James 2: faith and works

 

James 2:14–17

"What use is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? In the same way, faith also, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself."

James points out that faith—trusting in Jesus, who saved us and resurrected from the dead—must be accompanied by good works, such as acts of generosity. He argues that saving faith is more than head knowledge. Works are essential; without them, faith is dead.

James 2:26

"For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead."

James 1: Trust

James was Jesus' brother, who came to believe in Him after the resurrection. He begins his letter with:

James 1:1

"I, James, am a slave of God and the Master Jesus, writing to the twelve tribes scattered to Kingdom Come: Hello!"

Interestingly, James sees himself as a slave of the Master, Jesus. He points out that the Father is good and trustworthy, always eager to share His wisdom with those who ask for it:

James 1:5–8

"If you don’t know what you’re doing, pray to the Father. He loves to help. You’ll get his help, and won’t be condescended to when you ask for it. Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who 'worry their prayers' are like wind-whipped waves. Don’t think you’re going to get anything from the Master that way, adrift at sea, keeping all your options open."

Ultimately, o serve Jesus is to trade self-reliance for total trust in the Father's character.

Hebrews 13: Enduring Reproach for Jesus

Should the Jewish Christian community before 70 CE have continued going to the Temple in Jerusalem? Should they have kept sacrificing animals?

If Jesus is indeed the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, this community was called to stop participating in animal sacrifices—even when facing bullying and social ostracization from their peers. We know that the Christians who fled Jerusalem shortly before its destruction in 70 CE escaped death because they held a mindset fundamentally different from that of their contemporaries, who remained tied to Temple sacrifices.

Hebrews 13 reminds us that a similar shift occurred with the tabernacle in the time of Moses. It was originally placed in the center of the camp, but because of the people's sin, it was moved outside. As Scripture says:

10 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle have no right to eat. 11 For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the Holy Place by the high priest as an offering for sin are burned outside the camp. 12 Therefore Jesus also suffered outside the gate, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood. 13 So then, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach. 14 For here we do not have a lasting city, but we are seeking the city which is to come.

— Hebrews 13:10–14

Jewish Christians were called to step "outside the camp"—leaving behind the comfort of their traditional lives and accepting social rejection for Christ, knowing that Jesus is the ultimate, resurrected sacrifice.

Hebrews 12: The Cloud of Witnesses

 

We are like runners in an ancient Greek athletic contest. Surrounding us is a vast cloud of witnesses watching our course—faith heroes from Hebrews 11 such as Abraham, Enoch, and many others. They endured severe trials during their earthly lives, even without receiving the ultimate promise in this world.

Now, it is our turn to run. In many ways, we are in a better position than they were because we have witnessed the fulfillment of God's promise through Jesus' suffering and resurrection. We must keep our eyes fixed on Jesus as the One who guarantees our heavenly prize, our resurrection, and our fellowship with the Father.

The original Jewish Christian readers were tempted to abandon Jesus and return to the Old Covenant under pressure. However, they—and we—are urged to fix our gaze on Jesus, who ran the perfect race and finished it victoriously.

Hebrews 11: Faith and comfort zone

 At the end of Hebrews 10, the author exhorts us to stand firm during persecution because endurance is directly tied to faith and salvation. Those who see the unseen are those who endure and are, in fact, saved. Hebrews 11 then presents a list of examples of those who persevered:

Verses 24–28:

By faith, Moses, when grown, refused the privileges of the Egyptian royal house. He chose a hard life with God’s people rather than an opportunistic soft life of sin with the oppressors. He valued suffering in the Messiah’s camp far greater than Egyptian wealth because he was looking ahead, anticipating the payoff. By an act of faith, he turned his heel on Egypt, indifferent to the king’s blind rage. He had his eye on the One no eye can see, and kept right on going. By an act of faith, he kept the Passover Feast and sprinkled Passover blood on each house so that the destroyer of the firstborn wouldn’t touch them.

I am currently enjoying my retirement very much. Was Moses enjoying his life in Pharaoh's palace so much that he wanted to stay? Certainly not. Faith takes us right out of our comfort zone.

Hebrews 10: A New Heart

Jeremiah prophesied that the Lord would write His law on the hearts of His people. The book of Hebrews sees Jesus' sacrifice and the coming of the Holy Spirit as the fulfillment of that prophecy. This new covenant is far superior to the old one because the Lord Himself is changing the hearts of His people.

