Study in the Book of James – Part 5

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We began Chapter 2 in our last section discussing partiality and examining how failing in one part of the law meant that you were failing all of it. Have you examined areas where you are partial or show bias in your life?

In the rest of Chapter 2, James returns to the idea of demonstrating one’s faith. It should be noted that this section is one of the most controversial in the New Testament. It has fed the belief that one must perform works to “earn” salvation. We will look to remove any misunderstandings or ambiguity related to this idea.

James 2:14-17 begins, “¹⁴ What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? ¹⁵ Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. ¹⁶ If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? ¹⁷ In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

Verse 14 asks a simple question – can one claim he or she has faith in Jesus when there are no deeds or works to support that? What is your thought on this idea?

The Greek word for work or deeds is ἔργον (ergon), which means to toil, labor, or work. This word makes it clear that the Christian should be taking some kind of action. That his or her faith in Jesus Christ should spur a desire to do something to support the work of the Church.

To understand this more clearly, we look at the Greek word for faith, which is πίστις. Let’s look at how this word is used in both Matthew 8:10 and Matthew 9:2 to get a better understanding of its meaning. Read all of Matthew 8:5-13 and Matthew 9:1-8. Can you describe the person’s faith in each of these stories?

James gives some examples in verses 15-16 where he explains that one who does not supply food or clothing to a person who is hungry or naked is not demonstrating their faith. In fact, in verse 17 he says that very thing, pointing out that faith without action is dead.

Do you think that James is saying that one must perform deeds to be saved?

This has been the debate in Christianity for nearly 2000 years. What exactly did James mean?

The best way to describe this is that one’s faith in Jesus should lead to actions that help others. That the deeds, themselves, do not save a person, but are proof that a person is walking in the ways of God. Think of it as a seed. The faith a person has is the seed. If that seed is alive and active, it will then grow into a plant, which in this case would be the deeds or works that a person performs. If a person does not have these deeds or works, then maybe the seed was never alive in the first place.

How has your faith spurred you to take action?

Your Faith Is Alive!

James 2:18-19 continues this discussion: ¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. ¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

James provides support for his argument. He explains that some will say that they have faith, but he explains that his deeds are proof of his faith. What do you think he means by this?

Think of it this way for a moment. If you were told that someone had $1 million, what would be the “proof” that they had that money? You might say he or she had a bank book or some kind of financial statement which showed the amount of money in the account. In other words, that person had some form of proof. This is what James is trying to explain here. If a person has truly accepted Jesus and has faith in the sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross, then that person would live a life that proved that belief.

This is what he explained at the end of verse 18. One could say that he has faith but has no deeds to prove that he really has that faith. However, those who have deeds and works demonstrate that they do have faith.

Can you provide examples of deeds that demonstrated your faith in Jesus?

In verse 19, James makes a very interesting statement. He tells the reader that he or she believes there is one God. He even tells them that demons believe that as well. This is support of his position about faith. Using your study notes and references, what do you think James means here?

What you should learn is that it is not “faith” to believe there is one God. That is just a fact, something that even demons know. What he is explaining is that faith is demonstrated by the works that one does, not the facts that one knows. Everyone knows that there is one God. That is not a statement of faith. Instead, it is a statement of faith that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and that you have accepted that payment for your sins. Thus, your actions demonstrate the faith in that statement.

Proof of Faith

One of the great things about the Bible is that it provides explanations for everything that it teaches. In addition, it often provides the exact evidence you need to support a position. This is what James does in James 2:21-26:

²⁰ You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? ²¹ Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? ²² You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. ²³ 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. ²⁴ You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

²⁵ In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? ²⁶ As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

He begins by pointing out that a person who is claiming that faith without deeds is still faith is presenting a useless argument. There is no evidence to support it. However, there is plenty of evidence to support that one’s faith should spur action.

In verses 21-24, he uses the story of Abraham to support his argument. The specific example that James uses is told to us in Genesis 22:1-19. Before reading this text, it is important to know that God had made several promises to Abraham prior to this event. One of those was that he would be the father of a great nation (Genesis 15), so vast that the number of people would be more than the stars in the sky. His son Isaac was to be the one to begin that covenant coming to fruition. With that in mind, now read Genesis 22.

How do you think Abraham would have felt about having to sacrifice the one who was to bring about this great nation?

Abraham was willing to sacrifice the heir to the covenant agreement that God had made with him. It would have been easy for him to have thought that the promise God made would fail. However, read what Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us.

If Abraham was forced to sacrifice Isaac, what did he believe?

This is what true faith is about. It is believing that when God’s promises seem like they will fail, that you still believe that God will find a way to deliver on them.

It seems clear that deeds and works are the result of one’s faith. That one’s deeds are in no way tied to a person’s salvation, but they are tied to his or her faith.

However, James 2:24 has been used by many to argue that faith alone is not enough for a person to be saved. Let’s read that again.

How might you explain this verse?

James seems to make it clear that a person is considered righteous not just by their faith, but also by the deeds that he or she does.

This seems to contradict what the Bible teaches in Ephesians 2:8-9. This has been one of your memory verses before, but turn to it in your Bible and read it again. Do you believe what James is saying and what Paul wrote are in contradiction to each other?

If you think so, you would not be alone. How would you explain the seeming contradiction?

One of the things you have been taught at Hope CDA is that when there is a “contradiction” in the Bible, it is not the Bible contradicting itself, but our understanding that is creating the confusion. This has been the case for scholars as well.

It is clear that salvation comes through faith in Jesus, and it is His work on the cross that provided salvation. There is nothing that any one of us did to earn that.

So, to understand this more clearly, we must look at what it means to be justified before God. The first way is a legal declaration, that a person has been acquitted or declared righteous legally. This is what happens when one accepts Jesus. He or she is being declared not guilty of any sin the person committed. There is complete justification because the penalty was paid. This justification comes through faith in Jesus and nothing else.

The second kind of justification is a public presentation of a person as being righteous. An example of this is seen in Matthew 11:19. Read that text. What does it tell us about how wisdom was justified?

This verse in Matthew 11:19 and what James is talking about is the public presentation.

Interestingly enough, we actually see this in a wedding ceremony. The minister, priest, or pastor will pronounce that a couple are husband and wife. This is the first kind of pronouncement, a legal declaration. They are married at that point. He then has them turn and face those in attendance, making a pronouncement that this couple is now married. The minister, priest, or pastor is presenting to the community the married couple. They were already married, but now the pronouncement of marriage is made.

This is what James is talking about in verse 24. He is saying that one is publicly declaring himself as righteous before God by performing deeds and actions that prove the faith that he or she has in Jesus. The work of Jesus already cleansed that person from his or her sin. Now, a person is demonstrating that justification by presenting him or herself as saved to the community by performing good deeds and works.

In verses 25-26, James gives one more example. This is about the prostitute Rahab. Prior to the Israelites beginning their quest to conquer the Promised Land, Joshua sent spies to Jericho. The story of Rahab is told in Genesis 2. Let’s read that story.

How did Rahab demonstrate her faith in God?

After reading this section of verses, how would you explain the relationship between faith and works?

To close this lesson, read all of James 2. What portion of this text stands out to you?

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