21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. (James 2:21-24)
Abraham was “justified by works”. Does this mean he earned the right to be called “the friend of God”? No, by no means. That would require works of sinless perfection (see Romans 4:1-4). His “faith was working” when he obeyed God to offer Isaac on the altar. His working faith showed that “Abraham believed God”, and his faith (that was “working”) was “accounted to him for righteousness”. Do you not see, as James clearly says, that a person is not justified by “faith only”, but by a faith that “works”? Faith that takes God at His word and does what He says is the faith that God blesses with justification. Oh, that the false theologian twisting of the Scriptures would be laid aside for the simple truth of the word! We can never earn salvation because we have sinned (Rom. 3:23). However, faith that will not do what God says will never save. Be sure your faith is obedient (works) like Abraham’s faith.
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