Hebrews 10:11–18 (MSG) Every priest goes to work at the altar each day, offers the same old sacrifices year in, year out, and never makes a dent in the sin problem. As a priest, Christ made a single sacrifice for sins, and that was it! Then he sat down right beside God and waited for his enemies to cave in. It was a perfect sacrifice by a perfect person to perfect some very imperfect people. By that single offering, he did everything that needed to be done for everyone who takes part in the purifying process. The Holy Spirit confirms this:

"This new plan I’m making with Israel isn’t going to be written on paper, isn’t going to be chiseled in stone; This time I’m writing out the plan in them, carving it on the lining of their hearts.”

He concludes, "I’ll forever wipe the slate clean of their sins.”

Once sins are taken care of for good, there’s no longer any need to offer sacrifices for them.

Hebrews 9: A Covenant Sealed by Blood

 

The Lord desires to make a covenant with us as human beings. In ancient times, a covenant was sealed with blood to signify that anyone who broke it would forfeit their life. As human sinners, we broke our covenant with the Lord. However, because God wants us to be close to Him, He provided a way of redemption even under the first covenant.

First, the high priest—who was himself a sinner—had to cleanse himself through blood sacrifices before entering the Holy of Holies to intercede for the people of Israel.

"He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption." — Hebrews 9:12

Hebrews 9 shows us that this earthly sanctuary was merely a shadow of the new covenant to come. Jesus offered His own blood and entered the true tabernacle in heaven, interceding on our behalf once and for all.

Hebrews 8: The New Covenant Has Come

This chapter quotes Jeremiah 31:33 to highlight this transition:

“For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put My law within them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” (Hebrews 8:10)

Under this new covenant, Jesus serves as our High Priest in the true sanctuary in heaven. By contrast, the high priest in the Jerusalem temple was merely a shadow of the heavenly reality. The old covenant was declared obsolete, as verse 13 explains:

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is about to disappear. (Hebrews 8:13)

Historically, this shift unfolded rapidly. In 70 AD, the temple—the earthly shadow—was destroyed, the priestly lineage was lost, and the sacrificial system came to an end. It is no wonder the Letter to the Hebrews was preserved as sacred Scripture.

Hebrews 7: The Melchizedek Priesthood

 

The Jewish community in the first century had lingering doubts: Jesus brings pardon for our sins, but even so, is it still necessary to go to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices? Furthermore, Jesus was from the tribe of Judah, whereas priests were required to be descendants of Aaron. The key to resolving this question lies in Psalm 110:4:

4 The Lord has sworn

and will not change his mind:

“You are a priest forever,

in the order of Melchizedek.”

Psalm 110 is the most cited Old Testament passage in the New Testament. Jesus is revealed as the Messiah in Psalm 110; therefore, He is seated at the right hand of the Lord until His enemies are made a footstool for His feet (v. 1). In verse 4, Jesus is declared a priest forever in the order of Melchizedek, meaning He is far greater than any high priest in first-century Jerusalem.

Because the Letter to the Hebrews was preserved and remains in our hands today, I believe the early Jewish community took this appeal to heart and stood firm in Jesus. He is our great High Priest—One who understands our weaknesses, intercedes for our sins, and treats us with deep compassion.

Hebrews 6: Jewish Christian Doubts Before the Fall of the Second Temple

 

Imagine a first-century community of Jewish believers. They were accustomed to going to the temple in Jerusalem for purification, relying on the High Priest to mediate on their behalf. Though they had received the gospel and believed in Jesus, they were now facing intense persecution.

Naturally, deep questions arose: How are our sins dealt with now? What is the role of the temple's High Priest if Jesus was truly the final sacrifice for our sins?

Hebrews 6 encourages this community to remain steadfast in Jesus. He is, in fact, our true High Priest. Rather than putting our hope in an earthly leader in Jerusalem, Christians are called to anchor their hope in Jesus—the High Priest who enters God’s presence and intercedes for us.

For this Jewish community living prior to AD 70, this text offered vital spiritual preparation. It prepared them for the impending destruction of the temple, an institution that had already fulfilled its purpose in God's plan.

Hebrews 5: Jesus Is Our High Priest

 

In the Old Testament, no one simply chose to become a high priest. It was a calling from the Lord given to Aaron and passed down to his descendants. Furthermore, the high priest knew he was a sinner who had to show compassion to other sinners when seeking the Lord’s forgiveness.

