Titus 3: 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
It is not by any kind of good work, or work of righteousness which we have done, are doing or will do. But By Gods mercy we HAVE been saved (a completed action) through the washing (sins washed) and Renewal (new birth) of the Holy Spirit.We HAVE BEEN justified. and because of that, As paul said in Eph 1. Well here. Lets let Paul speak
Eph 1:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4 just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, 5 having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, 6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
7 In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace 8 which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence,
As we can see here
1. He blessed us with every blessing
2. He chose us BEFORE the foundation of the world That we will be Holy and WITHOUT BLAME
3. He predestined, or pre-determined beforehand that we would be adopted as sons and daughters
4. He made us acceptable to God
5. He redeemed us, in this redemption we have the forgiveness of sins.
And how did we get all this? Well Paul tells the church at ephesus this and us also.
13 In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
1. We trusted (true living faith)
2. After we heard the word, The gospel (eat the bread from heaven John 6)
3, After having this faith, we were sealed with the HS, who is our assurance UNTIL the day of redemption, or ressuraction day
4. And GOD gets the glory.
James is speaking of a false faith, a dead faith, A claimed faith, which has no life at all
One things I think we should remember, We are saved by Faith alone, But faith is NEVER alone