James 2:21-23: Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
Abraham is called the father of faith. Paul the Apostle uses Abraham as the key illustration of being justified by faith in Romans 4. James also uses Abraham as an example of faith, but this is not just intellectual faith but active faith. It is possible to interpret Paul’s letter to the Romans to mean that a simple confession of faith (Romans 10:13) is enough to be saved. In a way, this is true, but this confession must be followed up with action. The first action of salvation is repentance and turning away from sin. The second action is to begin to love God completely and our neighbors as ourselves. These two steps, of turning away from sin and turning to God, are only the beginning. Our faith must grow after that into action. Abraham did just that in the story of sacrificing Isaac. His faith of trusting God for an heir was put into action in the form of a test. Abraham followed through in obedience and made the challenging trip to Mount Moriah. This journey to the mountain top was actually the journey of faith’s confirmation. Our “works” or obedience confirms our faith. Without actually going to the mountain for the test, Abraham’s faith would have been incomplete. If he failed the test, he failed faith. It is noteworthy also that James calls Abraham the friend of God. This last statement shows that our obedience puts us in the realm of friendship and relationship with God. It shows that reconciliation has indeed happened. We are no longer enemies of God by walking in disobedience. We have become friends with God through our choice to walk in God’s ways. These ideas from James are totally consistent with the rest of the Bible and indeed reveal the heart of what it means to be a disciple of Jesus: to live in obedient faith.
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