James 2 states that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone; Romans 3:28 states that a person is justified by faith and not by the works of the law. The point is you can make the Bible say whatever you want if you take verses out of context. In context, both Paul and James believe that faith and works are important. Both preach that faith in Christ is the basis for salvation, but works for Christ are the fruit for salvation. ‘You say you’re a Christian’, James says, ‘then show me’.

Good works do not lead to salvation, but salvation leads to good works. Works are the evidence of what marks a true Christian, but they are not the means of salvation. James writes to expose counterfeit Christianity and phony faith. Dead faith cannot save us, it is the type of hypocritical faith that drives people away from church.

Authentic faith draws people in to the church. It marks a people whose works point to the reality of Jesus. Authentic faith is costly and more than words, it identifies the needs of the people around us and strives to bring in the resources to satisfy the needs of those people. Authentic faith is a journey that involves putting our life in Jesus’ hands and displaying a life of obedience through good works.