James 2 Commentary – The Day After Coming to Faith.
Things to be aware of:
There are several senses of the phrase Faith Alone:
1 Faith Alone with Faith, as the alone/or only instrument of justification/salvation, with nothing else required/needed.
2 Faith Alone to signify a Dead Faith. James 2:17-19
3 Faith Alone as our initial justification. Our coming to faith.
4 Faith Alone signifying that we are justified by works and not by faith Alone.
5 Faith Alone as used by the Early Church Fathers to denote a Living/Saving Faith. This faith is a faith conjoined to supernatural Agape.
The Definition of Justification: “A translation from that state in which man is born a child of the first Adam, to the state of grace and of the adoption of the sons/daughters of God through the second Adam, Jesus Christ, our Savior.” Before we are justified we are in a state of unrighteousness being born children of wrath. So that justification is a translation from a state of unrighteousness to a state of righteousness.
The Definition of Agape: In the Catholic paradigm, Agape is one of the 3 theological virtues, faith, hope, love. Agape is a supernatural virtue, which is to a supernatural end, being God. Agape cannot be acquired by natural means, it is a gift. Thus, Agape is an infused virtue from which works of Agape flow, Romans 5:1-5, specifically verse 5.
The Definition of a Living Faith: Faith conjoined to Agape: as opposed to “faith as the alone instrument of justification.” The Apostle Paul calls this Faith a Faith working through Love (Agape in the Greek).
In the Protestant Paradigm:
The Protestant Definition of Faith Alone, aka, Sola Fide: Faith, is the Alone, (the Only, or By-Itself), instrument of justification/salvation. Nothing else is required, because justification is a “one time event.” This Faith Only, Faith Alone, Faith By-Itself. You will hear Protestants tell us that they are justified by Faith Alone, but that this faith is not alone. In this paradigm, works have nothing to do with justification and Catholics agree. Works do follow justification.
In the Catholic Paradigm:
After we hear the true Gospel, and once we believe, make a profession of faith, this is the beginning of our initial Justification/Salvation. This is by faith alone, but not the Protestant belief of faith alone, as “faith, being the Alone instrument of justification/salvation.” Initial Justification requires Baptism for one to be saved, born-again (born-from-above), sanctified/justified and to be a New Creation in Christ.
Let’s forget about the deathbed convert, and the Baptized infant, for now.
Our Initial Justification begins upon believing the Gospel truths and being Baptized. This is based entirely on scripture. After our initial justification, we are to grow in our justification/sanctification. This is called growth in justification, (progressive justification). In the Catholic paradigm, justification/sanctification is a process in the life of the Catholic.
James chapters 1-2 is about the “day after coming to Faith.” It’s about living out the Christian life after your initial Justification. You heard the Gospel, now you are ready to live out the faith you profess. The Apostle James will show us how. The logical starting point of this commentary is James 1:22.
James 1-2 is writing to the New Israel. These were those who are saved, born-from-above, sanctified, justified and are a new creation in Christ. In the Catholic paradigm, these have received sanctifying grace and the theological virtues of Faith, Hope and Love. James is speaking pastorally, and he is tilling the soil to make it good soil. These are now learning the way in which to be a follower and disciple of Christ. There were some disciples who believed that if they have faith in Christ they would be saved, no matter what they did, including doing nothing. This is faith alone theology as believed by Protestantism in all its forms. Is this not the mindset of whom John the Baptist addressed prior to the Baptism of the Lord?
What about that Deathbed convert? The one that doesn’t wake up the next day. This person who did not have the time to do just one itsy, bitsy work? Well, he did do a work by both coming to faith and asking to receive Baptism. This person is truly conformed to Christ, even though at that moment he might not yet be as conformed to Christ as he possibly could be and will be in heaven. This deathbed convert must have charity in his will, so that his faith is a Living Faith. What if the deathbed convert was not baptized? The Church Christ called “My Church” recognizes a Desire for Baptism.
