True Faith and Works

James 2: 14 - 26

I think this reading is very clear, self-explanatory and hardly needs any comments. However, we still want to dig deeper into this passage. There might be a part that is difficult to understand, especially when it is compared with the writings of Paul. We know the Reformed faith is very close to the teachings of Paul. Of course it is not that the Reformed faith rejects the epistle of James. The epistle is the Word of God, so we should think about how to harmonize them.

This passage (verse 14-26) can be considered as the most theologically significant part of the epistle. When writing a passage, an author is addressing a problem in their congregation. You can try reconstructing the problem in the community James was serving such that James had to write this passage. Apparently there were people who thought it was enough to have only faith and did not need any works. It is also likely that they based their opinion on the writings of Paul, or at least from the teachings of Paul. This is what James was trying to address in his epistle. All in all, we believe there is no contradiction between Paul and James. The question here is why James seemingly teaches that faith is insufficient. The answer is simple: there is a difference between Paul’s usage and James’ usage of the word ‘faith’. In verse 14 where it says that someone has faith but does not have works, that faith is not true faith, because true faith is accompanied with good deeds or works. Such a person seems to have ‘faith’ but actually he or she does not have faith.

I believe one of the best explanations is from the Westminster Confession, chapter 11 (of Justification), paragraph 2, ‘Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness is the alone instrument of justification, yet it is not alone in the person justified but it is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but worketh by love.’. Faith alone is appropriate in considering the instrument of justification. We are justified, instrumentally, through faith alone. However, when someone is truly justified, faith in himself will not be alone, but accompanied with other christian virtues. In fact, marks of true faith are good works, christian virtues, and other saving graces. There seemed to be people who misunderstood or perhaps deliberately twisted the teachings of Paul by saying that Paul teaches faith alone is sufficient and does not need good works. In fact, those people used the word ‘faith’ in a wrong understanding; it is not faith at all. James explains in verse 15, ‘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,’ can we say that such a person has true faith? If people have true faith, they will also have other christian virtues and other saving graces. One of them is generosity. If people say they are believers, but are not willing to share with their brothers or sisters in need, then we can question whether they truly believe or not. We are not saying that people are saved because they share their clothes - that is not the point. People are saved, again, instrumentally, through faith alone. This does not change. However, people who are truly saved will grow and become more like Christ. If this does not happen, maybe they have not truly believed or are not born again yet.

We can use an even simpler explanation. People confess they believe in God, but they never want to worship. They would rather worship other things than God. They do not want to have fellowship with other believers. They are not interested in studying the Word of God. They love living in sin, and hate fellow human beings. How can we say that such people have true faith? I believe this is a simple explanation. This does not mean that people are saved because they do not live in sin. That is not the logic there. However, not living in sin is a sign that people have truly experienced the grace of God, been justified or liberated in Christ.

Likewise, when James talks about giving food and clothes, he does not mean that we are saved because of our works. Instead, a generous life is an expression of thanksgiving from people who are truly saved. Before we knew Christ, we might be stingy, live for ourselves and do not like to love others. We might be selfish, live for ourselves and not for God nor others. However, if we are truly justified through true faith, other saving graces and christian virtues will grow in our lives. Those are visible and can be experienced by not only those who are saved but also those who are blessed by them. Thus, in using this example, it is clear what James means here. He says it in a quite thetical way in verse 17, ‘so also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.’. In other words, it is not true faith. Dead faith is an oxymoron. Either it is true faith that is living, or if it is dead, it is actually not faith at all. Thus, true faith cannot actually be dead. Thus, when James uses the word ‘faith’, the people who boasted about it and claimed they were believers, did not actually have true faith in the Lord.

However, apparently the problem is not that simple. Human sinners have a lot of excuses. There were people who said that one group should specialize in faith, and another in works, so that there is diversity in the body of Christ. Thus, if there are people in need, those who say they specialize in faith will say that other people who specialize in works are the ones who should be generous, so that they can complement one another. Sometimes in church there could be this kind of unfortunate specialization. I have been serving many years and sometimes observe the congregation’s situation. From my personal observation, which is of course not absolute, congregation members who have money and an established career may not have any problem in giving offerings, but they may not be able to offer their time and feeling i.e. they cannot stand feeling offended. On the other side, there could be people like students who have time to serve, but may find it difficult to give offerings. They might think that it is more appropriate that people with a high salary should be the ones giving offerings. This is the specialization. I specialize in offering my talent, while others specialize in offering their money, so as far as money offering is concerned, do not talk to me because it is not my specialization. The other group who specialize in money may then say it is not a problem for them to offer their money for church building developments, but they do not want to be asked for their time and cannot stand having their feelings hurt. This specialization in ministry is what James talks about. I specialize in prayers, while others specialize in opening their wallets and helping the poor. I specialize in saying ‘Go in peace’, perhaps with raised hands, while others give the blanket and warm food. Still in verse 18, James says, ‘Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.’.

