James 2:24-26: As the Body Without the Spirit
2024-07-22
James 2:24
Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. (James 2:24)
In this section, we see that the pronouns James uses switches back from singular to plural. Note the word “Ye” is the second person plural pronoun.
Given the previous discussion, we saw how Abraham showed both the world and the people of God the authenticity of his faith. Sure, he had faith back in Genesis 15:6. But we saw perfect proof of that faith in Genesis 22.
So it is the same with us. We are not justified in the eyes of others by spiritual knowledge or verbal assent to truth. Our actions speak the loudest in favor of our faith, as we have discussed before.
At the same time, it is a good thing that we advertise our faith in Jesus Christ amid our good works, so the world knows the source of our good works.
James 2:25
Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? (James 2:25)
Here is another example of faith with works that we discussed recently. This is one most appropriate to the situation of helping someone who needs physical help where they cannot help themselves.
Consider Joshua 2:9-11. Imagine after hearing this beautiful profession of faith, the spies asked, “So, you’ll protect us, right?” But Rahab instead replied, “Nah, I don’t think so. I just called the king’s men over here to arrest you.”
Where would be this lady’s faith? Her faith would not be so convincing to others if she feared the king’s wrath more than the Lord. Faith would have made no real difference in her practical, observable life. People would see that and say, “Is her faith really legit? She talks a good deal about the power of the Lord, but she allied herself with the Lord’s enemies.” Rather, this lady put her life in her hands to deliver the Lord’s people because she believed in the delivering power of the Lord. If she was willing to possibly die by the king of Jericho, her faith conviction must be quite authentic.
This is an interesting example to use because Rahab was a Gentile. James was a minster primarily to Jewish people, as we have said before. This would be a reminder to his Jewish audience that both the Jew and the Gentile can equally exercise faith and demonstrate it in such a dramatic fashion as did Rahab.
James 2:26
For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:26)
We follow this analogy given by the brother of our Lord in this way: Is the body without the spirit still a body? Surely, it is still a body. But after a few days, it gets a little smelly. It starts looking a little disgusting. It rots and putrefies until you must get rid of it. It must be buried deep underground or cremated because nobody would be able to stand it. There would be retching and disease, and animals would be drawn to it.
Just maybe faith without works is the same way. It could be quite legitimate faith. But after a while, dead faith like the dead body also gets a little gross. The world is looking at this professor of Christ as some religious zealot who merely takes up space. Eventually, the non-working professor is dismissed by the world as just someone who chants “thoughts and prayers” whenever he feels guilty about actually being any earthly good. “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned” (John 15:6).
Consider a story about 14 years ago of a preacher of a large church who gave it up to be a missionary. The story hit the news, and someone commented as follows: “Man, if this guy’s legit (REALLY no scandals) then he makes me want to cast off the oppressive shackles of atheism and become a convert. Seriously, a man of god that’s for real?” (tray117).