For the Baptized infant: Those who have reached the age of reason either choose to love God above all else or choose to love some something more than God. The former is an act of Love for God. Even the thief on the cross did this. A person who says he has faith, but does not love God through his actions, is deceiving himself, as James will explain. Agape as a virtue in the soul is, for those who have reached the age of reason, necessarily expressed in actions, or else it is expunged from the soul by mortal sin.
Faith Alone as the sole/only/alone instrument of Justification/Salvation, is the heresy James is going to speak against. Later, we will see the same from St Paul.
James starts this discourse in James 1:22.
[22] But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
[23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
[24] for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
Prove yourselves DOERS of the Word is meant for self-reflection, not to prove yourself before other men. This is why we are to look in the mirror to make sure we are not forgetting our calling.
An examination of conscience is to look in the mirror.
The face represents the whole person. So, this person looks in the mirror at himself or herself and sees who he or she really is, but then leaves, ignoring what he/she has seen. These forget about the imperfections and deficiencies they have seen and continues on their path. In other words, the person who looks and forgets has had the Word implanted within but does not respond in a manner that allows it to flourish and grow. As in Jesus’ parable of the Sower, the seed has been sown, but it does not take root (Mark4:14–19), leaving the person to deal with interior temptations on his or her own.
Our shepherds are assigned to us, to teach us the faith, to be models of the faith and sow the faithfulness to the Word, so we grow in grace and truth. Thus James 1:22 is the logical place to start.
James 1:25-27
[25] But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does.
The Law of Liberty is the Law of Christ. The Law of Liberty is freedom to call God “Abba Father.” We are no longer children of wrath, but adopted sons and daughters of God, who we now call “Father.” We are set free from the dark forces in the world, of the Prince of this world. We are set free from the dominion of sin and can fight sin by putting on the armor of God, Ephesians 6:10-17, Romans 8:2).
Yes, we are under the Law, the Perfect Law. We pray that the Holy Spirit will help us to form our words in Love and Truth. That every deed is saturated with Agape. We must pray that God instills in our hearts the “Spirit of Righteousness” when our anger gives way to sin and harms others.
Verse 25 comes with a beatitude. “…. this man will be blessed in what he does.” We are fruitful because we are blessed, not to be blessed. DOERS of the Word are those with a righteous heart. The promise is to be blessed in what we do.
Abiding in the Law of Liberty is to Abide in God, to abide in Christ, to abide in the Holy
Spirit.
St. Paul tells us about the Obedience of Faith. One must have faith to be obedient to it. Faithfulness is what comes after belief, that next day. It is a verb, it is something we do, a response to God that requires engagement of our will. Faith = obedience and trust. It is doing the will of God.
[26] If anyone thinks himself to be religious and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.
[27] Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
The law of the Old Testament commands that the widow and orphan receive special care (Deut 10:17–18; 26:13; 27:19), and the prophets railed against those who abused or neglected widows and orphans (Jer 7:5–6; 22:3; Zech 7:10). By taking care of the weakest, the truly religious person imitates God’s justice and his nature as a life-giving father. This is how Agape works within the true follower of Christ. True religion also means to keep oneself unstained by the world. To be unstained or unspotted means to be pure and without sin. Saint Peter’s first letter describes Christ as a spotless, unblemished lamb (1 Pet 1:19), while 2 Pet 3:14 says that those who are awaiting Christ should be without spot or blemish. The word “world” is variously used in the New Testament, but in James 4:4, it refers to human society insofar as it resists God and has a corrupting effect (see John 12:31; 1 John 2:15–17).
James Chapter 2
[1] My brethren, show no partiality as you hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.
Here it sounds like James is speaking to Jews only or Jewish believers and some have mistaken this to mean that the entire chapter he is speaking “before man.” I would agree, except that once you start reading verse 2, it becomes apparent that James is speaking both pastorally and hypothetically.
