What does it mean in the bible "faith without works is dead"?

Question

Besides the obvious? I think this is another one that bible worshipers like to misinterpret and distort but, go for it.
Also, how will I know you are not just making crap up out of thin air? And are you sure your interpretation is correct?

Answer 1

Jesus clearly stated that it's impossible to love God if you don't love youe fellowman. Even Paul said that you can have tons of faith and have no charity...its all in vain.
The bottom line is...if you love God, you will love your fellowman. So which comes first..faith in god or love for your neighbor; methinks that all love comes from God.

Answer 2

According to the scripture you quoted which is James 2:26 it says that faith without works is dead. If you don't understand the scripture why not look at the surrounding text first if you haven't already done so. Like in verse 24 its saying that a man is declared righteous by works and not by faith alone. This is pretty self explanatory. We all know that actions speak louder than words.
Also it gives the example of Rahab the harlot in verse 25 who we know received the messengers hospitably when they were spying out the land. According to the account Rahab had faith that Jehovah would give them the land based on what they heard about what he did to deliver his people.-Joshua 2:8-13 & Hebrews 10:31. By actually helping the Israelite spies she showed she not only she believed them but actually helped their cause and was allowed to dwell with the Israelites and become a part of the Davidic lineage.-Matthew 1:5
So going to verse 26 of James the 2nd chapter it compares faith without works to a body but without spirit. To sum this up we can have as much faith as possible but when we don't act on it then it's useless. Faith is just one step, the other is actually doing things in accordance to that faith.

Answer 3

James 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Defination of works-From ἔργω ergō (a primary but obsolete word; to work); toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act: - deed, doing, labour, work.

You must nuture your faith,and build it. An idle quiet water with a boat on it will not move the boat. The boat remains motionless and goes no where. But a boat with a wake will move that boat. It's just like your faith. If you dont strengthen your faith,work it, and nourish it and nurture it. It will just sit there and die.It is worthless.

Faith is not enough. you must live by your faith. Teach others about your faith through your example of life. It has to grow and not just sit idle and eventually die..

Answer 4

Faith without works is dead" means that one must put into heartfelt action what one professes to believe:walk the talk! Action speaks louder than words. I am sure that I agree with this generally accepted version and you can wait and see from other responses that I am NOT just making this "crap out of thin air".

Answer 5

LOL
It is speaking more to the church, you have faith, you teach faith, the bible. Your there waiting for the end to come, you know its comming, so you wait.

Its like a person who there is nothing wrong with, there 20 or 30 years old, but they know there going to die some day, so they wait in there room, waiting, they wake, go the bathroom, back to bed maybe turn the tv on, and wait, some day they will die and they don't want to miss it!
You might as well have the funeral now and avoid the rush, there worse than dead!

Answer 6

Christ said we are suppose to learn the Bible, preach the Bible, and teach others to how to teach and preach the Bible. These are works that he said we were to do, but most don't. Being a Christian involves a lot more than just saying one is Christian. It means doing God's work. This doesn't mean feeding the homeless, it means teaching them about God and how to preach and teach to others. Do that and they will pull themselves up. Putting money in their cup does not pull them up, only feeds their additions. Remember when the woman poured the scented oil on the feet of Jesus and his disciples said it could have been sold to feed the poor? Did he agree, or say there were greater thing to be done, such as bringing to poor to God's Way? Am I pulling things out of thin air, and how do yo know if what I say is correct? You don't know, but you know what is in your heart. If your heart is truly seeking knowledge and desires to see a better world, than you will know. If your heart desires an easy way out, to say that you follow Jesus, without making any of the sacrifices that entails, than you won't know.

Answer 7

James is making the point that to pass by a homeless person, or someone hungry, and simply tip your hat and say God Bless and Good Luck is lacking in living out the true teachings of Christ.

To prove I'm not "making this crap up" go read the Book of James in its entirety and see it for yourself. James also says that Faith without Works is like a body without a soul...Dead. We must also live a Christian life not just profess to be a Christian.

Answer 8

The disciples of Jesus are good examples of those who not only had faith, but works also. When you read the book of Acts, you get to see just how hard they worked. They preached the good news of God's Kingdom from city to city and from house to house. They endured terrible persecution for their faith and works, but they remained faithful until death. Christians today follow their example and preach to others about God's Kingdom and all the blessings it will bring to mankind and they are also hated and persecuted for doing so. But, just as Jesus and his followers remained faithful, we too as Christians remain steadfast in our faith.

Answer 9

many interpret this verse wrong, it doesn't mean that if you have faith, now you must work for the rest of salvation.. it actually means that if you have faith, you will have the fruits of the spirit to back it up! the fruits are love, temperance, hope..etc..

in other words if we have faith and no (fruits) of the spirit (love, hope, temperance), then that faith is dead.

Answer 10

Works alone will not get you to heaven. And faith alone is not good either. They go hand in hand. If you talk the talk, you must walk the walk. Good deeds are to be done in God's name and don't go boasting about them. The Glory goes to God and you get the blessing from it. Faith by itself just does not go over too well with God. He wants you to work in his name, spreading His word (works), giving your testimoney (works) helping less fortunate (works.) The list could go on and on.