Abraham on the Mountain

Observe. James addresses the foolish person who still wants faith without deeds, and points to Abraham. Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? His faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. James then quotes Genesis fifteen, that Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, and says this Scripture was fulfilled on the mountain. He concludes that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

Interpret. The order of events matters. Genesis fifteen, where Abraham believed and was counted righteous, comes years before Genesis twenty-two, where he lifted the knife over Isaac. James is not saying Abraham's obedience earned his righteousness. He is saying the obedience fulfilled the earlier belief, brought it to its full expression, proved it real. The faith of chapter fifteen was the kind that would climb the mountain in chapter twenty-two. Faith alone in James's phrase means faith that stays alone, faith that never moves.

Apply. What has God asked of you that would demonstrate the trust you say you have? Is there a mountain you have been avoiding because obedience there would cost too much? And when you look back at your believing, can you see places where it was completed by something you did?