James 2:1-26

What *faith should do

James

Ian Mackervoy

The word list at the end explains words with a *star by them.

Chapter 2

Respect of persons 2:1-7

v1 My Christian brothers and sisters, you trust the *Lord Jesus Christ who is full of *glory. So, do not value one person more than another. v2 Suppose that a rich man who is wearing gold rings and good clothes comes to your meeting place. A poor man who is wearing old clothes also comes in. v3 You show more respect for the man who is wearing good clothes than to the poor man. You say to the rich man, ‘Please sit in this good seat’. But to the poor man you say, ‘Stand there’, or, ‘Sit on the floor by my feet’. v4 If you do this, you are making a wrong distinction between them. You are judging them based on your own evil thinking. v5 My dear brothers and sisters, listen to me. God chose the poor people of this world to be rich because of their trust in him. They will possess the *kingdom that he promised to those who love him. v6 But you have insulted the poor man and made him feel ashamed. It is the rich who *persecute you. The rich drag you in front of the judges in the courts. v7 The rich speak evil of the good name of the one who called you to be his.

Verse 1 James again calls them brothers and sisters. In this, he shows them that he respects and looks after them. To God we are all of equal worth whether we are rich or poor. They must accept people for what they are and not for what they have or have not. They had considered the rich to be better than the poor. So James tells them to stop doing it. They must not honour the rich and show a lack of respect for the poor. They must be fair and have the same respect for the poor person as for the rich person. Those who belong to God must show respect to all of his people.

They said that they believed in the *Lord Jesus Christ. He is full of *glory. He is the king of *glory and he is the *Lord over all. But Jesus came from heaven. He put aside all that he had. He came for the poor, for those who suffered and for *sinners. He did not have respect for people because of their wealth or power. He is for us the example of how we should respect all people. We should respect them, no matter how poor they may be.

Verses 2-3 Here is a story to show them what he is talking about. It shows what respect of persons is like. It shows how some may express it. This may have happened in at least one of the Christian groups to whom he is writing.

Two visitors, a rich man and a poor man, came to the *synagogue. The *synagogue was the meeting place for the *Jews. The first Christians, who were *Jews, would have met in the *synagogue. Later, when they had left the *synagogue, people began to call the group of Christians ‘the church’. Here it means the place where the Christians met. They met here either for praise and *worship or to give judgement on some matter. The rich man came in. He was wearing gold rings and good clothes. At that time, gold rings were a sign of great wealth and a sign of a place in society. He may even have had more than one ring on each finger. The fine clothes also showed that this man was wealthy. It seems that he was a stranger to this group of Christians. He could well have been a Christian who was just visiting. Or he may not have been a Christian at all. The poor man came in and the sight of him contrasted so much with the rich man. He would only have one coat that he wore all the time. His clothes would be old, worn out with use and probably dirty. He was a stranger to the Christians meeting here. He may have been a Christian who was visiting. They gave the rich man a special welcome. They led him to a good seat. They made him feel at home and important. When the poor man came in, there was no welcome. They told him to stand or maybe he could sit at the feet of the speaker. They did not really want him there at all.

Here we have two men. One was wearing gold rings and good clothes. The other was dressed in old and poor clothing. The church should give them both the same welcome and good seats. They should think of them as of equal value to God and to themselves. What they did shows a bad attitude towards the rich man and the poor man. They made a difference between them by what they saw. The rich man appeared good to them and the poor man was of little worth.

Verse 4 If they act like this, then they are guilty of doing wrong. They consider the rich man to be better than the poor man. They should not make these distinctions between them. They say that they serve God. But they do not act fairly in respect of people. There is no distinction between the rich and the poor with God. They say that they believe certain things. But what they are doing does not agree with those things.

Because they are choosing to welcome the rich man and not the poor man, they are like unjust judges. They are wrong and their thoughts are evil. To make the rich feel more welcome than the poor is not right.

