When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, trusting in the sufficiency of His atoning sacrifice on our behalf, trusting that He took our sin, curse, judgment and death upon Himself, God declares us to be justified, righteous. But throughout the centuries many people have claimed to be followers of Jesus whose lives did not correspond to their claims. There have always been false teachers, false priests, false prophets. There have always been men and women who used the name of Jesus to advance their own evil agenda. And there have also been those who have naively assumed their faith to be saving faith when in fact it was false faith based on a ritual performed long ago or some charitable work or gift.
So how do we know if our faith is true, saving faith? We can’t see faith. God declares the man or woman of true faith to be righteous but we can’t see righteousness. How do we know that we are truly saved?
This is an important question because there is such a thing as false faith. That’s why the Apostle Paul exhorted the church at Corinth, Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you— unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Cor. 13:5).
The church at Corinth was plagued by rampant sin, division, confusion and false teachers who disputed Paul’s authority and preached doctrines inspired by demons. So Paul exhorts the church to examine their faith.
What is it that we examine? Our memory of a walk down to the altar twenty years ago? A prayer we prayed at the altar? A baptismal ritual? A gift we gave? No.
True saving faith is the gracious gift of God to a soul that has been awakened to its sinful separation from God, awakened to turn from sin, awakened to trust in the sufficiency of Christ’s atoning sacrifice on our behalf. Paul reminds us, For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8.9).
True saving faith is the gift of God, a gift of grace from start to finish. But true saving faith is revealed in the life we live. The question Paul is asking is this, “Does your life, the way you live, reveal the reality of a righteous relationship with Jesus Christ?”
James says it like this, What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,’ and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself (James 2:14-17).
Faith that is not demonstrated in our living is not genuine faith. James use the illustration of a person who never shows compassion or kindness and he asks, Can that faith save him? The answer is “No” because that is not a demonstration of real faith. Just as an apple tree that never bears apples is dead, so a person who never shows the reality of Jesus in their life, for instance, who never exercises mercy, is not spiritually alive. So James says, I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18). Our life demonstrates the reality or absence of true, saving faith. Jesus said it most simply, You will know them by their fruits (Matt. 7:16).
There is a variety of fruit that demonstrate the reality of our faith. There is the fruit of a maturing character, as we read in Galatians 5:22,23 — the fruit of the Spirit. There is the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name (Hebr. 13:15). There is the fruit of our witness. And as James shared, there is the fruit of compassion, mercy, kindness, which is really the fruit of the Spirit.
We are not saved by works but the way we live demonstrates the reality of true saving faith. So what does James mean when he says, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (James 2:21)?
He cannot mean that salvation is something we earn or achieve by our works. He has already said of the Lord, In the exercise of His will He brought us forth by the word of truth (1:18). God brought us forth by grace into salvation — it was not something that we earned or achieved by any works. This is the consistent New Testament teaching, that God has declared us to be justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:24). For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast (Eph. 2:8,9).
What James means is that Abraham was justified before God by faith but his true saving faith was declared by his works, made visible by his works. Works are the only way that true, saving faith can be shown to be real. We understand this better when we see that there are two meanings of the word justification.
1. Justification can refer to acquittal — we are acquitted of sin, declared to be justified, declared to be righteous.
2. Justification also can refer to vindication, proof of righteousness.
We see both of these meanings in the life of Abraham.
In Genesis 15 the Lord promised to Abram that his descendants would be more numerous than the stars. Then he believed in the Lord; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness (Gen. 15:6). Abram believed the promise of God and the Lord declared Abram to be righteous, justified by faith. This is the first meaning of justification.
But when James says, Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (James 2:21), he is referring to the second meaning of justification — vindication, proof. Abraham’s faith was vindicated, proven when he offered his son Isaac. We read about this in Genesis 22.
The Lord said to Abram, Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you (Gen. 22:2).
Remember, Isaac was the fulfillment of the promise made to Abram many years before, that he would be the father of a great multitude. Now the child has been born and has been with Abraham for a number of years. Isaac is, as the Lord said, your son, your only son, whom you love. And now God says, “Offer him to Me.” This contradicts everything Abraham knows about God. It violates everything he knows about true sacrifice. It violates everything he understands about the promise God had made regarding descendants and the covenant the Lord had established.
Yet we read of no protest, no questions. Abraham simply and faithfully obeyed and journeyed to the place the Lord had commanded him to go. We have a glimpse of his faith here, Abraham said to his young men, ‘Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you (Gen. 22:5).
We will worship and return to you. That’s faith. He believes he will return with Isaac.
