Faith without works is dead

[Eucharisted]

I know many Christians are familiar with the phrase ‘faith without works is dead’. But I wonder what you think about it?

To me, ‘faith without works’ means faith without charity is dead. Now, Saint Paul teaches that, no matter what we do, if do not have love, it is nothing. But I don’t exactly mean ‘love’ when I say charity; by ‘charity’ I mean active love: prayer and penance.

Prayer would fall under works because it is something you do. It is not an automatic mechanism in the soul, it is something you do, raising your heart and mind to God in joy or in sorrow, in thanksgiving or in praise, in offering or in petition. So, in one sense, ‘faith without works is dead’ means faith without prayer is dead.

Penance would also fall under works because, again, it is something you do. It is not an automatic mechanism, it is an action you take, mortifying yourself, making sacrifices, fasting, abstaining from meat, and giving alms to the poor. So, in another sense, ‘faith without works is dead’ means faith without penance is dead.

Prayer is how we unite ourselves to Christ, and penance is how we show Christian love; or, as the Church Fathers used to say: prayer is union with the Lord, penance is stripping off the self so no longer do you live but the Lord in you. Now, since God is love, if we do anything apart from Him, it is nothing. Hence, we must unite ourselves with God and let God live in us. So, from my point of view, this would mean charity (active love, prayer and penance) is necessary in a Christian life. Hence, ‘faith without works is dead’ means faith without charity is dead.

But this is my belief, and I do not want to force it on anyone else. But I would like it if everyone shared their beliefs and opinions on ‘faith without works is dead’, so we can all better understand one another, and thereby, help each other work toward Christian unity: for love is the bond of unity and love is understanding.

 

[JonNC]

I know many Christians are familiar with the phrase ‘faith without works is dead’. But I wonder what you think about it?

To me, ‘faith without works’ means faith without charity is dead. Now, Saint Paul teaches that, no matter what we do, if do not have love, it is nothing. But I don’t exactly mean ‘love’ when I say charity; by ‘charity’ I mean active love: prayer and penance.

Prayer would fall under works because it is something you do. It is not an automatic mechanism in the soul, it is something you do, raising your heart and mind to God in joy or in sorrow, in thanksgiving or in praise, in offering or in petition. So, in one sense, ‘faith without works is dead’ means faith without prayer is dead.

Penance would also fall under works because, again, it is something you do. It is not an automatic mechanism, it is an action you take, mortifying yourself, making sacrifices, fasting, abstaining from meat, and giving alms to the poor. So, in another sense, ‘faith without works is dead’ means faith without penance is dead.

Prayer is how we unite ourselves to Christ, and penance is how we show Christian love; or, as the Church Fathers used to say: prayer is union with the Lord, penance is stripping off the self so no longer do you live but the Lord in you. Now, since God is love, if we do anything apart from Him, it is nothing. Hence, we must unite ourselves with God and let God live in us. So, from my point of view, this would mean charity (active love, prayer and penance) is necessary in a Christian life. Hence, ‘faith without works is dead’ means faith without charity is dead.

But this is my belief, and I do not want to force it on anyone else. But I would like it if everyone shared their beliefs and opinions on ‘faith without works is dead’, so we can all better understand one another, and thereby, help each other work toward Christian unity: for love is the bond of unity and love is understanding.

How does this fit into your belief?

Where there is no true repentance, but the intent remains to continue in sins, there true faith cannot exist, and faith that does not work by love but remains without good fruits, is not true, but feigned and dead faith. - Martin Chemnitz

btw, I agree with much of what you said.
Jon

 

[Godfollower]

It seems clear from the context that your reduction of “works” to prayer and penance is too strict.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James 2:14-26.

As is clear from the above text, mere prayer and penance are not enough. The text of James explicitly requires things like helping the poor. Merely praying that they be helped is insufficient.

 

[broski234]

Specifically in James 2:26, it correlates the body with faith and the spirit with works. Is the body without the spirit still a body? Absolutely! Is faith without works still faith? Absolutely! Now, the body without the spirit has no life; likewise, faith without works has no life. Both are necessary responses to Gods Grace.