14 What is the profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (Compare Luke 7:50, and Ephesians 2:8-9.)

8 for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not of works, that no man should glory. (Ephesians 2:8-9).

15 If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, 16 and one of you say to them, "Go in peace--be warmed and filled;" and yet you do not give them the things needful to the body; what is the profit? (Compare 1 John 3:17-18.)

17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. (See Vss. 20, 26.) 18 Yes, a man will say, "You have faith; I have works." Show me your faith apart from works, and I, by my works, will show you faith. 19 You believe that God is one (See Deuteronomy 4:35, 6:4.) you do well: the demons also believe, and shudder. (See Mark 5:2-9; and Luke 4:31-36.)

2 And when he was come out of the boat, straightway there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, 3 who had his dwelling in the tombs: and no man could any more bind him, no, not with a chain; 4 because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been rent asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: and no man had strength to tame him. 5 And always, night and day, in the tombs and in the mountains, he was crying out, and cutting himself with stones. 6 And when he saw Jesus from afar, he ran and worshipped him; 7 and crying out with a loud voice, he saith, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God? I adjure thee by God, torment me not. 8 For he said unto him, Come forth, thou unclean spirit, out of the man. 9 And he asked him, What is thy name? And he saith unto him, My name is Legion; for we are many. (Mark 5:2-9)

31 And he came down to Capernaum, a city of Galilee. And he was teaching them on the sabbath day: 32 and they were astonished at his teaching; for his word was with authority. 33 And in the synagogue there was a man, that had a spirit of an unclean demon; and he cried out with a loud voice, 34 Ah! what have we to do with thee, Jesus thou Nazarene? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. 35 And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the demon had thrown him down in the midst, he came out of him, having done him no hurt. 36 And amazement came upon all, and they spake together, one with another, saying, What is this word? for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. (Luke 4:31-36).

20 But are you willing to know, hollow man, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Wasn't Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? (See Genesis 22:1-18; and Hebrews 11:17-19.)

22 You see that faith worked with his works, and by works was faith made perfect; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him for righteousness" (Genesis 15:1-6, but compare Psalm 106:28-31.); and he was called "the friend of God." (See Isaiah 41:8, and 2 Chronicles 20:7.)

24 You see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith. (Compare Romans 3:20-22, 4:1-5, 18-22.)

1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God. 3 For what saith the scripture? And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. 4 Now to him that worketh, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness. (Romans 4:1-5).

18 Who in hope believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be. 19 And without being weakened in faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's womb; 20 yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform. 22 Wherefore also it was reckoned unto him for righteousness. (Romans 4:18-22).

25 And, in the same manner, wasn't Rahab the harlot also justified by works, in that she received the messengers, and sent them out another way? (See Joshua 2:1-21; and Hebrews 11:31.)

26 For, as the body apart from the spirit is dead (See Ecclesiastes 12:7; and Luke 23:46.), so also faith apart from works is dead.

