James 2:14-26 Lesson 7

Faith without works is dead

Verse 14

Can dead faith save?

We will conclude chapter two by beginning a new, yet related, section that contains the popular and well-known teaching on faith without works, a controversial passage that has been a stumbling block for many over the years. The reality is that this portion of Scripture makes perfect sense and is quite simple. For those who accept the truth of the gospel by faith through grace alone, we know and understand what these verses are not saying. Unfortunately, many religious and works-based groups have consistently relied on this part of the book to support and promote their belief that salvation comes through faith and works. But as we shall soon see, that is not what James means in verse twenty-four. Works, in and of themselves, don’t save. But, as explained in the paragraph below, James needed to emphasize them for several reasons.

Verse fourteen carries on the previous line of thought from verses one to thirteen (while continuing the theme of seeking and applying wisdom during difficult trials that began at the beginning of the book). James will now further drive home his point that knowledge of the truth without application isn’t enough (James 1:22-25) by vividly demonstrating the importance and necessity of works (of faith) in the believer’s life. Was anyone still convinced, after reading his letter, that just hearing the Word (something some struggled to do, James 1:21) was sufficient? Think again! There was also the danger of antinomianism as a reaction to the truth that believers are under grace (James 2:12-13). Just because we aren’t saved by the works of the Law (any works in any sense of that word Ephesians 2:8-9) doesn’t mean works of some kind won’t exist in the believer’s life (they must for reasons given and explained further in this study). Freedom from the Law sets us free from the power of sin and death that said Law pronounced on those who tried to utilize it for salvation. However, freedom from the works of the Law entails slavery to Christ, resulting in obedience that stems from faith. That is why our passage below says what it says without contradicting itself.

Once again, as he often does and will continue to do, James refers to his readers as “brothers.” Some of the Jewish recipients of this letter believed that simple head knowledge, by itself, was good enough. Yet James is about to teach them an important principle that said approach is insufficient. What good is it to have faith without any evidence backing up its genuineness? To clarify, I will explain later how this refers to both believers out of fellowship with Christ (as some of our Jewish readers were) and unbelievers claiming a saving faith in the Lord they don’t possess.

What is faith? Clearing up a few issues

However, before we proceed, I would like to address genuine saving faith and a few related issues to clarify any potential misunderstandings (this will lay a good foundation for our examination of James 2:14-26). Firstly, a person receives salvation by believing in Jesus Christ (see the posted verses above). That is the gospel, plain and simple. No, this is not “easy-believism” because we should already understand that salvation depends on continuous faith and that saving faith will naturally produce at least some works of obedience in the believer’s life (works that bespeak a dedicated follower or disciple of the Lord). Faith needs to be built up to survive (Jude 1:20-25). Although salvation is all about faith, persistent, worsening, and escalating sinful disobedience can contribute to apostasy by hardening the heart. If the reader is not familiar with how sin-involved apostasy works (sin doesn’t always have to be involved, of course), then I recommend revisiting James 1:14 Lesson 4. What we think, say, and do still matter, and that is what James has been communicating to his readers this whole time.

True saving faith in Jesus Christ requires total and absolute trust in Him that He alone is sufficient to save (think of the trust we place in the chairs we sit on to hold us). It is not merely an intellectual acceptance of facts (even the demons believe and shudder, James 2:19), but involves complete trust and surrender to Christ (it’s a commitment).

Repentance and faith are two sides of the same coin because believing in Christ is a natural response to repentance (repentance being a change of mind about God, sin, and oneself, resulting in a change of action, behavior, or lifestyle made possible through faith in Jesus). It is for this reason that Peter was able to say in Acts 2:38, “Repent” without mentioning believe, because believing and repenting are “intertwined” (Robert D. Luginbill). This truth stands in stark contrast to those who teach that repentance is an extra step in the initial salvation process (faith and repentance are intertwined). Faith in Jesus Christ is all that is needed because no one would have believed unless they had a change of heart. We should also note that Acts 16:31 mentions only believing and nothing about repentance for the same reason we have just given. There are no multiple steps involved in the salvation process.

Also, it is not necessary to publicly or privately declare Jesus as Lord to be saved. That is a total misunderstanding of Romans 10:8-10. Confession is what one does with what one believes. All those who believe in Jesus Christ naturally accept Him as their Lord and Savior and will acknowledge Him before men if called upon to do so (Matthew 10:32-33). Those who fail to acknowledge this prove they were always unbelievers from the beginning or apostates who formerly believed but abandoned their faith under pressure. True faith in that kind of scenario would demonstrate itself through the “work” of confession, thus proving its genuineness.

However, we could well ask, “What about Peter when he denied the Lord three times, Matthew 26:34?” That was a momentary lapse in Peter’s faith, not a “once and for all decision,” which is what Matthew 10:32-33 has in mind (assuming the one denying the Lord is an apostate). Assuming said individual is an apostate, those whom the Lord denies before the Father for disowning Him are those who have given up entirely for good. Peter never did that and thus never became an apostate because he immediately regretted his decision and repented soon after.

