CRITICAL AND EXEGETICAL NOTES
James 2:24. By works.—That is, by the acts which indicate faith to be a reality, and alive.
James 2:26. Dead.—In the sense of being ineffective; mere helpless sentiment not moving, actuating principle.
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— James 2:25-26
Justification by Works.—The common misconception of Roman Catholic doctrine prevents our properly understanding the teaching of St. James. Justification by works is usually understood to mean justification by the strict and precise observance of prescribed religious duties. St. James has in mind acts of kindness, charity, and service, as the signs and expressions of faith in God. Rahab is no illustration of doing religious duties. She is the illustration of doing kindly service. She did a brave thing, and a wise thing, and a charitable thing, in hiding the spies, and getting them away safely, and she did this because she believed in God, and believed that these men were carrying out a mission from God. But should we have heard anything about Rahab’s faith, if that faith had done nothing—nothing but talk pious things? Her works proved her faith. She was accepted (justified) on the ground of her faith; but it was because that faith was real enough, vital enough, healthy enough, to do something. She was accepted for her works, because the soul of faith was in them.
I. Some works can never justify any man.—Works done in order to form a basis of merit—these cannot justify, because they never can be so worthy or so perfect as to claim Divine acceptance. They may take different forms: good conduct; strained feeling; pious deeds. The hopelessness of them for justifying a man lies in a man’s making his own terms of acceptance with God, and failing to get up to his own terms. If we are to claim justification, we must have an unquestionable ground of claim; and this man can never have, since he carries his moral imperfection into everything he does.
II. Some works will always justify a man.—Such works as Abraham’s and as Rahab’s—works which were the simple, natural, and proper expression of a right state of mind and heart, and had no thought of merit in them, or thought of claim. Abraham did not aim, in trying to offer his son, to build up a merit. Rahab did not, in ministering to Gold’s servants, try to build up a merit. God accepted both—accepted the state of mind and heart of both, accepted the soul of faith with its body of works, which together made a “living sacrifice.”
SUGGESTIVE NOTES AND SERMON SKETCHES
James 2:25. Rahab read by her Motives.—Did we fix attention on her manner of life, we should have to express severe condemnation. Did we fix attention on her actions in secreting the spies, and securing their safe departure, we could only give her very qualified praise, for it implied a failure in loyalty to her own country and people. But when we read her heart and her motive, the whole estimate of her life and conduct are changed. Faith in God may override loyalty to country. But she might have had her faith, and no one been the better for it, not even she herself, if it had not been a practical faith, and used its opportunity. She was justified in acting as she did, because she believed what she did. But her faith would only have been as the faith of many around her, a faith which was more fear than faith, if she had not acted. Read her in the light of her motives, and Rahab illustrates the truth that faith is justified by its works.
A Works-faith.—What may be called a “works-faith” is illustrated in Rahab. Divide thus:
1. The faith she had.
2. The interests her faith opposed.
3. The opportunity that came for testing her faith.
4. The triumph of her faith.
5. The proof that it was accepted.
6. The reward of faith which could work. Point out that disabilities and disadvantages of outward circumstances need not prevent faith, though they must make struggle for it.
James 2:26. A Truth that can be turned Two Ways.—“Faith without works is dead.” That is the truth on which St. James insists here. But the converse is equally true—works without faith are also dead. They are wholly ineffective for the justification of a man. Works are but routine, outward, material. Faith is but a sentiment, or a response of the human intellect to proofs. Neither works by themselves nor faith by itself can ever accomplish anything in relation to a man’s justification and salvation. Put the two things together. Let faith put the man into the works, let the works verify the fact that the man is in the faith, then you have the living, the real faith, which is the condition of salvation on the human side. A man’s body is a helpless thing save as quickened by the indwelling spirit. A man’s spirit is out of all possible relations until it can get into them through the agency of a body.
1. Body is nothing without spirit.
2. Spirit is nothing without body.
3. The two in relation make a living being.
4. Faith is nothing without works.
5. Works are nothing without faith.
6. The two in relation make the ground of man’s justification.