20 O foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is worthless? 21 Was not our father Abraham justified by what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith was working with his actions, and his faith was perfected by what he did. 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called a friend of God. 24 As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.

25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute justified by her actions when she welcomed the spies and sent them off on another route? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

REFLECTIONS

Written by Stephen Shead

Today’s devotion is a bit longer than normal, because the passage has a major puzzle, and I think it’s important not to leave it as “the elephant in the room.”

In today’s verses, James continues his big point from yesterday: that faith which is not expressed in deeds of love is dead. It’s not just that faith without actions is weak or less mature. It’s stone-cold dead. It’s not real faith in Jesus at all – it’s just empty words, and it’s worthless (v 20).

James gives two examples of Old Testament believers who are examples of how genuine faith transforms a person’s actions. It’s striking how James chooses two people who are SO different, at least in the eyes of the world. Abraham was always respected as a great hero of faith. But James puts the Canaanite prostitute Rahab right up alongside him. In Joshua 2, Rahab came to believe in the Lord and commit her life to him, and because of that, she helped the Israelites conquer her own city to gain the Promised Land. I love how God gives dignity and honour to people like Rahab.

But the puzzle is what James says in verse 24: “As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone.” How does that fit with what Paul says in Romans 3:28 – “For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the law”? Part of the answer is that Paul is focusing on the legal basis for our forgiveness, whereas James is talking about what God will say on the day of final judgment. On that day, God will uncover the hypocrisy of those whose faith was mere words, but he will also show how the genuine faith of Christ’s people bore the fruit of repentance and obedience in their lives.

Perhaps the most helpful thing to keep in mind is that Paul and James were warning against opposite errors. Paul was concerned about self-righteous people – those who think they are good enough to deserve God’s favour. To them, the gospel says: “You can’t earn God’s forgiveness! You can only receive it as a gift through faith, on the basis of Christ’s work for you.”

But James’s letter is a warning against nominal or insincere faith. He is concerned about “pew-sitters,” people who think as long as they say the right things in church, they can indulge in whatever selfish, sinful behaviour they want. To those people, James says: “God’s verdict on the last day will reveal how dead your faith is, because your own works will condemn you.”

James would have loved Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s famous book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer warned against the false gospel of “cheap grace,” which promises forgiveness without any need for us to repent. But the true gospel of grace offers complete forgiveness to the “broken spirit,” while at the same time graciously inviting us and drawing us along the costly path of repentance and discipleship.

Spend a moment reflecting on Abraham’s example: He was credited as righteous the moment he believed God’s promises. But that faith was fulfilled or completed by what he did – by a life learning to express that belief in wholehearted obedience. Examine your own heart: If you long to follow that same path – if you want nothing more than your faith to shape everything you do – then be encouraged! Ask God to “perfect your faith” in your actions. But if not, you should be afraid! Listen to the warning, and get in touch with one of the ministers so we can help you get serious with God.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Stephen is our Senior Minister.