Likewise, many believers may experience a period of decline before experiencing improvement. This doesn’t mean they became unbelievers while addicted to sin (they didn’t lose their salvation). It simply means they were out of fellowship with Christ (their faith was temporarily inactive) until they returned to Him, just as the prodigal son did (Luke 15:11-32). But for those who refuse to get right with the Lord, apostasy (the complete abandonment of faith resulting in eternal death) or physical death as a form of divine discipline for wayward believers clinging to sin while still holding onto their faith are the only two other possible outcomes. Ultimately, salvation is not about what we do (sin is not the issue because Christ died for all of them), but about faith in Christ, as proven by what He produces in us when we walk with Him in faith.

Another false theological construct (in addition to the view that repentance is an extra step required for salvation, when it is “intertwined” with faith) is the idea (often promoted by those who reject free will) that faith is a work. Therefore, according to them, God’s sovereignty overrules man’s ability to choose for Him because salvation is not by works (even though faith is not a work). Hence, this position holds that all believers are guaranteed to remain faithful, and that all who fall away were never truly saved to begin with. Although there are many professing Christians (false brethren) out there who never trusted in Christ at all (going to church doesn’t make one a believer) and walk away from church, there are plenty of former believers (people who were saved at one point) who fall away (a principle truth verified by the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-15 and explained elsewhere in the other synoptic gospels).

Additionally, 1 Corinthians 15:2 proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that salvation depends on continuous and lasting faith. There would be no point in Hebrews 3:12 and so many other passages throughout Scripture warning us to guard and protect our faith if anyone could not apostatize. You can’t fall away from a faith you never had (Matthew 24:10-13), a point overlooked by those who wish to overemphasize the sovereignty of God to the detriment of free will. Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5-7 clearly show that faith and works are two different things, so that trying to read these verses any other way results in the false conclusion mentioned in the first sentence in the last paragraph above. Based on the passages just referenced, Scripture is clear that we must build up, guard, and hold fast to our faith till death. The problem this creates for some is that they believe this is a gospel of “self-effort” (since the believer must build up their faith and hold fast to it).

The problem with the objection in the last sentence above is that the Bible never states faith is a work or that holding fast to it by continuing to follow our faithful Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is “self-effort” (the burden of proof lies with those who claim it is). We must then ask, “What does Titus 3:5 mean when it says, ‘He saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, ’ or Ephesians 2:8b, which reads, ‘It is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God?” It simply means that we cannot earn our salvation through works in any sense of that word, and that it was by Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross that enabled our salvation. We did not and could not pay for our own sins, and salvation was never something the Lord had to grant us as if he owed us anything. It was dependent on God’s choice, grace, and mercy to choose to die for humanity (this sacrificial death on the cross was not something we accomplished).

The other meaning of this is that no amount of human good works, abstaining from sinful behavior, works of the Law, or works of faith (to be explained later) can earn us God’s favor. This is exactly what Scripture means when it mentions that salvation is not something we accomplish through good works in our own strength. Nowhere in the Bible does it ever reference faith as any of those types of works. If holding fast to faith were us working our way to Heaven through our own strength (something it clearly isn’t), then believing in Jesus (Acts 16:31, John 3:16) must also be us earning our salvation since faith requires us to do something (choosing to believe in Jesus Christ). However, that assumption is flawed theology because it is entirely divorced from Scripture, as the Bible contains no such teaching (namely, that initial and continuous faith in Christ is working for salvation).

The bolded phrase in the last sentence in the passage above demonstrates that faith is not a work in the negative sense that Scripture gives when it mentions salvation not coming from ourselves (“neither is there salvation in any other” Acts 4:12). Our Lord only phrased it that way to contrast the true way of salvation as opposed to a system dependent on works, the kind of gospel the Pharisees had fed the Jewish people (a gospel that taught strict adherence to the Mosaic Law). Since these Jews were so hung up on the word “works,” it was easier for our Lord to use the word “work” as an exaggeration to tell the people, “Here is what you must do to be saved.”

Once again, Ephesians 2:8-9 (as well as James 2:14-26) is clear that faith and works are two distinctly different things. Christ saved us by dying on the cross to pay for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3-8), thus opening the way to eternal life. We receive this offer by choosing to believe in Jesus. When we do so, it is through Christ’s strength that we are saved, because both initial and progressive sanctification are God’s work, which we participate in through faith. God is the worker who saves us, while we are the beneficiaries who (by free will faith) allow Him to work in us to accomplish His will.

With all these things in mind, the works James 2:14-26 mentions (not the works of the Mosaic Law) are works of faith (results of salvation produced through genuine saving faith) accomplished through spiritual growth (living obedient lives by resisting sin and applying the truth of God’s Word in general), progress (passing the more difficult tests of our faith that come to the spiritually mature), and production (bringing forth fruit in our service to others within and outside the church through the use of our spiritual gifts in the ministries we’ve all been called to). This stands in stark contrast to religious “do-goodism,” which seeks to earn eternal life by what one does (whatever false religion or group comes to mind).

Considering all this, how do we explain the bolded phrases in the two passages below?

