In Biblical times, there were many social barriers; people were either rich or poor, slaves or free, Jew or Gentile, Greek or Barbarian. But part of the good news of the Gospel was that in Christ Jesus, social barriers lost much of their strength, Acts 10:34-35 / Galatians 3:28 / Colossians 3:11.
James begins this chapter by dealing with the problem of partiality between the rich and the poor.
Adamson, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The connection of this warning against social discrimination with the previous chapter 1 seems fairly obvious. Truckling to the rich and apathy or worse toward the poor are two sides of the same base coin rejected by the touchstone of James 1:27 and of James 2:8.’
He says that Jesus Christ is a ‘glorious’ Lord, James 2:1. But what does our partiality have to do with the Lord of glory? As Christians, we profess to be Christ’s disciples, we profess to follow Him, and our goal as Christians is to imitate Jesus, to be like Him in all ways, Luke 6:40.
In other words, all of our actions, whether they are done physically or verbally, should be a reflection of what Jesus teaches, Matthew 7:1-2. If we show partiality as Christians, then we leave the impression that Jesus Himself is partial.
If we’re prejudiced, then people will think that Jesus is prejudiced. If we’re biased toward people, then people will think that Jesus is biased toward people. If we’re racist, then we’re telling the world that Jesus is a racist.
If two people come into our meetings, the word meetings is synagogue, one is well dressed and the other has rugged clothes on, James 2:2, if what we would call an usher, offered the well-dressed man a seat but tell the poor man to stand or sit on the floor, James 2:3, then they have discriminated yourself and became a judge, James 2:4 / Matthew 7:3-5.
Barclay, in his commentary, says the following.
‘In its early days, the Church was predominantly poor and humble; and therefore if a rich man was converted, and did come to the Christian fellowship, there must have been a very real temptation to make a fuss of him, and to treat him as a special trophy for Christ.’
James is saying that if we are not careful, the glory of the Lord can be spoiled by our partiality. In other words, we become judges with evil thoughts, James 2:4. God has always hated unjust judges, Matthew 7:1 / John 7:24.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The Christian and the church should seek primarily to serve others rather than getting others to serve them, Mark 10:45.’
James’ point is this: if we judge the poor due to our prejudice against them, we will find ourselves fighting against God, Psalm 109:31.
Not only do we find ourselves fighting against God, but we also actually end up despising the very people whom God chose to honour. God chose to honour the poor back then, and He still chooses to honour them today, Matthew 5:3; Luke 6:20.
The Gospel was first proclaimed to the poor, Luke 7:22 / 1 Corinthians 1:26-29. God chose to honour all people back then, and He still chooses to honour all people today. God is not a respecter of persons, but He accepts those from every family, nation, and race who fear Him and work for His kingdom, Acts 10:34-35.
When we show partiality because of a person’s race or because they are a stranger that we do not know, it is then that we despise those whom God has honoured by His offering to them salvation through the Gospel.
It was the rich who were dishonouring the poor in James’ day, James 2:6, and in James’ day, some people were trying to win the majority over to their way of thinking. It was the rich who were exploiting them and taking them to court, James 2:6. It was the rich who were blaspheming the noble name, James 1:7 / Acts 13:45.
Constable, in his commentary, says the following.
‘When a Christian dishonours the poor, he or she treats them exactly opposite to the way God treats them, 1 Corinthians 11:22 / 1 Peter 2:17. Instead of favouring Christians, James reminded his readers that the characteristic response of the rich to them had been to oppress them, Mark 13:9 / Acts 4:1-3 / Acts 13:50 / Acts 16:19 / Acts 19:23-41. How inconsistent it is to despise one’s friends and honour one’s foes! The oppression in view could have been physical and or legal.’
If we allow them to oppress us or influence us towards others, we all end up breaking what James calls ‘the royal law or the law of the Kingdom,’ James 1:8 / Matthew 7:12.
In other words, we break the law which says, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself,’ Leviticus 19:18. And make no mistake about it, this is one of the most fundamental laws that God has ever given, Matthew 22:36-40.
How many sins does it take to condemn a person to hell? One, it only takes one sin against God. James states that favouritism is sinful, James 2:9 / Matthew 7:6, and he says that if we even break one law, we become guilty of breaking all the Law, James 2:10.
Barclay, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The Jew was very apt to regard the law as a series of detached injunctions. To keep one of these injunctions was to gain credit; to break one was to incur debt. Therefore, a man could add up the ones he kept and subtract the ones he broke, and, as it were, emerge with a credit or a debit balance.’