[2] For if a man with gold rings and in fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in,
“FOR IF” and some translations use the word “Suppose,” shows that James is saying the following hypothetically. Did the following actually occur? It’s hard to say. My guess is it may have, and James is not pointing fingers at anyone. This verse itself should rule out the premise that James was speaking about being justified “before man.” This is one of the Twisting of Scripture used by those who believe in Sola Fide.
[3] and you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, “Have a seat here, please,” while you say to the poor man, “Stand there,” or, “Sit at my feet,”
This sounds like Jesus speaking to the Pharisees and Scribes. Is this a living example of the Pharisees who wanted to sit in the best seats at the synagogue?
[4] have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?
To make distinctions refers to discriminating or judging. James implies that any community that establishes such a ranking among its members, has based this behavior on exterior, worldly standards, and not those of Christ.
[5] Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
[6] But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
[7] Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?
James’s description of the poor is clever: by calling the poor chosen, rich in faith, heirs of the kingdom, and those who love God, he describes what the Christian community is supposed to be. James shows the absurdity of disrespect toward the poor by his readers, for by rejecting the poor, they identify with the wealth and status of the world. If they place themselves on the side of the world, they are at enmity with God (James 4:4) and forfeit their standing as heirs of the kingdom.
Jesus identifies with the poor and makes it clear that treatment of the poor is treatment of him (Matt 25:40, 45).
There is a promise made to those who love God. Faith informed by agape.
[8] If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF,” you are doing well.
St. James is exhorting the whole lot of them, so to speak– all of the above Christians– to keep the royal law, (the Law of Love, the Law of Christ by loving their neighbors as themselves. (Obviously though, truly loving involves actually *doing* certain things and *not doing* other things, which underlines the importance of works in the faith and lives of Christians, as the author goes on to emphatically emphasize later in the chapter.)
If you keep this royal law you are doing right but if you show partiality/favoritism you sin and you are convicted by the law as a law breaker.
When speaking of the law, James does not use more customary expressions such as “keeping” or “obeying” it, but rather says we are to “fulfill” the law, which suggests the idea of completing it; of perfect observance. cf. John 3:36.
The “royal law” is thus the Torah fulfilled by Jesus. St. Paul echoes this teaching of Jesus: “The commandments . . . are summed up in this saying, [namely] ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself’” (Rom 13:9). If a person fulfills this foundational commandment, he or she fulfills them all.
Apart from Christ we can do nothing and know nothing, and we cannot Love as Christ Loves. This is the supernatural Love that God has for Himself. We call this Love, Agape.
The Royal Law, is the law of liberty is the Law of Christ, is the Law of Agape.
Romans 13:8-10 RSV
[8] Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
[9] The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and any other commandment, are summed up in this sentence, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
[10] Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
One of the ways we fulfill the Royal Law is to be that DOER of the WORD. Being a Doer of the Word is to be doing the Will of the Father, (Matthew 7:21-23).
[9] But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
[10] For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.
He isn’t saying that the person who breaks one commandment is as guilty as the person who breaks another commandment. He is saying that the person who keeps the whole law except fails in one point, is guilty of transgressing the whole law. And that’s because by violating agape, one violates the principle that underlies the whole law.
[11] For He who said, “DO NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” also said, “DO NOT COMMIT MURDER.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but do commit murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
James is not saying that anyone who has stolen has also literally murdered or literally committed adultery. He is saying that we all fail, in different ways and, at times, we fail in *serious* ways to love our neighbors as we should– and, when we fail in these ways, we are accountable for not keeping the law. The Christian who has murdered cannot harshly condemn, with no mindfulness of his/her own sin, the Christian who has committed adultery. To all who are sorrowful and repentant, mercy is to be shown over judgment.
James is highlighting the deeds of a dead faith.
[12] So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.
The Law of Liberty sets us free from the dark forces in the world, i.e. the prince of this world. We are set free from the dominion of sin and can fight sin by putting on the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17 Romans 8:2).
[13] For judgment will be merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.
