James 2:14-26 Bible Study Notes

Bible Study Notes – James 2:14-26

We continue our study of the book of James, a New Testament study in wisdom.  James encourages the Jewish Christians of the first century with practical methods and means of persevering in the Christian faith despite the persecution they suffer.  In our study, we glean from his practical advice and appropriate these principles to our twenty-first century contexts.  This week’s passage concerns “Faith and Deeds.”  James asks about the worth of faith lacks evidence of deeds which demonstrate the genuineness of belief.  This passage contains the immortal biblical saying, “Faith without works is dead.”  The author suggests believers avoid the pitfall of emphasizing faith over deeds or deeds over faith.  Instead, faith and deeds complement each other similar to way in which a hand fits perfectly into a tailored glove.  James refers to both Abraham and Rahab as examples of persons of formidable faith.  Interestingly, he utilizes the experiences of the “father of faith and many nations” and a prostitute who ran a brothel to demonstrate the necessity of balancing faith and works.

Consider the following ideas and questions as you study the passage.

• What responsibility does the Church have for the poor?  Are the needs of the poor best served by governmental programs, charitable entities and personal compassion?  Should the government refer the poor to the Church and other communities of faith?
• In the fourteenth verse, James questions the quality and worth any faith that lacks comparable deeds which demonstrate that faith.  Is believing correct and orthodox doctrine enough?  Will passing a theological and biblical exam suffice for entrance into heaven?
• In the fifteenth and sixteen verses, James tests the faith that lack deeds.  He asks about the proper faith response to a brother or sister who does not have food and clothes.  Do we commend them for their proper doctrinal beliefs even though they suffer daily hardships?  Moreover, James asks about the worth of faith that fails to respond to the direct needs of fellow believers and the poor.
• Consider Isaiah 61:1-3, Matthew 5, 6, 7 (The Sermon on the Mount), 22:34-40, 25, 28:16-20, Luke 4:18, Acts 2:42-47, 4:32-37, 10:34-43, Romans 4, 8, 10, 12, Ephesians 3:14-21 and 1 John 4.
• Which is better: meeting the direct needs of the poor or advocating for a more just and equitable society in which the poor can actualize their talents and potential?
• Verse 17 contains the immortal saying “Faith without works is dead.”  How do we guard against “works righteousness?”
• Let’s discuss thoroughly the eighteenth verse.  How do we balance faith and works?  Is living a “Christ-like” life without a genuine belief in Christ any better than adhering to correct doctrine without demonstrating faith in practical actions?
• The nineteenth verse hints that belief, however orthodox, by itself is not enough!  Actually, James submits in the next verse that such faith is actually “useless.”
• The next three verses, James 2:21-24, alludes to Abraham’s faith in his obedient sacrifice of Isaac to Almighty God.  Refer to Genesis 23.  Through his act of faith, Abraham obtains righteousness, living in right relationship with God.  In addition, James states that Abraham’s faith and actions work together in the Mt. Moriah episode.  As a consequence, Abraham’s “faith was made complete by what he did.”
• More significantly, Abraham’s actions and faith earned him the credit of righteousness and the name of God’s friend.
• The twenty-fourth verse states that justification emerges from a combination of faith and good works.
• In the final two verses of this passage, James alludes to Rahab as an example of righteousness.  Refer to Joshua 2.  This prostitute also earns the characterization of righteousness due to her actions.  Conceivably, she did not share the theological beliefs of the Israelite spies.
• James concludes his argument by drawing an analogy between a spiritless body and faith without deeds.  Both are completely dead.