Jehovah's Witnesses Straight Talk - Forum/Blog

James 2:20 But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead?

Do you really understand what James spoke here? What he actually was saying is that works of law teach us we are a sinner, dead to God by our own good effort in obeying the rule of law? Did you know that? Yes, this is the truth, it is by our faith in Christ Jesus abolishing our deserved judgment by the commandment that bring us into life with God?

It is vain man that would teach you otherwise, you can't be made righteous by obeying the commandments which proves we are a dead man in God's eyes. How vain is it too stand in commandments that prove you are a sinner, dead to God? How vain and proud is that heart that would deny the Christ?

There is no life for sinners in God's commandments, what there is a knowledge of sin, and that we need blood to forgive us that sin, and what does that take, faith, faith in what? Commandments or in the life of Christ Jesus? Moreover, what is the life of Christ Jesus? It is proof positive of God's love in saying Christ completed, and fulfilled the law for us.

Now what James is not saying is that works of law prove you have faith, no! You have it backwards, he is saying that Christ removed works of law for faith in God's love towards us by Christ Jesus righteously obeying the law for us. Now this proves we have faith, a part from the law that condemns us. Not that meeting and trying to keep laws, which condemns us as sinner needing the blood of Christ for sinning against the commandments proves we have faith!

Hence, this is why we cannot put away the filth of our flesh, by more law/commandments that do nothing more than expose us as sinners by the filth of our flesh. What we can do scripturally is request of God a clean conscious through the blood of Christ who actually did keep the commandments.

See also: nu-truth.com