Opening Prayer
I join with all of heaven in praise today, Father. Thank you for making yourself known to me.
Read JAMES 2:14–26
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
25 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? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Footnotes
- James 2:20 Some early manuscripts dead
- James 2:23 Gen. 15:6
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Meditate
‘Love so amazing, so divine, / demands my soul, my life, my all.’1
Think Further
For many today this passage may be very familiar because it is a case for many Christians who affirm that salvation is by faith alone – in particular, the Pauline doctrine of justification by faith,2 which James appears to contradict in his various statements that faith without works is dead (vv. 17, 20, 26). Such statements might, at first sight, give credence to that idea.
However, that is to miss the fact that this passage is not divorced from the preceding verses (vv. 1–13). James has not abandoned the issue of the rich and poor within the community. The question posed and answered is: ‘How is true faith demonstrated?’ Not by pious good wishes (vv. 14–17), but by caring for the most vulnerable within the community. It is not enough, as we noted on Saturday, to have a faith that mentally assents to principles. After all, Satan and his demons have no doubt of God’s existence, and they shudder (v. 19) – but that does not lead to salvation. It is by actions that the community demonstrates its faith in God and, to justify this, James uses the examples of Abraham and Rahab to show how their faith in God was demonstrated by their actions (vv. 21–25).
It is important to note here that James is not describing how one comes to faith and new life in Christ; rather, he is talking about how that faith and new life grow and mature. Scripturally, we need both: Paul and his teaching that we are saved by faith alone; and James and his teaching that true faith must also be worked out in our relationship with others. To those who would pervert Paul’s teaching, James provides a rebuttal; to those who would pervert James’ teaching, Paul provides a rebuttal.
Apply
As you experience the transformation that faith brings, what kind of spiritual fruit can be seen in your life?
Closing prayer
Thank you, Loving God, for your gift of salvation; thank you for faith that makes it mine. Please help me to express my thanksgiving in outward and tangible ways today.
Last Updated on April 9, 2024 by kingstar