Verse 5 The use of ‘dear brothers and sisters’ shows that James loves the readers. But what he is saying is so important that they must listen to it. This false respect of persons that they show is not wise. The next few verses explain why. Few people in the early church came from the rich or ruling classes. Most of the Christians were poor people. That is, the people in the world think that they are poor. God chose those whom people in the world consider poor to be rich in *faith. God has not limited his choice to poor people, but they have been his first choice. God chose the poor But that does not mean that there is any benefit as such in being poor. The poor here are a class of humble people who put their trust in God. They depend on him. They do not depend on what they are or the things that they own. It does not mean that God chose all the poor because they were poor. It means that God chose poor people. Not all poor people trust in God. Nor does it mean that God does not choose some rich people. These poor are rich in that they have a place in the *kingdom of God. This home in heaven is ready for those who love God. He did not promise this as a reward for their love. The truth is that God called them in order that they may love him.

Jesus said, ‘Happy are the poor in spirit because the *kingdom of heaven is theirs’ (Matthew 5:3).

Verses 6-7 God has chosen the poor. But James is saying that his readers have insulted them. They gave the poor man no welcome and did not respect him. By insulting the poor man and respecting the rich man, they did what was wrong. It shows a bad attitude, one that does not please God. They should have welcomed the poor man. They ought to have respected him at least as much as they did the rich man.

It was the rich men who had power over the poor people. They used this power to get more riches for themselves. They kept the poor people poor and gave them no help. Many of the poor were their slaves. Many of these masters were unkind to their slaves. There was much *persecution of the poor and of the Christians. It was the rich people, not the poor, who started this. So there is no reason for them to respect the rich more than the poor. Rather they should welcome and look after the poor person. Rich people dragged Christians in front of the courts. They accused them of wrong doing against the law. The courts always accepted what the rich people said. The poor people and the Christians did not get proper *justice. Since most people in the church were poor, it would make no sense for them to prefer the rich visitor. Not only did the rich people *persecute them, but they spoke against the name of the *Lord. They insulted God and the name of Jesus Christ. To Christians, the name of Jesus Christ is good and noble. The name means the person, so the name of Jesus means Jesus himself. Christians should not give a special welcome to those who insult that name. In the *Greek it says that they had that name called upon them. To have a name called upon them meant that they belonged to that person. The name called upon them, (perhaps in *baptism), was the name of God. That name is the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. So, Christians bear the name of Christ. That shows that they belong to him.

Royal law 2:8-13

v8 The royal law, found in the Bible, says, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’ (Leviticus 19:18; Matthew 22:39). If you really obey this, you do well. v9 But if you show respect to one person and not to another, that is *sin. God’s law says that you are guilty of doing wrong. v10 We must obey every rule that the law tells us. If we fail to obey one small rule, we have failed to obey the whole law. v11 God has said in his law, ‘You must not have sex with another person who is not your husband or wife’ (Exodus 20:14). He has also said, ‘Do not kill another person’ (Exodus 20:13). If you do not have wrong sex, but you do murder, you have not obeyed the law of God. v12 God will *judge you by the law that can make you free. Speak and live as those who know that. v13 God will not have *mercy on those who have not shown *mercy to other people. God will have *mercy on those who show *mercy. And God’s *mercy overcomes the law when it says that a person like that is guilty.

Verse 8 James now writes about the royal law. It is royal because of its nature and it comes from the great king. The great king is either God or the *Lord Jesus. This is the law of the *kingdom of God. It is the law that is above all laws. It tells us what God commands us to do. And it tells us how we ought to live. Part of this law is the command to love our neighbours. Love for one’s neighbour is at the heart of God’s law. Jesus gave this as a new command that we love one another (John 13:34). If we could love one another as we should, that would satisfy the whole of the law. If they really had done this, it would have been good. But they had not done so. They should show respect to all, both rich and poor. Love does not make distinctions and it shows the same kindness to all. They had not respected the poor man and so they had not kept this law.

