Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. James 2:17
Our text is an example of why the great protestant reformer Martin Luther disliked the epistle of James, calling it ‘an epistle of straw’. Luther’s great discovery for himself – and the primary thrust of his teachings – is that we are saved by faith alone, and not of works. And he was right; 100 percent right. So when he came to our text today, he found that it appeared to require both faith and works for our salvation. And James is right, both are required, although not in the way that Luther thought that James meant.
Like you and me, Luther rejoiced in the truth of Ephesians 2:9: ‘not of works, lest any man should boast’. And when Martin Luther and all the rest of us Christians gather in the Glory, we will all agree that none of us provided the remotest scrap of works to enable us to be there. Our song will forever be ‘Unto Him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in His own blood’ Revelation 1:5. Our eternal security rests in the truth that we cannot lose our salvation because of any works or lack of works. Consider the repentant malefactor beside our Lord on Golgotha; what works had he to offer? The work of Christ alone saves as we place our faith in it. And yet, our text today declares that if our faith does not have works, it is dead. Was James contradicting Ephesians 2:9? Not at all!
Earlier in the same chapter, James speaks of a Christian having a brother or sister in extreme want and not doing anything to help that brother or sister. Even from a natural viewpoint, that is wrong. But for a Christian, that is terribly unchristlike. We might well ask whether anyone so cruel and stingy was actually a Christian. And that is the point; as Christians, we have been translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Colossians 1:13). All those in that great kingdom will have the Holy Spirit enabling us to display the love of God. If there is no evidence of the Holy Spirit in a person’s life, there is no reason for us to believe that the Holy Spirit is even there. That person’s profession of faith is empty. Their words are probably a lie. And even if they are saved, their life is meaningless and fruitless – essentially dead.
Our faith is intended to produce works that display to God and to man that we have eternal life. We must provide the evidence to back up our claim to faith. – Jim MacIntosh