46 And Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said this, he gave up the ghost. (Luke 23:46).

COMMENTS:
In this section, James makes a vital contribution to our understanding of "salvation by faith." After the sinner becomes a believer through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17), he is commanded to take certain actions on which salvation is conditioned. He must "confess with the mouth Jesus as Lord" (Romans 10:9-10). Any unwillingness on our part to confess Jesus causes the Lord to be unwilling to confess us before God (Matthew 10:32-33). The action of repentance cannot be ignored, since God "commands men that they should all everywhere repent" (Acts 17:30), and repentance is tied to "remission of sins" by Jesus (Luke 24:47). Finally, baptism is essential for the same "remission of sins" (Acts 2:38), or to "wash away sins" (Acts 22:16). When one obeys this final command, he becomes a "child of God by faith," having been "baptized into Christ" (Galatians 3:26-27).
When one is obedient to these terms of the Gospel, and becomes a child of God "in Christ," the pattern of "obedience of faith" continues in his life (see Romans 1:1-5, 16:25-26). Continued faith will always need to be validated by continual obedience. We must remember that James is writing to Christians, and is exhorting them to make their faith "perfect" by works. The Christian must continue to seek "salvation" beyond his original obedience to the Gospel (compare 1 Peter 1:3-9 "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 who by the power of God are guarded through faith unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, 7 that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold that perisheth though it is proved by fire, may be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ: 8 whom not having seen ye love; on whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory: 9 receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
In vss. 14-20 James sets forth his logical premise that faith without works cannot save. In his first illustration, the reader is shown the lack of profit in expressing good wishes to naked and hungry people without providing them with clothes and food. It is just as illogical to think that an isolated faith can live without its validating deeds. When men try to assert that faith can be separated from works (vs. 18), James challenges them to attempt to show their faith apart from works, implying that it is an impossible task. "Faith alone" is practiced by trembling Demons, who, because they fail to obey that faith, are consigned to an eternal hell (2 Peter 2:4, Matthew 25:41). The Jews quote Deuteronomy 6:4 in ritual celebration of the oneness of God, but the context speaks strongly of an obedience based on that belief (Deuteronomy 6:5-9, 17-19 "....thou shalt love Jehovah thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. 6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; 7 and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. 8 And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thy hand, and they shall be for frontlets between thine eyes. 9 And thou shalt write them upon the door-posts of thy house, and upon thy gates..........17 Ye shall diligently keep the commandments of Jehovah your God, and his testimonies, and his statutes, which he hath commanded thee. 18 And thou shalt do that which is right and good in the sight of Jehovah; that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest go in and possess the good land which Jehovah sware unto thy fathers, 19 to thrust out all thine enemies from before thee, as Jehovah hath spoken.")...... So, "faith apart from works is barren."
In vss. 21-25, two examples of obedient faith are presented. First, the prime forefather of all the Jews is said to be "justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac..." His faith was "made perfect" (completed) through his work. When Abraham received the promise that his offspring would be as numerous as the numberless stars, he believed God, even though he had no heir, and his wife was barren (Genesis 15:1-6, 16:1a). He was 86 years old when his personal confidence in his powers of procreation enabled him to father Ishmael by his wife's handmaid (Genesis 16:15-16). God rejected this son as the "heir of the promise," since he was offered as a substitution to God's plan (Genesis 17:15-21). At the age of 100, Isaac was born, so more than 14 years had passed since Abraham had received the original promise. Isaac then had to grow large enough to travel with his father to the site of the offering, and to a maturity capable of conversing intelligently with Abraham about the absence of an animal for sacrifice (Genesis 22:1-8). So, about 20 to 25 years elapsed between the promise and the offering. Yet, James connects the two in order to illustrate that faith must continually work. Abraham's faith first worked in the birth of Ishmael, then again at the birth of Isaac, but God proved his faith once again by ordering the sacrificial death of Isaac. Abraham passed the test, having developed a faith so strong that he could trust God to fulfil his promise of a nation springing from Isaac, even though the boy might die. In order to do this, of course, God would need to raise Isaac from the dead, and the writer of Hebrews says that "in a figure" Abraham did "receive him back" from the dead (Hebrews 11:17-19). James' second illustration confirms the first. The "obedience" of Rahab was based on faith in testimony about God (see Hebrews 11:31).
[NOTE 1: In verse 23, James says that Abraham's willingness to "believe God," in spite of so little assurance from natural reasoning, was "reckoned to him for righteousness." Yet, works can also be "reckoned for righteousness." In Psalm 106:28-31, the deed of Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron, was commended in this way. His deed was the summary execution of an Israelite who, along with many others, had been seduced by an idolatrous Moabite harlot at Baal-Peor. For this righteous act, which turned away the wrath of God against Israel, Phinehas was rewarded with the promise of an "everlasting priesthood" (Numbers 25:1-13).]
[NOTE 2: The contention that Paul contradicts James in Romans 4:1-5 is dismissed, when we see that the kind of works Paul had in mind were "works of the Law" (Romans 4:13-15). The Law he had in mind was the Law of Moses, as seen in references to it in such places as Romans 2:17, where he refers to Jews who"rested upon the Law," and in Romans 7:7, where he quotes one of the Ten Commandments. The likeness of our faith in Christ to that of Abraham is established on the fact that both operate apart from the covenant of circumcision, and the Law of Moses. Nevertheless, we are still "under law to Christ" (1 Corinthians 9:21), and faith in Christ must be perfected by the works of faith which he commands.]

QUESTIONS:

1. What sort of "profit" does James have in mind, when he speaks of faith and works in verse. 14?________________________
2. What illustration does he use to show how illogical it is to think that faith without works is profitable?___________________________________
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3. What challenge does James offer to the man who tries to separate faith from works?__________________________________________________
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4. Was the command to believe that "God is one" (Deuteronomy 6:4) separated from obedience to other commands?______________________
5. What happens to the Devil and Demons who believe in one God, but who are disobedient to Him? _________________________________________
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6. What event caused Abraham to be "justified by works?"________________
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7. What promise of God caused Abraham to have a belief which was "reckoned to him for righteousness?"______________________________________
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8. Why was Rahab willing to help the spies of Israel, according to Joshua 2? _____ __________________________________________________

5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, (Compare Proverbs 2:2-11.) who gives to all liberally and does not reproach (See Acts 17:24-25; and 1 John 5:14-15.); and it shall be given to him.

