That's right.
Faith 'alone' (just knowing that the gospel is true) does not save anybody.
It's not enough to merely believe "mental assent" that the death, burial and resurrection of Christ "happened." Even the demons believe that. (That is simply believing in our head). We must also
trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. (That is believing in our heart)
Only people who act on the knowledge God has given them will be saved.
Doing nothing with that knowledge and not applying it to your life is the same as casting it away in unbelief.
Either we trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation and we are saved or else we don't and we are not saved. As far as application goes beyond that, all genuine believers are fruitful, but not all are equally fruitful. Those who produce no results at all (like the one talent person) were not truly converted.
The one talent person did nothing with what he was given and was lost.
The one talent person had been given a talent according to his ability and the opportunity to believe and bear fruit in accordance, but chose to reject it. The first two servants
deposited their talents with the bankers (Matthew 25:27) but the third servant
buried his talent in the ground (verse 25).
Faith without works can not save.
An
empty profession of faith that remains alone (barren of works) cannot save because it's a dead faith and not authentic faith, yet we are still saved through faith and not by works. (Ephesians 2:8,9)
James 2:14,18,20,24 NAS
14 ...if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
In James 2:14, we read of one who
says/claims he has faith but has
no works (to validate his claim). That is not genuine faith, but a
bare profession of faith. So when James asks, "Can
that faith save him?" he is saying nothing against genuine faith, but only against an
empty profession of faith/dead faith. *So James
does not teach that we are saved "by" works. His concern is to
show the reality of the faith professed by the individual (James 2:18) and demonstrate that the faith claimed (James 2:14) by the individual is genuine.
..I will show you my faith by my works.”
James is discussing the
evidence of faith (
says-claims to have faith but has no works/I will show you my faith by my works - James 2:14-18) and
not the initial act of being accounted as righteous with God (Romans 4:2-3). Works bear out the justification that already came by faith.
..are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
Now "faith without works is dead" does not mean that faith is dead until it produces works and then it becomes a living faith (which would be like saying that a tree is dead until it produces fruit and then it becomes a living tree) or that works are the source of life in faith or that we are saved by works. James is simply saying faith that is
not accompanied by evidential works is dead. If someone
says-claims (key word) he has faith but
lacks resulting evidential works, then he has an
empty profession of faith/dead faith and not authentic faith.
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
James is not using the word "justified" here to mean "accounted as righteous" but is
shown to be righteous. Once again, James is discussing the
evidence of faith (
says-claims to have faith but has no works/I will show you my faith by my works - James 2:14-18) and
not the initial act of being accounted as righteous with God (Romans 4:2-3).
In the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the Greek word for justified "dikaioo" #1344 is:
1. to render righteous or such he ought to be
2.
to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered
3. to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be
In Matthew 12:37, we read - "For by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned." This is because our words (and our works) reveal the condition of our hearts. Words/works will be evidences for, or against a man being in a state of righteousness.
God is said to have been
justified by those who were baptized by John the Baptist (Luke 7:29). This act pronounced or declared God to be righteous. It did not make Him righteous. The basis or ground for the pronouncement was the fact that God IS righteous. Notice that the NIV reads,
"acknowledged that God's way was right.." The ESV reads,
"they declared God just.." This is the "sense" in which God was "justified,." He was
shown to be righteous.
Matthew 11:19 "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is
justified/vindicated/shown to be right by her deeds."
Man is saved through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9); yet genuine faith is vindicated, substantiated, evidenced by works (James 2:14-24).
Christ saves us through faith based on the merits of His finished work of redemption "alone" and not based on the merits of our works.
It is through faith "in Christ alone" (and not based on the merits of our works) that we are justified on account of Christ (Romans 3:24; 5:1; 5:9); yet the faith that justifies is never alone (unfruitful, barren) if it is genuine (James 2:14-24). *Perfect Harmony*
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