Because mercy triumphs over judgment, we can avoid the just punishment due to our sins by showing mercy to others and loving our neighbors as ourselves (Lev 19:18; Mark 12:29-31). The burden of Love is on us. We are to be the instruments of God’s Love in this world.
The two questions being asked by the Apostle James:
These are called The Thesis Questions.
[14] James 2:14
1st Question: What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works?
2nd Question: Can his faith save him?
Here in the 1st question, James is speaking of the Faith of the “day after.” This “day after” is our call to Faithfulness, which in the Hebrew is “Enumah.” This comes from Hebakkuk 2:4. We are now equipped to “do the will of my Father.”
2nd Question states, Can this faith save him? This is referring back to Question #1 and all the way back to verse 1:22.
We can sum up both questions as, “Can “faith alone” save you?”
In James 2:15-23, James will give supporting evidence to the answer he will give in James 2:24, which is confirmed in James 2:25-26.
Can his faith save him? without the Royal Law,? Without being a DOER of the Word,? which is to say: Can his faith, without love of God and Love of neighbor, save him? Can a faith without works save him? Can faith, as the alone instrument of Justification, save him?
In the 2 questions, just Who saves us? Is it God or man?
Its God only, who saves us through Christ Jesus. We are not saved ‘before man,a’ as some have tried to twist the scripture by claiming James is speaking about being Saved/Justified “before man,” or that James is speaking about a different justification from the justification that the Apostle Paul means by justification; as if this negates being saved before God. James is speaking about after your initial justification.
THE EVIDENCE
After The Thesis Question, Justification evidence.
[15] If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food,
[16] and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?
James is now going to debunk the belief of some that their faith alone, their faith by-itself, their faith only, will justify them and save them. He does this by first paraphrasing Jesus in Matthew 25:31-46. Jesus identifies with the poor and makes it clear that treatment of the poor is treatment of him (Matt 25:40, 45).
Implicitly, James is asking, can one be a follower of Christ without being a DOER of the Word and without Loving God and loving Neighbor for Gods sake.
[17] So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
What do we see here? Faith by-itself (faith, as the Alone instrument of justification), if it has not works is Dead. Faith without Works is dead, and by implication, works also need faith.
On its own, James 2:17 will not disprove Sola Fide for Protestants, because they believe that works are a fruit of faith and/or works automatically follow faith. Some believe they will automatically be compelled to do works by the Holy Spirit. We are not robots.
The question we must ask is, why is faith alone a Dead Faith? Because it is alone without works? Or is it alone, because faith is not formed by the virtue of Love, Agape in the Greek? The answer is both.
After James answers the Thesis Questions, we will come back to verse 2:17.
1 John 3:14,18 RSV
[14] We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death.
[18] Little children, let us not love in word or speech but in deed and in truth.
If the follower of Christ does not Love, they abide in death, then the person who has faith without agape, cannot be justified, for not one who abides in death is also Justified. St. John is not speaking about a natural love, but the supernatural love we call Agape. If the person who does not have agape does not know God, then the person not having Agape does not have justifying faith, because no one who does not Love God can have justifying faith. Justifying faith must therefore be Faith working through agape, Galatians 5:6.
In actuality, the Catholic teaching is the Biblical teaching. It’s not either faith or works, relating to justification. It’s “both/and,” Faith Alone does *not* justify man before God. Without works, it is *dead*, WHY? being alone.
The Protestant tells us that they do works, and that works are a fruit of faith. They are correct and yes they do good works. But those works are not to a supernatural end. They are to a natural end because their faith is not formed/informed by supernatural Agape. There faith is alone. We will see Paul explicitly saying the same thing.
[18] But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
Look very closely at James 2:18. The speaker here has not only separated Faith and Works but has separated them into FAITH ALONE or WORKS ALONE. This is exactly what Protestants claim against us. The next part of this sentence will now help explain the meaning of why FAITH ALONE is false: “show me your FAITH apart from your WORKS, and I by my Works will show you my FAITH.
