This is follow on study in The verses of James 2 that Mike Ratliff mentioned in his post I reblogged.

Faith or Works?

Let’s start with the boarder text. Then explore each day what one of these verses says.

In our Bible Study we already looked at:

James 1:22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.

Earlier James wrote:

James 1:18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

John Gill commented…

….a quickening of them, when dead in trespasses and sins; a forming of Christ in their souls; and a making them partakers of the divine nature; and this is God’s act, and not man’s… this is God’s act, and his only; see Jhn 1:13 and the impulsive or moving cause of it is his own will. God does not regenerate, or beget men by necessity of nature, but of his own free choice…

With that background, here is James more detail discussion of Faith & Works.

James 2:14-26 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

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.

19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

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? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

So let’s start with what Old John Gill said about verse 14. Does he help to clarify this text, with his insight from almost 300 years around, in the middle of the Reformation and before any of our current distortions.

James 2:14 Gill

What doth it profit, my brethren,…. The apostle having finished his discourse on respect of persons, and the arguments he used to dissuade from it, by an easy transition passes to treat upon faith and works, showing that faith without works, particularly without works of mercy, is of no profit and advantage:

though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? it is clear that the apostle is not speaking of true faith, for that, in persons capable of performing them, is not without works; it is an operative grace; it works by love and kindness, both to Christ, and to his members;

but of a profession of faith, a mere historical one, by which a man, at most, assents to the truth of things, as even devils do, Jas 2:19 and only says he has faith, but has it not; as Simon Magus, who said he believed, but did not.

Can faith save him? such a faith as this, a faith without works, an historical one, a mere profession of faith, which lies only in words, and has no deeds, to show the truth and genuineness of it.

True faith indeed has no causal influence on salvation, or has any virtue and efficacy in itself to save;

Christ, object of faith, is the only cause and author of salvation;

faith is only that grace which receives a justifying righteousness, the pardon of sin, adoption, and a right to the heavenly inheritance;

but it does not justify, nor pardon, nor adopt, nor give the right to the inheritance, but lays hold on, and claims these, by virtue of the gift of grace;

and it has spiritual and eternal salvation inseparably connected with it;

but as for the other faith, a man may have it, and be in the gall of bitterness, and bond of iniquity; he may have all faith in that sense, and be nothing; it is no other than the devils themselves have; and so he may have it, and be damned.

So we see revealed, two types of Faith with one being real. In the next days let’s look at that more.