Let us examine the scriptures every day 2025
Friday March 21, 2025
God considers man righteous but not because of his works (Rom. 4:6).
The apostle Paul was referring primarily to “the works of the law.” What law? The one that God gave to the Israelites through Moses (Rom. 3:21, 28). Apparently, some Jewish Christians found it difficult to accept that the Law had been annulled and that it was no longer necessary to do the works that the Law commanded. Therefore, Paul used the example of Abraham to demonstrate that God's approval is not obtained by doing “the works of the law,” but by having faith. What he said is very encouraging because it teaches us that we can have God's approval if we have faith in him and in Christ. Now, the “works” mentioned in James chapter 2 are not “the works of the law” that Paul spoke of. James was referring to the activities that Christians do in their daily lives (James 2:24). These works indicate whether a Christian has authentic faith in God or not. w23.12 3 para. 8; 4, 5 paras. 10, 11.
What “works” was Paul primarily talking about? (Romans 3:21, 28; see also images).
What “works” was Paul talking about in Romans 3 and 4? He was referring primarily to “the works of the law.” What law? The one that God gave to the Israelites through Moses (read Romans 3:21, 28). Apparently, some Jewish Christians found it difficult to accept that the Law had been annulled and that it was no longer necessary to do the works that the Law commanded. Therefore, Paul used the example of Abraham to demonstrate that God's approval is not obtained by doing “the works of the law,” but by having faith. What he said is very encouraging because it teaches us that we can have God's approval if we have faith in him and in Christ.
What “works” was James talking about?
Now, the “works” mentioned in James chapter 2 are not “the works of the law” that Paul spoke of. James was referring to the activities that Christians carry out in their daily lives. These works indicate whether a Christian has authentic faith in God or not. Let's analyze two of the examples that Santiago used.
How did James explain the relationship between faith and works? (See also images).
In the first example, James said that Christians had to be impartial and treat all people equally. He showed them that if they treated a rich man kindly but despised a poor man, even though they claimed to have faith, their actions actually demonstrated the opposite (James 2:1-5, 9). In the second example, he talked about someone who saw a brother or sister who needed clothes or food but did nothing to help them. Even if that person claimed to have faith, since he was not demonstrating it with actions, it was of no use. James wrote, “Faith alone without works is dead” (James 2:14-17).
What example did James mention to make it clear that we must demonstrate with works that we have faith? (James 2:25, 26).
To talk about someone who demonstrated faith by his actions, James mentioned the example of Rahab (read James 2:25, 26). This woman had heard about Jehovah and knew that he was helping the Israelites (Josh. 2:9-11). What did you do to show that you had faith in Jehovah? He protected two Israelite spies from being killed. As a result, like Abraham, this woman was declared righteous despite being imperfect and not an Israelite. His example teaches us that it is very important to demonstrate with works that we have faith.
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