On the surface, Romans 2:6-11 appears to suggest that eternal life or death depend on what we do, rather than accepting what Christ did for us and holding fast to that choice. However, these verses affirm what James 2:14-26 proclaims: faith without works is dead. Everyone is judged for salvation based on whether they accepted or rejected Christ’s solution to the problem of sin and death (the sins of humanity have all been paid for by Christ’s death on the cross, Romans 5:8). However, what a person does indicates whether they have saving faith or not.

For believers, the Bema seat of Christ will not be to decide our salvation since that was already determined. Instead, it will be a spiritual evaluation for dispensing eternal rewards (1 Corinthians 3:10-15). However, although this is true, the good works believers accomplish in this life also prove they have saving faith and are, therefore, worthy of eternal life, because salvation is by grace through faith alone (faith without works is dead). A believer is someone who demonstrates saving faith in Christ by producing works of faith through Christ’s strength, and that is a key point. A believer’s faith is evidenced in their complete faith and trust in Christ through their belief and acknowledgement that all good things they do in life are a result of their salvation and a work of the Spirit. A believer is someone who believes in Christ, not themselves, because they understand that all the good things they do are things they did in Christ’s strength alongside faith (James 2:22).

To sum up the believer’s judgment “according to what they had done,” this refers to 1) their spiritual evaluation for eternal rewards 2) their works of faith proving their salvation and the power of God in their lives to produce them, and 3) their true faith and trust in Christ evidenced by the fact that all good they did they accomplished through His power, once again confirming they had genuine saving faith instead of a “works-based” approach to salvation (they trusted in Christ instead of themselves). Whatever good the believer does in faith through God’s strength, with a pure heart and good motives, will be rewarded. In that case, such goods deeds were good because they were done in faith, and whatever is truly done in faith is always carried out through Christ’s strength for His glory. However, whatever any one of us does absent walking in fellowship with Christ, with impure motives without faith, will not be rewarded (such works will be burnt up).

The unbeliever, on the other hand, demonstrates their lack of saving faith in Jesus Christ by failing to produce anything good for Him because they did nothing in faith. No unbeliever can accomplish anything good for God because they have no saving faith and, therefore, no good works to demonstrate it. The good works of the unbeliever are the exact opposite of those of the believer because faith and genuine good works (in God’s eyes) go hand in hand. No saving faith equals no works, and a lack of works demonstrates a dead faith, which will not only result in no eternal rewards but also no eternal life.

To sum up the unbeliever’s judgment “according to what they had done,” this refers to 1) the unbeliever’s eternal condemnation because of a lack of saving faith (they are condemned for failure to accept Jesus Christ) proven by the complete absence of any genuine good works in their life, and 2) the unbeliever’s condemnation because of substituting Christ’s work on the cross for their own human good works accomplished in their power, for their own purpose, instead of for God.

Finishing verse 14

James ends verse fourteen with the words, “Can that faith save him?” A faith that has nothing to show for itself can only be said to be dead, a “demon-faith” as possessed by an unbeliever who merely accepts the existence of God and only intellectually appreciates His Son’s work on the cross. This verse specifically refers to unbelievers, and James presents the matter in this way to encourage his readers to repent by highlighting the fact that they were acting just as badly as unbelievers to get them to stop sinning (see the explanation for James 2:13 in our previous lesson). He wasn’t trying to scare them but to turn them around by pointing out the seriousness of their behavior. It is for this reason that he will reference a hypothetical scenario involving two brothers in Christ to illustrate that such conduct mirrors that of an unregenerate person (verse fifteen). A faith with nothing to show for it demonstrates a life without Christ, proving these individuals to be unbelievers whose simple mental assertion of God’s existence (demon faith) is insufficient to get them into Heaven. But saving faith is a commitment that involves complete trust in Jesus.

Verses 15 through 17

An example of dead faith

We need to remember that James is writing to believers, so that the sentence “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” applies not only to unbelievers but also to believers. There would be no point in James mentioning any of this if these words did not also hold significance for his Jewish recipients. The context, purpose, and theme of the book indicate that these believers were struggling to apply what they had learned (James 1:22-25), and even receiving the Word was a struggle for them (James 1:21).

But before we further elaborate on that, we notice James’s use of a hypothetical scenario to express his point, an approach he utilized earlier in verses one to four of our chapter, with the example of the differing treatment of the rich and the poor. In those verses, the hypothetical scenario was based on actual issues among the Jewish brethren. They were discriminating against the poor, despite being poor themselves! Now, James employs another hypothetical example, but one that remains relevant to the actual struggles taking place in the church. Many of these Jewish believers weren’t applying the truth, and one of the ways they did so (as the text seems to suggest) was through their negligence of the orphans and widows in their midst (James 1:27).

It has been said that “Not helping is the same as hurting” (most certainly true if there is a legitimate and desperate need where the obligation to help is mandatory and not optional; an emergency situation). What good is it to do nothing about an obvious problem? Our verses involve a brother or sister in Christ (although including stumbling upon an unbeliever in desperate need could be included and wouldn’t change the meaning of these words) in desperate need of physical necessities (food and clothing).

