I woke up in a strange land. A dangerous, decaying city where dark eyes stared threats wherever I turned. I knew no one. Nor the language. Nor where to go. On a narrow street a dark giant approached. I cowered. But, in my own tongue, he offered to get me home. “You can trust me. Just do what I tell you.” This is the nature of James’ faith. Faith that follows the one trusted. Faith that transcends words and evidenced in action.
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no works? Can such faith save him? (James 2:14).
Well, can’t it save him, Paul? ” . . . a person is not justified by works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 2:16). Confronted with a classic contradiction. James asks rhetorically No good comes from faith without works. No more than . . .
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 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?” (James 2:15,16).
Another rhetorical. Words won’t warm chilled bones or fill empty stomachs.
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead (James 2:17).
“Dead” faith. Opposite of “alive.” Opposite of “useful, effective.” Faith that can’t save, not the naked nor the hungry nor the sinner. Useless because it’s lifeless.
Proper to pause here. Typically, we read this passage in theological terms only. We feel pressed to answer: How shall we solve the doctrinal conundrum between Paul and James? Not an unworthy question, to be sure. James, though, is writing as a concerned pastor. He’s anxious that his dispersed Jewish Christians may not be acting consistently with their profession of faith in Christ.
This is where James speaks to us. Faith-professions have become “easy-believism.” Occasionally observing unseemly behavior, a friend remarks, “And she’s a Christian?” To borrow a term from German pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, faith that doesn’t show itself in action is cheap, just as grace that doesn’t “work.”
“Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate” (Bonhoeffer).
But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that– and shudder (James 2:18,19).
“Someone” seems to have gotten his challenge backward. I’d expect him to say, “You have deed; I have faith.” Confusing. But Jame’s argument is clear enough—and hits with a harsh, blunt blow. Intellectual faith (faith that believes that there is one God but lacks deeds) remains invisible and is, in fact, demon-like. ‘Nuff said.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 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. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 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? (James 2:20-25).
James (rather un-pastor-like) calls this “someone” man “foolish” (Greek, kenos—literally “empty-headed.”) Which reminds me of the old line: “Be careful you’re not so open-minded that your brains fall out!” In this case, it’s empty-headed to make faith whatever you want it to be.
To underscore his argument, James offers two key examples of faith from the Jewish Scriptures.
Abraham, the patriarch. He was “considered righteous for what he did.” Provocative, James. A bit edgy given Genesis 15:6—“And [Abraham] believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” God counted Abraham’s belief in the promise as righteous. But James considers Abraham’s action that followed his faith. . . his faith was working together with his works.” Not faith or works. Not faith plus works. Faith expressed by works. Faith working together with his works (the zenith being obediently offering his only son Isaac on an altar).
A more mundane illustration I’ve used a thousand times. “I believe this chair will hold me. It’s only living, useful faith when I sit down.” (I sit. Thankfully, chair held.) Faith then is “made complete” (Greek, teleioo—brought to consummation, perfected) by what we do. Faith without commensurate action is not firing on all cylinders. John Calvin: “Faith alone justifies, but the faith which justifies is not alone.”
Rahab, the prostitute. Far less esteemed a person than Abraham, but the same family of faith. Rahab believed the spies—and acted accordingly.
Now a bit gross, a corpse example . . .
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead (James 2:26).
No spirit in the body, the body’s dead. No deeds in the faith-profession, faith’s dead.
* * * * *
What prompted James to launch into “faith without works is dead”? One can only theorize. But context brings us back to his rebuke against the sin of partiality (2:1-13). He means for his Jewish-Christian readers to fulfill “the royal law” and ” . . . love your neighbor as yourself” (2:8), Such love, irrespective of persons, is sorely needed among these dispersed-among-the-nations Christians. They must not only profess faith in King Jesus, they must not only maintain ceremonial aspects of the faith, they must work their faith in neighbor-love. It won’t merit them anything. But it will prove in which master they truly believe.
It’s a strange land where we live. Getting stranger by the day. Someone has offered to take us home. We must trust him. And, trusting, do what he says.
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