Welcome and thank you for taking a bible break to test your knowledge of God's word.
This week's question:

Jesus says, "You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life, it is these that testify about Me." (John 5:39).' Jesus tells us in John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." And again in John 8:24, "..for unless you believe that I am He, you shall die in your sins.", and again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life." (John 5:24) Also, Jesus tells Martha; "Jesus tell her, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies," (John 11:25) And finally, "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." (Ephesians 2:8-9)

So one would almost say that once we are saved by His grace coupled with our belief in Him, nothing on this earth shall separate us from that free gift of life eternal. Since God is not the author of confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33) we begin our search to understand how God has determined to work His grace upon this earth and let us lay aside our preconceived thoughts and open the eyes of our heart (Ephesians 1:18) to listen to the scriptures for life eternal.

That brings us to our question, "Who was justified by works?". And so we begin our search by hearing Jesus say, "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my father who is in heaven will enter." (Matthew 7:21), and again in verse 26, "Everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act upon them, will be like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand."

So the word of God is written to not only be understood to believing, but also to be acted upon in obedience to Him as He was to the Father, "Although He was a Son, He learned obedience to the things which He suffered. And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation," (Hebrews 5:8-9) Amazingly enough, even the Son of God learned obedience upon this earth to the Father! "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 one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

So then, for the answer to our question we turn and read, "You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called a friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." (James 2:19-24)

So there we have the answer to our question, as it was Abraham who was justified by works as he listened to God and acted upon them and it was reckoned to him as righteousness! Let us remember as Jesus says that belief is a work, "Jesus answered and said to them, "This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent." (John 6:29)

When we are told to study to show ourselves approved to God (2 Timothy 2:15), that takes effort, or work! Jesus did many miraculous works upon this earth so that we could read of them and believe, "But if I do them, though you do not believe in Me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father." (John 10:38), and again, "Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have in His name." (John 20:30-31)

God has chosen His way for us to follow for life. May we not only study to test ourselves to see if we are walking in His way (1 Corinthians 13:5) by mirroring ourselves to the word of God, and proving ourselves a child of His by walking as HE walked for life, "But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man is blessed in what he does." (James 1:22-25)