However, before we conclude our hypothetical illustration, we need to understand something first. First and foremost (an obvious fact, as we’ve already seen), the works of faith James references here do not save (salvation is by faith through grace alone). So if works must be present, how is it they don’t contribute to the process if they have no salvific implications? The answer is that all believers (those possessing genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ) will naturally produce at least a few good deeds throughout their lifetime because everyone who enters God’s kingdom (those who die with faith intact) will have something to show for their time on earth. After all, it is impossible not to have produced at least something during one’s life because even just one good deed done in Christ’s power for His glory will not fail to receive its reward (as the passage below clearly demonstrates). If that’s all it takes (the very least of what is needed to prove that said faith wasn’t suspect), then there can be no possibility any Christian can live out their entire life (however much time God has set for them) without having done anything at all.

And every believer’s rate of production will vary (Mark 4:20). Some will have very little to show for their time on earth (a likely fitting description for most believers that have lived up to our present time, including those alive today, Mark 4:19), but will still be blessed with eternal life and just as happy as any believer.

To summarize and conclude our examination of verses fifteen through seventeen, this hypothetical scenario may remind us of the parable of the good Samaritan referenced in our last lesson (see Luke 10:25-37), and that is no coincidence because James 2:8 also mentions loving our neighbor as ourselves (the royal law of love). Anytime we sin or refuse to act in love is a wasted opportunity that could have resulted in a good work and, therefore, an eternal reward (Matthew 10:42).

That said, we need to remember again that James is speaking to believers. Once again, he affirms that saving faith produces, and that a dead faith cannot save because it has nothing to back up its claimed legitimacy. James’s readers were believers, so he was not trying to scare them by presenting things in this way, but rather to sober them up and help steer them back in the right direction, encouraging them to walk in faith. He wanted to remind them that their current spiritual approach reflected that of unbelievers to help them remember their true spiritual identity and standing with Christ (that is not who they are!). Since these are believers, the teaching that faith without works is dead has a dual meaning (the first we have already discussed and will revisit in verses eighteen and nineteen).

The second meaning of having a “dead faith” refers to a believer being out of fellowship with Christ due to sinful disobedience, as they are not walking in the Spirit (Galatians 5:16-18). Whenever we sin, whether it be the occasional slip-up or some nasty pattern we’ve gotten into, this puts us out of fellowship with Christ until we acknowledge our sins to Him (1 John 1:9). When we are out of fellowship with the Lord, our faith is momentarily inactive and, in that sense, dead because we are no longer walking in faith through Christ’s power (said person would then be under the control of the fleshly sin nature). You could think of a light switch turned off, rather than on. No one is perfect, so we will all continue to have our “dead faith moments” when we are temporarily and briefly out of fellowship with Christ (no one is without sin, 1 John 1:8). However, the longer we take to confess and the more we dally in sin, the longer we will continue to grope about. That is why it is so critical to confess our sins as quickly as possible while learning to put those mistakes behind us (while remaining resolved to do better in fighting our battles as we advance).

Verses 18 through 20

Active faith versus dead faith

James now challenges his readers to rethink and reorient their approach to the Christian life by again reminding them of the dangers and utter futility of not walking in faith (being doers of the Word by applying the truth). There is a difference between claiming faith (an unbeliever) and possessing it (a believer), but not walking in it. The recipients of this letter were Jewish believers, so they had saving faith. But many of them weren’t living by the Spirit’s power to produce spiritual fruit and the works of righteousness displayed by His indwelling presence. James was aware that this didn’t make for a good testimony and tried to sober up his readers by presenting them with a possible dilemma that could arise if someone happened to observe and inquire about their “faith.” If some of them (not all, but only those to whom it applied; these words apply to us today) continued to act like unbelievers, others within the church could reasonably question their salvation or relationship with the Lord. This hypothetical statement in verse eighteen applies to both believers who are not in fellowship with Christ and unbelievers who claim to have saving faith they don’t possess.

And this is why the believers in our context needed to be careful how they walked (Ephesians 5:10-17) because their behavior paralleled that of unbelievers. If they were truly walking in faith and, therefore, in fellowship with the Lord, then there would be positive signs backing up said claims. No or few works? Then, either that person is out of fellowship with Christ or is not a true believer. What happens if others put these types of people in the spotlight? How will they answer for themselves? What proof will they give?

Verse eighteen should not be seen as “guilt-tripping” or as some “gotcha,” but as conviction through the truth. A carnal believer may talk a good talk, but will demonstrate their inability to claim a growing walk with their Lord by lacking any signs to confirm it. Asking someone to show their faith without proof of either its existence or activity will indeed prove a dead faith (inactive for a believer or entirely dead for an unbeliever).

The imaginary person asking the question, on the other hand, would show an active, living faith by demonstrating it through obedience. That is why verse twenty, which follows, says, “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (which James will do because that verse leads to his discourse on the example of Abraham and Rahab the prostitute). A believer’s inactive faith is useless because 1) it renders them spiritually ineffective for Christ for the spiritual service of others while giving off a poor testimony, potentially influencing them for the worst, 2) it hinders their spiritual growth by damaging their faith and threatening their salvation, and 3) results in no eternal rewards. For the unbeliever, the point should be evident that no saving faith is useless, because it can’t save them (James 2:14), resulting in eternal death, despite whatever they may claim.