What James is doing in 2:18, is engaging in a style of argumentation known as “diatribe,”— a dialogue in which an imaginary opponent presents an objection that the author refutes in order to develop his or her argument, in this case, further evidence to support his answer to the Thesis Questions of verse 2:14. James is writing in the second person singular.
James is showing us that works demonstrate true saving faith. There is no argument about this. In fact, as James moves forward with his Holy Spirit inspired evidence towards the answer to the Thesis Questions, it will decide if Faith Alone (Sola Fide), is the alone, sole, only instrument of Justification, or if works also justify us, after our initial justification.
Genesis 26:4-5
[4] I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall be blessed;
[5] because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes and My laws.”
Verse 5 shows Abraham had faith and also did the will of God. Faith by-itself, without works, was NOT the alone instrument that pleased God. By works of faithfulness and trust in God, Abraham pleased God and was called the friend of God. Friendship with God has mutual love for God.
Read the Hebrew Strong numbers for the definition of the word “Because”: H6118, H834. Cf: Hebrews 11:8-19
[19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.
James recites the first sentence from the Shema.
Mark 12:29-31
[29] The foremost is, ‘Hear, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD;
[30] and YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR
SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’
[31] The second is this, ‘You SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.
LOVE of God and Love of Neighbor has been linked into a single commandment by Christ Jesus for all time. (Mark 12:29-31).
We know that the demons believed in Him – knew Him to be the Son of God even before He had made this clear to His disciples – and this belief obviously does not “save” them. (See both James 2:17 and Mark 1:24/Matt. 8:29).
And what about belief itself? Does mere intellectual ascent to faith save i.e. faith by itself/faith only/faith alone? Here in v19, even the demons believe that Jesus is the Son of God. Yet, this belief does not save them and once again we must ask why? Because they do not have Agape for God; the demons hate God.
Mark 1:24
[24] and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.”
Matthew 8:29
[29] And behold, they cried out, “What have you to do with us, O Son of God? Have you come here to torment us before the time?”
Luke 4:41
[41] And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them, and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ.
In the Greek, from James 2:14 through 26, you will see the same term used for ‘faith’/’believe’ throughout, as noun and verb. We don’t see this in English because as a noun it is translated ‘faith’, but as a verb it is translated ‘believe’. So, in verse 19, these people are believing [faithing], just as the demons believe. If there were no such thing as ‘dead faith’ or ‘dead believing’ what James writes wouldn’t make sense. He is comparing the epistemic state of those who think it is sufficient to believe, to the epistemic state of demons, and saying that they are analogous. They both believe, but don’t obey, and this shows that their faith is dead. A living faith is distinguished from a dead faith precisely in that the former produces works which God Himself prepared beforehand for us to walk in, while the latter doesn’t. He’s not saying that the problem such people have is that they neither believe nor work. Otherwise, the demon example would not fit; he’d have to make the demons out to disbelieve in God.
If someone claims that when James is talking about ‘dead faith’, he is using a term that has no referent, then when James talks about what the demons are doing, to deny that that has a referent is basically to deny that James means what he says. If that’s not making Scripture a wax nose, I don’t know what is. This [hypothetical] proposal would mean that James is using the same term to talk about nothing in verse 14, nothing in verse 17, nothing in verse 18, nothing in verse 19, nothing in 20, something in 22-23, nothing in 24, and nothing in 26.
That is a serious bit of hermeneutical gymnastics to get around the obvious. And anyone who finds himself doing that ought to be asking himself whether he isn’t just trying to prop up a faulty theological system, and prevent himself from letting Scripture speak freely. (quote from Dr. Bryon Cross.)
[20] Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren?
James is restating 2:17, that being in possession of a Faith that is By-Itself, Faith Only, or Faith that is Alone, (Faith, as the Alone instrument of justification/salvation), is DEAD, Barren, Useless, Unprofitable, and Gains-you-nothing. Thus a Faith that is Living is a faith that works. Again, this faithfulness, Enumah in Hebrew, is about doing to will of the Father.
