Faith without Works

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. [...] Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was complete by his works.

— James 2:14-26

We usually think of "works" in this letter of James as the mechanical acts of assistencialism, but it is not that kind of "work" he is talking about. The real work here that makes our faith dead without it is the turning into reality of the commandments of God, in faith. In other words, putting into practive the love to God and our neighbors, doing good to Jesus' "small ones" (Matthew 25:40).

We've learned how unsympathetic and patronizing and conceited charitable people often are. And yet hundreds and thousands of them started out really anxious to do good, and when they'd done it, somehow it just wasn't as good as it ought to have been.

— "Beyond Personality", C. S. Lewis 

It is not about how much good we do or how good is the good we do, but what drives the good we do. Are we giving the breadcrumbs of our table, or are we willing to sacrifice something and anything on behalf of the good of someone, our neighbor or our enemy. 

Some may call it "sacrament", but I think "deeds" is a better translation. While the first leans more towards the ritualistic aspects of the actions performed, the later has a deeper meaning and is related to the conscious intentions of the actions. And that's what James is trying to convey: our conscious intentions to apply Jesus' commandments in a tangible fashion.

So what kind of works are these anyways?

Love is the way.

And now I plead with you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment to you, but that which we have had from the beginning: that we love one another. This is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, that as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in it.

— 2John 1:5-6

This is so mind blowing simple and very complex at the same time. Simple, because we have a very detailed and well documented example to follow. And complex because, likewise clearly registered in the Bible, we experience everyday in our lives all the temptations and fail in so many sinful ways.

But again, there is a temptation here, as C. S. Lewis well said that there is a trap we often fall into that the good we usualy do "wasn't as good as ought to have been." This is because on those cases the focus was on the doing (and the selfish good feeling of the good we did in the moment) and not on God to whom all the glory should go to. 

He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.

— John 14:21

Our acts of love should be first directed to Him, and Him only. That will then drive us to the good deeds of loving our neighbors and even our enemies like He does.

Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the first and great commandment. “And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.

— Matthew 22:37-40

May God have mercy of us and by His endless grace help us be faithful to these commandments.

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

— John 13:34