Here is another glimpse, Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, ‘My father!’ And he said, ‘Here I am, my son.’ And he said, ‘Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?’ Abraham said, ‘God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.’ So the two of them walked on together (Gen. 22:7,8).
Abraham was convinced that God would provide the lamb for sacrifice. So he bound his son on the altar and at the last moment, God provided a ram. In Hebrews we read, By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was offering up his only begotten son … He considered that God is able to raise people even from the dead, (Hebr 11:17,19).
Abraham believed God would either provide a sacrifice or raise his son from the dead. But he was certain that God could not be unfaithful to His covenant relationship with Abraham.
This reminds me of the faith of the prophet Habakkuk who did not understand what God was doing in his day but said, Though the fig tree should not blossom and there be no fruit on the vines, though the yield of the olive should fail and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold and there be no cattle in the stalls, yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation (Hab. 3:17,18). That is true faith, living faith, saving faith.
Though Abraham did not understand why God was calling him to offer his son, his only son, his son whom he loved, he was prepared to do this and this is the visible demonstration, vindication, manifestation of true faith. Abraham was already justified before God by faith but his true saving faith was declared by his works. Works are the only way that true, saving faith can be shown to be real.
Again let’s remember — we are not saved by our works. We don’t work our way to salvation through rituals or gifts or good deeds. God declares us to be justified, righteous, when we place our faith in the means of salvation — the holy sacrifice of Jesus on our behalf. And our life then demonstrates the reality of this true, saving faith.
Our works may also demonstrate false faith. In Acts 8 we read that one of the Jerusalem deacons, Phillip, went to the city of Samaria and preached the Gospel. A mighty move of God broke out in the city. There were signs and wonders and many were believing and being baptized.
Then we read, Now there was a man named Simon, who formerly was practicing magic in the city and astonishing the people of Samaria, claiming to be someone great and they all, from smallest to greatest, were giving attention to him, saying, ‘This man is what is called the Great Power of God.’ And they were giving him attention because he had for a long time astonished them with his magic arts (Acts 8:9-11).
Simon was deeply entangled with the powers of darkness but incredibly, we read, Even Simon himself believed; and after being baptized, he continued on with Philip, and as he observed signs and great miracles taking place, he was constantly amazed (Acts 8:13).
It says that Simon believed and was baptized. OK, that’s wonderful if it is true salvation. But how do we know if it was true saving faith?
Peter and John came from Jerusalem to authenticate this revival. It was the first great harvest of souls outside of Israel and the apostolic counsel needed to check the validity of the revival. When they arrived, the Holy Spirit was poured out on the multitude of believers in visible confirmation that was indeed a true work of God.
Then we read, Now when Simon saw that the Spirit was bestowed through the laying on of the apostles’ hands, he offered them money, saying, ‘Give this authority to me as well, so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit.’ But Peter said to him, ‘May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have no part or portion in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Therefore repent of this wickedness of yours, and pray the Lord that, if possible, the intention of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bondage of iniquity’ (Acts 8:18-23).
May your silver perish with you. Those are strong words. This is not the same word as in Mark 4:38 when the disciples were crossing the Sea of Galilee and a storm broke out and Jesus was asleep in the back of the boat. The disciples cried out, Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing? That word is appolymi which means to destroy. They are saying, “Master, we are being destroyed.”
But this word that Peter uses, May your silver perish with you — this is a combination of three words. The main word is apoleia which is from the same root as appolymi but is much stronger. It refers to destruction in a more eternal sense — damnation, perdition. It is the same word Jesus used in reference to Judas, the son of perdition (John 17:12). It is the same word Paul uses in reference to the Antichrist (2 Thes. 2:3) and to those who are enemies of Christ (Phlp. 3:18,19). It’s the same word Peter uses in reference to those who distort the Scriptures (2 Ptr. 3:16). It is the same word Jesus uses in reference to those who are on the broad way of eternal destruction as opposed to the narrow way of eternal life (Matt. 7:13).
Apoleia, perdition is a state of eternal punishment and damnation into which a sinful and unrepentant person passes after death. It is eternal, spiritual ruin, the damnation of the soul.
People who are truly redeemed surely do sin at times, stumble and fail but at no time would we be called sons or daughters of perdition, damnation. Referring to those truly redeemed, Jesus said, I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand (John 10:28). In John 3:16 we read, For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life. You cannot have eternal life with Jesus and then be in danger of perishing eternally.
May your silver perish with you, Peter says. But we read that Simon the Magician believed. In today’s language we would say he walked the aisle, prayed the prayer, signed the card. Yes but whatever he believed, it did not result in true, saving faith.
