Wow, your going to be a lonely fellow.
Walk the talk, has anyone ever done that.
I thought it was, do as I say not as I do.
Dead Faith (2:14–17)
Even in the early church there were those who claimed
they had saving faith, yet did not possess salvation.
Wherever there is the true, you will find the counterfeit. Jesus warned, “Not every one that saith unto me,
‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter into the kingdom of heaven;
but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in
heaven” (Matt. 7:21).
James 2
863
People with dead faith substitute words for deeds.
They know the correct vocabulary for prayer and testimony, and can even quote the right verses from the
Bible, but their walk does not measure up to their talk.
They think that their words are as good as works, and
they are wrong.
James gave a simple illustration. A poor believer
came into a fellowship, without proper clothing and in
need of food. The person with dead faith noticed the
visitor and saw his needs, but he did not do anything
to meet the needs. All he did was say a few pious words!
“Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed” (James
2:16 niv). But the visitor went away just as hungry and
naked as he came in!
Food and clothing are basic needs of every human
being, whether he is saved or unsaved. “And having
food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Tim.
6:8). “Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall
we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘Wherewithal
shall we be clothed?’ … for your heavenly Father
knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (Matt.
6:31–32). Jacob included these basic needs in his
prayer to God: “If God will be with me … and will give
me bread to eat, and raiment to put on” (Gen. 28:20).
As believers, we have an obligation to help meet the
needs of people, no matter who they may be. “As we
have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all
men, especially unto them who are of the household of
faith” (Gal. 6:10). “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto
one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it
unto me
” (Matt. 25:40).
To help a person in need is an expression of love,
and faith works by love (Gal. 5:6). The apostle John
emphasized this aspect of good works. “If anyone has
material possessions and sees his brother in need but
has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in
him? Dear children, let us not love with words or
tongue but with actions and truth” (1 John 3:17–18
niv). The priest and Levite in the parable of the good
Samaritan each had religious training, but neither of
them paused to assist the dying man at the side of the
road (Luke 10:25–37). Each of them would defend his
faith, yet neither demonstrated that faith in loving
works.
The question in James 2:14 should read, “Can that
kind of faith save him?” What kind? The kind of faith
that is never seen in practical works. The answer is no!
Any declaration of faith that does not result in a
changed life and good works is a false declaration. That
kind of faith is dead faith. “Even so faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone” (James 2:17). The great
theologian John Calvin wrote, “It is faith alone that
justifies, but faith that justifies can never be alone.”
The word alone in James 2:17 simply means “by itself.”
True saving faith can never be by itself: it always brings
life, and life produces good works.
The person with dead faith has only an intellectual
experience. In his mind, he knows the doctrines of salvation, but he has never submitted himself to God and
trusted Christ for salvation. He knows the right words,
but he does not back up his words with his works.
Faith in Christ brings life (John 3:16), and where there
is life there must be growth and fruit. Three times in
this paragraph, James warned us that “faith without
works is dead” (James 2:17, 20, 26).
Beware of a mere intellectual faith. No man can
come to Christ by faith and remain the same any more
than he can come into contact with a 220-volt wire and
remain the same. “He that hath the Son hath life; and
he that hath not the Son of God hath not life” (1 John
5:12). Dead faith is not saving faith. Dead faith is
counterfeit faith and lulls the person into a false confidence of eternal life.
Demonic Faith (2:18–19)
James wanted to shock his complacent readers, so he
used demons as his illustration. In recent years the
church has rediscovered the reality and activity of
demons. When our Lord was ministering on earth, He
often cast out demons, and He gave that power to His
disciples. Paul often confronted demonic forces in his
ministry, and in Ephesians 6:10–20, he admonished
the early Christians to claim God’s protection and
defeat the spiritual forces of wickedness.
It comes as a shock to people that demons have
faith! What do they believe? For one thing, they believe
in the existence of God; they are neither atheists nor
agnostics. They also believe in the deity of Christ.
Whenever they met Christ when He was on earth, they
bore witness to His sonship (Mark 3:11–12). They
believe in the existence of a place of punishment (Luke
8:31), and they also recognize Jesus Christ as the Judge
(Mark 5:1–13). They submit to the power of His
Word.
“Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord!”
(Deut. 6:4) This was the daily affirmation of faith of the
godly Jew. “You believe that there is one God. Good!
Even the demons believe that—and shudder” (James
2:19 niv). The man with dead faith was touched only
in his intellect, but the demons are touched also in their
emotions. They believe and tremble.
But it is not a saving experience to believe and
tremble. A person can be enlightened in his mind and
even stirred in his heart and be lost forever. True saving
faith involves something more, something that can be
seen and recognized: a changed life. “Show me thy
faith without thy works,” challenged James, “and I will
show thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
How could a person show his faith without works?
Can a dead sinner perform good works? Impossible!
When you trust Christ, you are “created in Christ Jesus
unto good works, which God hath before ordained
that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Being a
Christian involves trusting Christ and living for Christ;
you receive the life, then you reveal the life. Faith that is
barren is not saving faith. The Greek word translated
“dead” in James 2:20 carries the meaning of “barren or
idle,” like money drawing no interest.
James 2
864
James has introduced us to two kinds of faith that
can never save the sinner: dead faith (the intellect
alone), and demonic faith (the intellect and the emotions). He closes this section by describing the only
kind of faith that can save the sinner—dynamic faith.
Dynamic Faith (2:20–26)
Dynamic faith is faith that is real, faith that has power,
faith that results in a changed life.
James described this true saving faith. To begin with,
dynamic saving faith is based on the Word of God. We
receive our spiritual rebirth through God’s Word
(James 1:18). We receive the Word and this saves us
(James 1:21). “So then faith cometh by hearing, and
hearing by the Word of God” (Rom. 10:17). James
used Abraham and Rahab as illustrations of dynamic
saving faith, since both of them heard and received the
message of God through His Word.
Faith is only as good as its object. The man in the
jungle bows before an idol of stone and trusts it to help
him, but he receives no help. No matter how much
faith a person may generate, if it is not directed at the
right object, it will accomplish nothing. “I believe”
may be the testimony of many sincere people, but the
big question is, “In whom do you believe? What do
you believe?” We are not saved by faith in faith; we are
saved by faith in Christ as revealed in His Word.
Dynamic faith is based on God’s Word, and it
involves the whole man. Dead faith touches only the
intellect; demonic faith involves both the mind and the
emotions; but dynamic faith involves the will. The
whole person plays a part in true saving faith. The
mind understands the truth; the heart desires the truth;
and the will acts upon the truth. The men and women
of faith named in Hebrews 11 were people of action:
God spoke and they obeyed. Again, “Faith is not
believing in spite of evidence; faith is obeying in spite
of consequence. “
True saving faith leads to action. Dynamic faith is
not intellectual contemplation or emotional consternation; it leads to obedience on the part of the will. And
this obedience is not an isolated event: it continues
throughout the whole life. It leads to works.
Many different kinds of works are named in the
New Testament. “The works of the law” (Gal. 2:16)
relate to the sinner’s attempt to please God by obeying
the law of Moses. Of course, it is impossible for a sinner to be saved through the works of the law. “The
works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19) are done by unsaved
people who live for the things of the old nature. There
are also “wicked works” (Col. 1:21) and “dead works”
(Heb. 9:14). Where there is dynamic faith—saving
faith—you will always find good works.
Wiersbe
J.