<aside> đź’ˇ BIG IDEA: A life well lived is living a visible faith.
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What kind of physical activities are you excited to do once the weather gets warm?
READ James 2:14-26
<aside> 📌 Note: Historically, this passage of Scripture has confused many Christians because James’ statement that “a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (v. 24) seems to directly contradict the message of the gospel that, as Paul writes in Galatians 2:16, “a person is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ.”
However, when we look carefully at what James’ writes, we will see that he is not contradicting Paul (James actually wrote this letter long before Paul wrote Galatians) nor is James implying that our good works make us right with God. Instead, we should see that James is underlining what he has noted throughout the letter that true faith (i.e. faith that is living and not dead) will always produce a life of good works pleasing to God.
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ASK: Looking at verses 14-17, what does James say about the relationship between faith in God and active obedience toward God? Is it possible to have true faith in God without good works?
What is shocking about verses 18-19? What does these verses reveal about the difference between knowing true things about God versus having true faith in God?
In verses 20-24, is James saying that Abraham was saved and brought into relationship with God because of his good works for God? Why or why not?
<aside> 📌 Note: The term “justify” can actually mean different things in Scripture depending on the context. When Paul writes about being justified by faith alone, “justify” means to render a verdict that someone is righteous. (In other words, God declares Christians to be righteous through Jesus because Jesus already took the punishment for our sin.)
However, in other places in Scripture, “justify” can mean to publicly declare that someone is righteous (ex. Luke 7:29 describes people “justifying God,” praising Him for how His goodness is displayed through His good works that they witnessed.)
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<aside> ✝️ Gospel Connection: READ Hebrews 11:17-19 about Abraham and Isaac (or if want to read the full story, read Genesis 22). What does this story reveal about what visible, active faith looks like?
How does this story challenge how you think about what it means to put your faith in Jesus?
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ASK: After reading this passage from James, does your faith look dead or alive? What parts of your life are out of alignment with what you say you believe?
Is your faith in Jesus leading you to show actual compassion to others or do you find yourself acting more like the person in verses 15-16? Why?
What would it look like to deepen your faith in Jesus so that it produces a life of active good works of loving God and loving other?
ASK: What is one thing you can do this week to make your faith visible? How can you invite others to challenge you and hold you accountable in making your faith visible?