Today’s thought “Faith apart from works is useless” (December 8)

What is faith?

We use this word in various contexts – in speaking and writing – are we thinking clearly as to what we have faith in?

Faith is a word we cannot use in isolation; it has to be spoken or written in relation to something or someone in which – or in whom – we have faith. The ultimate object of your faith and my faith – is God. But to have real faith ‘in’ God we must “know” God, we must have a true sense of relationship with Him! How do we achieve that?

We think of the worthies who are described in scripture as having faith: the greatest of these is probably Abraham: we have just read in Hebrews that

“he went out, not knowing where he was going” (11:8).

Only when he had done that – and arrived in the promised land – did God make him further promises.

Our meditations on faith were prompted by today’s challenging James 2 which ends with the simple but profound statement, that just

“as the body apart from the spirit (breath) is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead”.

James is repeating for emphasis what he had written in verse 20

“Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?”

after which he gives examples of Abraham’s acts of faith, the ultimate act being when he was ready to offer “up his son Isaac on the altar” (verse 21).

In what context and with what meaning, do we talk of our own faith?

James says, Abraham’s belief in God, demonstrated by his works, was of such a quality that

“… it was counted to him as righteousness … and he was called a friend of God” (verse 23).

What is special about being called “a friend of God”?

Well, it is not the normal Hebrew word for friend; it is one that means ‘lover’ – Abraham was a lover of God – it occurs in 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 41:8 – and nowhere else.

How close and intimate has our relationship with God and his Son become?

Can we, as we read in Hebrews last week,