In the Catholic agape paradigm, agape is the fulfillment of the law. Agape is not merely some power or force or energy by which one is enabled better to keep Gods
commandments, either perfectly or imperfectly. Rather, agape is what the law has pointed to all along. To have agape in one’s soul is to have the perfect righteousness to which Gods precepts points.
Righteousness conceived as keeping a list of externally written precepts (legalism) is conceptually a shadow of the true righteousness which consists of agape infused into the soul, (Romans 5:5). This infusion of agape is the law written on the heart. But the writing of the law on the heart should not be conceived as merely memorizing the list of commandments or precepts or being more highly motivated to keep His commandments and precepts. The writing of the law on the heart provides, in itself, the very fulfillment of the law — that perfection to which the external law always pointed. To have agape is already to have fulfilled the telos of the law, a telos that is expressed in our words, deeds, and actions because they are all ordered to a supernatural end unless we commit a mortal sin. The typical Protestant objection to the Catholic understanding of justification by the infusion of agape is “Who perfectly loves God? No one.” But this objection presupposes keeping a list of what you do and don’t do. We are required by God to do those works He Himself prepared beforehand for us to walk in, Ephesians 2:10.
Other translations use the words: barren, useless, unprofitable, and “gains-you-nothing.” Why is this important? Because Paul used the same terminology in 1 Corinthians 3:1-3.
1 Corinthians 13:1-3 RSV
[1] If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
[2] And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
[3] If I give away all I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
We are definitively told that Abraham was “Justified by works” in verse 21. This is not done “before man” as some Protestants have claimed. Abraham and Isaac are alone along with an Angel of God, and only God can save, which verse 2:14 implicitly makes clear.
The agape visible in Abrahams actions (e.g. his willingness to sacrifice his son) is not merely an outward sign of faith alone within him, but is the visible manifestation of living faith within him, that is, faith-informed-by-the-divine-gift-of-agape. It is this living faith within Abraham that God reckoned as righteousness, because that’s just what righteousness truly is, agape that in itself already fulfills the Law.
Abraham had a supernatural faith and not of his own doing. If it was completely of Abraham’s own doing, it would be a blind faith, completely unreasonable in the natural realm.
St James highlights the fact that Abraham’s faith was manifested in deeds. ….Every Christian who acts consistently, by faith and works totally imbue each other. Works show forth faith, and faith inspires and performs works.. ….manifest their faith by exemplary living. (Navarre pg. 292).
For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. Romans 2:13
James has already exhorted us of the importance of being Doers of the Word and not Hearers only. Being a Doer of the word, is faithfulness to the will of God. This is the Day After Coming to Faith.
[22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works,
Faith + Works. Faith was active and completed by his works. This is Faithfulness and living out the faith you profess; this in your daily life. We are to be Doers of His Word. Imagine, faith is completed by works.
James is speaking to those already justified. This is why I call this “The Day After Coming to
Faith.”
Hear the words of God:
Genesis 22:15-19 RSV
[15] And the angel of the LORD called to Abraham a second time from heaven,
[16] and said, “By myself I have sworn, says the LORD, because you have done this, and have not withheld your son, your only son,
[17] I will indeed bless you, and I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies,
[18] and by your descendants shall all the nations of the earth bless themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”
Genesis 26:3-5
[3] Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you, and will bless you; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will fulfil the oath which I swore to Abraham your father.
[4] I will multiply your descendants as the stars of heaven, and will give to your descendants all these lands; and by your descendants all the nations of the earth shall bless themselves:
[5] BECAUSE Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.”
[23] and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God.
Notice that Abraham was called “the friend of God.” Friendship with God entails the presence of love for God, because friendship requires mutual love. So, what James says here implies that the faith of Abraham by which it was reckoned to him as righteousness, was not a faith devoid of agape, but was a faith conjoined with agape.
In the fifth chapter of St. Paul’s letter to the Galatians, we find another key to understanding the relation of faith and agape, with regard to the justification he has been writing about in earlier parts of the letter. He writes:
Galatians 5:5-6
[5] For we through the Spirit, by faith, are waiting for the hope of righteousness.
