Justified by What She Did

Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:25-26)

James wrote this passage, choosing one of the most unlikely people to illustrate what it means to live by faith. Rahab was no religious insider, warrior, or person in a lofty position. In fact, she wasn’t even Jewish. She was a woman with a difficult past, living entirely outside the covenant community. Yet James used her as an example of what real faith looks like because of what she did, not merely what she believed about God.

Rahab had heard reports of what God had done for His people, and she believed them. But her faith did not stop at a personal, internal belief. When the opportunity came to act on that belief, she hid the messengers of Israel from her people and helped them escape by another route, at real risk to herself. James points to that action as evidence that her faith was genuine rather than theoretical.

Her background did not disqualify her from being used as an example of real faith. She was qualified by the faith she acted on. This should encourage anyone who feels their past makes them an unlikely candidate for a faith-filled life. God has never been limited to using people with clean résumés. He responds to faith that acts, regardless of where that faith started.

Practical Application

When the enemy reminds you of your past, remind him of his future. Do not allow thoughts of your past to disqualify you from acting in faith today. Know that you are a new creature, with new possibilities. Decide to take one step that demonstrates real trust, the same way Rahab did in a moment that required real risk.

Joshua 2:9; Hebrews 11:31