Faith without Works is Dead

“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18)

We are at the focal point of James’ mission as he was writing to these Christians. He was not simply directing his remarks to First Century Jewish Christians. His remarks are for Christians of every age. We need to hear this message that Faith without Works is Dead.

Faith Precedes Works

It is evident from what James is teaching that faith precedes works. James is not teaching that a man or a woman can merit eternal life by living good decent kind lives. If those lives are not lived in faith, there is nothing wherewith to please God. St Paul wrote to the Hebrews, another group of First Century Christians, “without faith it is impossible to please Him” (Hebrews 11:6). Wherever James speaks of works in his letter, faith precedes. Therefore faith without works is dead – faith must come first.

Faith is the primary objective. Yes – your faith must be followed by works but works without faith have no value. You cannot come before God and claim a religious or a decent life as being enough. It will not be enough.

Faith alone Justifies

Furthermore, James teaches that faith justifies. He speaks of Abraham in a similar vein to the Apostle Paul, who also quoted Genesis 15:6 – “Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness”:

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.” (James 2:23)

“Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be. And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sara’s womb: He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.” (Romans 5:16-22)

It has been well documented that Martin Luther struggled with James, calling it an epistle of straw. This was because Paul’s strong emphasis on faith and grace brought Luther into the light. He felt there was some contradiction between James and Paul.

We must appreciate Luther’s stance in the light of his times. Luther’s reservations must be understood in the context of his struggle against the Roman Catholic doctrine of justification. His concern was that James might be understood as contradicting the gospel of grace which had brought him into the light. The Roman Catholic Church does not deny the necessity of grace, but it teaches that works performed through grace have a role in justification. The Reformers rejected this understanding, insisting that the sinner is justified by faith alone, through the imputed righteousness of Christ. James does not contradict that truth. He demonstrates that the faith which justifies is a living faith, and that living faith produces works.

A careful analysis shows that James and Paul do not contradict one another. Paul teaches that we are justified by faith alone, apart from the works of the law. James teaches that the faith which justifies is never a barren or lifeless faith. He is not adding works to the righteousness of Christ, but demonstrating that genuine faith will produce works. Paul shows us how a sinner is justified before God; James shows us how that faith is demonstrated before men.

Justification rests upon Christ alone, received by faith alone. But the faith that receives Christ is a living faith, and that living faith will produce works. Abraham was justified by faith, and his obedience demonstrated the reality of that faith.

We need to pause and reflect upon this. The words that James uses are deeply significant.

Like Abraham we need acceptance by the righteous God. We must become the friends of God. All of God’s friends are righteous. But we are not righteous. We are sinners and we are on a collision course with the righteous God. This places us in grave and eternal danger.

Therefore we must receive righteousness to become God’s friends. Abraham received this righteousness on the basis of His faith. He believed God. When God told him Sarah would have a son he believed in the humanely impossible. God took that faith and on the basis of that faith he counted Abraham as a righteous. The word translated “counted” means to take stock or take an inventory. Abraham was not righteous in himself. He was a sinner, just as we are. But he believed the promise of God, and God counted that faith unto him for righteousness. It was not the merit of Abraham’s faith that secured his acceptance. Faith was the instrument by which he received the righteousness which God graciously provided. This is justification by faith alone.

Dear unsaved friend – you are not righteous but God can make you righteous when you put your faith in Christ alone. Why Christ? Because He took your sin that you might have His righteousness.

Faith is followed by Works

Where true faith exists, works will follow. Faith without works is dead. James was not teaching that works justified in and of themselves. But he was teaching that works flowing from faith demonstrate to the world that we are justfied, that we are indeed the friends of God. Does God want HIs friends to live careless and wicked lives? Being justified by God must lead to a better life. A life who shows forth Christ. This is why faith without works are indeed dead.

This is entirely in keeping with Christ’s teaching. This is the purpose of the Sermon on the Mount. Our character should be that of the Kingdom – meek, merciful, peacemaking, forgiving and prayerful! The good tree He said brings forth good fruit but the corrupt tree brings forth evil fruit. “By their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20). Christ advocated judgment day honesty. To be as a wise man building his house upon the rock. This was the man who heard the Lord’s sayings and actually put them into practice. The who hears and does is on the rock. The one who hears and does not is foolish and builds his or her life upon the sand.

It is also in keeping with the teaching of Paul. Paul generally divides his books into sections. There is the doctrinal followed by the practical. The doctrinal lays down the theology – those things that must be believed. The practical demonstrates how the theology, the belief is put into practice. In Galatians 5 he unfolds the practical teaching by demonstrating what true fruit is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance”. He also set forth a list of the works of the flesh which disqualify one from being part of the Kingdom – adultery, fornication, envying, murder, drunkenness, and revelling all form part of that list.

We are not be shallow rooted. We need deep roots that yield and abound with fruitfulness like Joseph – whose branches ran over the wall.

Faith and the Transformed Life

James holds out hope for all kinds of sinners in engaging Rahab as his final example. She was a harlot who lived a scandalous life. Yet she believed that the children of Israel were the Lord’s people and the spies who entered her city must be spared. Therefore she protected them and for that act of faith she was saved.

Here was woman who was in a hopeless situation, living in the city of destruction but by faith her life was turned around. As the walls fell down, her house survived because she put out the scarlet cord as she was instructed. She acted in faith and was saved from certain judgement. She went onto marry into Israel and became part of the lineage of Christ.

You today can be changed, counted righteousness and given a different life through faith. That is a message of real hope. The only hope.