James

Chapter 2



"God's Word and it's Effects: Reason and Exhortation."

"Faith and Works"


This Bible Study is written by Roger Christopherson, available at http://www.theseason.org

It's important that we remember that God divorced the House of Israel, while keeping the House of Judah as his wife. This is stated in Jeremiah 3:8:

Jeremiah 3:8 "And I saw, when for all the causes whereby backsliding Israel committed adultery I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah feared not, but went and played the harlot also."

Jeremiah 3:9 "And it came to pass through the lightness of her whoredom, that she defiled the land, and committed adultery with stones and with stocks."

After the divorce, Jesus Christ came to earth at his first advent, begotten of God and from the virgin Mary, lived the perfect life, and then at the hands of the Kenite religious leaders paid the price for the sins of those that would believe and come to him through repentance in Jesus name. It was only then that our Heavenly Father could bring the House of Israel back to Himself. This is what the book of Hosea is all about. This is also what the "perfect law of liberty" is about.

The "perfect law of liberty" is not like other laws that tries to change you and brings you under bondage, other then the bondage to the love of God. But it sets you at liberty from the guilt of sin, and sets you free.

James 2:1 "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons."

"Faith" is the action that you take, that is based upon your belief and understanding, and you take that action with the confidence that it will come to pass. It's like the man that breaks his leg and is given a pair of crutches. He is told that the crutches will support his weight, however until he actually uses them, he has not put his faith in them.

We live at a time when we have the Scriptures that state all the promises that God has given to those that love Him. We are told in the Word of God of the "perfect law of liberty", that upon our belief in the finished work of Jesus Christ at the cross, and our repentance to our Heavenly Father in Jesus name; our sins will be forgiven and blotted out forever. Forgiveness for sins requires that two things must happen first: first, that through my faith, I believe Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and did pay the complete price for the forgiveness of sins. Secondly, that as a sinner I must use Jesus Christ as my credentials to approach the throne of God, to repent of all of my sins in Jesus name. I must use "Jesus name" for the Scriptures tell me that Jesus is the only way whereby I can be saved from the curse that sin has placed upon my soul.

Once I have by faith, believed in Jesus Christ and accepted all the promises of His Word, and confessed my sins to the Father, then I am under the "perfect law of liberty", that was spoken of in James 1:25. So with this faith that Christ has given us through His Word, we know and understand that we are to care for the widowed and orphans within the church. When we have that faith in Christ we do not become a respecter of persons. That is, to treat those that are blessed with wealth better than those that are not blessed.

James 2:2 "For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment;"

James is using an example of two men, one by outward appearance of being very wealthy, while the other being poor, and having no earthly goods. When these two come into your church house or study group at the same time to worship with you, they are equal in the eyes of God.

James 2:3 "And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, "Sit thou here in a good place;" and say to the poor, "Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool:"

The fancy suit and the gold ring sometimes refers to gay clothing, however those things simply do not give that person any more rights and importance in God's house then the poor man with nothing. We are all children of God, and in God's House it is not to be done. It is very important that we always remember this, and it applies to the greeter at the door, or just a member of the congregation. One of the most admirable things in a Christian is that they treat all the brethren with respect and equality. They are our brothers and sisters in Christ, and members of the family of God. It doesn't matter what their profession or way of life, for they are God's children just as you and I are. You may be a real achiever in the ministry of God's Word, but you are never so high up that you can't take the time to assist one of God's children when there is a need.

Sometimes churches like to divide their people up into groups, and give preference to one group over another. They like to set the divorced person for one kind of treatment, and then give that person a mark so that none will ever forget the sins that he or she may have committed. Doing this with any person for any cause is to tell Jesus Christ that the price that He paid on the cross was not sufficient for that persons sins. You are mocking God, and that is a greater sin than a divorce ever was. It is a complete lack of faith, and my friend, your soul is in danger. When a sin is repented of by the sinner to the Father in Jesus name, it is blotted out by God, at the throne of God. The one who stands before the throne of God as the accuser of that person is Satan himself. Satan is the accuser, and by you throwing whatever the confessed sin back into the face of the person, you are doing the work of Satan. You are taking Satan's mark in your right hand.

