In James 2:1-13, James discusses at some length how a man's faith in Christ expresses itself in practical and social ethics. He stresses the necessity of showing forth Christian love, compassion, and equality in Christ. Now, in verses 14-26, he concentrates on the necessity of good works to demonstrate the genuineness of the believer's faith.
Thousands of church members profess to have faith in Christ, but it's difficult to find any real evidence of genuine faith in their deportment. They make a pretense of believing but fail to practice right behavior toward fellow believers.
Many people have a false confidence. They imagine no matter how they live, they cannot be lost because they believe in eternal security. The sad truth is they have never really believed, and their lives demonstrate it.
They have said, "yes, I believe." They have given affirmative answers to whoever interviewed them for church membership. Perhaps they have gone forward in a service and answered to personal questions satisfactorily. Many such persons continue under the unwarranted assumption that belief in God and in the cardinal doctrines of the Christian faith is all that salvation requires.
James intends to expose this delusion. He writes to professing Christians. The issue with him is not how to get into the family of God but how true-born members of that family act. He intends to show the absence of good works is a certain indication of an unregenerate condition.
He opens the subject with a question (vs. 14). It centers around the matter of whether the man who says he has faith, yet brings forth no evidences, really has genuine faith. The answer is obvious. Faith which doesn't effect changes in the life and bring forth Godly fruit is nothing more than a mere profession, a false and spurious faith. That kind of faith never saved anyone.
Sometimes we talk about saving faith, but we should keep in mind a man's faith not the cause or the basis of his salvation. The work of Calvary and Jesus' faith alone is the only sufficient ground and basis of our salvation. We are saved because of and on account of what Christ accomplished by His death and resurrection...in response to His faith in God the Father.
Of course, one cannot be saved without faith... but our faith.. is limited compared to that of Jesus'. Our faith is simply the medium through which the Holy Spirit works to bring us to Christ and Christ to us. We are saved through faith, not on account of our faith. Faith itself has no saving merit.
As soon as we view faith as an act of merit which influences God to save us, we have fallen into the doctrine of meritorious works.
James illustrates the results of a superficial spurious faith by citing the case of a believer who has suffered some financial extremity (vs. 15). The language is probably hyperbolic, but James wants to impress us with the utter poverty of these companions in the faith.
The professing church member takes notice of such destitution by remarking, "may someone help you--not me!" Or he says, "I hope you luck will soon change" (vs. 16). Nevertheless, he does not lift his hand to relieve the neighbor of his exposure to the cold or remedy his malnutrition.
James wants us to know exchanging pleasantries and pronouncing pious benedictions can never alter unhappy circumstances. Talk is cheap!
John deals with the same situation. He wants to know how a man can say he loves his Christian brother when he "sees his brother has a need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him" (I John 3:17). Such a man many claim to love God, his neighbors, and his Christian friends, but his insensitivity and inaction prove otherwise.
The same principle applies to faith (James 2:17). It's easy to talk glibly about faith in Christ, receiving Christ, and commitment to Christ, but the proof is in the product. Any professed faith which does not stir the Christian to energetic performances is "dead" faith. James calls it "dead" because its useless and stagnant. Such faith has no principle of life or movement in it.
Anyone can boast he has exercised faith in Christ, but only the man who demonstrates his faith by outward acts of kindness and compassion is convincing (vs. 18). Verbal declarations are not sufficient evidence of real faith. It's self deceit to suppose Christ lives in your heart when one of your outward actions indicate it.
Its impossible to have true faith without good works accompanying it. Justification and sanctification cannot be separated in the Christian life, except to distinguish them for the purpose of explaining them. God sanctifies everyone whom He justifies. God works salvation in us and for us, and He supplies us with the willingness to work salvation out in a life that is well-pleasing to Himself.
Least his Jewish readers think faith in the Old Testament monotheism is sufficient to save people, James reminds them that demons are monotheists, too (vs. 19). They are fully aware of the doctrinal content of the Bible. They know all about the doctrine of the Trinity, the blood atonement, the existence of Hell.
But their knowledge of these Biblical facts will not prevent them from falling into the hands of the wrathful God in whom they believe. The inevitability of their eternal doom is so real they tremble in terror at the mere contemplation of it. The kind of faith that does not result in good works is no better in its quality than the belief of evil angels.
Such faith is "vain"--barren and unproductive. It's spiritually empty and impotent.
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