We read that he was baptized. But we are not saved by baptism or any ritual. Baptism is an outward sign of an inward work of grace and is an empty exercise if not accompanied by saving faith. We know that faith is true, saving faith if accompanied by good works. Faith that is not evidenced by righteous works is dead faith, false faith. Simon gave evidence that his faith was entirely false, that it was dead faith. How do we know? Peter said he was perishing in a state of damnation.
True saving faith is the result of a sovereign act of God in which the Lord awakens us to the reality of our sin and the possibilities of His grace, turns us to Christ and gifts us with faith to believe in the atoning work of Christ. When we place our faith in Christ’s atoning work, He not only forgives our sin but sets us free from sin’s dominion and from the demonic powers that gained entrance into our lives through sin. The result is a gradual, progressive work of transformation which gives evidence of true, saving faith. True salvation leads to true transformation which is revealed in the way we live. If there is no transformation, there was no salvation. If there is no fruit then the tree must be dead.
Simon was accustomed to use magic arts, occult spiritual power to control and manipulate people. Now he wants to purchase the Holy Spirit so he can continue to control and manipulate people. Using religious means to control people is the definition of witchcraft. Simon was deeply entangled in the powers of darkness and saw this new phenomenon — the outpouring of the Holy Spirit with signs and wonders — as just another means to practice witchcraft. He loved the miracles but not the Lord who poured them out. He was not changed.
When Peter pronounced condemnation over Simon, Simon answered and said, ‘Pray to the Lord for me yourselves, so that nothing of what you have said may come upon me’ (8:24). That’s not repentance. True repentance is not merely sorrow for sin or its consequences. It is a sorrow that drives us to God and His offer of forgiving grace. Simon’s fear did not move him to call on the Lord. It only moved him to ask others to call on God for him. This indicates a lack of any true relationship with God which indicates a lack of true, saving faith.
So James reminds us, Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself (James 2:17).
The word dead is nekros. It is the word the angels used when they spoke to the women at the empty tomb on Easter morning, Why do you seek the living One among the dead? (Mark
24:5). Faith without accompanying works is dead faith, not true, living faith.
James then shows the foolishness of thinking that faith is nothing more than intellectual agreement that God exists or agreement with some doctrine about God. He says, You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder (tremble) (2:19). Demons have no doubt as to the existence of God and they have really good doctrine regarding Jesus. When demons encountered Jesus they recognized Him, What business do we have with each other, Son of God? (Matt. 8:29). But that is not evidence of salvation. Rather, it causes them to tremble in fear. Merely possessing information about God is not saving faith.
Simon saw the revival, saw signs and wonders, saw the Holy Spirit being poured out. He gained some information about God, participated in some rituals. But he possessed no more faith than a demon. In fact, he may have had less faith than a demon. At least demons tremble to know that God exists. Simon saw the reality of the living Christ and had so little reverence that he offered to purchase the power of Christ.
So James says, But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? (2:20). The word useless is argos — barren, fruitless. It refers to a tree that never bears fruit. Dead faith is fruitless, profits nothing because it is not real faith, not saving faith.
Now, we want to be careful here not to fall into condemnation. I have a fruit tree that is not bearing fruit this month because it was hurt by a freeze. But if the tree is still alive, it will bear fruit eventually. By analogy, there are times when a believer is stunned by some sin or trial and goes through a season of oppression or depression and does not demonstrate the fruit of salvation. But that does not mean that their faith is dead faith. There are times when a believer commits a sin with grievous consequences. That does not mean that their faith is dead faith.
But we do need to hear Paul’s exhortation to the church, Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Is my faith demonstrated in the life I am living? We are not talking about sinlessness but even our battle with sin proves the realty of true saving faith. An unregenerated person does not wrestle with sin. But if we are truly redeemed, we are grieved by our sin and we confess it to the Lord and repent.
We are not talking about perfection. We are talking about a direction, an affection, an orientation, a desire to please God by living the life He has called us to live, living as new creations, putting off the old and practicing the new. We are able to do this because we are empowered, energized by the Holy Spirit who came to live in us when we placed our faith in Jesus.
There will be fruit — a desire to worship the Lord, a gradual transformation of character, a gradual purifying of motive and desire. There will be an increased capacity to love, to share mercy and kindness. As the Lord pours His love into us, we pour it out on those around us.
Thus we demonstrate true, saving faith.
Study Questions
1. How do we know that our faith is true, saving faith, resulting in God declaring us to be righteous?
2. Is it possible that a person may believe certain truths about God and be baptized and not be justified before God?