get to work

James 2:14-26

The key words are faith and deeds. James uses three illustrations to prove his point: it does not do anyone any good to wish them warmth and full bellies if you don't give them blankets and food; Abraham's belief was seen through his action of offering his son; Rahab's faith was seen by her action of hiding the spies. The main point is that faith without deeds is worthless - in fact, he uses a word picture to say that deeds are the life of faith just as the spirit is the life of the body.
This seems to contradict the teaching of Paul that we are saved by grace through faith and this is not by works so that no one can boast (Eph 2:8-9). In fact, James comes right out and says, "people are justified by what they do and not by faith alone." The danger is that I will soften the meaning of this text to make it fit with the other teachings of the Bible. James is saying that deeds are what bring our faith to life. Put that way, we can see that this clearly fits the teachings of Paul and, especially, Jesus.
For me, this means that I need to get to work: do I believe that God has a concern for the poor? Great! What am I going to do about it? Do I believe that I should love my enemies? Yes! Now how am I going to live that out? In a Christian culture where I am trying to help faith come alive for myself and my students, James provides an easy solution: start acting on it. Just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead.