Examples of faith
James highlights these two iconic Old Testament figures as positive historical examples of faith in action.
Who are Abraham and Rahab?
Meaning "works," "deeds," or "action," this Greek word appears 15 times throughout the epistle of James.
What is ergon?
Meaning "Roman peace," this era of apparent secular prosperity introduced intense societal pressures for monotheistic believers.
What is the Pax Romana?
According to Ephesians 2:10, believers bear this unique title, indicating they were custom-created in Christ Jesus for good works.
What is His workmanship?
According to the core thesis of James 2:14-17, this is the grim status of a professed faith that completely lacks accompanying deeds.
What is dead and useless?
This is the immediate, protective action Rahab took when the king's messengers arrived looking for the Israelite scouts.
What is hiding them?
This foundational Greek word for "faith" or "moral persuasion" appears 16 times in James, with 11 of those occurrences packed into James 2:14-26.
What is pistis?
In Mark 12:17, Jesus explicitly instructed his followers to pay taxes by giving this ruler what belonged to him.
Who is Caesar?
In Philippians 2:12-13, the apostle Paul instructs the church to actively "work out" this internal reality with fear and trembling.
What is salvation?
Beyond her inclusion in the "Hall of Faith," Rahab is famously honored in the New Testament as a direct ancestor of this figure.
Who is Jesus Christ?
In James' illustration of a negligent person, this is the empty phrase told to a cold and hungry brother instead of meeting his physical needs.
What is "Go, be warmed and well fed"?
This Greek verb is primarily defined as rendering someone righteous or considering them justified.
What is dikaioō?
Though built for imperial control, this physical infrastructure accidentally allowed early Christians to easily travel and spread the gospel.
What is the Roman road system?
First John 3:17-20 warns that if a person shuts their heart against a brother in need, this divine attribute cannot possibly dwell inside them.
What is the love of God?
James delivers this piercing rhetorical question in verse 14 to challenge those who claim faith but produce no outward evidence.
What is "Can faith save him?"
In James 2:19, these dark spiritual entities are noted for having intellectual belief, though it only causes them to shudder in fear.
What are demons?
The Westminster Dictionary defines this theological term as the ongoing process of God's work in a believer through the Holy Spirit.
What is sanctification?
This secular style of education clashed directly with traditional Torah-based training in the first century.
What is Hellenistic?
When Abraham chose to believe God's promise in Genesis 15, his faith was legally credited or counted to him as this status.
What is righteousness?
According to the theological summary of Unit 4, this dynamic spiritual process naturally occurs as a believer consistently grows in obedience.
What is faith maturing?
Rahab courageously risked her safety to protect the spies because she possessed this specific theological conviction about the land.
What is knowing the Lord had given them the land?
Found in Philippians 2:13, this specific Greek word for "work" emphasizes the divine power operative within a believer.
What is energeō?
First-century Jewish society was sharply divided between traditional religious leaders and this radical faction.
Who are the zealots?
A crucial cross-reference to Galatians 2:16 highlights that the external "works of the law" can never accomplish this legal status for an individual.
What is justify a person?
To emphasize that faith and action are completely inseparable, James 2:26 dramatically compares a workless faith to this biological state.
What is a body without the spirit?