Historic pastoral reading
Living faith works. The Reformers and James are not as far apart as slogans make them.
James 2:14-18
Faith without works is dead.
The text
WEB
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man says he has faith, but has no works? Can faith save him?
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself.
18 Yes, a man will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
KJV
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
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.
What kind of text
- Letter
- James
- Faith and works
James uses a brother or sister without food and clothes as the test case.
How Christians have read this
Common misuse
Used to turn the gospel into wages, which James is not doing.
What the next verse does
Abraham and Rahab are the examples that follow.
Older commentary
Matthew Henry
Henry on James 2: faith that does not work is dead, being alone. Abraham and Rahab are the proofs James names.
Charles Spurgeon
Spurgeon: we are not saved by works, and we are not saved by a dead faith that never moves.