Faith and Works Can Help Us to Be Righteous

1. When we think about Abraham faith, sometime what question we will ask?

EVEN though plenty people na hear about Abraham, most of them not know plenty thing about him. But you know plenty thing about Abraham. For example, you know that the Bible call Abraham “the father for all the people who get faith.” (Rom. 4:11) So maybe you thinking, ‘I able to follow Abraham example and get the same type of faith he was having?’ Yes, you able.

2. Why it important to study Abraham example? (James 2:​22, 23)

² One way we can get faith just like Abraham that by studying his example. Abraham always use to do what God tell him to do. He move to one land that was far from the place he was living. He live in tents for plenty years and he was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac that he love so much. This thing them that Abraham do, show that he was having strong faith. Abraham faith and works make God happy with him and he became God friend. (Read James 2:​22, 23.) Jehovah want all of us, including you to benefit from this same blessing them. For that reason, he make Paul and James to write Abraham example in the Bible. So let talk about what Romans chapter 4 and James chapter 2 say about Abraham. This two chapter them say something about Abraham that really important.

3. Which Bible verse Paul and James quote from?

³ Paul and James quote from Genesis 15:6. It say: “[Abraham] put faith in Jehovah, and because of that Jehovah say he was righteous.” Jehovah can call somebody righteous or blameless when the person can do things that can make him happy. It really wonderful to know that Jehovah can call somebody who not perfect righteous or blameless person! That true you also want for God to call you righteous person too, and it possible. Now-now we coming learn why Jehovah call Abraham righteous and wetin we must do for Him to call us righteous too.

FOR US TO BE RIGHTEOUS, WE MUST GET FAITH

4. Wetin make it we not righteous?

⁴ In the letter Paul wrote to the Romans, he say all of us can sin. (Rom. 3:23) So how it possible for God to be happy with us and call us righteous or blameless? To help all true Christians to answer that question, Paul use Abraham example.

5. Why Jehovah call Abraham righteous? (Romans 4:​2, 4)

⁵ Jehovah call Abraham righteous the time he was living in Canaan. Why Jehovah call Abraham righteous? You think that because Abraham obey Moses law? No. (Rom. 4:13) God gave that Law to the Israelite them more than 400 years after He call Abraham righteous. So why God call Abraham righteous? Jehovah show undeserved kindness to Abraham and call him righteous because of his faith.—Read Romans 4:​2-4.

6. Why Jehovah can call sinner righteous?

⁶ Paul say that when somebody put faith in God, “his faith can make God to call him righteous.” (Rom. 4:5) Then Paul say: “Just how David also say somebody can be happy when God call them righteous apart from their works: ‘The people who God forgive the bad-bad things they use to do, and people who sins God forgive can be happy. Also the person who sin Jehovah will not remember will be happy.’” (Rom. 4:​6-8; Ps. 32:​1, 2) God can cover or forgive the sins of people who put faith in him. He can forgive their sins altogether. He can look at the people them to be blameless or righteous because of their faith.

7. Why we can say God servant them way back were righteous?

⁷ Even though God call Abraham, David, and other faithful people righteous, they were still not perfect. But because of their faith, God look at them to be righteous, especially when compare with other people who never worship God. (Eph. 2:12) Paul explain in his letter that for us to be God friend, we must get faith. Abraham and David were God friends because they were having faith in Him. We our self too can be God friends because of our faith.

WHAT THE CONNECTION BETWEEN FAITH AND WORKS?

8-9. What some of the wrong idea people having about what Paul and James write, and why?

⁸ For plenty years now, religion leader them na argue about the part faith and works can play in worshipping God. Some of them teach that the only thing you must do to be save, that to believe in Jesus Christ. Maybe you na hear them say, “Believe in Jesus and you will be save.” Some of them can even say that Paul teach this because he say: “God call people righteous apart from their works.” (Rom. 4:6) But other people say no, you can save yourself by going to place them that the church look at to be holy and doing good to other people. To back this idea, sometime they can quote James 2:24 that say: “Somebody can be call righteous by works and not just by faith alone.”

⁹ Because of this different-different belief them, some people who can write about religion say that Paul and James not agree on wetin we must do for God to be happy with us. According to some religion leader them, Paul believe that somebody only need faith to make God happy, but James believe that the person must do good works to make God happy. One religious teacher say it like this: “James not understand the reason why Paul continue to say that somebody only need faith to be righteous.” So James not agree with what Paul say.” But Jehovah put his holy spirit on Paul and James to write what they say. (2 Tim. 3:16) So for us to really understand what two of them wrote, it good to look at wetin they were writing about in their letter them.

