I don't call spiritual gifts, works.
I think you mean 'fruit'. You don't call spiritual
fruit works. Right?
Walking in a spiritual
gift would be what you are referring to as works.
That's too narrow of a definition of works.
I call the ministry we are entrusted with the good works God calls us to do.
Works of the law are not 'the ministry'. Yet they are referred to as works.
Any requirement for righteous obedience is a work.
I call our fruits..God's good work within us.
Just because God motivates righteous work in us doesn't mean we didn't do it.
For now I believe that a saving faith will lead to good works...
Good, then you believe that works must accompany the faith that saves, just as James says. And these 'works' are referring to work that isn't being done to earn salvation as if salvation is earned through doing righteous works. See how easy that was? And it didn't hurt a bit.
...but God knows if a person has a saving faith without seeing fruit or good works.
God sees the heart and seals His Kids with the Holy spirit,
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We know that God is all-knowing. There's no argument there. In fact, we know God knew the church before we even existed. But why did God wait until Abraham's obedience to slay Isaac before he said this:
Genesis 22:12 NASB
12He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”
Did he say it for his benefit, or ours? Ours, of course, for it seems God is interested in making judgments based on actual evidences (where possible). James' lesson on faith, and the showing of that faith for the purpose of justification, seems to hinge on this very verse. The evidence of one's fear and faith in God--the kind that saves--
is in their doing. That's what God is wanting us to know, so that we won't get to the day of judgment with nothing more than the knowledge of Jesus which never got put to work to produce works.
Saving faith HAS to have works attached, or it isn't saving faith. Now you can hunt down a legalistic time frame and circumstances in which these works are to occur if you want, but that is missing the point. The point is, the faith that saves is the faith that changes a person who does righteous work. That's why a man is not justified by faith alone. He must
also be justified by works. Because the faith that justifies (makes righteous) all by itself is the faith that then justifies (shows) a person as having the righteousness of faith through the works of righteousness that he does. Saving faith leaves the footprints of that faith behind it....the footprints of obedience, just like Abraham and the other Hebrews 11 'Hall of Faither's' did. If it's not leaving footprints, it's a 'faith' that can not save you.