We need to remember that we are sinners just like those people who are not yet Christians, Romans 3:22-23. A sinner is a sinner, and what James is telling us is that if we show partiality to some people, Matthew 7:12, then that makes us as guilty as an adulterer, Exodus 20:14 / Deuteronomy 5:18, or a murderer, Exodus 20:13 / Deuteronomy 5:17 / James 2:11. This illustrates quite powerfully just how terrible any sin is.
Judgment Day is waiting for us all, and if we’re going to be judged, we all need to know and understand the standard by which we, as Christians, are going to be judged, Romans 14:10-13 / 1 Corinthians 3:12-15.
Burdick, in his commentary, says the following.
‘Since he is speaking to believers, the judgment to which he refers must be the judgment of believers at the judgment seat of Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:10.’
And that standard is found here, James 2:12, is the law that sets us free, referring to the law of Christ, or the Gospel, Matthew 7:13-14 / John 8:31-38 / Colossians 2:20-22.
James is saying if we apply man-made restrictions upon others, like showing partiality, we’re actually not showing mercy toward others, James 2:13 / Matthew 6:14-15 / Matthew 7:1. Grace is getting what we don’t deserve, mercy is not getting what we do deserve, and justice is getting what we deserve.
When the Bible talks about faith, we need to investigate what kind of faith it is talking about: Romans 14:23 / Ephesians 2:8 / 2 Corinthians 5:7 / Hebrews 11:6. We all know the importance of faith in the life of the Christian, but James is going to talk about three different types of faith.
James is going to talk about three different types of faiths, but he is going to emphasise that only one of these faiths can actually save our souls.
The first kind of faith which James speaks about is called ‘dead faith’, James 2:14. There are some Christians who just love to say the right things but never do anything about it.
These are the Christians who sound great and know the proper words to use when they are praying. They know the Scriptures, and when you’re talking with them, you can tell they can quote the right Scripture.
But there’s a problem, they have faith with no legs attached. In other words, they don’t practice what they preach; their walk doesn’t match up to their talk, James 2:15-16. Why is it a dead faith? James 2:17.
Simply because it’s what we might call an ‘intellectual’ faith. These are the people who know the right ‘words’, but they do not back up their words with their ‘works’. Their faith isn’t doing anything else; they possess a faith that hasn’t got any legs attached. James says that this kind of faith doesn’t save anyone.
Three times in this chapter, James emphasises that ‘faith without legs attached is dead’, James 2:17 / James 2:20 / James 2:26. In other words, people can’t claim to have faith in God if their life hasn’t been changed by the Gospel.
People can’t claim to have faith in God if their faith doesn’t lead them to do good works for God. This type of faith is a counterfeit faith and leads people into a false confidence in eternal life.
What good is it to say to the homeless person, ‘I’ll be praying for you’ when they have to spend another night out in the freezing cold? What good is it to say to someone who hasn’t eaten in two days, ‘I pray that God will provide food for you?’ James 2:15-16.
James is telling us that if our walk does not measure up to our talk or if our works do not measure up to our words, it could be because our faith is dead, James 2:17.
The next type of faith which James describes is an interesting faith, to say the least; he calls it a ‘demonic faith’. Some have faith with no deeds, but James challenges them and says he can demonstrate his faith by his deeds, James 2:18. In other words, our faith and deeds must work together; we can’t claim to have one without demonstrating the other.
James reminds us that even ‘demons’ have a kind of faith, the kind that ‘believes’, James 2:19. They believe in God, and they even believe in the deity of Christ, Mark 3:11-12. Not only do they believe in the deity of Christ, but they also believe in the existence of a place of condemnation, Luke 8:31.
Not only do they believe in the deity of Christ and the existence of a place of condemnation, but they also believe that Jesus will be the Judge, Matthew 8:28-29.
What kind of faith do ‘demons’ have? We just saw that the Christian with a ‘dead faith’ is a Christian who has been ‘touched only in his intellect,’ but the demons are ‘touched also in their emotions.’
Notice that James says that the demons ‘believe and tremble’, James 2:19. This faith is one step above a ‘dead faith’ because it involves both intellect and emotions.
Can this kind of faith save us? According to James, the answer to this question is no. It can’t save because people can be enlightened in their minds and even moved in their hearts, but they can still be lost forever. True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognised. True saving faith can be seen and recognised in a changed life.
James is telling us that being a Christian involves trusting Christ and living for Christ. In other words, as someone once said, ‘you first receive the life, then you reveal the life’. The kind of faith that just believes the right things and feels the right things, but doesn’t go any further.
