Believing the Gospel is a work, a doing, a deed !
James 1:25
25
But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer
of the work, this man shall be
blessed in his deed.
Now what does James mean here by the Perfect Law of Liberty ? He is speaking of the Law of Moses, as it has been fulfilled by Christ, as explained in the Gospel.
Gal 3:23-26;
Rom 10:4. So the Perfect law of Liberty in James is also the Word of Truth [The Gospel]
James 1:18
18Of his own will begat he us with
the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Eph 1:13
In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard
the word of truth,
the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that
ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
This word of Truth of the Gospel does include Christ's fulfillment of the Law in behalf of all that He did die for
Rom 10:4, it gives believers a sensible liberty of having been set free by Christ
Isa 61:1
The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim
liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;
Jn 8:36;
36If the Son therefore shall
make you free, ye shall be free indeed.
Gal 5:1
1Stand fast therefore
in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.
So now a look into this Perfect Law of Liberty, being a Look into the Gospel, and a continuing therein, a continuing in the Truth as indicated back in
Jn 8:31-32
31Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32And ye shall know the truth, and the truth[word of Truth] shall make you free.
Then are ye blessed in your deed, or your doing, or the work , which can only mean or point back to the act or deed or work of believing or looking ! The word deed is the greek word poiēsis and means a doing or performing, a obedience to a law !
James actually calls this Look as being
a doer of the work ! Yes, Believing is a doing of a work, a deed !
The word deed is also from the root poieō, and means do, of which the Jailor asked What must I Do to be saved ?
Acts 16:30, and of course Paul commanded him to do something, which was to believe. The act or deed he must do to be saved was to believe. Now it cannot be denied that believing is not a deed that a person does, or how could James under inspiration of God call it a deed, a work ? So again, if anyone of us is claiming to get saved because they believed as in
Acts 16:31-32, then we are claiming to get saved by our work, our deed. For the greek word for work in scripture is ergon and means:
business, employment, that which any one is occupied
a) that which one undertakes to do, enterprise, undertaking
2) any product whatever, any thing accomplished by hand, art, industry, or mind
3) an act, deed, thing done: the idea of working is emphasised in opp. to that which is less than work
Also translated deed
Rom 3:20
I have by the Grace of God, proven from scripture once again that believing is a work, a deed, that man performs
James 1:25 !