We are approaching the final days of this earth age, and one of the warnings that God warns us of in Revelation 13:16, is that we do not take on the mark of the beast, who is Satan. The mark in the forehead, is what we think in our mind, while the mark in the right hand is the service that we give through our words and deeds. We are all God's children, and when someone is trying to live for Christ, he deserves the right to the same position as everyone else. When they are striving for the truth of God's Word, they are all the same. This even goes for those that have been a homosexual or a prostitute, when they have repented of their sins before the Father, God treats them just as He treated you, when you confessed your sins to Him. Those sins are blotted out and done with. If that sin is done again then that sin also needs to be repented. That is the "perfect law of liberty" that all Christians live under. This "perfect law of liberty" frees us from the gilt of our sins, and places those sins under the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 10:9 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved."

Romans 10:10 "For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

There is a condition to salvation, and that is all tied up in the small word "if". It requires something to be done on your part. "If" you believe the conditions laid out in Romans 10:9 and 10, then you are saved. This is why the name of Jesus Christ is our only credentials before the throne of God, and why we must pray in "Jesus name" or our heavenly Father just will not hear us.

James 2:4 "Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?"

This goes back to that double minded person of James 1:8. If you separate people according to their past, then you have set yourself up as their judge. When you judge other, then it is God that will judge you.

James 2:5 "Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which He hath promised to them that love Him?"

Notice that James is requesting your attention to this matter with love for a fellow brother or sister in Christ. James is reminding us that the qualification of our heritage that we have in Christ, with all the promise of God's entire Word to His children, is that each of His children love Him. It is not your standing of wealth or position in this flesh world, but your right-standing before the Father, and your obedience to His Word. When the blessings of God have made a person wealthy you can count on one thing, that this person knows where his wealth comes from, and they will not act any higher than any other Christian.

When you are a hearer and a doer of God's Word then all the promises within God's Word are part of your inheritance, and you can enjoy them even in this life of the flesh. This also goes for the wealth that God gives you, when you do things God's way.

James 2:6 "But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats?"

The rich spoken of here are not those that have become rich through the blessings of God, but by usary and other means that goes against God's Word. This word "draw" would be better translated "drag". Has someone ever tried to drag you into a place where you absolutely did not want to do, or do something with you did not want you to do? Many times this can be done by a confusing wording in a contract, where the wording leads you to think it means something just opposite than what you were lead to believe that it says. They entrap you through false means, and then force you to abide by their lies that they have led you into. This is the type of "rich men" that James is referring to that would oppress you.

When this type of person comes into your congregation, with all his ill-gotten gains, James is asking you, why do you elevate that one that has lied to you, and dragged you into court, over the poor Christian that has done nothing to you? This rich man has no compassion for you, and their wealth is put on a higher pedestal in their mind, than your own needs and well being. There is a lot of difference between the one that is rich by the blessings of God, and the man that is rich by ill-gotten gains. James is using these evil rich men as an example of how God looks at you when you judge men by what they have outside, rather then what they have inside, regarding their spiritual condition.

James 2:7 "Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?"

The "name by the which ye are called" is the name "Christian". James is telling you that Christians do not judge persons by their outward appearance. There is no way that you can live the Christians life and continue judging people, when you are separating them spiritually by their outward worldly gains. To live the full Christian life, you must have forgiveness for others. This is why Jesus Christ went to the cross, so that you could have complete forgiveness, and when He has forgiven you, then you are in turn to forgive those that have sinned against you. Christians simply don't hold grudges against other Christians because there must be forgiveness in their hearts. We know that we all fall short from time to time because no one is perfect, except for Christ.

James 2:8 "If ye fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself," ye do well:"

Our Heavenly Father is the King, and the royal law was given to us through His Son Jesus Christ. That "Royal law" is, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy self." It is one of the ten commandments given in Leviticus 19:18: "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." When you love your neighbor and take interest in his or her well being then both of you look after one another. You are quick to forgive yourself when you mess up, so this applies to forgiveness also. We are to be as quick to forgive him or her as we would to forgive ourselves.