[6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love.
Notice in verses Galatians 5:56, that for St. Paul, we hope by faith. He is not saying that we are waiting for hope, but that by faith we are waiting for the object of our hope, i.e. that for which we are hoping. This object is the putting away of all sin once and for all, in the life to come. St. Paul assumes that hope is present with faith. Faith without hope would be despair or fear. Moreover, notice that St. Paul assumes that love (agape) is present as well. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any strength or effect [τι ἰσχύει], but faith working through love [πίστις δι’ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη]. What has any strength or effect, is not circumcision, uncircumcision, or faith by itself, but faith working through agape. Here we see St. Paul not only assume the presence of the other two theological virtues (hope and agape) along with faith but also show that faith is of no avail apart from agape. These two verses give us evidence that at least in the other parts of his letter to the Galatians, when he says that we are justified by faith, we should not assume that this means faithbut-neither-hope-nor-agape. Rather, we should assume that this means faith in conjunction with hope and agape. (Dr. Bryan Cross)
Saving faith works through love. “Justification by faith alone” would deny the necessity of “faith working through love.” This is the life of faith we are called to.
Faith working through love (Agape in the Greek) is the faithfulness making us worthy of our calling.
The 2 Thesis questions are now answered.
[24] You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Can faith without works save us? Or Can Faith Alone save us?
The faith being addressed here, is Faith as the alone/only/sole instrument of justification/salvation. aka Sola Fide.
No!!! Why? Once we come to faith and are Baptized, we are now saved (1 Peter 3:21), born-again (John 3:5), sanctified and justified (1 Corinthians 6:11), transformed into a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). All our works are now Graced-works. These are the works stated in Ephesians 2:10.
Now the life of faith (faithfulness) begins. At the end of the Divine Mass, we hear the announcement to “Go, Preach the Gospel, by the way you live your lives.”
If Protestants believe that Faith, is the Alone instrument of justification/salvation, they not only possess a Dead Faith, (James 2-17-20), in verse James 2:24, we are explicitly taught that we are “justified by works and not be faith alone.” To believe in faith alone, as in the Protestant belief, this belief severs them from Christ, as any heresy does.
This is the key to why Sola Fide is a heresy. We have the Holy Spirit through James, explicity and directly stating we are “justified by works” and “not by faith alone.”
Just who saves us and who justifies us? It is God and God alone who saves us. As it was stated several times, the Protestant argument that James is speaking about being “justified before man” is rejected by the second question of verse 2:14.
Coming back to James 2:17, Faith alone, i.e. faith as the alone instrument of justification is REJECTED by the Holy Spirit and is equated with a Dead Faith. A Dead Faith that James compares to the same faith as the demons, James 2:18-19.
What can be clearer than James’ explicit, unequivocal and succinct statement that you are
“justified by works and not by Sola Fide.”
After initial justification, we should grow in justification/sanctification, which is a process as scripture makes clear.
[25] And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
James teaches that she was, in fact, justified by works, whereas Paul gives us Rahab being justified by faith.
Hebrews 11:31.
By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish with the disobedient, for she had received the spies in peace.
There are no contradictions in scripture.
There are no accidents in scripture.
There are no coincidences in scripture.
There are no inadvertent words in Scripture.
The conclusion is, we are justified by both/and: faith + works.
[25] For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.
James finishes with a comparison and confirms verse 2:24. He likens a dead body, a body without a spirit, to faith without works. Without works, faith is no more alive than a corpse. It is works that give life to faith. The spirit, or “breath” (pneuma), is vital for a body to live. In the same way, faith cannot bring salvation if it is not accompanied by the works that give it life and vitality.
James has emphasized that it is not enough simply to believe in God. Faith is useless unless it is accompanied by love of neighbor, (James 2:8 2:12-13, 2:15-16 = 2:17). Belief in God must lead into the “obedience of faith,” conjoined to Agape if we are to be saved and see God face to face.
