James 2

11/25/2012

Click here to read today's passage on Bible Gateway.

Quick note: My apologies for getting behind on responding to comments and questions this week. I'll get to them as soon as I can - probably on Tuesday. Sorry for the delay!

Real Faith Works
There's been a lot of brouhaha about James chapter 2 - about how James contradicts Paul, about how James is holds to salvation about works, etc. etc. This is unnecessary. James here is talking about REAL faith. Real faith always works (meaning that it will manifest fruit by actions). The key to understanding this passage comes in verse 14:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith (NIV - such faith) save him? (emphasis mine)

Notice here that ESV and NIV (and most modern translations) draw a distinction, saying not just "can faith save him" (because the answer to that would be yes), but "can THAT faith save him". I believe here that James is drawing a distinction between this "fake faith" and true faith, which always bears fruit. That is why The Message phrases it (helpfully) this way:

Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it?

Read the rest of the passage this way and I think it should clear up any confusion. The point here is not that works save a person, but that a person who is saved will display works from a changed heart. If there are no works, how do you know if the heart has been changed? True faith is more than words. True faith always works. Faith apart from works is no faith at all - it is merely words ABOUT faith.

Questions? Comments?

Andrei

11/25/2012 04:02:06 pm

Wow... thinking of the sin of partiality in our culture, both in church and out of church...

greg

11/27/2012 04:02:09 am

It's especially apparent in suburbia, both in and out of church. We have pretty strict unspoken standards about who we will and will not associate with and talk to. The Bible says this is unacceptable. We're all sinners in need of a Savior, so we need to get over ourselves and who we think we are and what we think we deserve.

Andrei

11/25/2012 04:04:19 pm

Thanks for the responses Greg (and Kevin). Please take all the time you need; no rush whatsoever.

Kevin Kuo

11/26/2012 07:54:17 am

I was reflecting on verse 16 and thinking about how it would work in our church. Because we have lots of people who are in some way needy. And do we wait until they ask for help or do we help them if we know they need help? I was told when the Korean auto industry was just starting out. Their vehicles were trash - Sorry Andrei. But the Korean people for love of their national pride still purchased them. Even old ladies on fixed income or little to no income would sell their gold teeth and personal belongings to donate or scrape enough to buy Korean built cars. This determination allowed Korean cars to have eventually have a global presence. So I wonder if we saw someone in need in our own church and even though we are financially tight would we sell our personal belongings to help those in need?

greg

11/27/2012 04:04:57 am

Kevin, the revolutionary.

I think this is what the beginning of Acts was like. Much is made of the "Christian Communism" there, but I think it was much more like what you're describing. It wasn't forced, but people saw a need and did what they could to meet it. This is where our belief really rubs against the culture in which we live. We're a culture of acquisition - get what you want and keep it at all costs. These are some really difficult heart issues.

Andrei

11/27/2012 04:40:05 pm

LOLOLOL yo Koreans cars are taking over now. They more popular than Japanese cars! LoLoLoL....

Word to what Solid Snake is saying... reminds me of what Pastor Wayne said once about giving money to beggars... he said, 'Yo, if you see them, give them a dollar... it's not about them, it's about you and heart' or something like that. Perhaps we need to start with small sacrifices in loving others? Not sure...

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James 2

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