James 2:9 "But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors."

If you treat that man with the gold ring on his finger better than you treat that poor person, you have sinned through your act, and that sin will convict you just as much as the sin of the law of transgressors. When you have broken one of the laws of the commandments, you have broken them all in the eyes of God. It is easy to lie to yourself, and force yourself to believe that the rich person is better than the poor one. They are both your brothers, and under the law are equal in the family of God. What makes this law so serious is that if you do it even unconsciously, you are just as much a transgressor then if you planned it. God will not bless a transgressor of His law. This is the main reason that God does not answer the prayers of believers.

James 2:10 "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."

What this is saying , is that if you place yourself under the law, rather then living under the "perfect law of liberty", then you are under the entire law. You are under the health laws as well as all of the small details that God placed upon mankind. So when you break one little point of any part of God's Word, then you are in violation and guilty of all the ten commandments, as well as all the ordinances and statutes. Being guilty of the breaking of the law is sin, and their is a judgment upon mankind for sinning.

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

It is Christ's death on the cross, and His shed blood that paid the price to buy your freedom from death and extension on judgment day. James is reminding us that the moment that we judge between two different people with the respect of favoritism; between the rich and the poor; the popular from the unpopular; and so on, then you have sinned. If you have chosen to be under the law, rather then the "perfect law of liberty" that we have when you believe in Jesus Christ, then you are under God's judgment of death that He has placed upon you.

James 2:11 "For He that said, "Do not commit adultery," said also, "Do not kill." Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law."

In the law of the ten commandments, it says "Do not commit adultery", "Thou shalt not kill", along with the other eight commandments. The word "kill" as it is used in the Greek text is "Thou shalt do no murder", which requires premeditative thought. It is criminal act of breaking the law by homicide. It is to "lie in wait, and plan the murder of an individual." Jesus Christ used the same word in Matthew 5:21, and the word there also was "phoneus". In the Greek dictionary the number is # 5407, "phoneuo, fon-yoo'-o; from # 5406, to do a murder, slay." We read in # 5406; "phoneus, fon-yooce;a murder (always of criminal [or at least intentional] homicide; which 443 does not mecessarily imply; while 4607 is a specific term for a public bandit): murderer."

Though many ministers and Christians today think that capital punishment should not be, and they go against God's Word, when Jesus Christ said that it should be. When anyone believes that capital punishment is wrong, they have taken the liberty within themselves to change God's Word from what He has said. If they would have taken the time to look up the word "kill", as it was used in the Greek, they would know that there is a difference. That to take a life by forethought "phoneuo" is murder homicide, and requires that the murderer's life be taken also. Then the soul of the murderer will be sent back to the Father from which it came, and he or she will face their accuser before the Father to work things out there in heaven, no here on earth.

By doing it God's way through capital punishment it shows others that if they commit a murderous act, they can expect the same to happen to them. It is a social form of cleaning up those types of sin from the community and society. Today those that talk against capital punishment say they are representing God, where as they are 180 degrees out of balance, and heading in the wrong direction.

When someone takes a child and brings them out in a secret place and rapes the child and murders them, do you think there was any thought of the capital punishment taken by that murderer against that child? Capital punishment is God's orders to His people as to exactly what He expects to be done when such acts of murder are committed.

James 2:12 "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty."

We are to hear the laws and commandments of God, and do them, and when we fall short of God's law, then we are to ask forgiveness from God under the "law of liberty". Remember that the "law of liberty" is the freedom from the gilt of sin, and the death sentence that our sins have placed us under, when we have the faith in the finished work that Jesus Christ did on the cross. That law requires that we believe that Jesus Christ's is the only begotten of the Father, and that His blood was the price paid for the forgiveness of all sins that are confessed to the Father. This is why we must pray to the Father "in Jesus name", for the "name of Jesus" is our credentials that we are believers, and accept the only way that God has made for us.

Though the person that commits the murders places himself or herself under God's "perfect law of liberty" after the fact, the punishment is still required and the death sentence must be carried out. Capital punishment is the greatest deterrent from it happening again, and the punishment must be publicly observed by all of the population, including the children.