True saving faith does more than that; it goes beyond words and feelings and believing the right things. James is warning us that if our faith only involves intellect, then it’s a dead faith; it won’t save us. If our faith only involves intellect and emotions, then our faith is only a demonic faith; it won’t save us.
James calls them food and then goes ahead to provide evidence that faith without deeds is a dead faith, James 2:20 / Matthew 7:24-27. If we want a real faith with real legs attached, a faith that is going to save us, James says our faith needs to be an ‘active faith’.
We know that this kind of faith is based upon the Word of God, Romans 10:17. In other words, this faith is an active faith because it involves our whole being. This faith leads us to do something with our faith; it leads to action.
It’s not intellectual contemplation, it’s not emotionalism, it’s a faith that leads to obedience in doing good works. To elaborate on this point, James gives us two examples from the Old Testament.
Those who are of the ‘faith only’ persuasion really need to take the time to study James’ letter because James is clearly teaching us that faith without actions won’t save us. James begins his illustration by talking about Abraham and Rahab.
Now you couldn’t find two more different people. Abraham was the father of the Jews, and Rahab was a Gentile. Abraham was a godly man; Rahab had been a sinful woman, a harlot. Abraham was the friend of God; Rahab had belonged to the enemies of God.
Abraham’s faith was demonstrated in his actions; he offered Isaac up to be sacrificed in obedience to God’s command, James 2:21 / Genesis 22:19. He believed that God could raise him back from the dead, Hebrews 11:19. In other words, his faith and actions worked together, and as a result, his faith was complete, James 2:22.
Hodges, in his commentary, says the following.
‘The faith which justifies can have an active and vital role in the life of the obedient believer. As with Abraham, it can be the dynamic for superb acts of obedience. In the process, faith itself can be ’perfected.’ The Greek word suggests development and motivation. Faith is thus nourished and strengthened by works.’
As a result of his faith and actions working together, it was credited to him as righteous, Genesis 15:1-6 / Romans 4:1-5, and he became God’s friend, James 2:23 / 2 Chronicles 20:7 / Isaiah 41:8. Abraham is the perfect example of how a person becomes righteous, that is, right with God, his faith and actions were working together, James 2:24.
Rahab also demonstrated righteousness with her faith and actions working together. She gave accommodation to the twelve spies when they were sent to spy out the land, and sent them off in a different direction, James 2:25 / Joshua 2:9-13.
Motyer, in his commentary, says the following.
‘What was the work of Abraham? He held nothing back from God. God said, ’I want your son’, and Abraham ’rose early in the morning’, Genesis 22:3, in prompt obedience. What was the work of Rahab? She reached out and took into her own care those who were needy and helpless, regardless of the cost to herself.’
So why did James use these two people to illustrate his point about faith and actions? Well, the answer is found in what they both had in common: they both exercised saving faith in God.
In other words, Abraham demonstrated his saving faith through his works, Hebrews 11:17. Abraham’s faith had legs attached. Rahab also demonstrated her saving faith through her works, Hebrews 11:31. Rahab’s faith also had legs attached.
Notice how James emphasises his point in James 2:26. How much more dead can a person be? We all know that a body without a spirit is dead, and he says that faith without deeds is dead faith.
Two times in this passage, James tells us that faith without works is a dead faith, James 2:20 / James 2:26. He is teaching us that ‘faith only’ can never justify a person before God. He does mention faith alone, but it’s not the faith that saves.
James says that our faith and action or deeds need to work together. He’s saying that people can know the Scriptures, they may even be moved in their hearts by the Scriptures, but if their faith doesn’t work together with actions, then it’s all a waste of time.
Now we might be thinking, doesn’t Paul tell us in Ephesians 2:5-8 that we were saved by grace alone? Isn’t this a contradiction? First of all, we need to remember that Paul is writing to Christians who thought they could ‘merit their way’ to heaven by good works. James is writing to Christians who thought that their ‘faith alone’ would merit their way to heaven.
Jesus teaches us that salvation is God’s gift, John 3:16, but the gift must be taken hold of by man’s response in obedient faith, John 3:36. In other words, grace makes salvation possible, but obedient faith makes salvation actual.
And so, when a person responds in Biblical faith to God’s offer of salvation, they are neither earning nor deserving the gift, but only accept it on the condition on which the Lord has promised to give it.
We do not earn salvation, and we can never earn our salvation, but we must comply with the conditions laid down by the Lord in order to receive the free gift of eternal salvation.
Barclay, in his commentary, says the following.
‘We are not saved by deeds; we are saved for deeds; these are the twin truths of the Christian life. And Paul’s whole emphasis is on the first truth, and James’s whole emphasis is on the second truth.’