7 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Ezekiel 16
James 2

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

James 2:18 (CSB): “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

The great church reformer, Martin Luther, was repulsed by the teachings of James 2:14-26. Because of its presence in the book of James, he believed that the book should not be in the Bible and called it “an epistle of straw.”

Why did Martin Luther have such a problem with James, particularly James 2:14-26? Because he believed it taught a salvation by works, which would have put it in direct conflict with Paul’s teachings on salvation. Martin Luther believed (rightly!) that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to Scripture alone, for the glory of God alone.

So many Christians since Martin Luther have clearly seen the flaw in Martin Luther’s understanding of the book of James. Any reasonably serious Bible student can see that James did not teach salvation by works. Instead, he taught a salvation that works.

Let’s go through the “troublesome” text and try to briefly explain what James was saying.

James 2:14 (CSB): “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can such faith save him?”

Essentially, James is asking: “Friends, if someone claims to have saving faith but that faith is not producing anything that would reveal that Jesus has taken up residence in their hearts, can that ‘faith’ save them?” James clearly assumes that saving faith will make a difference in our lives. God’s Holy Spirit will begin to make us more and more like Jesus. If that work isn’t happening, our “faith” isn’t the saving kind.

Now, James provides an illustration that demonstrates what he’s talking about.

James 2:15-17 (CSB): “If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, stay warm, and be well fed,’ but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it? In the same way faith, if it does not have works, is dead by itself.”

James is saying: “Words are empty if they aren’t followed by works. Anyone can tell someone in need to ‘be warmed and well fed,’ but if you don’t help them, your words are useless.”

So many contemporary Christians believe that if “they’ve said the prayer of salvation,” they’re good. They believe their eternal destiny is locked in if they say the right words. But James argues that words are meaningless unless they are followed by works. If we say we are saved but we are not becoming more like Jesus, we are almost certainly not saved.

Next, James is going to talk about how “works” are essentially the clothes that true saving faith wears.

James 2:18-19 (CSB): “But someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one. Good! Even the demons believe—and they shudder.”

Faith cannot be seen. When I trusted in Jesus to save me and I was born again, there was nothing about that faith that was visible to anyone around me.

So, how is faith made visible? Works! If you say you have faith but aren’t becoming more like Jesus, then your faith remains invisible, and it’s probably not saving faith. But if you are becoming more and more like Jesus as the years pass, then we can safely assume that, even though faith is invisible, it is clearly seen in how Jesus has taken up residence in your heart. Works make faith visible.

We aren’t talking about a faith by works. That is totally unbiblical. The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith, without any human effort (Ephesians 2:8-9).

Instead, James is speaking about a faith that works (Ephesians 2:10). We cannot work to be saved. But if we are genuinely saved, we will depend upon God’s grace and join Him in that work of making us more like Jesus (Philippians 2:12-13).

James 2:20 (CSB): “Senseless person! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless?”

James says that if we claim to have saving faith but it’s not evident in our desire and efforts to become more like Jesus, we are almost certainly not saved. Saving faith will become visible in how we live (works).

James 2:21-24 (CSB): “Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works in offering Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was made complete, and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

How did Abraham become a follower of the Lord? By faith! Genesis 15:6 tells us that “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Faith has ALWAYS been the way that men and women, boys and girls, were brought into the family of God in the Old and New Testaments.

The point James is making in James 2:21-24 is that Abraham’s faith became evident in his obedience to the Lord (works). If Abraham had not lived (in general) in obedience to the Lord, his faith would have been suspect. But, we know that Abraham was truly saved and had already placed his faith in the Lord, because it was demonstrated in obedience to the Lord (works).

Abraham wasn’t saved by works. He was saved by faith. But works made his faith visible.

James 2:25 (CSB): “In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works in receiving the messengers and sending them out by a different route?”

When we read the story of Joshua, it seems that Rahab became a God-follower before the two Israelite spies came to her house. Given what we know about how people come into a right relationship with God, she clearly placed her faith in the Lord. But how do we know it was saving faith? Simply put, she saw what God was doing and complied with Him. She protected Israel’s spies because she was convinced that the God of Israel was the One true God and He was going to give them victory in claiming the Promised Land.

Rahab wasn’t saved by works. She was saved by faith. But works made her faith visible.

James 2:26 (CSB): “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

James clearly believes that people are saved by faith. But he is making it abundantly clear that if someone claims to have saving faith, their lives must give evidence that they are truly saved. If there are no works, then their “faith,” whatever it is, is as dead as a body without a spirit. It cannot save them.

We are not saved by works. But if we have a genuine saving faith, it will be a faith that works.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you to “examine yourself to see if you are in the faith” (2 Corinthians 13:5).
  • Ask God to enable you to understand whether you are truly placing your trust in Jesus to make you right in the Father’s eyes.
  • Ask God to help you assess whether or not your faith is producing biblical fruit in your life to demonstrate that it is truly saving faith.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what James was actually saying in James 2:14-26, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“Why is faith without works dead?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)