James 2:13 "For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment."

The "mercy" that Christ gives triumphs over judgment, and that mercy was paid for on the cross of Christ. God's mercy came through the blood of Jesus Christ that allows us to enjoy that mercy that was extended to each of us that believes in Jesus Christ. James is saying that we are to be careful when you judge other people, and when we do judge others, we are to judge with mercy. With regards to loving others, we are to start by selecting carefully who we chose to be our friends that we are continually with. However this is referring to how we treat the people in the assembly where we worship. While in the congregation, all people are to be treated the same, and given the same respect and courtesy, without the respecter of persons.

James 2:14 "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"

This is asking the question to you, one of the brethren. The question asked is; Can a man's faith alone without works save Him? This is talking about salvation other then initial justification. This is applied to the time after you become saved, and and have had the time to mature in God's Word. It is asking you, is it enough to simply say you have faith, and yet do nothing that Jesus and His Word has instructed the saved to do? This question is setting the discernment to tell if a person is truly saved and has faith in Jesus Christ, or if he or she is just putting on an outward act of being saved.

James 2:15 "If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,"

This is asking, "If a brother or sister is lacking proper cloths and daily food," and they come to you, what are you going to do for them?

James 2:16 "And one of you say unto them, "Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled;" not withstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?"

You hear it all the time when a need is present, instead of pitching in and trying to help in the situation, the common response is, "I'll be thinking of you." "I'll be praying for you." or some other such response. James is saying, if someone comes to you and asks you for help, and you refuse to help, do you think that for one second needy person will listen to anything you say or do? Even the heathen know that God will close His ears to the prayers of an unrighteous person. When someone comes to you in need, which do you think will help them more, your prayers, or your help?

This is now going into a deeper vain, what is the famine for the end times going to be? Amos 8:11 tells us: "And behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, not a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord:" The "famine" that is taking hold of our generation, the final generation is for doing the very things stated above. It is for looking into your soul and being able to see yourself exactly as you are. It is for being able to look into the Scriptures and being able to understand and apply the Word of God to your life. "The famine in the end times" that we now live in is not for a biscuit or a bowl of soup, but for hearing the true Word of God with understanding.

This is why there are many so starving for the truth in the world today, even in the church houses that call themselves "the House of God". Ask yourself this, Do they feed me the Word of God there? Am I maturing as a Christian, or am I little farther then I was ten or twenty years ago? It is for you to judge your own position and make the adjustments that are necessary. If you are truly saved you will see that to it that you are where the real Word is taught so that you can learn and mature, and then participate in the place where God has placed you, and use the gifts that you have. God's blessings flow to you when you are listening to His Words and not the words of men.

James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."

James is comparing the physical world to the spiritual world here. He is comparing your spiritual life to that of a physical person who is starving to death. When a person goes for many days without food, their physical body turns in on itself and the person's flesh body consumes itself and dies. So now apply this to our spiritual life when we say that we have faith and believe in Jesus Christ, yet do not read the Word of God and study it to apply to our life. There then will be no spiritual food taken in to sustain our spiritual life. It doesn't take too long for any person without the Word of God in his life to drift back into the old habits that were there before he came under Christ's "perfect law of liberty".

There are many starving people both physically and spiritually, however the spiritual starvation is far greater then the physical today. This is not talking about bread to eat, but the bread of the Word, Jesus Christ. The true Word of God is not being fed to the congregation chapter by chapter and verse by verse, line upon line and precept upon precept with the full understanding that it was written. Instead what is being taught is man's traditions, and what ever it takes to draw people in to support a spiritually dead ministry.

Many people ask today: "Why doesn't God answer my prayers?" It is quite possible that any one of these things spoken of in the book of James has entered their life? There are conditions to God answering prayers, and those conditions are that we study His Word of understanding, and follow the instructions written in His Word. Prayers are answered when we are in right standing before the Father, and if we are violating those things like judging other people, and chasing after the traditions of men, we are not in right standing before God. If you have faith you are a doer in God's Word, and when you are not a doer, what you call faith is dead. Friend, sin brings spiritual death.