10. What “works” Paul was mainly talking about? (Romans 3:​21, 28) (Also see the picture.)

¹⁰ What kind na “works” Paul was talking about in Romans chapter 3 and 4? The main thing he was talking about that “works of law,” or Moses law that Jehovah gave on Mount Sinai. (Read Romans 3:​21, 28.) It look like in Paul time, some Jewish Christian them believe that they still suppose to follow Moses Law. So Paul use Abraham example to prove that somebody not need to follow Moses Law for God to be happy with them, but they must get faith. This one really encourage us because we know that it possible to get good friendship with God. This one mean that we can get faith in God and Jesus and it can make God to be happy with us.

11. What type of “works” James was talking about?

¹¹ But the “works” that James chapter 2 talk about that not the works that the Law say the Israelites must obey. James talking about the works, or the different-different thing them that Christians can do every day. This kind na works can show whether Christian get real faith in God or not. Yor let look at two examples that James use.

12. How James explain the connection between faith and works? (Also see the picture.)

¹² In the first example, James say that Christians must treat everybody fair. He made this point clear by using the story about the man who was good to the rich man but treat the poor man bad. James say that maybe man like this will say he get faith, but his actions not prove that he get faith. (Jas. 2:​1-5, 9) In James second example, he talk about somebody who see their brother or sister with no clothes or food but not do anything to help them. Even if that person say they get faith, his actions show that he not get faith. So James say, “faith by itself, without works, is dead.”—Jas. 2:​14-17.

13. What example James use to prove that we need to get faith and show it by our works? (James 2:​25, 26)

¹³ James use Rahab example as somebody who was having faith by the thing them she do. (Read James 2:​25, 26.) She hear about Jehovah and she knew that he was supporting the Israelite them. (Josh. 2:​9-11) Her action prove that she was having faith. She protect two Israelite spies when their life was in danger. Because of that, Jehovah call this woman righteous. That the same way He call Abraham righteous even though they were not perfect and they were not following Moses Law. Rahab example show that it important for us to show our faith by the thing them we can do.

14. Why we say the thing Paul and James wrote agree with each other?

¹⁴ So Paul and James were just explaining faith and works in two different ways. Paul was telling the Jewish Christian them that they will not be able to get Jehovah blessing by just following Moses Law. But James was encouraging all Christians to show their faith by doing good to other people.

15. What some ways we can show our faith by our works? (Also see the picture.)

¹⁵ Jehovah not say we must do the same thing them that Abraham do if we want for Him to call us righteous. In fact, we get different-different ways that we can show our faith by our works. We can welcome new people in the congregation and we can help our brother and sister them who really need help. Also, we can do good for our family members. When we do all this thing them, God will be happy with us and He will bless us. (Rom. 15:7; 1 Tim. 5:​4, 8; 1 John 3:18) One of the main way we can show that we get faith, that by doing the preaching work with zeal. (1 Tim. 4:16) All of us can show by our actions that we get faith that Jehovah promise them will come true and that his ways that the best. And if we do this thing them, we can be sure God will call us righteous and we will be his friends.

FOCUSING ON OUR HOPE WILL MAKE OUR FAITH STRONG

16. Wetin Abraham was hoping for and having faith in?

¹⁶ Romans chapter 4 show another important lesson we can learn from Abraham. This chapter show how it important to focus on how our hope will come true. Jehovah promise that Abraham will be father for plenty nations and through him plenty nations will be bless. Just think about the wonderful hope that Abraham was waiting for! (Gen. 12:3; 15:5; 17:4; Rom. 4:17) But even when Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90, they were not still having any child. To human being, it was not looking possible for Abraham and Sarah to born. It was real test for Abraham. “But because of the hope, he was having faith that he will be the father for plenty nations.” (Rom. 4:​18, 19) And for sure, Abraham hope came true. So Abraham became father to Isaac, the son that he was hoping for.—Rom. 4:​20-22.

17. How we know that it possible for God to call us righteous and for us to be his friends?

¹⁷ Like Abraham, God can be happy with us and call us righteous and we can be his friends. In fact, that what Paul make clear when he say: “The words ‘it was counted to him’ were not written for [Abraham’s] sake only, but also for our sake, to whom it will be counted, because we believe in Him who raised Jesus.” (Rom. 4:​23, 24) Like Abraham, we must get faith, do good-good thing them and be sure that Jehovah promise them will come true. Paul continue to talk about our hope in Romans chapter 5. That what we will talk about in the next article.