Friday, March 21 God counts righteousness apart from works.​—Rom. 4:6.

[Áine]

Friday, March 21

God counts righteousness apart from works.—Rom. 4:6.

 

The apostle Paul was primarily referring to “works of law,” the law of Moses, given at Mount Sinai. (Rom. 3:21, 28) It seems that in Paul’s day some Jewish Christians were having a hard time accepting that the Mosaic Law and the works required by that Law had been done away with. Consequently, Paul pointed to Abraham’s example to prove that a righteous standing with God does not result from “works of law.” It comes from faith. That is encouraging because knowing this gives us confidence that a good standing with God is within our reach. It means that we can develop faith in God and in Christ, which can actually lead to divine approval. On the other hand, the “works” discussed in James chapter 2 are not the “works of law” mentioned by Paul. James is referring to the works, or activities, that Christians do in their daily life. (Jas. 2:24) Such works indicate whether a Christian has genuine faith in God or not. w23.123 ¶8; 4-5 ¶10-11