Is Faith enough?

I try to avoid using James’s Epistle to disprove the Protestant concept of "Faith alone", but, there are times when it is quite useful.  And not because of the verses you're thinking!  (As useful as they are).

No, I first want to give the way The Bible defines faith, “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen”.  (Hebrews 11:1)

I think a lot of people will read that as mere intellectual consent, but, I think there is an implication there, that faith implies some sort of obedience.

Except it’s not an implication, because later on in the chapter, it says this, “By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to set out for a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; and he sat out, not knowing where he was going” (Hebrews 11:8).

Before we go any further, I would like to share my latest episode on Locals with you, Is Patriarch Kirill the Anti Christ?  Because it's a question I've had for the last few years. 

“Surely”, you may say, “Paul teaches faith alone, just look at Romans 3:28”!  Okay, but see, I am not arguing that, I am arguing whether or not “faith” as used in The Bible simply means intellectual assent.  For, you see, I have never been of the mind, that Paul and James disagreed with each other on this.  For, whatever reason, people still make that argument. 

Maybe it’s possible to argue they have a different emphasis, but not, they did not disagree with each other.

In fact, I’d recommend people who make that argument to read Romans 1:5 and tell me what the “obedience of faith”, is. 

But, last, but not least, is I want to talk about this, because this is what I mean when I say, if by “faith”, you mean intellectual assent, that you have the faith of a demon.

Faith should be more than belief.

“You believe that God is one; you do well.  Even the demons believe-and shudder” (James 2:19).

*All verses from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, Catholic Edition, copyright 1993, and 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A.

Adam Charles Hovey is the founder of the Catholicism, News, and whatever and is host of the weekly Bible Study "Coffee and Christianity