History Of Faith Vs. Works

The debate that stretches throughout history of faith vs works continues to this day. It is debate on what will grant man eternal life; what will save him. Instead debating which is greater believers need to examine how they can work together. There is no denying passaged such as Ephesians 2:8-9, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no man can boast”. It is clear that works cannot earn a man salvation. This passage alone proves that fact. Also, no one can deny the importance role that faith plays in the Christian walk. This is all great except that James 2:14 states out with “what good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?”. This opens the door for discussion. It was already established in the last paragraph that faith cannot earn a man salvation, but that fact does not negate their importance. In James 2:17 it states that, “faith without works is dead”. This seems to contradict the teaching that one cannot buy his salvation through work, but instead …show more content…
Faith for Christians is belief in the one true God. God was gracious to not only sacrifice His son, but also send believers a helper. The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of believers and transforms them. That transformation is why it says in James 2:17 that faith without works is dead. Since believers are in Christ and have the Holy Spirit they should have a desire to please the father and do His work. A very interesting dialog follows verse 17, “But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James 2:18-19). Works, in a sense, are meant to “prove” a person’s faith. As living examples of the faith and ambassadors of Christ this makes