It is very common to see many unbelievers mention how much their faith means to them. They claim to have it and stress the importance of it in their lives, while not living it out because of unbelief and because they don’t understand what genuine saving faith in Christ is (for more information on that, I encourage the reader to read the beginning section of this lesson, in case they haven’t already done so). For many, faith is merely believing in the existence of God and mentally asserting all the facts about the person and work of Christ (“You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”). This statement, taken from verse nineteen, shows us that James has both believers and unbelievers in mind. For believers, an inactive faith is dead and, therefore, useless for spiritual growth, progress, and production. For the unbeliever, a mental assertion and appreciation of facts are worthless because they don’t make one a believer destined for eternal life.

Works-oriented people (especially many in false religions such as Catholicism and others) twist this entire passage to mean that the works themselves save. The thinking goes that if works “work” alongside faith (James 2:22), then they too must also have salvific implications. But James’s point is that works demonstrate a saving faith and, in that sense, they justify a person by proving the legitimacy of their salvation because at least some works have to be present for someone to be said to be a believer (just as how no one who remains a believer till death can go on sinning as an idolater for the rest of their lives 1 John 5:18 because it isn’t possible for faith to survive once a person has fully surrendered themselves to sin).

The problem with religious unbelievers (the hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees of Christ’s day also undoubtedly come to mind) who seek to earn God’s favor by what they do (instead of trusting in what He did for them) is that they equate the works as having some magical saving power when it is the grace of God coupled with faith that saves us ([Hebrews 4:1-2](https://ref.ly/Heb 4.1-2;nasb95?t=biblia)). And heaven forbid if (according to the logic of these “do-gooders”) one fails in certain areas (not being a member of and/or attending a specific church, participating in various unbiblical rituals, and committing specific sins) that they should retain their salvation (sarcasm intended). Some teach that committing certain sins is enough for salvation to be lost (mortal vs venial sins in the Catholic Church, as an example). However, this is easily refuted by [John 3:16](https://ref.ly/John 3.16;nasb95?t=biblia), [Acts 16:31](https://ref.ly/Acts 16.31;nasb95?t=biblia), and [1 John 2:1-2](https://ref.ly/1 John 2.1-2;nasb95?t=biblia), to name a few examples. There is also the false idea that one must be a member of a particular church, denomination, or group to be saved. But [Acts 4:12](https://ref.ly/Acts 4.12;nasb95?t=biblia) easily lays that issue to rest. One could go on debunking all the unbiblical rituals and “add-ons” to the gospel that false religion has promoted since the beginning of human history (the example of Cain versus Abel is among the earliest that comes to mind, [Genesis 4](https://ref.ly/Gen 4;nasb95?t=biblia)).

It is utter folly to think that Christ’s work of redemption is not enough and that we must do something else to attain eternal life. But that is not saving faith because it isn’t complete faith and trust in Christ at all! Whatever works said person claims to do for God doesn’t count because they were done without faith in Christ. Such people possess zeal without knowledge. And it makes no difference in the “types” of works in question. There are no works that, by themselves and in themselves, can save anyone (whether those be the works of faith described in our context or the works of the Law). If the present-day church were still under the Law (we obviously aren’t), then obedience to it (though not necessary for salvation during Old Testament times, because works of any kind are incapable of saving anyone) would indicate a saving faith. But the works never held any salvific power.

As many scholars and pastors have pointed out, there are no quotation marks in the original Greek for the hypothetical statement James uses as an example in verse eighteen. The question of “where does the example stop” has arisen because it may be unclear whether the sentence in verse nineteen, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder,” is from James or the imaginary speaker. But regardless of which it is, it doesn’t change the meaning of the verses in any way. Again, we must remember that our text addresses both believers and unbelievers. The unbelievers who claim faith but can’t back it up with any proof need to know that even demons (allies of the Devil and enemies of God) possess that kind of faith. Yet, it means nothing because their “faith” cannot save for reasons already given. The believer(s) reading these words need to understand that by walking in the flesh, they are out of fellowship with Christ and acting like those unbelievers who claim a saving faith they don’t have.

For us today, the more we pursue spiritual growth by walking in the Spirit, the more “fruit” we will produce. And it is these kinds of “works” that indicate His presence in our lives, the works of spiritual growth (including resisting sin), progress in bearing up under the difficult tests that come our way (James 1:1-12), and production in using our spiritual gifts in the ministries God has called us to.

To swing back to verse twenty, these are James’s words to his fellow brothers and sisters because of what follows in verse twenty-one. The writer begins to demonstrate, through a couple of examples, how and why faith without works is dead or useless, as he needed to do so (for both the direct recipients of this epistle and for all believers afterwards up to our present time).

Verse twenty may seem a bit harsh with the words “foolish person,” but should not be taken as some personal insult meant to inflict harm. The writers of Scripture sometimes employed strong language to convince their hearers that what they were thinking, believing, or doing was ridiculous, prompting them to repent and turn around (or to simply change their thinking and beliefs, depending on the situation). So, if the actions were there (if the shoe fit), then said person was acting “empty,” foolish, or unwise. It does not mean that the individual, outside of these thoughts and behaviors, was foolish without reason or cause. The Greek word for foolish in verse twenty is (κενός) kenos and means empty, empty-handed, and even “devoid of the truth.” Those Jewish individuals who thought hearing without application was sufficient were, though still believers, lacking in the truth, as they either didn’t know that works were essential or did, but refused to apply what they knew (both possibilities are possible depending on the individuals in question). Either way, one can be devoid of the truth in either beliefs, lifestyle (no application), or both. And the principle James laid out in these verses is one his readers should have known!

