The Bible Study Podcast, episode 288. Today, the Bible Study podcast continues a study of faith.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast. We continue the study of faith today by looking at the book of James, as I said we

would last week. A little commentary about the book of James, I happen to come from a Lutheran

tradition, and Luther was not a big fan of the book of James, called it a epistle of straw.

And the reason for that is he was in a fight, as you know, at the time with the Catholic Church about

indulgencies, and the whole idea of, could you work your way to heaven, or did you rely upon

the grace of God to get there? And I definitely come down, as Luther did, on the side of the grace

of God, but I think he had the book of James wrong, because as we look at these particular verses, and these are the verses that he had some trouble with, I don't want you to think of this as a verse about salvation, but so much as a verse about if we have faith, then what?

What good is our faith, and what are we supposed to do with it? James 2, verses 14 through 26.

What good is it my brothers and sisters? If someone claims to have faith but has no deeds. Can such

faith save them? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, go in peace,

keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it?

In the same way, faith by itself, if not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say,

I 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.

You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 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 who 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

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