The people
within the “twelve tribes scattered abroad” were well
versed by James in the idea of “working faith”. They were
not to have “faith” alone but needed to have corresponding
“works” that aligned with what they declared to believe.
As he used “Abraham” as his example of a person whose
“faith” worked, in chapter two and verse twenty-three of
his letter, James declared the result which was that God called
“Abraham” His “Friend” where we read:
And the
scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God,
and it
was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend
of God.
The
verse begins, “And the scripture was fulfilled which
says, Abraham believed God,...” James
began with the words, “And the scripture”
which refers to “a certain portion of the Holy Scripture” “was
fulfilled” or “made full,
caused to abound, furnished or supplied abundantly” “which
says” which means “speaks,
affirms, maintains, exhorts and directs”, “Abraham”
whose name means “father of a multitude” and was “the son of
Terah and the founder of the Jewish nation” “believed”
or “though to be true, were persuaded of, credited and placed
confidence in” “God”
which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. James
referred to the “Holy Scripture” as a reference to his example of
“Abraham”.
The
verse goes on to say, “...and it was imputed unto him for
righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” James
continued, “and it was imputed”
or “reckoned, counted, calculated and taken into account” “unto
him” which refers to “Abraham”
“for righteousness”
which means “the state of a person who is as they ought to be, the
condition acceptable to God, integrity, virtue, purity of life and
correctness of thinking and feeling”: “and he was
called” or “uttered in a
loud voice or saluted by name” “the Friend”
which means “an associate, companion, and one who associates
familiarly with one” “of God”
which refers to “the Godhead bodily and trinity which is comprised
of God the Father, Christ the Son and the Holy Spirit”. Because of
“Abraham's” “works” that
matched his “faith”,
he was named “the close companion” of “God”
Himself.
When
we consider these words of James, we may aspire to be called “the
Friend of God”, and James has shown us the way. We must have
“faith” in God the Father and in Jesus Christ His Son.
These “works” must agree with our beliefs. We can only imagine
what it must have felt like to have “God Almighty” call “Abraham”
His “Friend”, and yet, this is the position God gave him
because of his “working faith”. May the Lord Jesus by His
Holy Spirit help us to realize the value of being in a close
relationship with Him, and let us know the worth of “faith”
that “works”.
Next
time James writes about how a man is
“justified”
by “works” and
not by “faith only”,
so read ahead, and we shall join together then.
Until tomorrow…there is more…
Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.
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