John 6:29;
New International Version Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."
And this belief leads to works. Here is the context. Lets see the verbs....
James 2
[SUP]14 [/SUP]What
does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? [SUP]15 [/SUP]If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, [SUP]16 [/SUP]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? [SUP]17 [/SUP]Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
[SUP]18 [/SUP]But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your[SUP][
d][/SUP] works, and I will show you my faith by my[SUP][
e][/SUP] works. [SUP]19 [/SUP]You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! [SUP]20 [/SUP]But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?[SUP][
f][/SUP] [SUP]21 [/SUP]Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he
offered Isaac his son on the altar? [SUP]22 [/SUP]Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? [SUP]23 [/SUP]And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”[SUP][
g][/SUP] And he was called the friend of God. [SUP]24 [/SUP]You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
[SUP]25 [/SUP]Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she
received the messengers and
sent them out another way?
[SUP]26 [/SUP]For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Now let's look at some other verbs (that's ACTION btw):
Hebrews 11
[h=3]By Faith We Understand[/h]11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. [SUP]2 [/SUP]For by it the elders obtained a
good testimony.
[SUP]3 [/SUP]By faith we understand that the worlds were
framed by the word of God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.
[h=3]Faith at the Dawn of History[/h][SUP]4 [/SUP]By faith Abel
offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks.
[SUP]5 [/SUP]By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, “and was not found, because God had taken him”; [SUP][
a][/SUP] for before he was taken he had this testimony, that he
pleased God. [SUP]6 [/SUP]But without faith
it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must
believe that He is, and
that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
[SUP]7 [/SUP]By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen,
moved with godly fear,
prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.
[h=3]Faithful Abraham[/h][SUP]8 [/SUP]By faith Abraham
obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he
went out, not knowing where he was going. [SUP]9 [/SUP]By faith he
dwelt in the land of promise as
in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; [SUP]10 [/SUP]for he
waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker
is God.
[SUP]11 [/SUP]By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child[SUP][
b][/SUP] when she was past the age, because she
judged Him faithful who had promised. [SUP]12 [/SUP]Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born
as many as the stars of the sky in multitude—innumerable as the sand which is by the seashore.
[h=3]The Heavenly Hope[/h][SUP]13 [/SUP]These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having
seen them afar off were
assured of them,[SUP][
c][/SUP]
embraced them and
confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. [SUP]14 [/SUP]For those who say such things
declare plainly that they
seek a homeland. [SUP]15 [/SUP]And truly if they had called to mind that
country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. [SUP]16 [/SUP]But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly
country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them.
[h=3]The Faith of the Patriarchs[/h][SUP]17 [/SUP]By faith Abraham, when he was tested,
offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises
offered up his only begotten
son, [SUP]18 [/SUP]of whom it was said, “In Isaac your seed shall be called,”[SUP][
d][/SUP] [SUP]19 [/SUP]
concluding that God
was able to raise
him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.
[SUP]20 [/SUP]By faith Isaac
blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come.
[SUP]21 [/SUP]By faith Jacob, when he was dying,
blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped,
leaning on the top of his staff.
[SUP]22 [/SUP]By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made
mention of the departure of the children of Israel, and
gave instructions concerning his bones.
[h=3]The Faith of Moses[/h][SUP]23 [/SUP]By faith Moses, when he was born, was
hidden three months by his parents, because they saw
he was a beautiful child; and they were
not afraid of the king’s command.
[SUP]24 [/SUP]By faith Moses, when he became of age,
refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, [SUP]25 [/SUP]
choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin, [SUP]26 [/SUP]
esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in[SUP][
e][/SUP] Egypt; for he
looked to the reward.
[SUP]27 [/SUP]By faith he
forsook Egypt,
not fearing the wrath of the king; for he
endured as seeing Him who is invisible. [SUP]28 [/SUP]By faith he
kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
[SUP]29 [/SUP]By faith they
passed through the Red Sea as by dry
land, whereas the Egyptians, attempting to do so, were drowned.
[h=3]By Faith They Overcame[/h][SUP]30 [/SUP]By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were
encircled for seven days. [SUP]31 [/SUP]By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had
received the spies with peace.
[SUP]32 [/SUP]And what more shall I say? For the time would fail me to tell of Gideon and Barak and Samson and Jephthah, also
of David and Samuel and the prophets: [SUP]33 [/SUP]who through faith
subdued kingdoms,
worked righteousness,
obtained promises,
stopped the mouths of lions, [SUP]34 [/SUP]
quenched the violence of fire,
escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were
made strong, became
valiant in battle, turned to
flight the armies of the aliens. [SUP]35 [/SUP]Women
received their dead raised to life again.
Others were
tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might
obtain a better resurrection. [SUP]36 [/SUP]Still others had
trial of
mockings and
scourgings, yes, and of chains and
imprisonment. [SUP]37 [/SUP]They were
stoned, they were
sawn in two, were
tempted,[SUP][
f][/SUP] were
slain with the sword. They
wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins, being
destitute,
afflicted,
tormented— [SUP]38 [/SUP]of whom the world was not worthy. They
wandered in deserts and mountains,
in dens and caves of the earth.
[SUP]39 [/SUP]And all these, having
obtained a good testimony through faith, did not receive the promise, [SUP]40 [/SUP]God having provided something better for us, that they should not be made perfect apart from us.
So you want a deeper understanding of faith? Then you need to understand that its action. Because that's HOW God describes faith. He describes faith in terms of action.
....again
James 2
[SUP]14 [/SUP]What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
