Justified by Works James 2:14-26  https://youtu.be/p3HMveQw3ME

Introduction

Today’s passage from James is difficult to interpret and controversial in message. The father of the Protestant Reformation, Martin Luther, said that compared to books like Romans and Galatians it was “a real strawy epistle, for it has no evangelical character about it.”[1] Whereas Paul says, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” (Rom 3:28), James testifies, “faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (2:17). Whilst Paul is strongly theological[2] James is intensely practical, which is why some of you down to earth people liked my sermon on the poor last week. There are definitely some non-Christian people who see Christianity as empty of true usefulness, and this passage in James is a strong exhortation to a higher level of commitment in terms of practical Christianity. We must be careful however not to interpret our passage as if God will reward us for our good deeds as if that’s how things are. I was sharing with someone during the week and used the “penitent thief” on the cross as an example of salvation by grace alone. He did nothing to merit eternal life, the one thing he did was to look away from his own wretched history and condition to Jesus. In seeking to understand James in a step-by-step way, we must never lose sight of Christ.

Exposition

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

There were people in the church who thought that if you believe in Jesus nothing else needs to change in your life. To make the point that idle faith is not saving faith[3] James uses what seems to be an extreme example. But if we take a more global perspective on things it isn’t extreme at all.

15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

In calling the needy a “brother/sister” James uses language that throughout his letter (James 1:9; 4:11) and the rest of the New Testament[4] refers to others in the same family of God[5]. And the tenses used show that the failure of Christian love was sustained and deliberate and empty pious words do no good to the needy person of the believer. The “poorly clothed” person is in fact called “naked” and the one lacking in “daily food” apparently is someone who has never prayed the Lord’s Prayer with faith, “give us this day our daily bread”. I am of course speaking in “a human manner”. I recall some years ago reading of the testimony of an impoverished African boy, when asked why he seemed to have no relief from his poverty his reply was simple but profoundly true, “My brothers and sisters in other parts of the world are not obeying our Heavenly Father.”

v. 17 “So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

If we understand that James is not contrasting faith and works but a faith without works and a faith that bears fruit in works it makes sense that a faith that doesn’t do anything on the outside is dead on the inside[6]. No righteous person could in good conscience deny James’ appeal to do righteous deeds like clothe naked and feed the hungry

18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

James’ imaginary “someone” seems to be asserting that different people have different gifts/callings[7].   His response is that faith and works are not options, good works are a sign of the presence of genuine faith. Whatever “faith” the objector has is no faith at all, the absence of works is a sign of dead faith.

19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

That “God is one” (Deut 6:4) was the basic faith confession of all orthodox Jews[8]. Even the demons respond to the truth of God in terror, more than some professing Christians do! The “faith” position James opposes isn’t full faith. Theology by itself is no replacement for goodness. True faith isn’t knowledge about God, which even demons possess, but the result of a revelation to our hearts which “possesses” us and moves us to action in the world. The famous Bible translator William Tyndale commented, “The devil beleiveth that Christ died, but not that he died for his sins” (Tyndale)[9].  There have been occasions when I have asked someone  “Do you believe that Jesus died for you?” and they reply, “I know Jesus died for everyone”. Anyone who cannot affirm, “Jesus died for me”, must question whether they are heirs of eternal life. James now moves his argument into a new phase.

20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

The “foolish” person is a “vain”, “senseless”, “empty”, as in “empty headed” person. The person who thinks they do not need to do good deeds is resisting the Spirit of Christ who constantly produced good works in the Lord[10]. “Useless” faith is barren or sterile faith. I planted a “lime tree” in my garden some years ago, it had “Lime” on the nursery tag and it looked like a lime tree, but when it failed to bear any fruit over the years I did a bit of research and it turned out to be a useless hybrid. Someone has cleverly said, “Faith that has no works does not work.”[11]

Now James turns to two notable examples of people whom God rewarded when they acted out their faith.

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;

Abraham is an obvious choice[12]. His already existing faith[13] was “brought to maturity” (teleioo) by his obedient willingness to sacrifice his only son to God. In the story itself, God remarks, “now I know that you fear God” (Gen 22:12). The Lord himself was impressed by the sacrificial love of his servant.] The action was the substance of faith working through love (Gal 5:6), for James is not pleading for faith plus work, but “faith at work”.

This way of speaking points us straight to Jesus, whose words, “it is finished” (tetelestai John 19:30) immediately before his death point to the consummation of his own obedient work of sacrifice as the final and full expression and evidence of his faith (cf. Rom 5:8).