James 2:18 "Yea, a man may say, "Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works."

Faith and works go hand in hand, and it applies to what ever you do. If you plan on taking a trip, you make your car reliable enough to have the faith in it, that it will get you there and back home safely and in one piece. When you plan on going fishing, you buy the right fishing gear with the right weight for the line to do the job so that you can catch the type of fish that you are fishing for. Then you have faith in your equipment to get you some fish. You must have the faith in what you are doing before you set out to do it, and then when you go to do it, whether driving on that trip, fishing for fish, or doing the work that God has assigned you to do, you will be successful. The two go hand in hand, faith and works.

The works may be in seed planting to those around you, teaching the Word of God, singing, giving, feeding those in need, or taking care of the kids in nursery. What ever the works are, you do the work because of your faith in Jesus Christ, and your obedience to His Word. Therefore there should be no controversy between faith and works. In other words, ones faith may not show his or her works, but ones works does demonstrate the faith that one has. They both blend and rely on the other. You only do what you believe in, if you do not believe in something, you do not spend your time or money in that effort. However, when you have faith in something, it becomes important to you.

If your knowledge in fishing is very little, and you have no idea of how to put a hook on your line, you are not going to spend any time on the river bank fishing for fish. If your knowledge in God's Word is so small and your desire to learn what God's Word says or how it applies to you, how in the world will you know what is required of you as a Christian by God, or even the difference between good work from bad works? Faith requires your belief and confidence in something so that you could stake your life and well being on it, and your works are the actions that bring results of your doing just that. If you have one, you will have the other, because you serve the interests that are within your mind.

Faith is very necessary to your belief in Jesus Christ and the salvation of your soul, but that same faith will have an action that follows your faith. Faith is not stagnant, but it is dynamic and requires an action be taken on your part. Your faith causes you to do the other, your faith requires you to do the works with the gifts that our Heavenly Father has given to you. There is no such thing as faith without works, and it will be documented here very shortly.

James 2:19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble."

Belief is part of faith, however to simply say, "I believe" is not enough because even Satan and the fallen angels believe and know of God. Just as sure as God removed Satan from the altar of God, and sent the fallen angels to their place of holding, they all know very well the power of God, and they obey that power when it is used by a man or woman of God. However, Satan thinks that he doesn't have to obey God, and that he can outmaneuver God.

James 2:20 "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?"

"Faith without works is dead", it is a dead faith. To put it another way, your faith as well as yourself are a fake. Many people today say that works are not necessary when you are a Christian. God is very natural in every thing that He does, and anything that will not work God does away with. When it is no longer of use, it returns back to its original elements. Rust or oxidation returns steel back to iron, oxygen and the elements that it was made of. Plants that die are decomposed to their original elements, and in faith, when the faith does not produce the natural order that it is intended to produce, it returns to what it was at the start. The natural order of any faith in Jesus Christ is to produce the works that your faith is suppose to produce. God gives each of us some form of gifts that He expects us to use and strengthen our faith. When we do not use those gifts, our faith dies, and returns to what we were before receiving the faith.

In the case of the handicapped, they have a very special gift, and their testimony means far more than someone that is old and without works. When the unbeliever sees someone handicapped that is a believer and has faith and works, it goes a long way in turning them to Christ. In Revelation 14:13 we are told exactly what we can take with us when we leave this life in our flesh bodies.

Revelation 14:13 "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, "Write, 'Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforeth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them' "

Your works are the only thing that you take with you, for your works are already written in the book. It is what your eternal garment that you will be wearing for all eternity is made of. John was doing the writing as the Holy Spirit of Jesus is doing the talking, and telling John exactly what to write. Your labors are what you do in the flesh, not the spirit, it is what you do while in your flesh body. Your labors are your works and those things that you do for Christ and each of them follow you to heaven when you die, or at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Your works are what shows the quality of man or woman, boy or girl that you are.

