Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

James 2:14

James 2:14. The connection appears to be as follows: James has been showing that true religious worship does not consist in the performance of certain ceremonies, but in active beneficence extended toward the poor and afflicted, and that opposed to this is a respect of persons showing partiality to the rich. He now proceeds further to maintain the more general proposition that a profession of religion, apart from religious practice, is of no value. James carefully separates appearance and reality from each other the shadow from the substance. As formerly he showed that the hearing of the word without the doing was worthless, and that religious worship was of no avail without active beneficence; so now he asserts that a mere theoretical assent to the truths of the Gospel was also unprofitable and vain.

What shall it profit? literally, ‘What is the use?' Faith without works will not profit at the judgment; it will not be conducive to the saving of the soul.

my brethren, though a man say. Some critics lay stress on the word ‘say,' as if the assertion of a faith without works was a mere affirmation or profession, and not a reality. But James admits the existence of a speculative faith; the man is supposed to have faith of a certain kind, though not saving faith.

he hath faith. It is of importance for the understanding of this passage to ascertain what is here meant by faith. James evidently takes the word in its general acceptation; with him it denotes any assent to religious truth, whether it be operative or inoperative. And what he asserts is that if the faith be inoperative, if it be a lifeless principle, unproductive of good works, a mere intellectual assent to Divine truth without its exerting any influence over our heart and conduct, it cannot save us. James undoubtedly considers faith to be a necessary prerequisite to salvation, but only that faith which is productive and accompanied with works.

and have not works. By works, as is evident from the context, James means those works which are the fruits and effects of faith evangelical works which arise from faith; hence, then, not mere ceremonial works, nor even moral or legal works done previous to and apart from faith.

can faith save him? The article in the Greek must here receive its full force literally, ‘Can the faith save him?' that is, the particular faith which such a man possesses ‘this faith.' Faith certainly does save; nothing can be more evidently the doctrine of Scripture than that our salvation is attached to faith; but not the faith to which James here alludes: Can this faith save him? this dead, barren faith; this mere speculative belief in the doctrines of the Gospel.

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

James 2:14

Old Testament

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