Verse 9 To show respect to the rich man and not to the poor man is not to obey this law. Not to respect the poor insults those whom God has chosen. Those who do this to the poor people insult the God who made them. This makes the guilty Christian no better than those who insult the name of God. To make distinctions like this is to *sin against the law of love. It means that we are not loving our neighbour. The law itself says that they are guilty. And it shows them to be *sinners. They have not obeyed the law of God.

Verse 10 The law is a unity and to fail in one command is to fail to keep the law as a whole. A person may be a fairly good person. But he or she may spoil it all by one fault. That person has not failed to obey all parts of the law. Because that person has not obeyed just one part of the law, he or she is guilty of failing to keep the whole law. We cannot choose to obey parts of the moral law of God. We cannot subtract the bits we do not like. Some parts may seem less important to us but we have to obey all parts of it. We cannot excuse our failure in one part by the fact that we have been good in another part. No man can claim to be *righteous because he has obeyed part of the law. Failure to obey in one part is to *sin against the whole law. All of us have failed to keep the whole law. That is why we need the *righteousness of Christ. He loved us and took all our *sins to himself. He suffered the punishment for our *sins so that by trust in him we can be free. He gives us his *righteousness and he takes all our *sins from us.

Verse 11 The law of God has many commands but it is one law. Here is an example to show that to fail in one part is to fail to obey the whole law. God said that you must not have sex with another person who is not your husband or wife. He also said that you must not murder. Since the whole law is one law, failure in one part is a failure in the law as a whole. The person who murders but has not had wrong sex is guilty of failing to keep the law. In the same manner, the one that has wrong sex but has not murdered is guilty of failing to keep the law. Both are guilty of failing to keep the whole law. So, the person who fails to obey just one part of the law is guilty of failing to keep the whole law.

Verse 12 They must recognise that they will all be *judged by the law of freedom. They will have to answer to the judge for what they have done. They should live as those who know that. In what they say and in what they do they must obey the law of God. The law of freedom is the law of God. It is the law of love. This law sets free those who do what it says. It has a serious warning to all those who do not obey it. God will *judge them by this law. The nature of that law should cause us to be kind to all people. It is the law of freedom for those who have real trust in Christ. God in his love, through Christ, has made us free from the punishment for our *sins. He has made us able to love and so to obey the law of love. That power to love comes by trusting in Jesus Christ. And it comes by the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Christians show that love to other people both in words and in actions. As they love their neighbours, they satisfy the law that makes them free.

Verse 13 The judgement of God for those who have not been kind will be severe. As they have not loved their neighbours, they have failed to keep the law of love. Christians need not fear the judgement of God. This is because of what Christ has done. But there is to be a judgement of Christians when the *Lord comes again. Those who show *mercy shall receive *mercy. It was Jesus who said that. The Christian who shows *mercy has done what the law of love demands. Those who show *mercy to other people need not fear the judgement. Their *mercy frees them from judgement. This does not mean that we can earn *salvation by our *mercy. When we believe in the *Lord Jesus, God in his *mercy forgives all our *sins. The law says that we are guilty. But the *mercy of God is stronger than the law. Because Jesus has suffered for us, we are free by the *mercy of God.

