"You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2:24)
There is a old illustration concerning a Christian who worked each day transporting tourists
across a lake in a row boat. Occasionally, he would present the gospel in a unusual way. He had
painted the word "Faith" on one of the oars and "Works" on the other. When they were out some
distance from the shore, he would stop, and begin rowing with only the one oar marked "Faith,"
which caused the boat to go in circles to the left. Reversing the process, he would pull only the
oar marked "Works," which caused the boat to circle in the opposite direction. By this time, the
bewildered passengers were waiting for an explanation. This afforded him an opportunity to teach
them the truth concerning discipleship and the Christian life. He always concluded by saying,
"You see, neither faith nor works can stand alone. They are twins that cannot be separated!"
We would add to the above that "faith" itself is a work (John 6:29). Faith is a good work ordained by God, but faith by itself will not justify (John 12:42-43). There are many things which must be added to our faith so that we will not be barren or unfruitful (2 Pet. 1:5-11).