James now returns to his subject of faith. Even as a professed sympathy did not help the poor sufferer of our last few verses, even so, a professed faith that produces no good works is a profitless, dead thing.

"... is dead, being alone." As we have already considered, works are a natural result of faith. Faith is what causes us to want to obey the Lord Jesus and be born again. Works prove that life does in fact exist in us. Some examples: Anyone who has ever grown a rose of Sharon bush understands that while other plants show signs of life in the beautiful spring weather, the rose of Sharon bush does not resemble life until it begins to sprout leaves. We know there is life in an animal or human because of their action. We cannot know that one has spiritual life, unless it is proven by deeds of piety and pity. Faith and works are joined together just like life and action. Works and actions are a natural consequence to faith and life, and prove their existence. When faith produces no works, standing alone, it really is no faith, as when life produces no action it is no more life, but death.

Works prove faith: A young lady puts her faith in a young man. They marry and for the rest of her life she works for and with him. Works in the marriage state prove her faith. Regretfully, sometimes it does not go so well, proving that she put her faith in an unworthy object. When we put our faith in the Lord Jesus, the truly worthy One, we are linked to Him, and we serve Him all the rest of our days.

Real faith produces service: When faith is real, the union to Him is real, and a life of service will follow. And if there is no service, we can rightly conclude there has been no genuine faith, and so no real union to Him. It is in this way that James continually looks at the matter. A mere lip faith that produces no "works, is dead in itself" (R.V.). We are justified by Christ when faith leads us to obedience. The source of justification is grace; the ground, atonement; the means, faith and obedience to Christ; the evidence, works.

Saving faith: Many believe much about the Lord Jesus. They believe that He lived here on earth, and taught the things that we find Him teaching. They believe, too, that He died on the cross, and after a fashion may believe in His resurrection. Yet for all that they do not truly believe on Him enough to trust and obey Him. To really believe "in Him" (perhaps better "on Him"), as we have in John 3:16, means to commit ourselves to Him, by trusting and obeying Him, for the rest of our lives. When a man is sick, he proves he really believes in a doctor when he goes to him, and does as he prescribes. True faith in Christ is a committal of self to Him. Nothing short of that is faith that saves. Just as soon as there is a committal to Him, one that causes us to trust and obey Him, there is a life of power that enables one to do good works to the glory of Christ. It might be well to call attention to the fact that the word translated "commit" in John 2:24 is exactly the same as the one translated "believe" in John 3:16.

Blondin, the tight rope walker: The story was told years ago of Blondin, the tight rope walker, who had his rope stretched across the Niagara Gorge. One day as he was about to walk across, he said to a boy, "Do you believe I can walk across to the other side on this rope?" "Yes, I believe you can," said the boy. "Do you believe I could do it with you on my back?" "Yes, I believe you could." "All right", said Blondin, "climb up." But the lad was not ready to do this, and quickly disappeared in the crowd. He believed about Blondin, but was not ready to commit himself to him. It’s doubtful that most of us would blame him much, because there was little to gain and much to lose. Committing yourself to Christ means to gain everything, losing nothing of value.

She trusted the guide: A party with a guide was traveling across a glacier. They came to a deep crevice in the ice. The narrowest place was still quite wide, and a lady in the party dared not leap across. The guide with his pack reached down and cut a tow hold in each side of the wall of ice. He then put one foot in each hole, so stretching across, and raised one hand and told the lady to step on it. The lady still hesitated, but he said, "Do not be afraid, this hand never lost a man." With this she trusted him, and used his uplifted hand as a stepping stone across the yawning crevice. The pierced hand of the Lord Jesus Christ is the stepping stone across the chasm between earth and heaven. If we trust and obey Him, He will get us over.

Scripture Reading: James 2:18 (KJV)

"Yea, a man may say ..." This is the third time that James emphasizes what somebody says in contrast to what he does. Here we have a man saying, "Thou hast faith, I have works." How common it is to hear similar words today. Speak to almost anyone anywhere and you may hear a long discourse on what they do and how they live, but perhaps nothing about the kind of faith that trusts and obeys the Lord. Sometimes one can hear, "It does not matter much what one believes, just so he lives it." So they actually belittle faith that trusts and obeys the Lord Jesus. They can disbelieve three-fourths of the Bible, but that does not matter. And the works they speak of are not works that spring from a new life in Christ, but mere fleshly works.

"...shew me thy faith without thy works ..." Here is a challenge by a sincere believer to one who has only a lip faith. "Shew me thy faith without thy works." If he does not show his faith by his works, how can he show it? Faith that produces no good works cannot prove itself, and probably does not exist.

"... I will shew thee my faith by my works." The only way a man can show his faith is by his works. The expression, "I will shew [show] thee my faith by my works", makes it clear that James is not thinking of salvation being produced by works, but rather that works are proof of one's salvation. Faith is something on the inside that no one can see but God. However, anyone can see works that are produced by faith.

Examples of faith working: In verses 21 to 25, James gives the examples of Abraham and Rahab, whose faith was proved by what they did. There are many other cases like that in the Word. In Hebrews 11, we have 17 different Hebrew Bible characters who proved their faith by what they did. In Numbers 21, we have the story of the brazen serpent. Many of the children of Israel had been bitten by serpents, and were dying. The Lord told Moses to put a brazen serpent up on a pole, and that whosoever would look at this brazen serpent would be healed of his serpent bite. The pole was set up with the serpent in place, and the good news passed around the camp. How did the stricken ones prove they believed the message? Was it not by looking at the brazen serpent? Perhaps we could hardly call that a work, any more than we can call obeying Christ a work, yet it does show that true faith naturally produces action.

New Testament examples: We see action following belief in almost every instance of conversion in the New Testament. In Acts 2:41, 42, on the day of Pentecost, we read, "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized – And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers."

Paul changed: What a marvelous change we see in Saul of Tarsus. He surely proved his faith by his works. From a Christ and Christian hater, we see him fighting "the good fight of faith" (1 Tim. 6:12). And do we not see similar cases today? We could all probably tell of many cases of wicked sinners suddenly changed into marvelous saints. Many today are like the Thessalonians; "Ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God" (1 Thess. 1:9). When we see such things, we do not question their faith. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). "Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit" (Matt. 7:17).

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