Faith And Works
FAITH AND WORKS
JAMES 2:14-26
If our trust is in the living Lord, it must make a difference in our lives.
Nowhere does James’ strong emphasis on practical Christianity come out more clearly than here. Indeed, it is so prominent that some have felt that James is contradicting Paul. Paul, they say, teaches that a person is justified by faith, not works (Galatians 2:16), whereas here James is teaching the opposite and indeed goes so far as to say that “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (2:24).
It is important not to be hypnotized by words, but to ask what James means. And it is quite clear when we try to answer this question that James does not mean by works what Paul means. Paul is speaking of those works done in obedience to the law by which a person tries to deserve their salvation. Untiringly, Paul fights this error. People cannot earn their salvation by works of law. But James is not talking about this at all when he looks for works. The works about which he writes are the outworking of a living faith. In fact, he says specifically, “I by my works will show you my faith” (2:18). Works are the evidence that faith is present. For James, faith is undoubtedly important (see 1:6; 2:1,5; 5:15). He assumes that faith is necessary. But he denies that a right faith can exist without works. The kind of faith that lacks works is dead (2:17).
The faith James has in mind in this section of the letter is something very different from what Paul means by faith (or for that matter what James means elsewhere). We are not left to guess at this, for he tells us plainly what this kind of faith is like: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe and shudder” (2:19). This is not the warm personal trust in a living Savior which is what Paul means by faith. James then is opposing something which Paul is not advocating. There is no contradiction.
Finally, let us notice that James’ point is important. It is always easier to make a profession of faith than it is to live out that profession in practical service of God. But we are called to give such practical service. James calls attention to Abraham and Rahab as people who lived out their faith. Saving faith is a faith that works by love (as Paul puts it, Galatians 5:6).
Consider How is James’ emphasis on an active faith that leads to works relevant to your situation?