If faith without works is dead, how can one be saved by Grace alone?

Grace is not a doctrine or one of the subjects in a Bible school curriculum- tucked in somewhere among Discipleship, Apologetics and Calvinism. Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him:

"God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone."

Verse 14 of the same Titus 2 says: "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

Without Grace, there can be no good deeds/good works. When we see Grace as a Person in whom our salvation is wrapped up and not a thing or a subject, we get to see how Grace alone leads to salvation. Only in Him do we have freedom from sins and get to be committed to doing good works. Good works are the evidences of our salvation in Him, not conditions for salvation.

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God's word written by Paul says in Ephesians 2-

"For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."

Paul also wrote in Romans 4:5- "But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,"

But then James says in James 2:20- "But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

Is James at loggerheads with Paul? Certainly not! The entire Bible is like a perfect embroidery with no loose ends, all of the books, chapters, verses and the tiniest tittle inter-connected, making sense and giving life as a whole to all who believe and only through God’s Wisdom for all who believe - Grace Himself: Jesus Christ.

When you take a text out of its context, you're left with a con. Those who twist James 2:20 to mislead believers into trying to produce works to prove that they have living faith never quote the verses that follow it and give it context, usually because the works that James references (intent to murder and bearing false witness) aren't quite the model works for their interpretation of good works. Here's the verse with context-

"20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only."

Notice Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?This happened more than 40 years after he believed God and God accounted it to Him for righteousness aka justified him. See this in Genesis 15-

” 3 Then Abram said, “Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!” 4 And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, “This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir.” 5 Then He brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your descendants be.” 6 And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness."

Abraham was justified before God by his faith/believing long before he gave birth to Isaac. Now see the work that James says Abraham was justified by -

"20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?"

Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac his son. But before whom was Abraham justified by this work that is referenced by James? Definitely not before God-

"What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”" Romans 4:1-3.

Abraham's justification before God was because he believed God. James' example of faith with works using Abraham's being justified by works for offering Isaac is not justification before God. It is justification before man - a work of faith that men can see, give glory to God and say of the doer: "truly, the Lord is with this one." James wrote:

“24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only."

Man is the one seeing here. The believer who is truly under Grace cannot brag about his works or demand that others produce works by their strength because our works are wrought by the power of Christ in us. Without Christ, we can do nothing. Those who boast that they can do these works in their own strength and demand it of others with their misinterpretation of “Faith without works his dead” are like the Pharisees- seemingly godly but really antichrist, full of (dead) works and hating the message of Christ which says “we are saved by grace through faith and not by works.“ These ones justify themselves before men. Christ tells us that their works which they boast of having are an abomination to God:

“Now the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, also heard all these things, and they derided Him. And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.” Luke 16:14-15

God saw Abraham as justified long before he did any work. Recall Abraham's justification before God happened more than 40 years before he offered Isaac at Mt. Moriah - the same work that those who twist James 2:20 in their bid to drive the flock to do works of the law in order to be justified before God always reference? In that space of time, Abram connived with Sarai to sleep with Hagar in order to birth Ishmael, this after God promised him that He would give him Isaac. He also lied about his wife (twice) to save his own neck - once to a Pharaoh in Egypt before the Lord changed his name and Sarai’s (Genesis 12) and the Lord plagued Pharaoh's house because of Sarai; another time to a guy named Abimelech. Now God hates sin. Lying is a sin. Many in the church today would say to Abraham had they been present at the time:

"Abraham, where is your faith?" or “Abraham, why did you have to sleep with Hagar? I thought you believed God?” or “You call yourself a child of God yet you lie and let your own wife be taken into another man's harem. You are in a state of sin! You are not justified before God."

But in all of that time, not once is it recorded that the Lord God rebuked or condemned Abraham for his failings. In fact, in the case of his lie to Abimelech of Gerar, smack in the middle of this lie, God referred to Abraham as a “prophet" that would pray for Abimelech so that Abimelech would not die.

In all of the about 40 years between Abraham's justification before God and his justification by works through offering Isaac on the altar, the Lord was with and dealing with Abraham - preparing Him for his work that is referenced by James, just as He is with and preparing all who are justified by faith in Christ today. Abraham never lost his state of righteousness/justification before God because he did nothing but believe to earn it to begin with, just as you and I who believe in Jesus Christ can never lose our gift of righteousness/justification before God that Christ died for us to have. In Him, God sees us as righteous, “even though we are guilty of many sins;” this is the saying of God. See Romans 5:16 below. It too hard a saying for those who foolishly put any confidence in their human effort/arm of flesh at doing anything to earn even a smidgen of righteousness before God to swallow, but it is Good News to the true believer:

“And the result of God’s gracious gift is very different from the result of that one man’s sin. For Adam’s sin led to condemnation, but God’s free gift leads to our being made right with God, even though we are guilty of many sins. 17 For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:16-17.

