In our elders quorum class, we were discussing Larry S. Kacher’s talk from the April 2022 general conference, titled “Ladder of Faith”.
At one point, the instructor had us turn to the second chapter of the Book of James, and we discussed verses 17–22:
Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils 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 had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
We discussed the idea of faith and works briefly, and the commonly argued contrast between being saved by faith and being saved by works, but there wasn’t much debate, and everyone seems to now understand that it’s God’s grace that saves us, not our own works.
But it was the last part of verse 22 that caught my eye.
by works was faith made perfect
I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed this phrasing before; if I had, I must have forgotten it. But it made me think.
If faith can be made perfect, then it must start out as imperfect. And it is through our works that we can transform our imperfect faith into perfect faith; although, I imagine the process is a long-term one.
For quite a long time now, this chapter hasn’t represented for me an argument for salvation by works or an argument against salvation by faith. Rather, to me, it explains to us that if our faith doesn’t motivate us to works, then it’s a “dead” faith and we might as well not even have faith at all.
A living faith, however, inspires us to do—to follow Jesus’ example, to do what he did, to live his teachings, to actively love others.
A living faith is one that grows from imperfection to perfection, or more specifically, growth through imperfection (and its various stages and incarnations‚ towards perfection.
After all, if Jesus, the “Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth, . . . received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness”, then surely our faith can also grow from grace to grace until it becomes full.
