faith. Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect. … Ye see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. … For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith is dead without works.” (James ii. 14–26.)
James says that the indication of faith is the acts that it inspires, and consequently that a faith which does not result in acts is of words merely, with which one cannot feed the hungry, or justify belief, or obtain salvation. A faith without acts is not faith. It is only a disposition to believe in something, a vain affirmation of belief in something in which one does not really believe. Faith, as the apostle James defines it, is the motive power of actions, and actions are a manifestation of faith.
The Jews said to Jesus: “What signs shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?” (John vi. 30. See also Mark xv. 32; Matt. xxvii. 42). Jesus told them that their desire was vain, and that they could not be made to believe what they did not believe. “If I tell you,” he said, “ye will not believe” (Luke xxii. 67); “I told you, and ye believed not. … But ye believe not because ye are not of my sheep” (John x. 25, 26).
The Jews asked exactly what is asked by Chris-
