Caught by the Hands of a Gracious God

Don't like reading? Hear this post at: https://soundcloud.com/oursimplefaith/caught-by-the-hands-of-a

“Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’ --and he was called a friend of God.” - James 2:20-23

Once again, we return to our study of the second chapter of James. The passages we are dealing with at this point are some of the most disputed and difficult chapters of the Bible. Romans is often held up against James because Romans seems to argue that salvation is through faith, whereas James seems to argue that salvation is through works. It is my hope that we can reconcile these books together, as we are told that scripture can not contradict itself. 

The passage of scripture that James quotes here is Genesis 15:6. Interestingly, this is the same passage that is quoted by Paul in Romans 4:5 to seemingly argue the exact opposite of what James is arguing. Romans 4:3-5 says,

“For what does scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.”

Here are two different people, James and Paul, arguing seemingly different points with the exact same piece of Old Testament Scripture. Either one of them doesn’t understand the Old Testament Scriptures well, because the Old Testament scriptures can only mean one thing, or they are arguing different but reconcilable points using the same piece of scripture. I would like to propose the latter. 

Lets take the piece of scripture in Romans. In this piece of scripture, Paul is talking about how one gets salvation, whether it is through works, or through faith in Christ. Paul argues correctly that salvation is earned through faith in Christ. Now in James, James is arguing for something quite different from that of Paul. James is arguing for what makes the faith needed for salvation a living, real, and worthwhile faith. Paul is arguing that faith is needed for salvation, James is arguing that works are the representation of one’s saving faith. 

In the passage of Genesis 15:6, Abraham has already faithfully offered his son, Isaac, up on the altar. The part that is being quoted by Paul and James is after all the works have taken place and Abraham believes that God will bless him for what his works showed. Where Genesis 15:6 says, “Abraham believed God,” it is assumed that the believing it is talking about is Abraham’s belief in God revealed through his willingness to offer his son as a sacrifice. But the belief this verse is actually talking about is quite different from that. After Abraham has faithfully offered Isaac up and after God has faithfully provided a Lamb to take the place of Isaac, God promises to bless Abraham and to make his descendants as many as the stars of the sky. At this point, the scripture says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” The belief this scripture is talking about is Abraham’s belief in God’s promise to bless Abraham and his descendants. 

Why does all of this matter? Because it has greatly to do with the point James is trying to make. James says, “you see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.” My question for you is this; would Abraham have been able to believe in God’s promised blessing if he had not offered up his son? Of course not. Had he disobeyed God, there would have been no way for Abraham to believe in a promised blessing that came because he obeyed God. The point is this, often times works have to come before we can truly believe. Sure, I can believe that water will quench my thirst, but if I never try it, how am I to believe? I can believe a computer works, but if I have never seen one function, do I really believe? Would not using a computer perhaps enhance my faith that the computer really does work? Jumping out in faith and trusting God actually enhances our faith. This is what Abraham did, not knowing what was going to happen, he took a knife to his son, faithfully obeying God, and when God provided for him, he was reassured of the promise that God will bless and protect his children. 

Do you desire greater faith? Do you desire to be more trusting in God? It might sound like an oxymoron, but the first step is trusting God. If you never allow God to catch you, why would you trust that he actually will? Once you have stepped out in faith and God has caught you, write that time down, do not forget it. And once your faith has began to fade and you have become content, remind yourself of when God caught you and let him do it again.