*Faith and works 2:14-26

v14 My Christian brothers and sisters, you say that you believe in God. If you do not show this by doing good things, what you say is no use at all. If you believe like that, God will not save you. v15 Suppose a brother or sister needs clothes and does not have enough to eat. v16 You may say, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled.’ It is no good unless you give what the brother or sister needs. v17 It is the same with your *faith. You may say that you believe. But you do not do good things. That is no use at all. People show that they really believe in God by the good things that they do. v18 Someone will say, ‘You believe in God but I help people.’ Show me that you believe in God without doing good things. And I will show you that I believe in God by what I do. v19 You say that you believe that there is one God. Good! The *demons believe that, and it makes them tremble with fear. v20 You foolish people, you should not need me to show you these facts. You may say that you believe. But you do not do good things. That is no use at all. v21 Our father Abraham offered up his son Isaac on the *altar. God called him a *righteous man because of what he did. v22 You can see that Abraham believed God. You can see it because he did what God told him to do. When he obeyed, Abraham showed that he really believed in God. v23 This is just what the *Scriptures said would happen. ‘Abraham believed God, so God called him a *righteous man’ (Genesis 15:6). God also called him his friend. v24 You see, then, that it is by our actions that God makes us *righteous. It is not by our *faith alone. v25 It was the same with *Rahab. She was a woman who lived by sex. But when some men of Israel came to her, she let them stay in her house. And she kept them safe. Then she sent them away by a different route. v26 The body with no spirit is dead. Similarly, you may say that you believe in God. But you do not do good things. Then what you say is no use at all.

Verse 14 The subject here is the nature of real *faith. True *faith will always lead to doing good works. These good works are the work of love. Where there is no active love, there is no real *faith.

*Faith that is in words alone is of no use at all. True *faith is not just to feel good or to accept the truth only with the mind. There is no benefit in that kind of *faith. That kind of *faith is not really *faith at all.

*Faith has to prove itself by what it does. The works of *faith here does not mean just to keep the law. It means to do good things and to be kind to other people. True *faith is active and has to have works as well as words. Works will come from the *faith of the person who really trusts in God.

*Faith of the kind that has no works does not bring *salvation to that person. That *faith cannot save a man from the judgement of God. There is no benefit at all in that *faith.

We cannot do anything to earn rewards from God. Nobody can win *salvation by what he does. But God gives *salvation to the person who trusts in him.

Verses 15-16 Here are Christians who are in urgent need of help. They do not have enough food to eat. They do not have proper clothing. They are both cold and hungry and need clothes and food. Other Christians, who have the means to help them, send them away. They do not give them anything for their help. They give no food, no clothes nor any money to buy the things that they need. But, as Christians, they are brothers and sisters in God. As such, they ought to love one another. So, they should look after those who are in need. They each have a duty to give help where they can. But they do not help. This shows that they do not love or care. One of them says, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and fed.’ Some in the church say this to other church members who are in need. Those in need do not receive food and clothing. Instead, they hear nice words, which do nothing. These words say to them, ‘May your needs be met without our help.’ Those who speak like this refuse to give help. But their words seem to express a blessing. Good words like those are of no benefit without gifts to meet the needs. Words like those are dead words because they do not apply a remedy. Instead, they just depress further those who are in need of help. Good words, however well we mean them, are of no use. They are of no use, if there is no action as well.

Verse 17 *Faith that has not in itself the desire to meet the needs of other people is not real *faith. *Faith that lives will do good works. It always has works and it cannot exist without them.

*Faith that has no works is of no value. And it is not real *faith at all. If there are no works, this is proof that this *faith is dead. It has no more life than a body without breath. It is dead by being on its own, without the evidence of life. It is not the right kind of *faith and it is not living *faith. It does not bring *salvation and it is of no use.

Verse 18 Someone may say that one person has *faith and the other one has works. That person thinks that *faith and works can be separate from each other. This suggests that God will accept either *faith or works. It suggests that we can have one without the other. Some persons may say that they have *faith without good works. The question is, ‘Can we prove that we have *faith for *salvation with no works?’ The problem for this person is to show that he or she can have *faith apart from what it does. However, it is not possible to show that he or she has *faith if there are no works as evidence. True *faith must be active in doing good works. So works are necessary to prove that he or she has *faith. Just to say that he or she has *faith proves nothing. Only action can show that *faith is real.