For James, addressing those who are already in Christ, faithfulness is to be the Doer of the Word and not a Hearer only. We have a mountain to mount; a life in Christ to live.
In conclusion, faith without works is dead. Why? Because it is a faith by-itself, a faith alone. Once James 2:24 is read, the Holy Spirit through James and through Paul reveals that we are Justified by Works and not by faith alone.
To believe in the Protestant doctrine of Sola Fide, stops the progression of justification and sanctification and results in a dead faith and in only a “right opinion” of who Christ is. This leads to a natural end and not a supernatural end since a belief in a heresy directly found in the New Testament is believed.
A faith alone/faith by-itself/faith only, accordingly, is incompatible with Christ’s teaching to the Apostles.
We are justified by works and not by Sola Fide.
Some arguments from Protestants on James 2.
James is speaking about a different kind of faith than Paul is speaking about.
Catholics: James is writing about the justification after our initial justification.
James is speaking about being justified before man.
Catholics: Refuted in James 2:1-2 and James 2:14, including Abraham in James 2:21-23
James is speaking only to the Jewish nation
Catholics: James 1:1 is speaking to the New Israel. See Phil 3:3. The 12 tribes ceased to exist after the Assyrian Conquest. The tribes that are considered lost and became the hated Samaritians.
James is speaking about 2 types of justification.
Catholics: This argument is the same “before man” argument which is a twisting of the words of St. Thomas Aquinas in his Commentary of Galatians.,
Protestants will claim “faith alone” is all over the New Testament.
Nowhere does the phrase “faith alone” appear outside of James. The Shema proves Jesus could never believe in a Faith Alone without having Love for God. We do have Paul stating that faith without Agape is unprofitable, useless and gains you nothing.
In fact, the Apostle Paul, who is frequently quoted as proof-texts to prove faith alone, never uses the phrase faith alone.
Paul used the word Faith over 200 times in his Epistles.
Paul used the word Alone 17 times in his Epistles.
Never once does Paul use the phrase Faith Alone.
Why? Because Jesus could never teach such a doctrine. If God is Agape, then Agape is required.
For Protestants to believe that Paul is using the phrase “Faith Alone,” they mentally must place the word ALONE after the words Faith or Belief. They must presuppose “Faith Alone.”
Since scripture proves that Faith, as the Alone instrument of justification, is false and produces a dead faith, Paul could never mean this faith as the Protestant do in their doctrine of Sola Fide.
When Paul is speaking about Faith, Belief, Believe, he is speaking about a Living Faith, not Faith as the Alone instrument of justification. And we know that Paul is not speaking about a Faith devoid of Agape. Here is an example:
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through faith ALONE (as the alone instrument of justification); and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
Or, is this the sense of the word “faith” Paul is using:
Ephesians 2:8
For by grace you have been saved through a LIVING/SAVING faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; Can a dead faith be a gift of God?
Then reading Ephesians 2:1-10 its not even possible that Paul is referring to a Dead Faith.
The Takeaways:
James is speaking about the Christian faith after we are justified, i.e. after our initial justification. This is called growth in justification.
The specific type of faith James is writing against is Faith, as the Alone/Only/Sole instrument of Justification. This is proven in James 2:14-26
Faith Alone is Rejected by the Holy Spirit through James and through Paul. Jesus could never teach a doctrine of faith alone, without the Love for God. Read the Shema.
James equates the faith that is the alone instrument of justification with the faith of the demons, who possess a dead faith devoid of Love for God.
We are definitively and explicitly told that we are justified by works and not by faith alone.
This is different than our initial justification. Our initial justification is accomplished by belief and Baptism. Once we believe, the Holy Spirit prompts us to seek Baptism. The importance of Baptism is taught to us as part of the Gospel message.
Most of the exegesis you read, came from taking notes, reading commentaries and from theologians, I’ve encounter on my journey.
This commentary is a work in progress.
Blessings,
Ryan Zell