Justification by Faith manifested by Works

It was the German Protestant Reformer Martin Luther who said, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”

If one has been truly justified by his faith, that same saving faith is also a practical faith that manifests itself in good works. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

When we believed the gospel of truth, we were justified (i.e. declared righteous) by faith in the propitiating work of Jesus Christ sacrifice for sin on the cross. However, we are justified by our works also proving our faith is the real thing. As James said, “faith without works is dead” (James 2:26). So what that means is to declare that one who says they have true faith without any works has a dead faith, or no faith at all.

If we do not have works coupled with our faith, then we have proven that not only is our faith a sham, so is our justification.  This is what Martin Luther meant when he said, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone. Good works is a natural byproduct of saving faith. If our justification is the real thing, then our faith will be realized by the fruit we bear.

It’s important to realize that we do not perform good works to obtain salvation for salvation is a gift (Eph 2:8-9). We perform good works as a result of our salvation.

                                                             What did Abraham do?

Abram (his name at the time), demonstrated his faith by taking God at His word when God promised Abram that his descendants would be enumerable (Gen 15:1-6). It was at this point God justified, or declared Abram righteous; God credited or imputed, transferred righteousness to Abram’s account.

Later on in Genesis 22, Abraham’s faith was proven to him to be real when God tested his faith (or trust) in the Lord by commanding Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac.

So we see Abraham was justified by faith in the word of God. He was also justified by works in that he proved his faith was real because he was willing to kill his son Isaac as an offering to the God He loved more than his son. Abraham’s faith was real; It saved him from sin, and also it was practical, it was proven to be genuine through trial. If one’s faith is real, so is their justification. The two go hand in hand.

The faith we exhibit is the means or cause of our justification. Faith is what we do. Justification is what God does for us. Justification can never happen without first believing in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, and the salvation of our souls.

                                                How was the harlot Rahab justified?

In Joshua chapter two we read how Joshua judge and successor of Moses sent two men to spy out the land of Jericho. As they entered the city, they lodged with a woman named Rahab. The king of Jericho inquired of her where the men were. Rahab lied and said they came to her, but they had left the city, and she did not know where they went when in actuality, she hid them on her roof (Josh 2:6).

After the pursuers left her home, she declared to the two men she knew the Lord they served was the God of the heaven and earth. She knew the Lord had given Jericho into the hands of Israel before they had actually taken it. This was a testament to Rahab’s faith in a God she did not even know, but due God’s exploits, and delivering power of how He delivered Israel from the Egyptians, fear had fell on the entire city.

Rahab was justified by works in this sense, she showed the Israelite spies kindness by hiding them from their pursuers, and sent them out another way (James 2:25). Had Rahab not believed in God, she would not have received the men, or showed them kindness.

Although Rahab was a prostitute and she lied regarding the two men’s whereabouts, she was commended by James for her genuine faith. Rahab’s faith in God was proven to be real by what she did.

So we see that a genuine faith MUST always be tested to prove to the possessor of it that it is indeed the real thing; resulting in good works.