Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:21-26
“At this point, James gives two examples drawn from God’s word: Abraham and Rahab, both of whom became ancestors of our Lord Jesus. Our ancestor Abraham was such an example of faith in action that he is called the father of believers (Galatians 3:7-9). His faith expressed itself in his willingness to sacrifice his only son to God (Genesis 22:1-19). This sacrifice is the action by which Abraham demonstrated his faith. He was not justified by this action, but by the faith that produced it.
Rahab in the second example is the very opposite of Abraham. He is the father of believers, whereas she was only a prostitute. But they shared the same faith, the faith that expresses itself in action. By faith, Rahab risked her life to save the lives of the Israelite spies (Joshua 2:1-21). The author concludes this part of his letter with a metaphor: σs the body without the spirit is deσd, so faith without deeds is dead. This metaphor underscores the importance of putting God’s word into practice if we are even to be able to speak about faith.”
Solomon Andria (Madagascar) in “James” in Africa Bible Commentary, Tokunboh Adeyemo, General Editor (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2006).
Yesterday, our GTP team of six flew from Cameroon to Gabon to Ethiopia to Uganda. Somewhere along the way, our bags got offloaded. We got to our rooms by 4:45am on Sunday morning. Thankfully we blocked the day to rest. Pray our bags arrive sometime today. Trusting this and everything else to Jesus.
I often teach my students that if you don’t risk everything for the Kingdom, you don’t gain anything and you miss the Kingdom altogether. Abraham risked Isaac. Rehab risked her life. The faith that takes no risks is dead. The faith that motivates stewards to risk everything saves them. Faith that motivates no actions or takes such risks is dead.
Think of it this way. God wants your hands free to grasp the Kingdom. He wants you to let go of whatever is most precious to you, whatever you think you need. That’s why He calls the rich man to let go of riches. Money won’t get you into the Kingdom. But if you let it go in giving, you enter. Notice how that is harder for people with riches; they have more to let go of.
This passage has everything to do with generosity. God wants to give you something better than your most precious possessions. He wants to give you the Kingdom. The question is this: Do you trust him enough to let go of whatever you are holding onto? Give generously. Let me speak like James and say your eternal salvation depends on it.