James has introduced us to two kinds of faith that can never save the sinner: dead faith (the intellect alone), and demonic faith (the intellect and the emotions). He closes this section by describing the only kind of faith that can save the sinner—dynamic faith. Dynamic faith is faith that is real, faith that has power, faith that results in a changed life.
In the context of James’s letter faith must not be allowed to boast in self-sufficiency (cf. 2:7; 3:14). For James mere faith was an empty boast that masked great evil. Faith is trust in God alone, but it must be whole-hearted and produce good deeds based on the mercy of God. Faith without deeds is a hoax of the double-minded. It can and surely must be discussed because it is not honest about what it is actually doing, such as playing favorites and withholding mercy. Faith is always active, either producing good deeds in agreement with God or in producing evil deeds in deceptive contradiction of him.
James described this true saving faith. To begin with, dynamic saving faith is based on the Word of God. We receive our spiritual rebirth through God’s Word (James 1:18). We receive the Word and this saves us (James 1:21). “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” (Rom. 10:17, ESV). James used Abraham and Rahab as illustrations of dynamic saving faith since both of them heard and received the message of God through His Word.
Faith is only as good as its object. No matter how much faith a person may generate, if it is not directed at the right object, it will not accomplish anything. “I believe” may be the testimony of many sincere people, but the main question is, “In whom do you believe? What do you believe?” We are not saved by faith in faith; we are saved by faith in Christ as revealed in His Word.
Dynamic faith is based on God’s Word, and it involves the whole person. Dead faith touches only the intellect; demonic faith involves both the mind and the emotions (v. 19); but dynamic faith involves the will. The whole person plays a part in true saving faith. The mind understands the truth; the heart desires the truth; and the will acts upon the truth.[1] The men and women of faith named in Hebrews 11 were people of action: God spoke and they obeyed. Again, “Faith is not believing in spite of evidence; faith is obeying in spite of consequence.”[2]
True saving faith leads to action. Dynamic faith is not intellectual contemplation or emotional dismay; it leads to obedience on the part of the will. And this obedience is not an isolated event: it continues throughout the whole life. It leads to works.
Many different kinds of works are named in the New Testament. “The works of the Law” (Gal. 2:16) relate to the sinner’s attempt to please God by obeying the Law of Moses. Of course, it is impossible for a sinner to be saved through the works of the Law. “The works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19) are done by unsaved people who live for the things of the old nature. There are also “wicked works” (Col. 1:21) and “dead works” (Heb. 9:14). Where there is dynamic or saving faith, there we will find good works.
As a final proof of his thesis, James gave two biblical (and vastly different people) examples: Abraham, the revered patriarch, and Rahab, the redeemed prostitute. Abraham was a Jew; Rahab was a Gentile. Abraham was a godly man, but Rahab was a sinful woman, a harlot. Abraham was the friend of God, while Rahab belonged to the enemies of God. What did they have in common? Both exercised saving faith in God.
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (NASB)
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross.
- Abraham’s faith prompted his obedience. It prodded him on to do good works. His obedience demonstrated the integrity of his faith.
- Works do not justify the believer in God’s sight but demonstrate the genuineness of faith toward others inside and outside the church; for example, their faith is “useful” as God has intended it to be
CLOSER LOOK:
Verse 21: James asks, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?” This question is often held to be directly opposed to Paul’s statement that Abraham’s faith, not his works, caused God to declare him righteous (Rom. 4:1–5). “Paul, however, was arguing for the priority of faith. James argued for the proof of faith.”[3] Paul declared that Abraham had faith, and was therefore justified, or declared righteous (Gen. 15:6), prior to circumcision (Gen. 17:11; cf. Rom. 4:9). James explained that Abraham’s faith was evident in his practice of Isaac’s sacrifice (Gen. 22:12), and he was therefore justified or declared righteous. Works serve as the barometer of justification, while faith is the basis for justification.[4] James clearly teaches justification by faith, because he quotes Genesis 15:6 in verse 23, which obviously connects the crediting of righteousness, that is, salvation, to Abraham’s belief.
The word “reckoned” (NASB) or “counted” (ESV) is a legal or financial term; it means “to put to one’s account.” As a sinner, Abraham’s spiritual bankbook was empty. He was bankrupt! But he trusted God, and God put righteous on Abraham’s account. Abraham did not work for this righteousness; he received it as a gift from God. He was declared righteous by faith. He was justified by faith (read Rom. 4).
Justification is an important doctrine in the Bible. Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross. It is not a process; it is an act. It is not something the sinner does; it is something God does for the sinner when they trust Christ. It is a once-for-all event. It never changes.
