to make us "learned ones" (John 6:45 from Isaiah 54:13). Read the Bible.