Going through Courtney Doctor’s devotional bible study on the book of James entitled “Steadfast,” chapter 3 was based on James 2:14-26. One of the questions asked to circle “which of the following you think best represents James’s understanding of the relationship between faith, works, and salvation (the arrow means ‘results in’):

Works = Salvation

Faith + Works = Salvation

Faith = Salvation

Faith = Salvation + Works

The next question asked: “How do verses 2:17-18 inform your choice above?” Well what 2:17-18 teaches is that faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. This means faith AND works need to be on the LEFT side of the = sign! Bear with me as I break it down farther.

Faith + Works = Salvation……….We are SAVED by faith – footnote being that it’s a faith wherein WORKS are attached, if the faith is real and deep and wide. Faith that is real and deep and wide is proclaiming the gospel, fully. What is proclaiming the gospel? I’m going to quote an article that nails it, in my opinion. The central truth of the gospel:

that Jesus Christ gave His life as a sacrifice for us. He died a cruel death on the cross, but ultimately overcame death and rose from the grave on the third day. His mission and purpose were fully accomplished to give us the gift of redemption and to bridge the gap between us and the Father. His ultimate sacrifice was also to give us life, and life in abundance. By taking on all of our sins, Jesus offered us the opportunity to be reconciled with the Father and to experience a life of joy and fulfillment. He did this so that we could be free from the bondage of sin and be able to experience the fullness of life that God intended for us. His death was a demonstration of His unconditional love and mercy for us, and a reminder of the power of grace and redemption. Jesus died on the cross to make the impossible possible, to reunite us with the Father, and to give us the gift of eternal life.

And if we allow this life-changing acknowledgement to sink in daily, works will automatically follow. Let that sink in. I am looking at the fourth option above as the trap I tend to continue falling into: Faith = Salvation + Works. In other words, WORKS being on the wrong side of equation when it comes to my FAITH! Believing it’s not enough to just believe in God’s sacrifice for me and love for me – believing the works are still up to me somehow, or at least acting like that’s what I believe. Continual useless striving. Striving as a branch not connected to the vine will die. To say it still another way, the wrong equation of Faith = Salvation + Works is to REJECT that salvation rests in Him and being close to the vine in all our works! I continually tend to let my works be SEPARATE from my faith…as if my works are what I do in the moments BETWEEN my moments of praying to the vine and “gazing” into His Word – gazing being defined in this Steadfast book as “reading it, thinking about it, memorizing it, understanding it, and then applying it–or as James says, doing it.”

HEAR ME OUT. What it comes down to is being close to the vine and getting all the nutrients needed to flourish from the vine – those are the works James speaks about. Those are the works that sprout from genuine faith – that’s the picture perfect image of salvation.

My vine reference comes from John 15:5

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.”

If we truly embraced the IMMENSE love God has and feels for us, our actions would reflect that. They (our works) would reflect that (God’s love) because His love would be the IMPETUS of our works, impetus being defined as “the force or energy with which a body moves.”

So let’s remember what comes first. It’s not our works, it’s God’s love. God’s love propels our works to embody His love – it’s a continual beautiful cycle if we get the order correct.

I am going to close with the main idea behind an article that my friend Marcie shared with me. 

Hundreds of college athletes were asked to think back: “What is the worst memory from playing youth and high school sports? Their overwhelming response: “The ride home from games with my parents.” Those same college athletes were asked what their parents said that made them feel great, that amplified their joy during and after a ballgame. Their overwhelming response: “I love to watch you play.”

Wow, that packs a punch, doesn’t it? Marcie said this immediately made her think of us with God, and how God is thinking “I love to watch you _______,” whether that’s live or love or parent or whatever! And how that is the truest motivation for our works. His overwhelming feeling for us is LOVE – He’s not wagging a finger at us, rolling eyes at us messing up again. What kind of motivation is that for us? Get rid of that kind of thinking because it’s not from Him. What is from Him is LOVE. Embrace it. Draw near to the vine and He will draw near to you.