How was Abraham “justified by works” when he had already been “justified by faith”? (see Rom. 4) By faith, he was justified before God, and his righteousness declared; by works, he was justified before men and his righteousness demonstrated. This justification by works of which James is speaking is a different type of justification. This type of justification is before other people. In other words, James is using the word “justified” to mean “proved.” We prove to others our genuine faith in Christ through our works. But the justification that comes through faith is before God, and we do not “prove” ourselves to Him; instead, God declares us righteous through our association with Christ, the One who died for our sins (Rom 3:28). It is true that no humans actually saw Abraham put his son on the altar, but the inspired record in Genesis 22 enables us to see the event and witness Abraham’s faith demonstrated by his works.
Due to time and space, I published an article on the meaning of “justification” in this section of James. For more information on this topic, the paper is available here.
Verses 22–24: James emphasized the joint role of faith and actions working together. Faith is the force behind the deed. The deed is the finality of the faith. The verb translated was perfected (eteleiōthē)[5] means to “carry to the end.” The point James is making to the objector is that faith works together with works, that is, there is a relationship between the two, and the relationship is works make faith perfect, that is, mature. Faith finds fulfillment in action. So it was with Abraham. Also, something to note that, in verse 23 James references the fulfillment of Scripture. James and Paul quoted the same passage—Genesis 15:6—to prove their points (cf. Rom. 4:3). Paul said that Abraham was justified by faith, and James said that Abraham was justified by faith evidenced by what he did. By offering Isaac, Abraham endured the test and demonstrated his complete trust in God. His obedience made him a friend of God (Jn 15:14)
James wanted it known that without action, faith cannot be complete. Without action, there will be no perseverance (cf. 1:3), and without sustained perseverance, faith will not become complete. There is an important connection between deeds that complete faith and perseverance itself. Abraham’s actions were his perseverance in faith. Perseverance completes faith by demonstrating the genuineness of faith (cf. 4:10–11). Thus, although usefulness is a standard by which faith is measured, so is perseverance through testing.[6] Perseverance is connected to usefulness because it is “useful” to God and the believer in that it demonstrates true relationship.
In verse 24, the “You” is in the plural, indicating that James now turns his attention to the reader. “You see” (not God) that a person is justified by works.
Verse 25: “In the same way” (literally “and likewise also”; homoiōs de kai) was not Rahab declared righteous for her actions in welcoming the spies (angelous, “messengers”) and helping them escape? (Josh. 2: 6). Rahab’s works were done by faith, but actions were necessary to affirm her inner change. Had she remained in sin while acclaiming faith, she would never have been declared righteous (justified).[7]
It is an exciting story. But in it is one of the Bible’s great examples of saving faith (see Heb. 11:31). Rahab heard the Word and knew that her city was condemned. This truth affected her and her fellow citizens so that their hearts melted within them (Josh. 2:11). Rahab responded with her mind and her emotions, but she also responded with her will, meaning she did something about it. She risked her own life to protect the Jewish spies, and she further risked her life by sharing the good news of deliverance with the members of her family. The Hebrew word translated “harlot” in Joshua 2 can also have the wider meaning of “an innkeeper.”[8] Rahab ran a guest house, so it was normal for the spies to go there. The Greek word “harlot” in James 2:25 definitely means an immoral person. This is also the meaning in Hebrews 11:31. Matthew 1:5 indicates she married into Israel and became an ancestress of our Lord. She exercised dynamic faith: her mind knew the truth, her heart was stirred by the truth, and her will acted on the truth. She proved her faith by her works
Verse 26: The conclusion is most clear. The body represents faith. Breathing (works) demonstrates the body is alive. Works demonstrate that faith is alive. Faith and works are as essential to each other as the body and the spirit. “Without” or “Apart from” (chōris) the spirit, or the “breath” (pneumatos) of life, the body is dead. Without the evidence of works, faith may be deemed dead. It is not the real thing. True faith continually contributes to spiritual growth and development.
James summary so far: A believer is not only to stand confidently on God’s Word even in the midst of trials and temptations (chap. 1), but also they must serve their brothers and sisters in Christ (chap. 2). The believer is to accept all members of God’s family without favoritism (2: 1–13) and to aid the family with a working faith (2:14–26). To gain spiritual maturity a believer must be what God wants them to be and do what God wants them to do.
[1] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1996),n.p.
[2] Geoffrey Studdert Kennedy
[3] J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 826.
[4] J. Ronald Blue, “James,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1985), 826.
[5] Strong’s 5048. Also complete, finish, end, accomplish.
[6] Kurt A. Richardson, “James,” in New American Commentary, (Nashville: New American Commentary, 1997), n.p.
[7] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald B. Allen, H. Wayne House, eds., Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: Nelson, 1999), 1668.
[8] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1996),n.p.