Evidence My Faith Is True:

The story of the boy and his stolen bike illustrates a relationship between faith and works.  Just as the receipt acted as evidence that the boy spoke the truth when he said the bike was his, so do works act as evidence of the truth when someone says they have faith in Jesus Christ.  But it is only man that needs such evidence to judge the truth of another's claim to faith,  God can look into a person’s heart to know if his claim to faith is true.  God knows the truth without using works as evidence.

James makes this same relationship between faith and works. This relationship can be seen two ways:

Read James 2:14-26. (Click reference for popup window)

In this section of scripture, James is making the argument that if someone claims to have faith, but there is nothing (no works) that proceeds from this faith, then that faith is dead, that is; it is useless for eternal life (verse 17).