James 2:22 KJV
[22] “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”
We know that salvation does not come by works. Christ completed our salvation and finished the work at Calvary. However, faith and works are partners together. James teaches this in our verse today. He has been using the life of Abraham to illustrate the great truth of a dynamic faith.
You see, a dead faith produces nothing. It may touch a man’s intellect but never moves his heart. Then there is a demonic faith that touches the emotions. We have seen this happen many times in church services. As a man hears the gospel, his intellect is touched, and he knows he’s lost and needs Jesus. His emotions are stirred, and he believes enough to tremble just like the devils that James spoke about. The problem is that his will was never changed. He never surrendered to the Lord in salvation, so he goes on as the dead sinner he was before.
Abraham’s faith affected his mind, soul, and spirit. His faith touched his intellect, his emotions, and his will. He was willing to obey what the Lord had said to him. Without faith, Abraham could never have done it, and without works, nothing would have been done.
Faith and works partner together. Faith brings us to salvation, and works reveal our salvation to others. If a man says that he has works and no faith, it is certain that his faith is dead. If he says he has faith and no works, his faith is dead as well. We must remember that works can never produce faith, but real faith will always produce works! They are partners together. All the works of Abraham: taking the journey, gathering the wood, climbing the mountain, and placing Isaac on the altar were because of his faith. His works were partners with his faith!