Faith without Works
James 2:14-26
Many have used this passage in James to teach works for salvation. We will see from our study that this is not what James is teaching. In order to understand what James is teaching, we must consider the context. Verse one begins, “My brethren,” which indicates that James is writing to believers. Therefore, he is not giving them the requirements for salvation, since they’re already saved. What he is doing, as we will see, is giving them the requirements for fulfilling their Christian lives.
Chapter 2:14-26 gives us both the doctrine of divine production and a Biblical illustration from the Old Testament. It’s interesting that the Holy Spirit inspired James to use Abraham as the illustration, especially when it is compared to Romans 4:1-25.
How do we show the world our faith? This is the question that is answered in James 2. The answer, of course, is by divine production. Divine production, as we have studied, begins with Divine Viewpoint Thinking, which leads to right action. The world cannot see your thinking. It can, however, see the resultsof your thinking. Therefore, if we are to be testimonies for Jesus Christ, people must see the character of Jesus Christ in our attitudes and actions.
This is exactly how James begins this section in verse 14. “What advantage does it bring a believer in Jesus Christ, though a person say that he has faith, without accompanying deeds? Can faith deliver him?” Deliver him from what, is the question? In context, verses 1-13, the deliverance is from being a respecter of persons, from being judgmental and from showing no mercy. Therefore, what we have is application of our faith. “Faith” can be the body of doctrine that we believe or it can be the act of believing. In either case, we are talking about applying what you learn. True deliverance from sin (mental or overt) is found by applying what you learn.
The next verse we must consider is verse 17, which says, “even so faith if it hath not works is dead, being alone.”
Remember there are several types of death in the Bible. This death is a reference to the temporal death of the believer (to whom it is addressed). Dead can actually mean useless or vain. This is the meaning in this context. The believer who fails to apply what he has learned is temporarily dead or not producing divine good. He is useless!
What James is obviously trying to teach us is that learning and believing the Word of God is not enough. There must also be application for the Word to do us any good. There must be a DEMONSTRATION that your faith is real for it to bring forth divine good (gold, silver, precious stones). For example, it’s hard to get someone to listen to your explanation of the Gospel if they are hungry or cold. If we, however, give them some food and shelter, then maybe they’ll at least listen to us. James is saying that divine good works are the natural result of our faith in Christ. An excellent cross-reference is Ephesians 2:8-10. We are saved by grace through faith apart from human works, but we are created in Christ Jesus unto good works (divine production). Good works can be overt or invisible. Thinking divine viewpoint is a divine good work but can’t be seen. James just happens to use overt divine good works to illustrate his point.
You are the best Christian someone knows and it is true. We have studied on several occasions the Royal Ambassadorship of the believer. You should be aware, therefore, that you represent Jesus Christ here on earth. It is rather amazing, when you think about it, that you and I have been left with the task of presenting Jesus Christ to the World. Why didn’t God choose angels or use donkeys or burning bushes like in the Old Testament? I believe the explanation is that when an unbeliever sees the change in the life of a believer, it is a better testimony for Christ than a burning bush, a talking donkey or even an angel.
We need to begin to realize that when we as Christians stand up and tell the world that we have a faith that will set them free, lift them up, transform their thoughts and actions, give them hope, joy and peace, it’s fair for them to ask, “Have you? Does it? Can it?” If they fail to see these things in our lives are they likely to believe us?
We have a wonderful opportunity to add to the beauty of the Gospel of Jesus Christ by the life that we lead. This is what James is saying throughout his entire book. You have the potential to have a great impact on those around you for the cause of Christ. You can be the best or the worst illustration of the truth of God’s Word by your words and deeds. Done of us are neutral when it comes to our effect upon men’s estimate of the faith we profess.
Now let’s take a look at the two illustrations that James uses to demonstrate the importance of showing our faith by means of our works.
First, we have Abraham in verses 21-24. The story of Abraham and Isaac, of course, is the most dramatic illustration in the life of Abraham. In this story Abraham illustrates his faith in God by obeying God’s command to sacrifice his only son. I’m sure you can see the analogy to our Savior in this story. As Abraham is about to sacrifice his only son, God provides a substitute, a ram caught in a thicket. The word “perfect” in verse 22 means full measure or mature. Abraham’s faith was brought to maturity by obeying God (divine production).
The “fulfillment of scripture” mentioned in verse 23 means that first, Abraham believed God (regarding salvation through faith in Christ) and God imputed His righteousness to him. Then by means of good works Abraham was called the friend of God (a demonstration of his faith).
Verse 24 refers to being justified before people, NOT before God. We know how we are justified before God and that is through faith alone in Christ alone. So, this is an obvious reference to being justified before men.
The second illustration that James uses is that of Rahab. Though not as dramatic as Abraham’s story, it is nevertheless an illustration of how divine production demonstrates your inner faith. This story, you may recall, is about the spies sent to check out Jericho before God gave it into the hands of the Israelites. The king of Jericho attempted to capture the spies, but Rahab hid them and helped them escape. Therefore, Rahab and her household were spared when the city of Jericho was destroyed. Rahab was showing her faith by her outward deeds.
This entire concept is what we have studied as the Faith-Rest Technique. It is taking our faith and mixing it with the promises of God. This is what Abraham and Rahab did in our stories. They first believed God and then acted upon their faith. This was the spiritual life of the believer in the Old Testament. Only on occasion and for special purposes was the Holy Spirit given to people in the Old Testament. They did not have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit like we do to empower them to live their spiritual lives.
The last verse we want to consider is 26. This verse uses the analogy of the body without the spirit to illustrate “faith without works is dead.” The spirit of man is given only to believers and is the means by which we learn and apply doctrine. The Holy Spirit teaches the human spirit and without the human spirit man is unable to understand and apply spiritual things. The body can learn Bible doctrine academically but cannot understand it and apply it apart from the human spirit. In the same manner, faith cannot be applied without divine production (good works).
Our conclusion, therefore, is that a man is indeed justified by works, but notbefore God, only before man. If you want to be a walking illustration of faith in Christ, you must apply what you learn, or your faith is useless.