What the Bible Says About Faith that Saves

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: James 2:14-26Adrian Rogers says, “There are only two kinds of religion in the world—works and grace: one spelled ‘do,’ the other spelled ‘done.’”As Christians, we are saved by grace alone, through faith, not by works of any kind. Grace is the root of our salvation, but our works are the fruit of it—they are the evidence.James 2:14 says, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” A dead faith is profitless; our works are not our justification before God, but they are how we demonstrate our faith before men.Adrian Rogers says, “You are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.” A dead faith is fruitless, a barren belief; if there is no fruit, the problem is at the root. Sometimes, the devil can be more orthodox than the Believer; he and all his demons believe in God, “and they shudder” (See James 2:19.).We have to do more than just believe in God, we have to believe in the facts of faith and know the plan of salvation. A dead faith is lifeless, as James 2:17 says, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”A Christian is somebody who has the life of God; real faith produces works.James also provides two very different examples of faith from the Old Testament:“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect” (James 2:21-22)?“Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way” (James 2:25).Abraham was a righteous man of God and Rahab was a harlot, yet both are in the lineage of Jesus Christ.2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.” Our works do not earn our salvation, they reflect our belief; and if we are living as Christians, we have the hope of salvation in us.Apply it to your lifeDoes your life reflect what you believe? Do your decisions reflect the hope of Jesus Christ in you?