However, flexibility is key here. The words “faith without works,” as we know, apply not only to believers but to unbelievers. Unbelievers are devoid of the truth entirely because they are unsaved, while believers can be devoid of it in the sense of ignorance and/or failure to practice what they know.

Finally, I would like to mention one last point before wrapping up verse twenty by briefly pointing our attention back to verse fourteen. The verse reads, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” Indeed, no faith equals no salvation, so that a mere acceptance and acknowledgement of facts (God exists as one) isn’t sufficient for salvation.

At first glance, it may appear that these words only apply to the unbeliever. Now, I have mentioned that James put things this way to convict his readers by reminding them that they were acting just as badly as unbelievers, to get them to repent and start applying the truth. However, it is also essential to state that these words can also apply to the believer, in that any Christian who thinks they can drift away from God (and their lifestyle shows it as they begin to produce fewer works) by doing whatever they want is in danger of apostasy (these words were meant from James as a type of appeal for the believer to stick to the narrow road of salvation Matthew 7:13-14). And if said result were to reach maturity (James 1:14-15), then the person’s faith could no longer save them if they stop believing altogether. Sin does not have to be involved to set the process of apostasy into motion. But when it is, it indirectly contributes to the death of faith by hardening the heart, forcing the individual to make a choice either for or against God. If they abandon Him altogether, their lack of any good works will prove a dead and, thus, unproductive faith devoid of spiritual fruit.

There was a potential danger for some of these believers that if they continued to fail to apply the truth, their faith could slip away altogether. They deceived themselves by thinking that hearing was enough. Therefore, the result of such thinking could lead to apostasy if taken too far, where those involved would claim a faith that couldn’t save them because it would have disappeared entirely.

There were, for example, undoubtedly a handful of Jews in Jerusalem who had fallen entirely back into Judaism, never to return despite Paul’s efforts to turn them back through the letter of Hebrews. These individuals thought they were pleasing God by embracing the true Gospel, but they had actually fallen back on the Law for salvation. They claimed faith, but their lack of good works (exchanged for blasphemous ones that declared a Messiah not yet come through their continued practice of animal sacrifice) proved they no longer believed. Paul attempted to prevent as many Jerusalem believers as he could from turning back. However, despite his efforts, some had. These would be those who thought their “faith” could save them. In reality, they deluded themselves because they had zeal without knowledge (Romans 10:1-4).

I highly recommend the reader to visit the following link for a good chapter-by-chapter study through the book of Hebrews by Dr. Robert D. Luginbill (a book that came right before the one we are now studying and helped to inspire James to write this epistle that bears his name), where these issues are discussed at greater length.

https://www.ichthys.com/Hebrews-intro.htm

Verses 21 through 23

The Example of Abraham

James now delves into his first example to illustrate the principle that faith must accompany works. Verse twenty-two helps to explain verse twenty-one by showing how faith and works “work” together in salvation. Since faith can’t be real without works (there is no such thing as saving faith absent anything to show for it), then, in that sense, works save by proving said faith. James did not mean that the works themselves save, but that they indicate salvation.

The word “justified” is δικαιόω dikaioó and means to be declared righteous. If the reader recalls, Abraham was saved long before he offered his son Isaac on the altar, as the passage below confirms (if not far earlier, as Hebrews 11 may suggest). Therefore, this, perhaps the greatest test of his life, was not him getting saved a second time (it was not a “justification moment”), but an act of obedience that declared and “advertised” His faith (proving without a shadow of a doubt that his works demonstrated His righteous standing with God and that they were not salvific in and of themselves).

Therefore, his works evidenced his active saving faith, further declaring not only that he was a believer but that he was walking in close fellowship with the Lord (an area some of James’s recipients needed to improve in). That is the meaning of the phrase, “Faith was active along with his works.” Works completed his faith in that they proved that he followed through entirely in complete trust and, therefore, obedience to God’s commands. If obedience is lacking, how can we really say we had faith if there was nothing to prove we exercised it? Hebrews 11 contains no small (though far from comprehensive) list of many great believers of the past who all walked and died in faith. And, yes, Abraham is on that list!

Verse twenty-three is a quotation from Genesis 15:6. Genesis 22:1-19 fulfills what Abraham had already done in Genesis 15, as it demonstrated the faith he had up to that point. Abraham was already a believer (having been one for many years), and the act of sacrificing his son (the substitute ram prefiguring Christ’s future death on the cross) fulfilled the truth already revealed in Genesis 15.