Don't let some reverend or teacher rob you of those blessings that God has for you both now and in the eternity by telling you that works just don't count. They do count and they are the only thing that counts. They are what all of eternity is based upon, with regards to your rewards, your inheritance, your position and what you will be wearing throughout eternity. Let's go to Revelation 19:6-9 and see how our works are treated at the coming of the Lord, at the "marriage of the Lamb" to his bride [all the believers].

Revelation 19:6 "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, "Alleluia: for the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth."

This wedding takes place after the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ to set up His thousand year Millennium kingdom right here on earth. Each person that has by faith accepted Jesus as their Savior through their repentance in Jesus name, goes to make up the voice of a great multitude that is spoken of here.

Revelation 19:7 "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready."

Those of the elect that did not yield to Satan and his system when he came to the earth, but remained true to the seventh trumpet and the return of Jesus Christ, are the only ones that will enter into marriage supper of the Lamb, from our generation. Except for those that have died and passed on, of course. These are the ones that are making themselves ready for the supper.

Revelation 19:8 "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints."

Friend, your righteous acts are the works that you have done while living in your flesh body here on earth, and at this time those acts are the only thing that will go to make up the fine linen that you will be wearing in the Millennium and in the eternity. Those works are the only thing that covers you at the marriage supper of the Lamb, that is where the rewards are given out, and where you are assign your inheritance.

Do you get the picture? Your faith is needed to get you into the supper, but to attend the supper you need to be properly dressed. It is your works that decide what you will be wearing to the supper. James then is saying that if your works are dead, so is your faith also, for it takes one to obtain the other. You are not saved by your works, but by your belief and faith in Jesus Christ, it is your works that tests whether your faith is genuine. Your works is the guard at the door to check to see if your ticket qualified you to enter into the marriage supper of the Lamb, who is Jesus Christ. To see if you are a true man or woman of God, or just a cheap fake and counterfeit. There is no place setting at the supper table for those that think they can sneak in by some other means.

Revelation 19:9 "And he saith unto me, "Write, 'Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb.' "

When your faith is checked out by your works, and those works are found to be true and genuine, God will truly bless you with His riches, as you become joint-heirs with Christ in that heavenly kingdom. Today it is common to hear that, "your works just don't matter." These are also the ones that tell you not to read the book of Revelation, and that the book of Revelation is not to be understood. They are the same old boys that think they can con the man at the door controlling the entering into the "marriage supper of the Lamb", and come up by some other way. They are the ones for you to mark well in anything that they say, and their words must be tested by the Word of God before being accepted, and there they will be found to be "hay and stubble, to be burned in the fire".

James is a very direct book and it gets said what must be said, especially to those that have blinded themselves to the book of Revelation.

James 2:21 "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?"

Our Lord Jesus Christ hadn't walked the earth during the time of Abraham, and the faith teachers had not been born yet. Abraham was judged by the works and acts that he did by God, and God found Abraham to be righteous through those righteous acts. He had the faith to believe that God said what He meant, and Abraham acted on those words. Abraham was to old to have a child, and God comes along and gives Abraham and Sarah the ability to give birth to Isaac, which was a miracle birth. Sarah's womb was years past bearing age, for she is one hundred years old at the time of Isaac's birth. Isaac was a miracle child.

God had promised Abraham that "the seed of Isaac would be as the stars in the heavens and the sands of the sea", and Abraham believed God. Then when God asked Abraham to kill his son on an altar as a sacrifice to Him, Abraham was willing to do it, for Abraham trusted God, and knew that somehow God would raise Isaac from the dead if necessary to keep His Word. It was God's Word that was at stake, and Abraham did not question how God would do what He said that He would do. What mattered to Abraham was that he obey exactly as God instructed him to do. That is what is called "works", it is complete obedience to God's Word. Abraham knew that God would not lie, and that God was in control and would hold his hand with the blade in it, if that is what God desired.

This is works and putting your faith into action. This is why Abraham's works are counted as faith. This is stated again in Hebrews 11:8; "By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he wit out, not knowing whither he went."

Hebrews 11:9 "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise;"

God asked Abraham to do something, and He did it without question.

James 2:22 "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?"

