A preacher of the Word of God spoke... - All The Good Seed Daily Devotionals for 2026

Having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:12

A preacher of the Word of God spoke about salvation through faith, as Paul explains it in the epistle to the Romans. Among the listeners was a man who was firmly convinced that salvation could be obtained solely through good works.

After the address he approached the preacher, well armed, as he thought, with the verse from

James 2, 24: "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." He said, "If what you maintain is right, then James is wrong; but if James is right, then you and Paul are wrong. Or else you must admit that there are contradictions in the Bible." His opposite number replied, "There cannot be any contradictions in Bible. The Holy Spirit is its sole author, and He cannot contradict Himself."

Then he went on to explain the matter to the man, "When Paul states that salvation is by faith alone, he is speaking from God's point of view. God can read our thoughts and see into our hearts. In God's sight, we are saved the moment we believe Faith is an act of trust, not a purely intellectual agreement with a few dogmas.

"When James insists that salvation also comes by works, he is speaking from man's point of view. You cannot read thoughts nor see into anyone's heart. You need something visible or concrete to be able to judge whether someone is saved or not. As far as people are concerned, we are saved if they see our good works as the fruit of salvation."