In what sense was Abraham a “friend” of God? We can think of Exodus 33:11, where Moses spoke to God face to face as one speaks to a friend. All believers are friends of God because we have chosen His side over that of Satan’s and the world’s. No, this is not your typical friendship where those involved are equals (we are not equal to God in the ultimate sense). There are significant differences in authority and in how we approach the Lord in reverent fear (Philippians 2:12). One could go on to list many more. So, this is not a friendship in all the same ways as a human friendship (although there are some parallels). The believer is a friend of God because they belong to Him as those who seek to please and obey Him. How do we grow closer to our ultimate friend? By growing spiritually by seeking out the truth, understanding it, believing it, and applying it (being doers of the Word). This entails loving the Lord with all our strength (Matthew 22:36-40), manifested through our love for all people (James 2:8). In essence, it means obeying Christ and growing closer to Him day by day.

Verses 24 and 25

The example of Rahab

As we should already know, verse twenty-four does not contradict Paul’s words in Ephesians 2:8-9 (or any other part of Scripture). If salvation is not from us, not according to works, then how do we reconcile Paul’s teaching with this passage? Firstly, James is discussing works of faith (examined and explained above), not the works of the Mosaic Law that Paul criticized many for relying on for salvation. But neither has any salvific implications.

However, since genuine saving faith must always accompany at least some good works to demonstrate its true nature, then works must still be present for the individual to be declared or considered righteous. Abraham’s act of obeying the Lord to sacrifice his son declared (advertised) his faith to be real; obedience proves one as a child of God (that one act did not justify Abraham because he became a believer many years prior). Since saving faith must entail obedience to some level, then, in that sense, works “work” alongside faith in salvation (James 2:22, Philippians 2:12). It is in this sense that a person “is justified by works and not by faith alone” because a saving faith cannot exist without anything to prove it (the works themselves don’t save because salvation is still by faith through grace alone). Abraham was saved the moment he first believed (in the same manner all believers are today), as soon as he put his complete faith and trust in God. That is what entered him into God’s family, while works would follow not long afterward.

Verse twenty-five now presents another example illustrating the same principle James has already laid out. This case involves Rahab the prostitute, and it is necessary to revisit that passage in its context to better understand how her case relates to our examination.

Firstly, we should note that Rahab’s example reinforces the truth that men and women are equal in God’s eyes (one in Christ Jesus, Galatians 3:28) and that salvation is available to all and attained by all in the same way: by faith alone. There have also been many great female heroes of the faith throughout church history, just as there have been men (Rahab also appears as an example of faith in Hebrews 11:31 and see also Matthew 1:5). But this verse also shows that a person’s past, no matter how bad, cannot and should not keep them from receiving the Lord’s grace. God does not hold our failures against us (including all the sins we commit as believers) but has thrown them behind His back. Rahab was a good example of someone who loved much because she had been forgiven much. And she proved this by demonstrating extreme fear and gratitude towards God by putting her own life at risk to save two of her fellow siblings in Christ.

The question that may arise over our present verse is, “Was Rahab’s act of hiding the spies what initially saved her?” The answer to this question is no and lies within the context itself in Joshua 2:8-11. Verses nine to eleven read, “I know that the Lord has given you this land and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you. 10 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 Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed. 11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.” Rahab’s acknowledgment in this last bolded sentence was not a mere intellectual assent to facts but stemmed from complete faith and trust that she had put in Israel’s God, and she proved this by hiding the spies and lying to the officials to save them. Would an unbelieving citizen of Jericho have done the same? Most likely not because they would have wished to defend the city like the rest of their unbelieving comrades.

Yes, the rest of Jericho’s citizens were also, like the Demons mentioned in James 2:19, living in fear of Israel’s God but not in reverent awe and obedience demonstrated by that of a believer (Philippians 2:12). Rahab not only intellectually accepted Christ but had fully committed herself to Him in complete faith and trust, demonstrated by this inspiring act of obedience.

With all that said, is this the same Rahab recorded in the genealogy of Jesus Christ in Matthew 1:5? In my view, they are the same person (Rahab was also the great-great-grandmother of King David). Many scholars have dismissed this idea because, much like how Simon the Pharisee disqualified (in his own mind) the female sinner in his midst, some are unwilling to accept that a person with such a bad track record (a prostitute) could be within Christ’s lineage. However, this kind of prejudice (based on something irrelevant only because it rubs some people the wrong way) often (though not always) comes through how people feel about the subject instead of just accepting that they are the same person (the Bible nowhere mentions any other Rahab by name or elsewhere hints at there being two different individuals in James, Hebrews, or Matthew). Time and space do not permit a more thorough examination of that subject (nor is it the point of our verse). Still, I would encourage the reader to visit the following link by Pastor Steven Tammen for more information.

https://www.bibledocs.org/questions-and-answers/reader-correspondence/on-the-possibility-of-multiple-rahabs/

Another relatively common dispute, regarding this verse and the other verses mentioning Rahab, is whether she truly told a lie and whether it is ever justifiable to do so. Some have gone so far as to say that Rahab never lied because, once again, how could someone so well-spoken of by Scripture have done such a thing? After all, lying is ALWAYS sinful, right? There are times when lying is not sinful, and Rahab is a prime example. But some desperately wish to try to get around this clear fact by concocting a view that she didn’t lie. This would be what I would consider engaging in bad (not to mention legalistic) theology that attempts to redefine words and sentences and then impose them on Scripture. Simply put, we don’t need to worry about views to the contrary and may well take Joshua 2 at face value. Rahab did lie, but it was not sinful in any way.