Jesus is our ultimate High Priest. As the Son of God, He was appointed to offer Himself to the Lord as a sacrifice for our sins. As we read in Hebrews 5:7–10:

"While he lived on earth, anticipating death, Jesus cried out in pain and wept in sorrow as he offered up priestly prayers to God. Because he honored God, God answered him. Though he was God’s Son, he learned trusting-obedience by what he suffered, just as we do. Then, having arrived at the full stature of his maturity and having been announced by God as high priest in the order of Melchizedek, he became the source of eternal salvation to all who believingly obey him."

As I draw nearer to death, Jesus has compassion on me. If Jesus learned trusting-obedience through what He suffered, who am I to try to escape this suffering? My Priest is with now. He will be with me in death.

Hebrews 4: Today, rest in the Kingdom of the Lord

Psalm 95:7–11

$7$ ... Today, if only you would hear his voice,

$8$ “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,

as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,

$9$ where your ancestors tested me;

they tried me, though they had seen what I did.

$10$ For forty years I was angry with that generation;

I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,

and they have not known my ways.’

$11$ So I declared on oath in my anger,

‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

The author of Hebrews focuses on the word “Today.” of this Psalm. The Lord expected His people to enter His resting place (the Promised Land), just as He expects His people to enter His kingdom today. The Promised Land was a shadow of His kingdom. Faith and obedience were necessary to enter the Promised Land; likewise, faith and obedience are necessary to enter His kingdom today. Those who enter will find true rest and peace.

Hebrews 3: Jesus Is Greater Than Moses

Jesus is greater than Moses: Jesus is the Son over God's house, whereas Moses was a servant in it. This means that rebelling against Jesus carries even greater weight—and greater consequences—than rebelling against Moses.

Hebrews 3:6–11 (The Message)

"Now, if we can only keep a firm grip on this bold confidence, we’re the house! That’s why the Holy Spirit says,
Today, please listen;
don’t turn a deaf ear as in 'the bitter uprising,'
that time of wilderness testing!
Even though they watched me at work for forty years,
your ancestors refused to let me do it my way;
over and over they tried my patience.
And I was provoked, oh, so provoked!
I said, 'They’ll never keep their minds on God;
they refuse to walk down my road.'
Exasperated, I vowed,
'They’ll never get where they’re going,
never be able to sit down and rest.'"

Just as there were severe consequences for rebelling in the wilderness during Moses' time, there are even greater consequences for turning away from Jesus today.
 

Hebrews 2: Jesus, the Champion/Pioneer of salvation

 

Jesus was sent by the Lord not as an elohim (a spiritual being or angel), but as a human being, so that He might experience human suffering and conquer death on the cross. Jesus is exalted far above the angels precisely because He became human and felt what we feel. He is our Pioneer and Champion who conquered death for us. Hebrews 2 references Psalm 22—a Messianic psalm that foretells the crucifixion—and draws from the passage immediately following the portrayal of suffering, where the Messiah joins His brothers and sisters in worship.

Hebrews 2:10–12 (The Message) It makes good sense that the God who got everything started and keeps everything going now completes the work by making the Salvation Pioneer perfect through suffering as he leads all these people to glory. Since the One who saves and those who are saved have a common origin, Jesus doesn’t hesitate to treat them as family, saying,

"I’ll tell my good friends, my brothers and sisters, all I know about you;

I’ll join them in worship and praise to you."

Hebrews 1: Jesus is the supreme revelation

 

The Letter to the Hebrews exhorts Jewish believers not to abandon their faith in Jesus, the Messiah. Out of all the nations on earth, the Lord chose Israel to reveal Himself, entrusting them with the prophets, the Law, and the covenant. Naturally, Jewish readers held Moses, the prophets, the angels, and the Torah in high esteem. However, Hebrews opens by declaring that Jesus is the ultimate and supreme revelation of God. He is the charaktēr (charaktēr)—the exact stamp and imprint of God's nature. Ultimately, to abandon Jesus is to abandon God Himself.

Hebrews 1:1–3 Long ago, God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways. But in these last days, He has spoken to us directly through His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, and through whom He created the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact imprint of His nature, sustaining all things by His powerful word.

