^{14 “}What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? ¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? ¹⁷ Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.

¹⁸ But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.²⁰ But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

James 2:14-24, NASB

^{20 “}And a woman who had been suffering from a hemorrhage for twelve years, came up behind Him and touched the fringe of His cloak; ²¹ for she was saying to herself, “If I only touch His garment, I will get well.” ²² But Jesus turning and seeing her said, “Daughter, take courage; your faith has made you well.” At once the woman was made well.”

Matthew 9:20-22, NASB

This poor woman, bleeding for twelve years. The Bible calls her ailment a hemorrhage, which means this was a persistent, twelve year illness. By Jewish law and custom, she was unclean and was most definitely ostracized from public gatherings. She was sick. But when she heard about Jesus, she believed; in other words she had faith in him, saying to herself, “If I only touch the fringe of His garment, I will get well.” She had faith, she believed in Jesus’ power to heal but still she remained unhealed. In her desperation she put her faith into action, taking a bold step; to go into a public gathering without the announcement  of unclean as prescribed in the Jewish law. And further, she would touch Jesus, which would make Him unclean, according to the Law. (Lev 15:19+25)

So in her faith, she performed a work, she covered herself, concealed her ailment  and in faith touched Jesus’ garment. What awesome faith! If she had been discovered , she could have suffered serious consequences from all those who she touched in the crowd to get to Jesus.

Her faith was not enough to heal her, she had to do the work to be healed.

As a result Jesus turns to her and confirms her healing. She was already healed (Mark 5:29), but to hear the master say to her, “Your faith has made you well,” must have been the single most precious words she had ever heard. Mark records in chapter 5 verse 22 that this woman had grown worse by the doctors care she received. And that verse 29 immediately the flow of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed from her affliction.

Her faith that “If I just touch Him” was followed by her work “she reached out and touched His garment” and it was reckoned to her as righteousness. “Your faith has made you well, go in peace.”

Is her act of faith any different than Abraham? Abraham believed God which is faith, he offered up Isaac to be burned, his work, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. Neither the woman with “the issue of blood” or the Patriarch Abraham would have been justified by their faith alone, the proof of their faith to God and to themselves was not saying “I will offer him” or “I will touch Him,” but it was the work of doing what they said. By this these two were united as doers of the Word and not simply hearers or speakers.

True faith, produces works, it has to or it is just not true faith. The justification which follows is the product of the works done in faith.

We do not do works to be righteous. We do works because He is righteous.

Not to be saved.

But because we are saved.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast for we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Ephesians 2:8-10