James 2:14-17
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
After addressing the issue of partiality to the rich and discrimination against the poor, James then turns his attention to another very important aspect – one that is being misunderstood in The Church even today – it’s the aspect of faith. When the word, ‘faith,’ is used, there can be different understandings of the word that spring to mind. Some understand faith to refer to one’s level of belief in God, to the point of seeing miracles happen – more faith means more miracles; no faith means no miracles. To others, faith would refer to one’s belief and trust in Jesus as Lord. To another it would mean believing all of God’s promises and commands. While there’s an element of truth in all the above, let’s look at what James is trying to teach about faith in this passage.
He starts off with a question to make his readers (or hearers) think. He asks what one would gain if he professed a faith in God that did not demonstrate itself in action. I’d like us to imagine a painter who wants to prove to everyone that he’s a great painter, but never sets out to paining. Of what use would all his talk be, if it was not followed up by action? Likewise, James asks of what use faith would be that does not demonstrate itself in action. He goes on to ask if such faith could save a person. Mere talk, not followed up by walk is no faith at all.
He then goes on to give a real-life scenario to help demonstrate his point. Imagine a fellow-believer lacking both clothing and food and coming to you for help, and you, instead of helping him with clothing and food say to him – “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled.” Of what use would that be to the person in need? Likewise, talking the faith without walking it, is of no use – in fact, James refers to it as dead faith.
If we believe in a loving God who loves us, and meets our needs, should we not also love others and help meet their needs as well? But if all we do is talk, and tell people that we will pray for them, without helping them in any way, we are not being real followers of Jesus, and all that we profess concerning our faith in Jesus, is futile.
James 2:18-20
18 “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
Understanding how people might try to find a loop-hole around actively demonstrating their faith, He says that some people may argue that it’s alright if one person demonstrates faith, while another demonstrates the works that the faith talks about. He says that he would respond to such a person like this, “Show me your faith alone that is not followed up by action, and I’ll show you my faith through my actions.” What he means to say is that faith cannot exist in isolation without a practical demonstration of it, through love – it needs to be followed up by action. In fact, faith that is not followed up by action is not faith at all – it’s mere talk.
James then goes on to address the concept of faith that is merely intellectual and that has no connection with one’s life in any way. So often we hear people talking about believing in Jesus, and without a proper understanding of what believing in Jesus really means. One can easily understand faith to mean giving intellectual assent to the teachings of Jesus without changing anything about the way we live our lives. He gives another scenario. He says that if we believe that there is one God, we are on the right track, and we do well, but he hastens to add that even the demons, not only believe that there is one God, but they even tremble before God – something most of us don’t do ourselves. So it seems that if our faith is only at an intellectual level, and has no connection with the way we live our lives, then demons do a better job at faith than we do. This means that there’s something missing from such faith. He goes on to say that such thinking is foolish, and such faith is dead.
James 2:21-24
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
James then begins to make reference to people in the Old Testament who had faith in God, and uses them as examples, to explain the true faith, we need to possess in our lives. He begins with Abraham and refers to the time when Abraham willingly took his son Isaac to sacrifice him on the altar, in obedience to God. He says that Abraham’s faith in God was so evident by his obedience, and it was this kind of faith that justified Abraham, when it says in Genesis 15:6, “And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Abraham was justified (made righteous) on account of his faith that resulted in action – even to the point of being willing to sacrifice his own son.
So when it says that Abraham believed in the Lord it means that He was willing to do anything the Lord asked him to do, on account of his belief and trust in the Lord. It was not a faith that was merely intellectual, and totally disconnected from his life – it was one that was completely connected with every area of his life, including his choice to obey God.
He goes on to say that Abraham’s faith was being accompanied by his actions (works), and it was his action (works) that made his faith complete – else it would have been incomplete. He seems to be saying that faith and action are like two sides of the same coin – we can’t separate one from the other, and there’s no room for dichotomy either. If we believe, we must also follow up by action, else we don’t really believe. It’s this kind of faith that made Abraham righteous, and it’s on account of this kind of faith that he was referred to as a friend of God (2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8). James then concludes that one is saved not just by intellectual faith, but by a faith that is followed up by actions as well.
James 2:25-26
25 “Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
James then goes on to refer to another person who demonstrated the same kind of faith of Abraham – Rahab. She too had faith. Read what she said in Joshua 2:9-13. “I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. 10 For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. 11 And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. 12 Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father’s house, and give me a true token, 13 and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.” She didn’t just believe all that she said she believed, she also did something to prove her faith – she hid the spies with an anticipation that stemmed from her faith in the God she had heard about. She asked that they would spare, not just her life, but also the lives of her entire family, and their possessions as well. That was true faith in action.
James then uses an analogy to explain how faith without works in dead. He says that just as the human body without the spirit inside of it is dead, so also faith that is not accompanied by action is dead too. He has taken the pains to establish that one cannot afford to merely possess an intellectual faith, that has no connection with the way one lives their lives, but instead, faith in Jesus should affect every area of our lives – our choices, our priorities, our values, our ambitions, our relationships, and more.
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