The Epistle of James is often underused and/or misunderstood in the annals of Christendom. Proponents of the “once saved always saved” and other similar doctrines often attack the notion of “works” and in-turn works of service as being attempts to “earn” salvation and appease God, thus downplaying the significance of the sacrifice of Yeshua. It has gotten so bad that even the “educated” among the Hebrew Christian/Christian identity/Sabbath keeping world are dispelling with the concept of good works because “that’s what the Catholics and Some protestants do” as they break all the other laws of God but do Humanatarian works to make up for their sins. As I listen to “Christians” name all types of excuses as to why they don’t do Humanitarian and Social Justice Work (fulfilling aspects of Jesus Commands and the Gospel itself) while demonstrating abysmal knowledge of what the Gospel of Christ truly is, I become discouraged at times.

In James 2:18,20-24,26 we see the writer state:
[18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. [20] But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? [21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? [22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? [23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. [24] Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. [26] For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

With that said, people still haggle over Feeding the Homeless, caring for the needy, tackling a broken Foster Care and Orphaned Child Care system, supporting the economically disadvantaged and those populations who have been victims of massive social injustices. “That’s Works!” Exclaimed one Church of God elder to me, we don’t do that”. We are saved by the blood of Jesus and free from that so our focus is to serve God by keeping his laws and commandments, Sabbath and Holy Days (Biblical), etc. Problem is, Jesus intimated something wholly different as to what it was that was and is required of his true followers.

Consider something if you will. Every step, every second and every action in Jesus life seemed to be spent healing the sick, teaching, preaching, working acts of reconciliation and raising the dead. In light of this, what are his disciples and followers supposed to embody and represent? Aside from the all to well known Matthew 25 sheep/goat parable which clearly defines what the people of God are to embody as the followers of Christ and their behaviors, we see Jesus make statements in the Gospel of John that should inspire thought about what “works” are and how much they are a part of the “True Christians” make-up and their daily steps and where the power to take those steps comes from.

John 14:12,15,21,23-24
[12] Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. [15] If ye love me, keep my commandments.

What were Jesus works? True he is talking to his disciples but remember in later verses in John he prayed for those who would believe based upon his disciples teachings (John 17:20
[20] Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word)
And if the true believers works can possibly be greater than healing the sick and raising the dead, WHAT WILL BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE BELIEVER SEEKING TO SERVE GOD AND DO THE WORKS OF GOD ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.

[21] He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him.

And his commandments are:

[23] Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. [24] He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father’s which sent me.

Back to the nagging “Works” issue:

John 15:1-12,14-17,24
[1] I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. [2] Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. [3] Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. [5] I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. [6] If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. [8] Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples. [9] As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. [10] If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. [11] These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

Of Jesus’s sayings:

[12] This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you. [14] Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. [15]

(Even if you take a naive, simplistic approach and say that this is Jesus only commandment, we don’t even keep this one, at all. America’s bloody 400 year history is witness to this as one example).

“Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you. [16] Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. [17] These things I command you, that ye love one another. [24] If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.”

Wouldn’t bearing fruit constitute DOING WORKS TO BEAR FRUIT? Wouldn’t the end of developing the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 be that you develop these fruits to DO THE WORKS OF GOD?

I submit that works are not works for Salvation sake, but works are the unconscious and “First nature” acts of the truly converted. Those saved do works because it’s in their nature as those being transformed into the God kind. They don’t do them to be saved, but they do them BECAUSE they are saved.

For far too long a number of us have taken a weak, dismissive approach to Love, mercy, compassion, service and social justice towards both fellow church members and the world. Isn’t it time we stop letting ones political affiliation, social and political motives, social and church tradition, ethnicity and race be key factors in defining who is a “Christian”? Instead we should be striving to let the character traits of Christ himself become our character traits as we in essence live as “little pieces” of the Kingdom of God, representing the love, compassion and righteousness of God by committing ourselves to imitate within our abilities the acts of Christ towards humanity. It’s just time that Christianity is defined by sincerely imitating the actions of the namesake of the faith and not our concepts of who and what we think he represents.