23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.

James quotes God’s declaration in Genesis 15:6 which came years before the sacrifice of Isaac and was a divine suprahistoric verdict delivered on Abraham’s entire life. Abraham was a justified person in a right relationship with God because his faith led him to cooperate with God[14]. What was true already of Abraham’s relationship with God, that he was God’s friend, found expression in a life of obedience[15]. The description “friend of God” doesn’t appear in the Old Testament, though “the one loved by God” does (2 Chron 20:7; Isa 41:8). Jesus has drawn us into his circle of intimacy with his Father by saying, “No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you.” (John 15:15).

24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

Strictly speaking, “faith alone” cannot exist. Paul can speak of “faith working through love” (Gal 5:6) whilst Protestant Reformer John Calvin famously said, “It is therefore faith alone which justifies, and yet the faith which justifies is not alone: just as it is the heat alone of the sun which warms the earth, and yet in the sun it is not alone, because it is constantly conjoined with light.” for James’ a person is “justified by works”? because works are the only way in which a righteous status/acceptance with God can be demonstrated.

It is easy to understand James’ choice of Abraham to illustrate the essential character of faith and works. But why has James chosen Rahab?

25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

James’ chooses a pagan woman of loose reputation to show his teaching applies to everyone h.  Rahab’s holy fear (Josh 2:9, 11) moved her to hide the Israelite spies at risk to her own life and family.   Her works were the basis of God’s ultimate verdict of acceptance, one revealed in her placement in the genealogy of Jesus (Matt 1:5)[16] Jesus not ashamed to have a prostitute as one of his ancestors. Now James concludes,

26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”

The Christian religion is empty so long as it fails to complement its orthodox teaching with charitable acts[17].

Conclusion

Guess who said:

“Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. And so it is impossible for it not to do good works incessantly. It does not ask whether there are good works to do, but before the question rises, it has already done them, and is always at the doing of them. He who does not these works is a faithless man. He gropes and looks about after faith and good works and knows neither what faith is nor what good works are, though he talks and talks, with many words about faith and good works”…. Martin Luther.

Or, to quote from an old Salvation Army newspaper “My missus believes I am saved because I sweep beneath the mats and I didn’t before.” When what people do changes everybody takes notice. This is why throughout the New Testament (2 Cor 4:6-5:10; 1 Cor 4:3-5; Rev 20:11-15) merciful attitudes and actions count as evidence of the indwelling presence of Christ.[18] I believe that in all this James, is ultimately concerned not for our security in salvation but[19] for the vindication of God[20].

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his Son, Rahab risked her life to be a part of the people of promise, because it must cost something to follow Jesus. An old but difficult question goes like this, “If you were on trial for being a Christian would there be enough evidence to convict you?”

Appendix: James vs. other New Testament Writers

Many theologians, across the conservative-liberal spectrum, have seen a tension between James and the rest of the New Testament, Paul in particular. There are persuasive reasons to think the tension actually lies in the heart of the scholars themselves.

For Paul, “faith” is true faith, for James there is a proposed “faith” that people claim but is not real. Where Paul opposes “works of the law” as a means to earn divine approval, this expression never appears in James. James’ interest is in “works” as the product of the religious lives of Christians e.g., 1:27. Neither teaches that works produce faith, but believe that true faith produces works as a natural by-product. (Works # Faith, but, Faith >Works). Paul stresses the first half of the diagram, James the second half, as such they supplement one another.

Paul expounds justification in a context dealing with salvation (soteriology), James deals with religious practice. Where Paul seems focussed on how to receive God’s initial approval, what some, like John Wesley, have termed “initial justification”, James concentrates on “final justification” at the Last Judgement. For Paul, “righteousness/justification” is a completed present/past event where God does something to the ungodly as a result of grace through faith. James sees justification as an act of God in the future where the Lord will pronounce an eschatological/ end-time judgement which recognises existing right-doing. Paul denies the need for any pre-conversion works, while James teaches the absolute necessity of post-conversion works. Good works are the necessary proof that salvation has occurred.

More technically, in expounding Revelation 19:7-8, “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”—for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”, we should see the witness of a transformed life of good works as a necessary external response or “badge” for entrance to the wedding.

Put most technically, internal justification by faith in the gospel is a causal necessary condition for salvation, good works are a non-causal external necessary condition for salvation. The former is known to God, and, through revelation, to the heart of the believer. The latter will be manifest to all the world for the glory of God at the End.