A believer (the one with The Lord as his Righteousness, like Abraham) can never be in a state of sin or non-justification before God. In God's sight, we are forever justified because of our believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, just like believing Abraham. And not so that we should continue to wallow in sins as antichrist pastors love to imply. Such respond to God’s saving Grace with questions like: “So you mean I can just go out and murder someone and God will still see me as righteous?” Such exalt themselves against the knowledge of God. How? The word of God whose ways and thoughts are infinitely higher than man's says:

“But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and His gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one Man, Jesus Christ.”

But false doctrine preachers contradict God's word by saying that His gifts will make we who receive go on sinning sprees, not cause us to live in triumph over sin and death... Such only display their cluelessness about God's saving Grace and their unbelief in His power to save even the vilest offender from his sins. Such trust in their human effort aka arm of flesh that will fail in their bid to produce good works and distrust the power of Christ to transform even the vilest offender to godliness and a worker of good deeds as it is written of Him in Titus 2:14-

"He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

It took Abraham 40 years of walking before God with God pruning, purifying and preparing him to do his work that he was justified by according to James, and not justification before God but before man. His justification before God was because he believed God, long before he did any work.

Works of faith that men can see and justify the doer by always follow after justification by faith. They are as a result of having an intimate relationship with the Lord. It's akin to a man with a long, full beard having a biological son. The son is born beardless of course. Eventually, as he grows and matures under the care and leading of his loving father, he too will grow a long and full beard, just like his father. He was "born" complete, beard and all inside him.

Likewise, the moment we became born-again, in union with Christ, we were completely justified/made righteous before God because we believe in Jesus Christ-

“Therefore, since we are now justified (acquitted, made righteous, and brought into right relationship with God) by Christ’s blood, how much more [certain is it that] we shall be saved by Him from the indignation and wrath of God.” Romans 5:9.

This is what rest in Christ entails. His way of salvation goes against every fiber of human nature/logic. See 1 Corinthians 1:18- “For the message of the cross is foolishness [absurd and illogical] to those who are perishing and spiritually dead [because they reject it], but to us who are being saved [by God’s grace] it is [the manifestation of] the power of God.”

We are to labour to enter that rest of believing that Christ has finished the work of our salvation. We have nothing to add to it. We no longer live. Christ lives in us. And as surely as Christ says so in John 15:5, alive in and in union with Him, we get to bear much fruit (produce works of faith:)

“I am the sprouting vine and you’re My branches. As you live in union with Me as your Source, fruitfulness will stream from within you—but when you live separated from Me you are powerless."

Many churchgoers are yet to understand the weight and power of the Word of the Almighty about how we bear “much fruit" and so try to help God make His word come to pass through human striving at doing works of the law to prove their faith aka keeping the Law or dependence on human effort at obedience. Such are still alive in themselves. Like the seemingly godly and overly religious Pharisees, such have been separated from Christ-

“For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God's Grace.” Galatians 5:4.

This “trying to help God" has its root in the belief that God's plan for us cannot succeed without our making it so by some forceful (human) effort on our part, like Uzzah who thought the Ark of God would fall thereby breaking its contents (including the Law) if he didn't do something about it with his own “Uzzah” (meaning Strength in Hebrew.) Uzzah thought he could keep the law from being broken by his human effort. All have sinned and the wages of sin is death. Uzzah had no idea that even his breathing in and out was purely a matter of God’s mercy yet he presumed himself able to do the good work of keeping the law from being broken by his arm of flesh- just as some churchgoers do today. Uzzah died for his seemingly worthy attempt. The letter kills.

Like Abraham before he did his famous work of offering Isaac, for we who are in Christ, our "long and full beard" and other godly characteristics might not be visible to man right now- but that does not make us faithless or any less justified in our Abba's sight. But as surely as Christ says in John 15:5, those good works will manifest and the whole world will see and give God the glory.

Works justify a believer before man, but not before God. They are not what makes us justified in God’s sight or bestow upon us the legality of sonship. Galatians 3:26-28 tells us:

”For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”

Also Romans 3- “23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,“

Our works are the evidences of our justification before God; evidences of being born-again in Christ Jesus and members of the family of God. But false preachers tell the child of God that he is not justified and not his Father's child because he has no beard or because his beard is not long enough in their opinion! Such preach things like:

"Abraham was going to sacrifice Isaac and you cannot even sacrifice blah blah blah. Haaaaave the Abraham kind of faith! I sowed my car and got a jet. What is your own Isaac today? Give it to Gaaaaaaaaaaad and He will surely bless ya! Etc."

