Faith Without Works

As I read deeper into my study on faith, the two passages I read today threw me for a bit of a loop. They made me really think about what the message within the verses was. Here are the two passages:

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? …Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

James 2:14 & 17

God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit tothem, just as he did to us. He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith

Acts 15:8-9

The second passage is part of much larger discussion found in Acts 15. Some believers were arguing that Gentiles had to be circumcised in order to be saved, and Paul argued against that idea saying that God had accepted them as they were when He gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is an echo of a theme that is seen repeatedly through the New Testament: Some people believed that their actions would save them. Paul later made this abundantly clear in his letter to the Ephesians:

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

So, quite clearly, our deeds, even religious rituals like baptism are not responsible for our salvation. It is by grace through faith, and that alone, that we are saved. But then add in the passage from James. This is where it threw me for a loop. I had to think about this series of passages for quite some time because there seemed to be an inherent contradiction between them. I’m not saved by deeds, but faith without action is dead. How do these two things make sense together.

Now, I don’t and have never claimed to be a Bible scholar. I’m just a husband and father trying my best to deepen my relationship with God. I prayed on this, and received what I believe is some clarification in my mind. However, I would love to hear your opinion on this as well. The conclusion I came to is this: I am saved by grace through faith, not by my actions. I can never earn my way into Heaven (that much is clearly laid out). But a “faith” that produces no Godly actions is not a real faith. I may claim to have faith. I may claim to be a Christian. But if my actions don’t bear that out, do I really have faith?

To be fair, I can’t really take credit for any of this. As I was thinking, praying, I remembered a similar comment by Pastor Dave Ashby during his previous sermon. I think it is an important, albeit uncomfortable, point to accept. If I’m not displaying Christ in my life, in my actions, I need to take a hard look at myself and seriously question my own faith. It’s a kind of thermometer by which I can check the health of my relationship with God, keeping clearly in mind that Godly actions are not my salvation. But they are the expression of my faith, which is responsible for my salvation.

What are your thoughts? I hope this sparked some thought in your mind (and in your heart). What is your opinion on the relationship between theses passages which, initially, can seem contradictory?