In this episode of Add Bible, we dive into James chapter 2, exploring the crucial teachings about faith and works. Host Alan J. Huth reflects on his personal Bible reading journals, offering insights into how partiality and favoritism contradict the essence of Christian love. Through practical applications, listeners will be encouraged to treat everyone equally, as well as understand the biblical perspective that true faith must manifest in actions.
Welcome to Add Bible, an audio daily devotion from the Ezra Project. Allen J. Huth shares a Bible passage with comments from over 35 years of his personal Bible reading journals and applies the Word of God to our daily lives.
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Today we are in James chapter 2. We’ll learn about how faith without works is dead. When we don’t have a guest reader, when we listen to Add Bible, we listen to Faith Comes By Hearing’s recording of God’s Word. That’s what we’ll do here with chapter 2. Faith Comes By Hearing’s recording of James chapter 2. James 2
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My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, You, sit here in a good place, while you say to the poor man, You stand over there, or sit down at my feet, Have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He has promised to those who love Him? but you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, you shall love your neighbor as yourself. You are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. For he who said, Also said, Do not murder. If you do not commit adultery, but do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. even the demons believe, and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works, and the scripture was fulfilled that says… Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. And he was called a friend of God. you see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
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In 1992, after reading James chapter 2, I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, Show no favoritism to people. All are equal in the sight of God. Then I wrote, Sin causes guilt. And finally, faith without works is dead. Ten years later, in the year 2000, I read James chapter 2 and I wrote in my personal Bible reading journal, No partiality. I do okay with this. Then I wrote, mercy triumphs over judgment. I don’t do so good here. I judge a lot. Then I wrote, faith and works. I do okay here. I believe one needs to act on belief. Fifteen years later, in 2015, I read James 1 and 2 on the same day. In concerning chapter 2, I wrote, James warns against economic partiality. Treat poor and rich equally. Then I wrote, We are sinners, unable to keep the whole law. Thus we need a Redeemer, a Savior, Jesus. I continue to write, Faith apart from works is dead. Faith saves. Work demonstrates genuine faith. How can you become a Christian and not produce any fruit? True faith is demonstrated by works for Christ. Those are my journal entries, so now let’s get into chapter 2 of James. The first verse is another one of these practical applications. Show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. So as Christians we are not to show partiality. The example that follows is economic status. How do we treat the poor and the rich? Do we treat them the same, out of Christian love? Or do we favor one over another? The principle here is to not do that. It’s to show no partiality. James even reminds us in verse 5, So the gospel has no economic status. Praise God it’s available to the poor and the rich. The next important principle here is verse 10. For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it. Part of the point James is making is back to the verses that precede this concept. If we show partiality to people, we break the law. Verse 9. The concept here obviously goes beyond how we treat the poor and the rich. It reminds us that we cannot keep all of the law. We are sinful beings. We fail. But praise God, verse 13 says, mercy triumphs over judgment. Aren’t you glad? We can go to God for mercy and not judgment when we fail in keeping the whole law. The next practical application concerns faith without works. James makes a distinction here that works does not save. The Apostle Paul reminds us of that in Ephesians chapter 2 verses 8 and 9. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not of your own doing. It is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. As Christians, we understand that. If you’re not a Christian, you may not quite understand what that means. So let’s go back to see what James has to say here. Let’s begin with verse 14. What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? James calls it that faith. Faith without works. He says in verse 17, that faith is not alive. That faith is dead. The verse says, so also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. So in our mind, the question may be, is faith really saving faith if it has no fruit? James picks it up in verse 18. But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works. He explains it further in the next verse. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe and shudder. Let’s turn to my English Standard Version Study Bible footnote. It says, Mere mental assent to the Christian faith does not save anyone. The faith that saves, as both Paul and James affirm, embraces the truth of the gospel and acts accordingly. So saving faith has some evidence by fruit or works. James goes on to use the illustration of Abraham. Verse 22, You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works. So, like Abraham, our faith should be active. James concludes the matter at the end of the chapter. Verse 24. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Again, let’s turn to my English Standard Version Study Bible footnote for clarification. It says, “…not by faith alone.” James again seems at first to contradict Paul’s teaching that one is justified by faith alone, but the two are compatible. For James, faith alone means a bogus kind of faith, mere intellectual agreement without a genuine personal trust in Christ that bears fruit in one’s life. On justified, James is in agreement with Paul, and he argues that true faith is never alone, that it always produces works. Thus he says back in verse 24, a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And he finishes the chapter with saying, so also faith apart from works is dead. Those are the main principles of James chapter 2. So let’s summarize. First, show no partiality. Treat people the same. Treat them all with Christian love. Secondly, thank God for mercy, not judgment, when we can’t keep the whole law. And thirdly, exercise fruit-producing faith. When we love Jesus for what He did for us, we automatically want to produce fruit for Him. If you are not producing fruit in your Christian life, maybe you need to reconsider your level of commitment to Jesus. Our practical applications are those. First, show no partiality. And secondly, let’s act out our faith. Let’s truly be ambassadors for Christ. No, works are not going to save us, but they will demonstrate to those around us that Christ is real in our lives. Father, we thank you for James chapter 2, that faith apart from works is dead. Holy Spirit, stir our hearts to do good works for you. Help us demonstrate our faith to those around us with our Christian love to the poor and the rich. And by doing good works because of our faith in you, draw people to you because we exercise our faith. Blessed be the name of the Lord. Amen. All of the Ad Bible radio programs are available to you in writing. We transcribed all of Ad Bible into an 11-book series called Day by Day Through the Bible, and we did it in a unique way by authors of the Bible. You can get the complete set or a book at a time at our website, EzraProject.net. For example, there are the writings of Moses, the writings of Solomon, the writings of the minor prophets, and the writings of the major prophets, the writings of the Old Testament historical books, and the writings of Old Testament leaders. Covering the New Testament, we have the writings of Matthew and Luke, the writings of John, the writings of Paul, and the writings of Mark, Peter, James, Jude, and Hebrews. So this 11-book series covers all 66 books of the Bible, chapter by chapter. So if the radio program was on 1 Samuel, you would find the written version in day by day through the Bible, the writings of Old Testament historical books. If the radio program is covering Daniel or Jonah, you would find all the minor prophets in the writings of the minor prophets. But say you’re studying the gospel of John in your own personal quiet time. You can find our coverage of John’s gospel in the writings of John, which includes not just his gospel, but other writings like 1st, 2nd, and 3rd John and Revelation. Or you are going to be reading one of Paul’s epistles. You could find them all in the writings of Paul. Our Day by Day through the Bible series is a tremendous resource as you read and study any book of the Bible. It will deepen your understanding of God’s Word and enhance your personal quiet time because each book breaks down the passage with comments from my personal Bible reading journals, offers life applications, and prayers related to the passage. If you want more from your time in God’s Word, visit EzraProject.net and try one of our day-by-day through the Bible devotional books. Any of the 11 books are a great place to start, or get the full set to use wherever you are in the Bible today or wherever you are heading in your Bible reading. I know you’re going to enjoy it. And want to share it with others.
