Steadfast Faith that Works, James 2:14–26

A living faith works! It cannot do otherwise. That is the claim of James 2:14–26. And while James would have us evaluate our lives to see whether our faith is indeed a working one, he would also want us to know that in Jesus, God has made us his “friend.” Because of this new status as the “friend of God,” our work is redeemed! The fruitless works we performed before salvation, trying to prove our worth and value have, in Jesus, become the fruitful and treasured offerings of devotion to a God who redeemed us from those dead works to follow his Son. In Jesus, we find rest and joy as we lay down those dead works and exchange them for his easy yoke and light burden.