The argument here is simple. It is easy for people to say they have faith, but without works, it is actually not faith. On the contrary, true faith is revealed through real works that are visible. This may not be mentioned by James but it is important to note that it does not mean that all external works signify true faith. This is not what is taught here. There are people who are generous but inside their hearts they actually do not believe in God. People who do not believe in God can be generous. James is not teaching that people with visible works must have faith - this is not what James says. What James says is that the way to show true faith is through good works. Quoting from a commentary, ‘only by deeds, by works, can faith be truly demonstrated.’. If there are no works, then it is only empty talk.

James even says that this sort of faith is possessed by demons. Verse 19 says that even the demons believe that there is only one God. The demons are not atheists. Charles Spurgeon says that atheism is a strange thing - even the devils never fell into that vice, for the devils also believed and trembled. James says that even the demons believe that God is one, so there is some sort of faith, and in fact one that makes them shudder. Does it mean that the demons have true faith? Certainly not! The belief that God is one exists in the demons, but there are no good deeds in them. If we say we have faith but have no good deeds, then our level of faith is similar to that of the demons.

He then gives a positive example. Abraham was justified by faith and called as the father of believers. Indeed he was justified by faith, but he demonstrated it through good works. He offered his son, Isaac, on the altar, and this is a concrete deed. This is not faith that resides in the heart but does not manifest in deeds. That kind of faith is not the christian faith. There is always this kind of christianity with sentimental or romantic faith that does not have outward expression in good deeds. Jesus says that things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart. The context is slightly different, but my point here is that what is inside one’s heart cannot remain inside; it will eventually come out. We are human beings who will express our hearts, no matter if we are introverted or extroverted. We will still have outward expressions even if we are not really expressive people. Even if you stay alone and do not want to meet others, that behavior is also an expression of life. What is expressed outwardly depends on what is inside. If the heart inside is good, then the expression is good, and if the heart inside is bad, then the expression is bad. We’re back to the principle that Jesus says: what comes out is from the heart.

Back to the story of Abraham: he was justified because he believed in the promise of God, and he expressed his belief through real deeds. Offering up Isaac is a form of obedience that is not without actions. James then says in verse 24, ‘You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.’. The ‘faith’ here is the dead faith, which is actually not faith at all. Thus, you should not contrast this with Paul who says that justification is by faith and not by works of the law. James might seem to suggest that faith is synthesized with works, and this seems different from Paul’s teachings. However, once again, James does not use the word ‘faith’ with that meaning. He is not using the high concept of faith that Paul uses. He is talking about faith which some people boasted about while it is actually not true faith. Why? Because it is not accompanied with good works. This proves that it is not true faith.

James gives another example of Rahab who, by faith and through deeds, risked herself by hiding the messengers who could be killed. The faith of Rahab is demonstrated by a courageous act. Sometimes we say we are true believers, but we do not dare to confess our faith and do not dare to be against the world’s narrative. If we know that in our workplace or studies there are things against christian teachings, we stay silent so that our position is safe. When people are treated unjustly, one may stay indifferent as long as he or she is not the one treated unjustly. After all, one should not be a busybody who fights for justice for others. This kind of people might still say they have faith, but what kind of faith is that? This is in contrast with Rahab’s faith, which brings her to take a courageous act which has a risk and a price to pay in hiding the messengers.

In Europe, when Jews were persecuted in the past, there were two different responses, even from the church, including those who claimed they were christians. There were people who turned blind eyes, but still called themselves christians and true believers. However, there were christians who risked themselves, gave rebukes, corrections, and finally got persecuted as well. This is true faith. James invites you and me to have true faith like this, not ‘faith’ that does not have courage, that does not want to suffer, that only wants to play safe. That ‘faith’ is not faith. That ‘faith’ may seem to believe in the promise of God, but involves no sacrifice in the person’s life, unlike Abraham. Instead, the person with such ‘faith’ is very calculative in his life. What kind of faith is this?

We believe in Jesus Christ who sacrifices Himself. If we truly believe in Jesus Christ who sacrifices Himself, we will be transformed into people who sacrifice ourselves like Jesus Christ. May God bless us all.