James is showing that Genesis 15:6 was not completed until Abraham offered up Isaac. Remember, that the one Abraham was proving himself to on top of that mountain was God, not other men. He was not "justified before men" up there as most commentaries falsely claim. On that mountain God said, "now I KNOW that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." Genesis 22:12.
Because the kingdom of God could never be of this corrupted earth .The Genesis 15 account is given as a parable seeing that the temporal things are used to seen to point to that not seen the eternal kingdom of God not of this world. The word
figure used by the paraphrases below is the Greek word parable.
It is one of the many historically true experiences as a parable of the unseen (the faith principle).It was not reckoned to Abraham as a righteousness of His own self . God moved him by a work of His faith that worked in him to both will and do Christ's good pleasure.
Hebrews 11:19 Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.
For we walk by the faith of Christ not after our experiences. Called walking by sight looking for our experiences as a work we performed .
The question James is asking in James 2 is not "will works follow faith." The question is "Can faith save him?" James 2:14.
The question is "whose" work of faith can save. Can we have the faith of Christ in respect to Abraham . Or is it Christ’s faith working in us that makes faith complete or perfect?
Paul is very clear that the faith that saved him has no works attached to it whatsoever. In fact, saving faith is by definition, without works.
I would say not without works but not without a work we could do .We are saved by Christ’s work pouring out His Spirit .
It is the same faith that was in Abraham as it was with all of the old testament saints.as the faith of God worked in them
1Pe 1:11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.
The faith that justified me was not my faith. It was the faith of Jesus Christ.
Philippians 3:9, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Amen The same faith that worked in Abraham (not of himself) but of Christ.
Abraham did not have the faith of Christ. It wasn't even available to him according to Paul in Galatians 3:22-25. James is taking you back to OT times where a man lived by his own individual faith.
Galatian 3 :22-25 is a reminder (verse 26) that all the children of God come by faith of generated by Christ Jesus who we then can faith towards Him.. The hearing of faith defined by verses 1-5 .
O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Gal 3:1-5