What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
James tells us very plainly that salvation does not come through faith alone. God requires an expression of that faith . . . he requires a working faith to grant salvation. Does this mean that works earn us our salvation? Absolutely not. We could never do enough to earn forgiveness of our sins. Salvation is a gift, but there are conditions to receiving that gift. This is the way God has dealt with His people from the beginning. There is perhaps no better illustration of this than to read Hebrews Chapter 11 in its entirety. In this "roll call of faith," we see that each individual mentioned acted "by faith" and in so doing, they received the blessings of God. The Scripture does not say that any of them "earned" the blessings they received, but as they acted in faith God granted them those blessings. Salvation of our souls is no different. So, what works, then, does God require to grant us the gift of salvation?
Repentance
Repentance very simply defined means having a change of mind. A change of mind about what? About sin. Repentance includes coming to the realization that my sin is what separates me from God and then coming to the conclusion that I must turn away from sin in order to restore that relationship with Him. Repentance is not simply being sorry for what we've done (or sorry that we've gotten caught). Consider how Paul describes repentance in 2 Corinthians 7:9-11: "Now I rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that your sorrow led to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly manner, that you might suffer loss from us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death. For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication!" True repentance starts with a heart-rending sorrow because I have sinned against my Creator and produces an overwhelming desire to make things right!
Is repentance truly necessary for salvation? Jesus Himself said it is. In Matthew 9, when the Pharisees condemned Jesus for eating with sinners, He told them "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’ For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (verses 12-13). A major part of Jesus' mission on earth was to call sinners to repentance. Why? Because repentance is necessary for salvation. In Luke 13, Jesus and His disciples were discussing calamities that had befallen certain individuals. Jesus used this opportunity to teach them (and us) that these did not die because they were "worse" sinners than others. He said, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (verses 3 and 5). Condemnation will fall on all those who refuse to repent. Peter reinforces this idea in 2 peter 3:9. In discussing the reason why Jesus delays His Second Coming, Peter tells us, "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance."
On the day of Pentecost, after Peter had finished preaching to the Jews, they cried out to him "Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37). They had been convicted of their sin and wanted to know how to make things right with God. The first instruction Peter gave to them was to repent (verse 38). In Acts Chapter 3, Peter once again stresses the necessity of repentance. Once again speaking to the Jews he says, "Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord . . ." (verse 19). We learn here that ones sins cannot be "blotted out" (erased) without repentance.
Confession
Once one has heard the Word of Truth, believed it, been convicted of his/her sin, and determined to turn away from a life of sin, God requires that a public confession of faith be made. What is one to confess? Acts 8 shows us a good example of what this confession is. After Philip had taught the Ethiopian eunuch the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the eunuch wanted to be baptized. Philip said to him, "If you believe with all your heart, you may [be baptized]” (verse 37). The eunuch then made the following confession: "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God” (verse 38). We see, then, that this confession is one of belief that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
Is this confession truly necessary for salvation? The apostle Paul tells us it is (emphasis mine): "But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:8-10). We see a perfect example here of what James talks about in James 2: that confession is an outgrowth or manifestation of one's faith (belief). John also tells us in 1 John 4:15, "Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God." The converse is certainly true: God does not abide in him who does not confess that Jesus is the Son of God.
Again, many in our religious world will stop at confession as a means to salvation. But is that all God requires before He will grant this most glorious gift? Not according to the Truth. There remains a "landmark event" before one can truly be called a child of God.
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