Verse 19 There are some who say that belief in one God is good and sufficient. It is true that there is one God. He is the only God and there is no other. This God is one in himself. God is one. That is a basic truth. Many people agree that there is one God. They do well to believe in the one true God. It is good but, by itself, it is not enough. *Jews and Christians believe that there is one God and so do *demons. The *demons know that God lives and that he is all-powerful. Their belief is not merely words or thought. It has a real effect on them. They believe and tremble with fear. They are in terror of God. It makes them certain of their own terrible end. They know that one day God will destroy them. He will destroy them because they are not willing to obey him. To say that we believe is of little value if it does not produce good works. Real *faith unites people to God. It does not cause them to tremble but leads them to love God and do good works. *Faith is in the heart and the mind. And it shows itself in a changed life, which wants to obey God. People are *sinners, so an approach to God can only be through the *Lord Jesus. He took the punishment for all our *sins. Christians are those who have this real *faith in Jesus Christ. And they show that it is real. They show this by what they do.

Verse 20 A person who does not see that *faith must lead to good works is foolish. He is not wise. And he does not understand what the truth is. The fact is that *faith that does not lead to good works is not real *faith. James has already shown that it is dead and of no profit. *Faith like that is no use at all.

Verse 21 He calls Abraham our father. God called him to leave his home and go where he would lead him. Then God promised to make a great nation through the son that he would have. This is the nation of *Israel whom we know as the *Jews. This shows us that the readers of this letter were Christian *Jews. Abraham believed that God would do as he had said. He believed that God would give him a son. Then God said that Abraham was *righteous because of his *faith. There was no mention at that time of good works (Genesis 15:6). James is not here speaking about that first time when God called Abraham *righteous. Here God said that he was *righteous by the works that he did because of his *faith. What he did was the evidence of his *faith. It means that God called Abraham a *righteous man because he showed *faith.

The *faith of Abraham had its most difficult test and it did not fail. This event was the final proof of his *faith in God. So God declared him *righteous because of what he did. God accepted him because he offered his son as God had asked him. Rather, Abraham showed that he was *righteous by what he did. The *faith that Abraham had in God was real *faith. This act is the proof of that. He obeyed God and was ready to offer up his son Isaac to death. But without Isaac, God could not keep the promises that he had made to Abraham. But Abraham believed that God would keep the promises. God would keep the promises even if it meant that he must raise Isaac from the dead. Here is the kind of *faith that God will accept as *righteousness. That *faith is one that unites belief with the works that come from it. Abraham had *faith. But it was a *faith that needed to express itself by what he did. If Abraham did not have this *faith, he would not have obeyed God. He would not have offered up his son. His *faith was what caused him to do what God asked him to do (Genesis 22:9; Genesis 22:16-18).

Verse 22 We should not think about *faith and works as separate things. Works are the certain result of real *faith. *Faith does not exist on its own without works. It is living and active in doing what God wants. It was not the *faith of Abraham plus his works which God took for *righteousness. Rather, his *faith made him able to obey God and to do the works. Works are not the source of his *righteousness. Abraham’s *faith and what he did worked together. The offering of Isaac was only one of the works that showed his *faith.

There is no question of works adding to *faith. Works make *faith complete in that they show it to be real. *Faith grows stronger by doing works. The works of Abraham proved his *faith. If there are no works, *faith is not complete. It is dead and of no use at all. So God made Abraham *righteous because of what he did. His *faith and actions worked together, so his works made his *faith complete.

Verse 23 God saw the *faith of Abraham. And so he said that Abraham was *righteous. God spoke these words 30 years before (Genesis 15:6). Now, 30 years later, Abraham offered Isaac. This showed the truth of those words. This was the work of the *faith that he already had. This work completed what God had said 30 years before about Abraham’s *faith. God called him his friend. This means that God accepted him as his own. It is not that he earned his place with God when he obeyed him. It was entirely by the grace of God. Abraham received the love of God with *faith and obeyed him.