This is exactly what makes faith perfect, it is what you do for the Father without question. Trusting in His Word that because He said it, it is right. Trusting that if God makes a promise He will keep that promise to you. It is what you do, based on what you do not know, sight unseen, that tests whether you have faith or not. It is through your works that your faith is perfected.

People that never do anything for our Heavenly Father, yet consider that God considers them something special just don't get it. In II Thessalonians 3:10 Paul addresses these kinds of people. "For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat."

It applies to the physical as well as the spiritual, and if those among you chose not to take part in the work of the Lord, then boot them out of the fellowship. In time they will desire to come back in and do their part. When one hasn't eaten food for a while, his stomach forces him to do things that he may not like to do. This also applies to the spiritual body, when God stops the flow of blessing to him, and his money bag gets holes in it, sickness comes, and nothing seems to work out, in time that person will come to their senses and return to the ways of the Lord. It is just plain common sense.

James 2:23 "And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, "Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness:" and he was called the friend of God."

Abraham's works were accounted to him as righteousness. When you do the works of our Lord, then God will call you His friend. Are you friendly to God? Do you read His letter to you, or do you ignore His love letter to you? If you ignore His letter then don't expect blessings from God, for you don't deserve God to answer your prayers.

James 2:24 "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."

This is how any man is judged by God or another man; you are judged by what you do that others can see. It is important to confess Christ to others, and repent of your sins to the Heavenly Father in Jesus name, but the degree that others will believe you, is by the action that you do through your works. Works will not save you alone, it is faith that saves you, and what makes your faith believable is the works that are produced by your faith. It is impossible for anyone to have faith in our Father and His Word, and know His overall plan, and not be doing works in your life. The one produces the other. You simply cannot pray for the wisdom from God, and the blessings from God, and not do something about it through your works. It is an impossibility.

James 2:25 "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

When the two spies of the children of Israel entered into the city of Jericho, Rehab the lady that sold the flax protected God's servants from harm. She hid them under her flax, then lowered them over the wall, and gave them instructions as to how to avoid their capture.

Though Rehab was accused of being a harlot, like many other successful women in business, she was an honest and just woman. Any time a woman gets ahead in a man's world the first thing men try to do is accuse her of using her body to get there. Most men, preachers included, simply cannot accept the fact that God uses women as well as men in His work, and many of those dear ladies are very successful. There is no proof in the Scriptures documenting that Rehab was a prostitute, accept for the accusations that are made against her by the translators.

We see that Jesus Christ came from the lineage of this woman Rehab, in Matthew 1:5; "And Salmon begat Booz of Rechab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse:" Jesse was the father of David, and Jesus came from the seed of David. Rehab was one of the best business women of her time for textiles and cloth materials. The three spies were hid under the flax on the roof, that would be made into the materials that she sold. Friend, you just don't find that much flax drying out on the roof of a house of ill-repute woman.

Be that as it is, this woman Rehab protected God's messengers and staked her life in the protection that she gave the spies while they were hiding on the roof of her house. That was what God calls works for Him. She really was a believer, for it would have meant death to her should they have been found. Rehab's works documented her faith.

James 2:26 "for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

When there is an absence of the reflection of life within your physical body or the presence of a soul either by heart beat or brain wave, then they will turn your body over to the undertaker for disposing of the body. James is showing that this same relation between your physical body and the spirit body that is within it, and this is the same relationship that your faith is without works. When there is no presence of works in your spiritual body that claims to have faith, then that faith is dead, it just doesn't exist.

Your spirit is the intellect of your soul, it is the eyes of your soul. Within each physical body is an inner person, which we call the soul, and that soul is what gives life to your soul. When that soul has departed from that physical body, the natural functions of that body stop, and decay back to the elements that the body is comprised of sets in. The only way life can exist within a physical body, is with the presence of the inner person, or soul within that physical body. James is telling us that this is exactly how binding the connection between faith and works are, for when the works have departed from the faith of an individual, then the faith has departed also. One needs the other to function in both cases. If someone loves our Father, you can't help serving your brothers and sisters for it is your love going out to them. True faith gives you that desire to commit yourself to help others.

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