- James 2:14 – “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”
- James 2:16 – “If one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?”
- James 2:20 – “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?”
- James 2:21 – “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?”
- James 2:25 – “And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”
Summary Answer
- James is asking whether a faith without works is of any use—and whether it can save.
- He is saying that faith is perfected (matured or completed) by works.
- He is not saying that works are an added requirement to faith for salvation, but that faith without works is dead—i.e., not real, saving faith.
I believe the above conclusions drawn by AI above to be incorrect. These verses, as with all verses, must be evaluated very closely against the full council of the whole Bible, considering the words the Bible uses (as closely as possible) in their entirety to find truth, which AI did not do. Instead, as is obvious from its conclusions, it used the superficial, immediately obvious meanings of those verses of the book of James which it restricted to themselves, and shoe-horned in an explanation to fit them– forcing a square peg into a round hole- without due regard for the doctrines stated in rest the Bible. The following contrasts the AI’s explanations above, with biblical doctrine that uses Christ as foundation as demonstrated by the whole Bible.
[
Jas 2:14 KJV] 14 What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
2:14 - is actually teaching of what Christ achieved. It is saying that should someone claim that of themselves they have produced their own faith, then that faith also had better have works commensurate to their claim – both of which must be perfect and sufficient to bring forth salvation - that one cannot exist without the other. It was Christ alone who produced perfectly perfect faith AND perfect works thereby satisfying both requirements. Both of which become imputed to, and manifested by, those whom He saves. Otherwise, man, of himself, could never produce them sufficiently to satisfy God’s requirements, and man’s faith and works, never being able to save him - nor could man's faith independent of his works, being standalone save him. Further, the verse lacks specification about the type, amount, and frequency, which those works must occur to make a dead faith alive, or to keep a living faith alive -it lacks that crucial level of specification whereby one is notified of exactly how they can satisfy its requirements, which, if it were as AI states it, the writer would have had to include, but nevertheless did not include, meaning that it was never deemed as needed because it was never intended as AI interpreted it.
[
Jas 2:17 KJV] 17 Even so faith, if it
hath not works, is dead, being alone.
2:17 - This verse is saying that the true faith being spoken of, must already HAVE (“hath”) works as being integral to it for it to be a true saving faith. While we do produce works from our faith – they are a byproduct of, and from, faith - but works that come out of faith are not the works being spoken of in this verse (I think this is more easily be seen in the KJV). In the KJV, notice the
"faith, if it hath not works"- by stating " if it
hath not works " (“hath” in the present tense), is telling us that the works must already accompany, and present
within, or as part of, the faith, not come
FROM or out of faith after the fact – that the faith must already
HAVE works - not produce works for salvation, yet only Christ's faith alone already has within it perfect works (along with righteousness), which, through/by His ministry, were formed from His sacrifice and offering while on this earth - they alone brought salvation. Notice that the verse does not say " if it hath
not the works
of faith" - which is what it should say if the intension was that works indeed from our faith are needed, but it does not say that, instead it says "faith, if it
hath not works”, meaning the true faith itself must already have works. The distinction between the two is subtle, possibly hard to perceive, yet critical.
[
Jas 2:18 KJV] 18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works,
and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
2:18 - confirms 2:17. The "man" in the verse is a reflection of Christ. It tells us that His faith is/was evidenced in/by His works, and anything less than one’s faith that includes perfect works, must be the equal of what Christ had achieved, otherwise, it would be insufficient for salvation and any attempt for man to achieve it if it falls short (which it will), will be judged as sin. Consider the “and I will shew thee my faith by my works” in the verse. That links the two – that faith for it to be a saving faith, must also have works worthy of bringing salvation - that faith alone (belief alone) cannot stand on its own to do so - only Christ's faith can.
[
Jas 2:20-21 KJV]
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
2:20 - 21. Those works were not Abraham's; they were Christ's which were imputed to Abraham, as is clearly stated in
Rom 4:2:
[
Rom 4:2 KJV] 2
For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath [whereof] to glory; but not before God.
This also holds true for Rahab
[
Jas 2:24 KJV] 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
2:24 It is evident throughout the scripture, that we can only be justified by Christ - by His faith and by His works, not ours. There is nothing within man’s power that will justify himself.
[
Tit 3:6-7 KJV]
6 Which he shed on us abundantly
through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
7 That
being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Lastly, AI should not be perceived as a crutch to learn or interpret the gospel, as is explained by the following verses. Regardless of how AI may characterize itself, nevertheless, anyone who leans upon it for their understanding has had the answers given to them in some sense/form or another (albeit usually incorrectly) and are they who do so, are not of strong meat - given that they have not exercised their own spiritual senses/intellect, to the finding of truth. God wrote the Bible in the form that He wanted it to be read in without it having artificial, intervening, undefinable, layers of logic inserted between it and its readers. Otherwise, we would be learning/adopting AI’s understanding of doctrine and of those who wrote AI's logic which is super-imposed upon the Bible.
[
Heb 5:12-14 KJV]
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which [be] the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk [is] unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14
But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
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