James 2:14-20

¹⁴ What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?

¹⁵ If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food,

¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

¹⁷ Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

¹⁸ But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

¹⁹ You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!

²⁰ But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?

faith (v.14) — Not just “faith” per se, but “can faith such as that save him?” In the Greek, this question expects a negative answer. — Grace, page 2198.

Obviously, this passage appears to contradict many verses in Paul’s epistles. Here’s the KJV Commentary’s explanation of why this passage supposedly doesn’t contradict Paul’s doctrine of faith without works. As I’ll explain, I don’t agree:

Many misunderstand this verse because they fail to observe two significant facts. First, James does not state that the hypothetical person “has” faith, but merely a man say he hath faith [stet]. It distinguishes the one who “possesses” from the one who merely “professes.” Secondly, conclusions are based on the question, can faith save him? The AV unfortunately gives a wrong impression, for he is not asking about faith in general, but that type of faith which one has who makes claims without producing fruit. This is affirmed by the presence of the definite article in Greek meaning “the faith.” “Can that faith save him?” would be a proper translation. Which faith? That which the man claims to have. That being the case, James does not contradict Paul. Both affirm that true saving faith results in a changed life as evidenced by works (Ephesians2:8-9). — KJV Commentary, page 1719.

For starters, Ephesians 2:8-9 does not say that “true saving faith results in a changed life as evidenced by works.” Even if you add v.10, Paul said that faith should result in works. In other words, good works should be our response to being saved by faith. But doing, or not doing, good works isn’t evidence that a person is or is not saved.

Williams claims that James was referring to justification before men.

The justification by works of this Epistle is justification before man by furnishing to him that which he can see. God needs no such evidence, for He can read the heart and see if it is animated by a living faith. The source of justification is grace; the ground, atonement; the means, faith, and the evidence, works. The Epistle to the Romans deals with the first three; the Epistle of James with the last. 

The profession of a lifeless faith is pointless. If a man “say” he has faith (v.18). This is the key to this part to this part of the Epistle. He “says” he has it, but where is the proof. Nobody can see faith, but anybody can see its evidence. — Williams, page 994.

Williams seems to be saying that James came along and finished Paul’s explanation — that one needs to read both writers to get the complete picture. But the two men were writing to entirely different audiences, and James wrote first, so his readers wouldn’t have had access to Paul’s message. And again, Paul makes it clear that works should be one’s response to faith, not that they provide proof of faith. And by saying that James was referring to justification before men, I’m not sure whether Williams believes the man is justified before God or not.

Verses 15-16 give an example of what works without action accomplish — nothing.

dead (v.17, 20) = useless, without profit, lifeless

One fixed tenet of these Jewish readers was monotheism, “Thou believest that there is one God”; but doctrine alone does not save. Thou doest well inserts a measure of sarcasm, for he quickly points out that the devils (“demons”) also affirm that truth. — KJV Commentary, page 1719.

tremble (v.19) = be struck with extreme fear, be horrified

foolish (v.20) = empty-handed, without a gift, destitute, devoid of truth or effect

It is not my point to say that works are unimportant. They are important. They are what God designed and intended us to do. But in the current dispensation, they have nothing to do with salvation. They are not required to gain salvation, to retain salvation, or to prove salvation (Romans 4:5; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5).

Remember, James was pushing his “works prove salvation” gospel on Gentiles, and that’s why Paul wrote Galatians (Galatians 1:6-9).

Galatians 2:16 proves that works are not required to obtain salvation. Galatians 3:1-3 proves that works are not required to retain salvation. And almost the entire book of 1 Corinthians proves that works are not a proof of salvation. The Corinthians were involved in all sorts of sinful activities, but Paul referred to them as saints (1 Corinthians 1:2) — in other words, saved.

So what is the answer?

The solution to the problem is rightly dividing the Word of truth. … You cannot reconcile that which God never meant to be reconciled. 

Justification simply means to be declared eternally righteous by God. It is a legal term. For example, if a prisoner is brought before the bar of justice there is only one way he can be justified — he must be found not guilty. If he is proven to be not guilty, then he is a just man. In the event a man commits a federal crime, is found guilty, and is sentenced to death, the President of the United States can pardon the man, but he can never justify him or erase his crime. …

Now, wonder of wonders, we are proven guilty before the bar of God’s justice, yet we are said the be justified by the blood of Christ (Romans 5:9). … Today, those who place their faith in Christ are justified freely by His grace — our sins and guilt were placed upon Christ; and in return, His righteousness was imputed to us. We are complete in Him by faith alone! (Romans 4:5; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Colossians 2:10). 

Paul reveals to us that the basis of justification is the shed blood of Christ in every dispensation, but it is God who determined what would be required to receive this wonderful benefit.

The first thing we need to establish is that Paul and James were preaching two entirely different gospels. While the church has traditionally held that there is only one gospel taught in the Word of God, the Scriptures clearly teach there are many different gospels revealed throughout the dispensations, all of which find their origin in the finished work of Christ. — Sadler, pages 67-69.

__________

The flow of this entire passage (vs.14-26) deals with faith, salvation, and justification in relation to man’s eternal destiny, so the subject is not justification before men, service, or rewards. If a Jewish kingdom believer professed to have faith but did not have corresponding works of faith, he was not saved but only deceiving himself (James 1:22). In the Kingdom, salvation works were absolutely necessary, and anyone without them had a dead faith that could save no one. James was not referring to works for salvation, but as the result and necessary evidence of salvation. Anyone could make a profession by saying they had faith (vs. 14, 16, 18). But if it was not a living faith that could be seen by or shown to others (vs. 18, 22, 24), it was not genuine. John, another Kingdom Apostle, wrote similarly in his first epistle (1 John 1:6, 8, 10; 2:4, 6; 4:20). In the Dispensation of Grace, good works are also important — Paul told us that we should walk in them and that we are to work out (not work for) our salvation, salvation that God has already given to us as a free gift of His grace (Ephesians 2:8-10; Philippians 2:12). Unlike in the Kingdom dispensation, our good works are not a sure thing but come as we yield to God as those who are alive from the dead and present our bodies as living sacrifices (Romans 6:13; 12:1). We should always seek to work in the power of God, but unlike the Jewish believers under the kingdom program, genuine believers today can become discouraged, disillusioned, drift into carnality and apathy, and stifle the good works that God has ordained for us. Therefore, we are encouraged to maintain good works that we do not become unfruitful (Titus 2:7; 3:8, 14). — Grace, page 2198.

Bottom line:

There is probably no other passage in Scripture that has created more confusion and controversy than James 2:14-26. Every enemy of the grace of God inevitably runs to this passage to counter the impact of Paul’s “faith alone” teaching in Romans 4:1-25. This is true of all the “well-meaning” legalistic denominations and every cult that considers themselves Christian. But the Bible does not contradict itself. The confusion arises from a failure to rightly divide the Word of truth and from not understanding exactly what the Scripture teaches dispensationally regarding “faith” and “works.” In every dispensation, man has been saved by faith (Hebrews 11). “Faith” is simply believing what God has said — and what God has said has varied in each dispensation. Noah believed God (had faith) and did what God said (built an ark [Genesis 6:14]). Abraham believed God and did what God said (offered up Isaac [Genesis 22:10-12]). Under the Kingdom Gospel, Jews believed God and did what he said (were baptized [Acts 2:38]). In our current Dispensation of Grace, we also believe and do what God has said for salvation. But now, God commands us to only believe (Romans 3:22; Galatians 3:22). In this current Dispensation of Grace, doing anything other than simply believing the gospel would be disobedience and a lack of faith. — Grace, page 2198.