24 The God that made the world and all things therein, he, being Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; 25 neither is he served by men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he himself giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; (Acts 17:24-25).

14 And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: 15 and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. (1 John 5:14 15).

6 But let him ask in faith, nothing doubting: for he that doubts is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed. (Compare Matthew 14:25-31.)

7 For do not let that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord; 8 a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. (See 4:8, and compare 1 Kings 18:21.)

13 Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. (See 2:18, and compare Matthew 5:16.)

16 Even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:16).

14 But, if you have bitter jealousy and rivalry in your heart, do not boast or lie against the truth. (See Romans 13:13; 1 Corinthians 3:3; and 1 Corinthians 1:30-31.)

3 for ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you jealousy and strife, are ye not carnal, and do ye not walk after the manner of men? (1 Corinthians 3:3).

30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who was made unto us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption: 31 that, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

15 This is not a wisdom that comes down from above, but is earthly, sensual, demon-like. (Compare 1 Timothy 4:1-2.)

16 For where jealousy and rivalry are, there is tumult and every evil work. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, easily persuaded, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy. (See 1 Timothy 3:2-3, and Titus 3:1-2.)

1 Put them in mind to be in subjection to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready unto every good work, 2 to speak evil of no man, not to be contentious, to be gentle, showing all meekness toward all men. (Titus 3:1-2).

18 And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for them that make peace. (See Matthew 5:9.)

COMMENTS:
The Christian has an advantage over those in the world, because he can gain instant wisdom from God. Of course, the Scriptures, especially the "wisdom literature" and the teachings of Christ, provide a ready source of wisdom, but to attain it we must apply ourselves to reading and study. Prayer can implement this acquisition, because we are sometimes "slow learners." If we will supplement our study of divine wisdom with earnest prayer for understanding and the ability to apply it, we will be granted our request by a God who is both liberal, and will not reproach us for asking (compare Psalm 103:8-11 "Jehovah is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness. 9 He will not always chide; Neither will he keep his anger for ever. 10 He hath not dealt with us after our sins, Nor rewarded us after our iniquities. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him.").
We cannot approach this with doubt, or an unstable faith, and expect to receive anything from God (compare 4:3). When Peter begged Christ to permit him to walk on water, he succeeded until he let the tossing waves remind him that he was not naturally bouyant (Matthew 14:25-31). He realized that he was doing something incredible, and irrational, as well as contrary to human experience. It may seem that when we ask for wisdom, which eludes most men, we are also asking for the impossible, but such doubt will disable our prayer. In the contest on Mt. Carmel, Elijah rebuked the "doublemindedness" of Israel, because they gave devotion both to Jehovah and to Baal (1 Kings 18:21). Even their devotion to Jehovah was faulty, being based on the errors of King Jeroboam (1 Kings 12:26-33), and King Ahab compounded the problem by introducing the worship of Baal (1 Kings 16:29-33). We must gain and maintain singlemindedness (Acts 2:46), or a "simplicity toward Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3).
In our second section (3:13-18), James reveals what is better than boasting with the tongue (3:5). He again "challenges" the Christian to "show his works (in meekness of wisdom) by his good life." The "earthly, sensual, devilish" conduct which grows out of jealousy and rivalry is based on a wisdom inferior to the "wisdom that is from above." James warns us against "boasting and lying against the truth" by such conduct. However, the one who borrows wisdom from God borrows also the qualities of Godly wisdom, and is "pure, peaceable, gentle, easily persuaded, full of mercy and good fruits, without variance, without hypocrisy." He reaps the righteous benefits of being a "peacemaker," rather than going down to disgrace as a "jealous rival."

QUESTIONS:

1. What things does the writer of Proverbs tell us to due, in order to obtain wi sdom?_________________________________________________
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2. How generous is God, according to Paul in Acts 17:24-25?_________________
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3. What caused Peter to doubt, so that he could not walk on the water?_________ ________________________________________________________
4. In what sense were the Israelites "doubleminded," and "unstable" in the days of Elijah?___________________________________________________
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5. What should the "wise and understanding" do, according to 3:13?__________ _______________________________________________________
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6. What should the "jealous rival" not do?___________________________
________________________What does this mean?________________
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7. When we see a wisdom that seems "earthly, sensual, and demon-like," what conclusion do we draw?_______________________________________
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8. What accompanies jealousy and rivalry, according to verse 16? ____________ _______________________________________________________
9. What are the qualities of the "wisdom that is from above?"_______________
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10.Name some "fruit of righteousness" that you think will benefit the peacemaker. ________________________________________________________
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