Verse 24 When a person has a real *faith in Jesus Christ, God forgives all his or her *sins. It is by this *faith in Jesus that God calls that person *righteous. *Faith is essential. But a *faith that has no works to show that it is real is not true *faith. It is *faith that God accepts. But the nature of that *faith is to be active. It is an answer to the call of God, and the call is always to obey God. So doing what God wants must follow that *faith. *Faith in Jesus Christ is necessary to save a person but it is not *faith on its own. It is by *faith and it is by the works that *faith does. The works complete the *faith and show that it is genuine.

Verse 25 *Rahab was a woman who lived in the city of *Jericho. She had got her money by sex. She was not a *Jew, yet, like Abraham, she was an example of *faith in God. God could even make a person like *Rahab *righteous because she did good works by her *faith. The readers knew the story about *Rahab. She believed that the God of *Israel was the one true God. She said to the men who came to her, ‘The *Lord your God is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath’ (Joshua 2:11). Joshua, the leader of the *Israelites, sent men to the city of *Jericho. They were the enemy and had come to see how best to fight against the city. Because of her *faith, *Rahab received these men into her home. She risked her own life to protect them. Then she sent them away by a different route so that the men of the city would not catch them. Because of what she did, the army of the *Jews did not kill her or her family. God saved her because she received the men and kept them safe. She had done this because she believed in God. Because of this, God called her *righteous. He accepted her just as he did Abraham. He accepted her by works that proved *faith.

Verse 26 When the spirit of a person has gone from the body, the body is dead. The human body, when it is dead, is of no use to the person. *Faith that has no works is as dead as the dead body. It is like the body without breath. Compare *faith to the body and works to the spirit. The body is dead if it has no spirit. A *faith that is not supported by works is just as dead.

faith ~ belief that something is true; trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. The name that God gave to himself in the Old Testament. He was the One who had made a covenant with the Jews.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
covenant ~ when people agree something together; when God and a person or people agree to a special thing.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
glory ~ everything that makes God beautiful and great. It is like a bright light that is shining round God or Jesus.
kingdom ~ the place or territory where a king rules. The Kingdom of Heaven is the people who are under God’s rule.
persecute ~ to hurt people because they believe in Christ.
sinner ~ a person who does sins.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
synagogue ~ the place where the Jews met to worship God.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour to God with praise, thanks and respect.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
worship ~ show honour to God with praise, thanks and respect.
persecution ~ when enemies of God hurt people because they believe in Christ.
justice ~ fair and right decisions and actions.
Greek ~ the language that James used to write this letter.
baptism ~ to put a person under water or to put water on a person to show that they want to follow Jesus.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
judge ~ to judge is to do the work of a judge; to test and decide what is right or wrong.
mercy ~ kindness and help to a person who does wrong, to show love to that person.
righteous ~a righteous person is right in what he does; or a person whom God says is right.
righteousness ~ the quality of being righteous.
righteous ~a righteous person is right in what he does; or a person whom God says is right.
salvation ~ the result after God saves us from sin and its punishment; the new life that God gives to those believe in the Lord Jesus.
sin ~ to sin is to do wrong, bad or evil; not to obey God; sins are the wrong things that we do.
Lord ~ a title for God, or Jesus, to show that he is over all people and things. The name that God gave to himself in the Old Testament. He was the One who had made a covenant with the Jews.

Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible; the holy things that the writers wrote before Christ’s birth.
covenant ~ when people agree something together; when God and a person or people agree to a special thing.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
faith ~ belief that something is true; trust in someone or something; belief and trust in God and in Jesus Christ his Son.
demons ~ bad or evil spirits that work for the devil.
altar ~ the special table on which to offer gifts to God.
Scripture ~ the books of the Bible.
Rahab ~ a woman of Jericho who trusted in God.
Jericho ~ the city where Rahab lived.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews; another name for Jacob, the first father of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.
Jericho ~ the city where Rahab lived.
Rahab ~ a woman of Jericho who trusted in God.
Israelites ~ the people of Israel.
Israel ~ the country of the Jews; another name for Jacob, the first father of the Jews.
Jews ~ people who were born from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and their children.