Christ who is the Author and Perfecter of faith is usually absent from such condemnation-filled preaching. You have to muster up your own "faith" by your will-power to produce your works or to sacrifice whatever they tell you to in order to get God who justifies the ungodly to justify you for your arm of flesh-driven attempts at attaining godliness.

Such preachers will never tell you that God did not ask Abraham to sacrifice Isaac in exchange for a jet or other blessing; or that it took Abraham over 40 years of walking before the Lord (having an intimate relationship with Him) and bungling things up along the way to do this particular work of faith that he is famous for today.

Also consider the two "works" that James used as examples when he wrote "Faith without works is dead":

"20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?"

One involves intent to murder. The other involves a prostitute deceiving/bearing false witness to her own people. Makes one wonder about following these examples which involve breaking the law in order to obtain justification before God as those who insist on us doing things to prove our faith in Christ demand! God knew that Satan's ministers would try to twist this verse, hence James' only two examples for "faith without works is dead" being things that the Ten Commandments expressly forbid.

Rahab heard how God parted the Red Sea and did miracles for Israel long before she did her work. Her believing/living faith in God led her to help the two spies escape. She was still a prostitute when she helped the spies. She was still a prostitute when she did her work of faith! But Rahab believed God. And she never remained the same. She's one of Jesus' great-great-great (can't recall how many greats)- grandparents. This is what believing Jesus does- He transforms even the vilest offender to godliness, right living and a doer of good deeds. Saviour from sins is His job description. See Matthew 1:21-

"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”

Thought to add that Rahab was one of only five women that got a mention in Christ's genealogy in Matthew 1. The others are Tamar (deceitfully slept with Judah her father-in-law and birthed Perez,) Ruth (a widow from cursed Moabwhose people were banned from entering the assembly of God's people,) Bathsheba (former wife of Uriah) and Mary (chosen of God's unmerited favour.) All except Mary who was chosen by Grace (unmerited favour) had backgrounds that were quite colourful. That’s God’s Grace (unmerited favour) aka Christ Himself in action. He saves entirely helpless sinners who believe in Him from their sins and transforms us to godliness and right living.

Here's another example of faith leading up to works from the New Testament- the woman with an issue of blood. Christ affirmed her faith. Her work was literally putting an end to doing what the law commands in order to be made whole, breaking the law by mingling with people in the crowd and expressing her utter trust in Christ by touching the hem of Christ's garment. She did her work of faith in an unclean state- while breaking the law. The law is not of faith. Faith is simply coming to Christ in utter trust and without any baggage of laws kept or works done that we feel should make us deserving of God's goodness. When this is in place, works of faith always follow.

Faith without works is dead. Absolutely true. For all who have Christ as our Righteousness and Strength, works of faith always follow after righteousness by faith. They are the result of intimacy with and utter trust in Jesus Christ. But antichrist preachers make works a condition for salvation and use “Faith without work is dead" to hang the threat of condemnation over the heads of believers who are being transformed by the power of Christ.

Works of faith are the evidences of our salvation in Christ, not conditions.

Christ did not call us to be doers of the law. We are called to be doers of the word. The word is the word of faith. The law is not of faith. But as James wrote in James 1, some observe themselves in the mirror of God's word, see what God has made them to be in Christ (righteous/justified freely and apart from works,) go back and promptly forget who they were - made righteous/justified by Christ's obedience. Such revert to seeking justification from human effort at obedience/doing good works to prove their godliness aka law-keeping. See James 1-

22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”

Recall doers of the word (of faith) and not doers of the law. The law is not of faith. See The Passion Translation:

“22 Don’t just listen to the Word of Truth and not respond to it, for that is the essence of self-deception. So always let His Word become like poetry written and fulfilled by your life! 23 If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. 24 You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. 25 But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do!”

And this is how God sees we who believe through the mirror of the Word- Christ Himself: Romans 5:9-

“And there is still much more to say of His unfailing love for us! For through the blood of Jesus we have heard the powerful declaration, “You are now righteous in My sight.” And because of the sacrifice of Jesus, you will never experience the wrath of God.”

Believing this truth is what it means to be a doer of the Word. As we continually see ourselves as God sees us through the mirror of His word of faith, we are being transformed- not by human striving but by the Spirit of the Lord who dwells in us: 2 Corinthians 3:18-

“But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.”

The result of not being a doer of the word of faith is sin has dominion: “For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under Grace.” Romans 6:14.

It is the mindset or what we believe about Christ and how we are doing our works that makes the difference between doers of the law and doers of the word. Is it you doing or is it Christ in you? If you think that it is by your own strength (arm of flesh) that you are producing good (when Christ says there is none good but God,) it means you cannot claim that “it is no longer I who live but Christ that lives in me.” Like Uzzah, such are still living in their non-existent power to obey the law in order to be right with God or fulfil His word and thus are separated from Christ.

