Faith And Works

Peter L. Meney | Added: Jan 29, 2026 | Category: Theology

The little epistle of James is a mine of precious gems in our Bible. It is full of clear, powerful statements and admonitions to direct believers in their daily lives and their interactions with this evil world. James employs many instantly memorable statements and expressions to guide his readers. He employs examples that are enduringly suitable for the church in every age. 

A treasure trove

Our Bibles would be poorer were it not for phrases such as the steeling, ‘Blessed is the man that endureth temptation’, the omni-gracious, ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above’, the enduring, ‘let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath’ and the doctrinally sweet advice to look into and continue in, ‘the perfect law of liberty’, and this is only chapter one!

Practical wisdom

At the beginning of chapter two James has been warning his brothers and sisters in Christ against exercising partiality in their gatherings. The reign of Christ in a believer’s heart converts the soul. It also transforms the conduct and influences the motives by which the believer lives. A converted man longs to live for Christ and to glorify God. James is speaking to men and women who by grace are free from the condemning law of sin and death. They desire to follow and emulate their Saviour according to the perfect law of liberty. 

‘Follow thou me’

All who bear Christ’s yoke seek to follow their Saviour. It is not merely that they should, they do. The new creation with its new desires endeavours to find occasion to serve the Lord out of love for Him and out of gratitude for salvation. Those who have faith in Christ look for opportunities to honour the Lord in practical ways and here James teaches the church about the proper relationship between faith and works. True faith is living faith and living faith is exercised following the pattern of life left to us by the Lord Jesus Christ.

James and Paul

James’ language is clear and precise. This apostle does not in any way contradict or even challenge Paul’s teaching on the unique role of faith in the method of a believer’s salvation. When Paul says, ‘For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast’ (Ephesians 2:8, 9). He is emphasising the free, gracious justification of a sinner before God. When James says, ‘Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone’, he is speaking of the evidence of transforming grace in the believer’s life.

Faith and works

If a man is to be justified before God, if a man is to be made right with God, then justifying righteousness must be imputed to him by God. It is impossible for a man to make himself righteous in God’s sight by his own works. Every saved sinner is saved by God’s free grace. We are not saved ‘by works of righteousness which we have done’ (Titus 3:5) but by mercy, by the grace of God and the substitutionary death of Christ on the cross. Thereafter, knowledge of free justification with God and full acceptance in Christ is enjoyed and experienced by faith alone. 

Faith is God’s gift

Faith is the enabling gift of God by which individual sinners are first called, then empowered to see, understand and believe what has been effectually accomplished for them by Christ and in them by the Holy Spirit. Faith first convinces the new creature of his interest in Christ’s death. It communicates and conveys God’s spiritual blessings of love and mercy to the believer’s soul and personal experience. Then, the same gift of faith provokes a reaction and a response. Faith reacts to God with gratitude and worship. It responds to men by revealing a transformation of conduct and acts of love and kindness.

James’ message

James does not deny the uniqueness of faith for knowing and receiving Christ. He is explaining the attendant outworking of faith in serving Christ’s body. Joseph was called ‘a fruitful bough’ and Christ, the Vine, makes His church fruitful in good works and Christian service, one to another and to the world. Faith without works, particularly without works of mercy, is of no profit and advantage. For faith to profit the believer and advantage those around us it must be exercised. 

A striking example

The apostle gives the striking example of a naked, hungry brother or sister being sent away empty with a mere shallow blessing. Every believer shares the commonwealth of spiritual good secured by Christ and freely given by God. It would be shameful indeed, for one who has received liberally from God’s spiritual store thereafter to deny practical assistance to a needy brother. There is no profit in such conduct. It is clearly inappropriate for one who received God’s spiritual riches when himself spiritually naked and hungry to withhold material help from a poor, needy brother or sister. 

‘How should we then live?’

Once again we see the beauty of James’ practical emphasis coming to the fore. The apostle is teaching believers how we should live. It is certainly true that men and women of the world can and do many ‘good works’ and demonstrate charitable motives for their fellow creatures upon humanistic grounds. Such works of charity and kindness are to be encouraged and supported. James is not discussing the motives of unbelievers. He is, however, exposing the hypocrisy of an empty profession and a careless faith. True good works are works of faith, done for the glory of God, in love for the brethren and generally to care for those in need. 

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