How Abraham Proves Faith DIES Without Works

Tim Staples, Catholic Speaker and Author, dives deep into James’ idea of justification and how it points back to Abraham in Genesis.

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Genesis 12:1-9
Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who curses you I will curse; and by you all the families of the earth shall bless themselves." So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran. And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their possessions which they had gathered, and the persons whom they had acquired in Haran; and they set forth to go to the land of Canaan, and they came to the land of Canaan. And Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. Now the Canaanites were then in the land. And the Lord appeared to Abram, and said, "To your descendants I will give this land." And there he built an altar to the Lord who had appeared to him. From there he moved on to the hill east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. And Abram journeyed on, still moving toward the Negeb.

Genesis 15:6
And he believed the Lord, and he reckoned it to him as righteousness.

Genesis 22:1-2
Now after these things God tested Abraham, and said to him, "Abraham!" And he said, "Here am I." And he said, "Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.

Hebrews 11:6-8
But without faith it is impossible to please him. For whoever draws near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place which he was to receive as an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise.

Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not of your own doing, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast.

James 2:14-26
What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the necessities of the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead. But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. You believe that God is one? You do well; even the demons believe and tremble. But do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from 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 working with his works, and by works faith was made perfect. And the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.

Romans 2:6-7
For he will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but for those who are contentious and do not obey the truth, but yield to unrighteousness, wrath and fury.

00:00 - Initial Grace for Justification Is Unmerited
00:58 - Justification Is Not a One-Time Deal
01:27 - Abraham, Isaac, and Justification
06:42 - Relationship Between Faith and Works