At different times, people have tried to give me credit for being a dedicated Christian, generous, a good parent or for being a hardworking employee and even tried to say that this is why God blesses and saves me from every trial. But I know who I am of myself and apart from Christ in me- I am the worst of sinners. I can do nothing of myself. But I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Christ says “There is none good but God.” All who like Peter before he denied Christ, think they are or can produce good by themselves to prove that they are on the Lord's side would be wallowing in sins and utterly lacking in good deeds were it not for God's mercy. His mercy is the skeleton that keeps man from devolving into the sins-ridden mass of flesh that man is of himself. So much to say here. Paul addressed this truth in Romans 1 where a group who “suppress the truth” of righteousness by faith (verses 16-19) devolved into sin after “God lifted off His restraining hand…” —

“24 This is why God lifted off His restraining hand and let them have full expression of their sinful and shameful desires…”

If God lifted off His restraining hand that restrains us from devolving into committing heinous sins and let us rely on our human effort and will-power at keeping the law or doing good works to prove our faith or for whatever reason, like Peter who trusted himself before falling flat on his face three times, we would all devolve into sin and see how utterly lacking in works we are of ourselves. But the churchgoer who is doing "works of the Law" aka human effort-driven works aimed at getting God to bless because "Faith without works is dead" does not realise this. He thinks he can be good and "sinless" and produce good works by his own will-power- apart from Christ!

Good works are evidences of salvation, not conditions. I cannot number the benefits that the Lord loads me with daily but by Grace and only by God’s Grace, far be it from me to chalk His many benefits in my life down to money that I gave to the needy, my being a witness for Him, my non-existent self-effort at being a good person or my good deeds- yet He rewards all of these works that we who believe know that He did in, through and for us.

Right believing in Jesus Christ is the root. Right living in Christ is the fruit. Like Peter who realized his folly of trusting himself to not deny Christ, by Grace, I see that none of these things would I be able to accomplish by my own human effort (arm of flesh.) When your believing is right, right living will follow.

“The letter (law) kills but the Spirit gives life" is a very popular Bible verse. With the Spirit of the Lord, it is neither by might nor by power. It is impossible for doers of works of the Law to deceive themselves in this matter: if you knew and believed that it is Christ in you doing the works and not your own might and power, it would be difficult for you to point accusing fingers at others who are still struggling with sin and threaten them with judgment if they don't change. Rather, you would see how helpless man is to overcome sins and produce good works and like Moses who pointed the suffering Israelites to the bronze serpent, point such to Christ who saves from sins and transforms the sinner who truly believes to live right and bear much fruit, as you say He is doing for you.

But preachers of that perverted message that promotes dependence on the arm of flesh/human effort at accomplishing their twisted interpretation of “faith without works is dead” try to suppress Christ's typology concerning how we are saved from sin and death in John 3:14–17 - as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness….” Such keep the flock focused doing useless works of the law in order to prove that they are of the faith- akin to the Israelites that were bitten by snakes focusing on ridding themselves of their symptoms and ignoring the bronze serpent.Their followers fluctuate between condemnation (when they do wrong) and smugness aka pride in the arm of flesh that will fail (when they think they have done a good work.) No blessed assurance here.

Recall the typology of Hagar and Sarah as the two covenants of Law and Grace in Galatians 4? Abraham (Faith) and Sarah (Grace) did not need Hagar (Law) to bear Isaac (work of faith.) Grace is sufficient.

Grace is on the side of Faith. The law is not of faith.

Having a dependency/relationship with the law (human effort at being godly or doing righteous things to prove one's faith) in order to bear fruit might produce results quite rapidly, but like Ishmael, this work can never get one the blessing of Abraham. It is not acceptable to God. No inheritance here.

But Grace! Beloved of God, Grace is a Person. His name is Jesus Christ. Titus 2:11 says of Him:

"God’s marvelous grace has manifested in person, bringing salvation for everyone."

Also verse 14 of the same Titus 2- "He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds."

Grace might take His time as He did with Sarah, but when we perform the works, we know that He did it all. We can't take credit for these works or even boast about doing about them, like Sarah who was utterly barren even when she was of child-bearing age yet produced Isaac by faith at 90 years old. But many churchgoers are yet to see how utterly barren man is of himself- so they visit Hagar (law- human striving) in a bid to bear fruit to God. But God does not recognize such works, even though man can see them. Recall Ishmael was alive when He said to Abraham in Genesis 22:2-

“…Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.” Another story here:Toyin Olamide Obire's answer to In the Bible it says "take now your son, your only son Isaac" however, Isaac was never an only son because Ishmael was older. How is that?

But under True Grace who is Christ Himself, as it was with Sarah who knew without a doubt that the Lord did it all, the world sees these works and say "Truly, the Lord is with this one." These are works of faith: none of self, all of Christ.

God gets all the glory.