Abraham's Example of Faith

July 30th, 2026
by Lance Waldie

James 2:21-24 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

In v. 21, James calls Abraham “our father.” There are two reasons for this. First, Abraham was the progenitor of the Jewish people, so he is the father of all Jews through his son Isaac and grandson Jacob. Second, Abraham is the father of all who are saved by faith—whether Jew or Gentile (Rom. 4:11), for Gentiles who believe in Jesus Christ are considered Abraham’s offspring through faith (Gal. 3:16). Abraham believed God when God promised him seemingly impossible things (Gen. 15:6), following God to the point of being willing to offer up his son Isaac as a burnt offering (Gen. 22). Though God prevented this, Abraham’s faith was vindicated.

Now when James says that Abraham was “justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar,” this seems to contradict the Apostle Paul who said that the righteousness of God comes through faith alone in Christ alone for all who believe (Rom. 3:21-22; cf. Gal. 2:16), apart from works of the Law. Moreover, Paul says that Abraham’s works did not justify him or give him anything to boast about before God (Rom. 4:2). In Paul’s theology, salvation is by God’s grace through faith in Christ (Eph. 2:8-9) apart from works. Yet it is clear that Paul also believed that works naturally follow genuine faith (cf. Eph. 2:10; 2 Tim. 2:19; Titus 1:16; 2:7).

So, since Abraham had nothing to boast about before God in Romans 4:2 and was therefore not justified by his works in light of salvation, what James means when he says that Abraham was justified by works is that Abraham’s works proved his faith genuine to man. All Abraham did for his salvation was believe God, and God credited him with righteousness (Gen. 15:6). But before man, Abraham’s deeds proved his faith to be genuine since his deeds vindicated his faith. In short, it is one thing to believe something like God’s existence or His Son’s sacrificial death on the cross; the demons believe this and shudder (Jas. 2:19). But it is another thing altogether to put faith into motion. Abraham did that. His story is for all to read, for He is the father of both the Jewish and Christian faiths. God promised him seemingly impossible things (cf. Gen. 12:1-3, 7; 15:5; 17:1-8; 22:15-18), and he trusted God. As his faith was tested by God, Abraham proved himself true by his works; he was therefore justified by works, or vindicated by his actions when he obediently took his beloved son Isaac to a high place to sacrifice him to God (Gen. 22).

James says that Abraham’s faith was “perfected,” or completed, by his actions. This is a far cry from those who have no actions to perfect or complete their knowledge of God, which is nothing but dead faith in God. James’ verbiage throughout his epistle proves that believing in Christ is certainly vital to salvation. But in order for one’s faith to be perfected, the trials given by God must be endured with both joy and wisdom (1:2-5). God does not add good works for salvation, but He demonstrates by Abraham’s example the fruit that naturally springs forth from the root of saving faith, namely good works. The fruitful works of Christians—their love for Christ, either exposes them as false believers, or those works vindicate their faith as genuine.

Since Abraham’s actions worked in accordance with his faith in the midst of great trials and tribulations, he was called “the friend of God” (cf. 2 Chron. 20:7; Isa. 41:8). Jesus said likewise to His disciples in John 15:14: “You are My friends if you do what I command you.” To be sure, Abraham never casually referred to God as his friend or pal, but the Bible clearly teaches that those who do the will of God are called the friends of God. Hence, James sums up his argument by saying, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”