Titus 3: regeneration

Christian religion is different from other religions. In oriental religion, there is some emphasis in finding some connection with the universe through emptying the mind. In many other religions, the emphasis is what a person does; and even others, in what group a person belongs. In Christianity, the emphasis is in regeneration through the Spirit as we read in:

4 When God, our kind and loving Savior God, stepped in, he saved us from all that. 
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He richly poured out upon us through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

The implication is that a Christian knows that he must love his enemies, even people against Jesus, because we were enemies of Jesus before repentance/regeneration. Followers of an oriental religion with emphasis on the self and find some connection with the Universe are prone to keep distance from their enemies. Followers of a religions with emphasis on good deeds despise people of bad deeds. For instance, it is very common that world governments persecute Christians as it happened during the first century in Rome. Even so, Titus 3 began with:

1-2 Remind the people to respect the government and be law-abiding, always ready to lend a helping hand. No insults, no fights. God’s people should be bighearted and courteous.

Titus 2: dignified

I am getting older. Paul told Titus:

"But as for you, proclaim the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to be temperate, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance."

— Titus 2:1–2

I understand this to mean that an older man must be a gentleman—someone with a dignified manner, defined as "having a respectable, honorable, or impressive appearance and manner." An older man should be worthy of respect, but that does not mean he should force or demand respect from others.

Paul continues:

"God’s readiness to give and forgive is now public. Salvation’s available for everyone! We’re being shown how to turn our backs on a godless, indulgent life, and how to take on a God-filled, God-honoring life. This new life is starting right now, and is whetting our appetites for the glorious day when our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, appears. He offered himself as a sacrifice to free us from a dark, rebellious life into this good, pure life, making us a people he can be proud of, energetic in goodness."

— Titus 2:11–14 (The Message)

An older man who believes in Jesus must experience a changed life—even in his later years. This new life transforms him into a true gentleman of dignity, not for his own pride or glory, but for the glory of Jesus.

Titus 1: good leaders in a new church

Titus was in Crete, establishing a new church. Note that it was different from Timothy dealing with a well established church in Ephesus. Paul knew there were some false teachers there preaching asceticism, focusing on genealogies, Jewish myths and commandments, etc. It was necessary to have good leaders in the new church.

5-9 I left you in charge in Crete so you could complete what I left half-done. Appoint leaders in every town according to my instructions. As you select them, ask, “Is this man well-thought-of? Is he committed to his wife? Are his children believers? Do they respect him and stay out of trouble?” It’s important that a church leader, responsible for the affairs in God’s house, be looked up to—not pushy, not short-tempered, not a drunk, not a bully, not money-hungry. He must welcome people, be helpful, wise, fair, reverent, have a good grip on himself, and have a good grip on the Message, knowing how to use the truth to either spur people on in knowledge or stop them in their tracks if they oppose it.

The leaders should have a good reputation from a good character. How come this good reputation? From the way he deals with his spouse and children, from his everyday life. In our society, leaders are chosen by his curriculum and not by their everyday lives. What is done inside the house, in secret, is very important to the Lord.

2 Timthy 4: Paul is about to be executed.

Paul is in Rome facing trials. He is about to be executed by Nero. Some "friends" left him and some opposed him. Perhaps, if I were Paul, I would ask: "was my life worthwhile"? However, Paul says to Timothy:

6-8 You take over. I’m about to die, my life an offering on God’s altar. This is the only race worth running. I’ve run hard right to the finish, believed all the way. All that’s left now is the shouting — God’s applause! Depend on it, he’s an honest judge. He’ll do right not only by me, but by everyone eager for his coming

or closer to the Greek:

8 in the future there is reserved for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Paul is very sure that the Lord is on his side and that his life was worthwhile indeed. 

2 Timothy 3: from bad to worse

Paul in prison wrote to Timothy, the bishop of Ephesus:

1-5 Don’t be naive. There are difficult times ahead. As the end approaches, people are going to be self-absorbed, money-hungry, self-promoting, stuck-up, profane, contemptuous of parents, crude, coarse, dog-eat-dog, unbending, slanderers, impulsively wild, savage, cynical, treacherous, ruthless, bloated windbags, addicted to lust, and allergic to God. They’ll make a show of religion, but behind the scenes they’re animals. Stay clear of these people.

Everyone is very prone to sin, and to sin more and more. In a world that is getting more evil, Timothy will have to take tough decisions about himself and the church. Paul will soon die, but Timothy will find wisdom in the Scriptures:

14-17 But don’t let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother’s milk! There’s nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God’s way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.