James chapter 2 reveals that genuine Christian faith must be accompanied by action. The passage warns against showing favoritism, particularly toward the wealthy while neglecting the poor, as this contradicts the royal law to love your neighbor as yourself. James demonstrates that faith without works is dead, using examples of Abraham and Rahab to show how true faith manifests through deeds. While we are saved by faith alone, authentic faith will always produce good works as evidence of its genuineness. The relationship between faith and works is like lightning and thunder - good works naturally follow genuine faith just as thunder follows lightning.