19/08/2022
The Bible said "Faith without works is dead"
It means...
1. True faith, alive or genuine must have works as a result.
2. You need a true, real, alive and genuine faith in order to have works.
3. Faith must come first, if it is not true then no works. If it is true or alive , it has works.
It is about how to have works or how to know other people's faith if it is true, real, alive or dead. And how to show your faith to others.
This is how cults understand the verse which is UNBIBLICAL.
"Faith if you don't work will die."
This means
1. You need to work to be saved.
2. Faith is not enough to be saved.
3. You need works in order for your faith to be alive.
This is not what James is trying to communicate in the verse. Notice James wrote it to the brethren, scattered abroad who have faith already where they came from(Jerusalem). And James exhorted the brethren- the believers to SHOW THEIR FAITH TO MEN BY THEIR GOOD WORKS!
What James had in mind was not how to be saved! But rather IF YOU ARE SAVED, YOU MUST HAVE GOOD WORKS that's consistent all throughout the Scriptures!
Lastly, James is talking about JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS IN THE SIGHT OF MEN!
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.