James 2

We continue our online Bible study by looking at the second chapter of James.

My brothers and sisters, do not show prejudice if you possess faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ. For if someone comes into your assembly wearing a gold ring and fine clothing, and a poor person enters in filthy clothes, do you pay attention to the one who is finely dressed and say, “You sit here in a good place,” and to the poor person, “You stand over there,” or “Sit on the floor”? If so, have you not made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil motives? Listen, my dear brothers and sisters! Did not God choose the poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom that he promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor! Are not the rich oppressing you and dragging you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme the good name of the one you belong to? But if you fulfill the royal law as expressed in this scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you are doing well. But if you show prejudice, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as violators. For the one who obeys the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a violator of the law. Speak and act as those who will be judged by a law that gives freedom. For judgment is merciless for the one who has shown no mercy. But mercy triumphs over judgment. (James 2:1-13)

James begins here with an observation, one that is just as relevant to today’s church. We are to imagine two visitors to a congregation, one rich and one poor. Would there be a difference in how they were welcomed? Then, as now, it is likely that the rich visitor would be welcomed much more warmly than the poor visitor. Yet this is not what God wants. Not only is wealth not seen as a sign of God’s blessing, the poor have a special place in God’s heart. This is consistent with Jesus’ teachings in the Gospels.

This is linked to what James calls the royal law, that is, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” This Old Testament passage is quoted twice by Jesus and twice by Paul. It is obviously important. James then warns against picking and choosing. Christians can feel secure in their overall obedience to God, but if they are not loving their neighbors, they are missing the mark.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not have works? Can this kind of faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm and eat well,” but you do not give them what the body needs, what good is it? So also faith, if it does not have works, is dead being by itself. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without works and I will show you faith by my works. You believe that God is one; well and good. Even the demons believe that—and tremble with fear. (James 2:14-19)

Ever since the Protestant Reformation, there has been an emphasis on faith over works. James complicates this and perhaps this why Martin Luther described James “an epistle of straw.” But James is not arguing against faith. He is arguing against faith without works. It is possible to believe strongly about something without letting those beliefs affect actions. James describes such faith as dead. To illustrate how ineffective this faith is, he points to the demons. Obviously the demons believe in God, their belief is stronger than any Christian’s. But that does not lead to salvation.

But would you like evidence, you empty fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And similarly, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. (James 2:20-26)

This is where things get really complicated. James uses the example of Abraham to show that we are justified by works and not faith. But Paul, in Galatians and Romans, uses Abraham to show that we are justified by faith and not works. Are James and Paul disagreeing and if so, who is right?

If James and Paul were in the same room, they would agree with each other. Our confusion is about misunderstanding the purpose of their arguments. Paul is talking about how we are saved. We cannot be saved by the works that we do, only the faith we have in Jesus. James is talking about how we can recognize that one has saving faith, the evidence of their works.

Regarding Abraham, he was justified by faith when he believed the promise of God that he would have a son, from whom would come a great nation. But that faith was justified by his later work of being willing to sacrifice his son. His willingness to sacrifice Isaac was based in his continued belief that God would bring a great nation from Isaac, even though it had not yet been fulfilled. Paul describes the first part of the story, while James focus on the second part, but it is all the same story.

Discussion Questions

1. How would you honestly respond to two visitors, one rich and one poor? What would determine your response?
2. Why does God have a special place for the poor? How does the church reflect God’s heart?
3. How would you define “faith”?
4. What types of works are evidence for faith?
5. Would people be able o recognize your faith by your works?