True, James 2:25 doesn’t mention Rahab lying. However, that is because it didn’t need to, as the lie was intertwined with the process. What point would there have been in concealing the spies from the officials if she was only going to reveal them later? That would have defeated the whole point and purpose of her hiding them in the first place! Rahab lied for the spies for the same reason she hid them. Therefore, we may commend her for doing so.

Despite all this, our verse does not encourage us to lie when it would be sinful to do so (which would probably be about 99.9% of the time). Lying is almost always a sin, except in rare instances (such as those found in Scripture and in some historical cases). When it comes to our brothers and sisters in Christ, we would hope we would never give away their location or identity to the officials (assuming we ever found ourselves in such hypothetical circumstances) if doing so meant their capture, imprisonment, and, possibly, torture and death. We should lie like Rahab if doing so protects our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ or innocent people in general when the government or others in power are acting unlawfully, not to mention unbiblically, toward innocent human beings. It would be a sin and a potential sign of apostasy to betray one’s family members in Christ for the sake of evading potential pressure and persecution. Sadly, this will occur in mass numbers during the Great Tribulation to come, when many believers will fall away from the faith to follow and serve the Antichrist.

It is also worth mentioning the fact that we should NEVER deny our faith to save the physical life of another person. Nor should we ever lie about rejecting our faith for the sake of someone else’s life. So, although this is a hypothetical that we don’t need to worry about as long as we understand the principle teaching (that being we should never deny our faith under any circumstances, whether under pretenses or not), to deny Christ for the sake of another believer’s physical life would be to betray both God and the brother or sister in question. If torture and death come the way of both, then it is God’s will for His glory that such should take place. And we may be assured that great rewards included with eternal life will come to those who stay faithful to the very end!

Thankfully, there are, of course, no hypotheticals, and the Lord would never put us in a situation beyond our level of faith (whether we end up in the situation described above or not). The point is that there are times to lie and take drastic measures to preserve the life of another brother or sister, while there are times when we should clearly not do so.

Verse 26

The body without the spirit is dead

We already understand the meaning of the words “faith apart from works is dead,” so we don’t need to examine them any further. But what does the first half of our verse mean? Firstly, we human beings are dichotomous, consisting of both a body and a human spirit (not to be confused with the Holy Spirit that comes to indwell the believer upon salvation John 14:26, Romans 8:9). We first see this combination of body and spirit in God’s creation of Adam (women also share this makeup, including the image and likeness of God Genesis 1:26) when God breathed into Adam the “breath of life” (referring to the human spirit that would come to animate his physical body).

The Hebrew words for the human Spirit that Scripture deploys are ruach (רוח) and neshamah (נשמה), and mean “wind” and “breath.” The Greek word for the human spirit, in verb form, is pneuma (πνεῦμα), which refers to both wind and breath. The “breath of life” God breathed into Adam was the human spirit that all humans possess, making life possible. Without the human spirit, the physical body would be dead, just as faith without works is dead. And, yes, the human spirit is eternal, so that once God has created and implanted it into a human body, it will never cease to exist, whether in the New Heaven and Earth or in the Lake of Fire (depending on what the individual chose).

The human spirits of all our departed brothers and sisters in Christ (and all those who pass away before Christ’s second advent), as was also the case with all pre-cross believers, are temporarily housed in “interim” bodies in the third Heaven to await their final resurrection body, which they will receive at Christ’s return. At that point, their spirit will then transfer to their new bodies. The only difference between pre- and post-cross believers was that the interim bodies of those before Christ’s sacrifice dwelt in Abraham’s bosom beneath the earth (Luke 16:19-31), rather than in the third Heaven, where all believers now are and have been since the resurrection. That is because Christ had not paid for the world’s sins, and so access to the third Heaven was impossible before then, because a righteous and holy God can have nothing to do with sin. This explains why, after our Lord’s death, the veil in the temple was torn in half (Matthew 27:51), a symbolic indicator that our Lord’s death on the cross had now opened the way for humanity to the third Heaven above (Hebrews 4:15-16).

For more information on the human heart, spirit, and the meaning of the word “soul,” I encourage the reader to visit the link below (beginning with the section entitled “The Creation of Adam”).

https://www.ichthys.com/Fall-sr3.htm

References

All Greek words and definitions were sourced from Bible Academy, utilizing Curtis Omo’s lessons in the book of James. Prior permission for this was given to me by Curtis, who clarified that there was no need to cite him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4X5E405m1ak&list=PLMu_1csD4LY9yVXlD84z6WaB50t6eu8aZ&index=10

See the link below for the Hebrew and Greek words for the human spirit and for more information on the human spirit, the heart, and the word “soul.”

https://www.ichthys.com/Fall-sr3.htm

BibleDocs by Pastor Steven Tammen regarding the question on the possibility of multiple Rahabs.

https://www.bibledocs.org/questions-and-answers/reader-correspondence/on-the-possibility-of-multiple-rahabs/