Faith was Working

James 2 cont’d:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.

This story has always mystified me and amazed me, tugged at my heart, and made me wonder.  How could a father obey this order from God?  And how could a son willingly go with his father, knowing his father’s intent was to slay him?

There must have been an incredible relationship between these two, and between Abraham and God.  An incredible relationship of trust.  Faith. 

In fact, it says here that Abraham believed God (had faith in him) but that faith was “perfected” because of his works.

God asks hard things of us sometimes.  He requires that we give up a career path in order to spend time with our families.  He asks that we walk away from doubt and fear so that we demonstrate faith in His protection and guidance.  He sometimes leads us through a dark tunnel because he knows the light is at the other end.

The end result of all this faith/works combination is being called God’s friend.

Wow.  

There’s another verse that says His love sticks closer to us than that of a brother.

When we are God’s friend, when we demonstrate by obedience that we totally believe in his goodness and love, our faith becomes perfect.

This perfection might be a lifetime achievement award that we won't win until the end of our journey, because faith, with works, is a process we learn to combine over time…over decades...over years...