Saved by What?

²⁰You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²²You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. ²⁴You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

James 2:20-24 (NIV)

Today's verse was inspired by a convergence of things. I read a conversation on Amazon about "Are Catholics saved?" It brought me to the verse James 2:24. Then I read a notes post by Pastor Kim Triplett about cheap grace and food that fills us up.

So what is James saying here? Is he conflicting with other passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 (NIV).

⁸For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹not by works, so that no one can boast.

The answer is no, he's not in conflict. If you take that verse in context (and I encourage you to read the rest of the passage) then what James is telling us is that we should have an active faith. God's grace brings with it not only salvation, but an interest in sharing our faith with others. He encourages us to do good deeds so that through our actions we can show our faith to those around us.

So then are we justified through God's grace or not? In Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book, The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer writes,

The only man who has the right to say he is justified by grace alone is the man who has left all to follow Christ. Such a man knows that the call to discipleship is a gift of grace, and that call is inseparable from the grace. But those who try to use this grace as a dispensation [(special permission from God)] from following Christ are simply deceiving themselves.

Cheap grace is defined by Bonhoeffer as saying, "I'm saved through God's grace and I don't have to do anything for it." Costly grace is defined as, "I am saved through God's grace and I can do nothing for it. But His gift is so great I will give everything I have in return."

So what's your flavor? Cheap grace is the grace that causes you to not change anything in your life. Costly grace challenges you to change everything in your life. What's your pricetag?

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