FAITH AS TAUGHT BY JAMES

Introduction

According to Thayer, the word used most often in the New Testament for faith (244 times in 228 verses) means:

Conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things, generally with the included idea of trust and holy fervour born of faith and joined with it[1]. Note the word conviction in Thayer's definition. Strong uses the word persuasion in his definition[2]. James uses the word sixteen times in his epistle.

This article will be devoted to a study of James' use of faith. We will notice how he uses it and why it is important to each of us.

Trying of Our Faith Works Patience

James writes in James 1:2-3, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance.” The King James Version translates the word translated, endurance in the NASB(1995) as " patience..

The word, trying, here, means, "1) the proving; 2) that by which something is tried or proved, a test" (Thayer[3]). Peter writes in 1 Peter 1:7:

So that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

The word, proof, here is from the same Greek word as testing in James 1:3. Peter (1 Pet. 1:6) and James refer to "temptations" as the method by which our faith is tried. Thayer defines trials (temptations, KJV), "An experiment, attempt, trial, proving[4]." So, trials and temptations are similar. They both involve the testing of our faith. James says that the trials of our faith produce endurance (patience, KJV). Clarke writes:

Trials put religion, and all the graces of which it is composed to proof; the man that stands in such trials gives proof that his religion is sound, and the evidence afforded to his own mind induces him to take courage, bear patiently, and persevere[5].

James concludes, "And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." (James 1:4). The trying of our faith gives us patience to endure yet greater trials, and patience is important in developing maturity as Christians (See also James 1:12).

Our Prayers Must Be in Faith

James writes in James 1:6, “ But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind.” The inspired writer has been advising his readers what they need to do if they lack wisdom. He tells them, "If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God," because, God, "gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him" (James 1:5). Now he says that there is a condition that must be met before one can obtain wisdom - he must ask in faith.

That faith must be a stable faith ("nothing wavering" - James 1:6). A part of Strong’s definition of faith is constancy, or unchanging[6]. So, faith, as described by James, is a constant, unchanging, "unwavering," conviction.

We Must Not Be Partial in Our Faith

James warns in James 2:1, "My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism." On James 2:1, Barnes writes, “Faith is the distinguishing thing in the Christian religion, for it is this by which man is justified, and hence, it comes to be put for religion itself[7].” We are not to have faith with partiality. Or, as Barnes puts it, “That is, you are not to show respect of persons, or to evince partiality to others on account of their rank, wealth, apparel, etc.[8]”

James illustrates his point in James 2:2-3. All men are created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Jesus came to save the whole world (John 3:16). All men are saved under the same terms (Matt. 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:37-39), etc.). God is no respecter of persons, but accepts all (Acts 10:34-35). Therefore, we, those who were saved through Jesus Christ, must not be partial either. We should accept all men as equals.

James lists five additional reasons why we must not be partial:

Those who show partiality have "become judges with evil motives" (James 2:4).
God has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him (James 2:5).
We have dishonored the poor man (James 2:6).
The rich oppress us and personally drag us into court (James 2:6).
If we are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” we are doing well. But if we show partiality, we are sinning and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all" James 2:8-10).

Faith Without Works Is Dead

James writes in James 2:14, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” James, as he had perhaps heard Jesus do, asks a question to get his readers to think. If a man say he has faith and has not works, can his faith save him? Before answering the question, he asks another question (James 2:15-16):

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, ¹⁶and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?

The apostle continues, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead [Emp. mine, L.J.B.], being by itself" (James 2:17). At this point some, who were familiar with Paul's writings may have asked, "But, James, didn't Paul write that we are saved by faith and not of works (Eph. 2:8-9)? Yes, Paul wrote that. Yet, he continued in verse 10 , “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” We must also be mindful of the fact that Paul gave a reason why works alone cannot save us. He wrote that we are not saved by works, "so that no one may boast" (Eph. 2:9). If we could be saved by works alone, we could brag that our works were so good that we had earned salvation! But no man is so good that he can earn salvation! So, we are not saved by works, but by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8) "for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Eph. 2:8-10). So James and Paul are in harmony on this point.

James continues in James 2:18, “But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” In context, James is saying, "You cannot show me your faith without your works, but I can show you my faith by my works! He points out the utter folly of claiming salvation without works in James 2:19-20, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” The King James and New King James versions read, “faith without works is dead.”

Remember the account of the man possessed by devils in Matthew 8:28-34? Matthew writes of the Devils in Matthew 8:29, “And suddenly they cried out, saying, ‘What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?’”

Or those "unclean spirits" in Jerusalem, Idumaea, beyond Jordan, and about Tyre and Sidon who, "whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, ‘“You are the Son of God.’” (Mark 3:11). Obviously, these devils and unclean spirits believed that Jesus was the Son of God, but they were not saved)! James uses this fact to make the point that faith without works is dead; it, too, will not save!

James follows this illustration up with one using a giant in the minds of the Jews - Abraham (James 2:21-24). Abraham was saved by works when he proceeded to offer his son, Isaac, on the altar (Gen. 22:1-13). James writes in James 2:21, "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? He explains this illustration in James 2:22, “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected.”

The statement made in James 2:23 is found two other times in the New Testament (Rom. 4:3 and Gal. 3:6): “For what does the Scripture say? ‘“Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” This refers back to the promise to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations, and that through his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 17:4-5; 22:17-18). Paul argues that Abraham was not justified by the works of the Law of Moses because the faith that justified him came before that law was given. He was justified by faith in God without the works of the Law (Rom. 4:1-25). Yet, according to James, he was justified by works in that he obeyed God and offered his son Isaac (or would have had the angel not stopped him) as a result of his faith. Abraham's faith was not a useless faith, a dead faith, but a living faith because his faith moved him to obey God. Thus, he was justified by works.

At this point, James states his point, "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2:24). It is important to notice that this is the only time in the New Testament that "faith" and "alone" or “faith” and “only” are found in the same verse and James says we are not justified by faith alone!

James continues with a third illustration. This time he uses another Old Testament character, Rahab. She, too, was justified by works. She hid the spies whom Joshua had sent to spy out Jericho. Why did she do that? After all, she was a citizen of Jericho, not an Israelite. Notice her words in Joshua 2:11, concerning the news that God had divided the Red Sea for Israel to cross and destroyed the Amorite kings, Sihon and Og: “When we heard it, our hearts melted and no ^[a]courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the Lord your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath.” Rahab risked her life to save the two spies because she believed God. So, James writes that she was justified by works.

James concludes, "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." (James 2:26).

Faithful Prayer Works

James writes in James 5:15, “And the prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they will be forgiven him. The writer says, "The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick”. This is similar to what he wrote in the beginning (James 1:5-6). Whatever one needs, if he asks in faith, God will provide. Notice, I said, whatever one needs. Not what one thinks he needs, or what one wants (See James 4:1-3). The all-wise God knows better what we need than we do.

Does God answer prayer? Yes! But there are conditions: 1) The prayer must be offered in faith. 2) The request must be according to God's will. 3) We must pray fervently. John writes:

This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will He hears us” (John 5:14). Just because we do not receive what we ask for immediately does not mean God has not "answered" our prayer! It may mean that He has answered, "No." It may mean that we have asked because of impure motives (See James 4:1-4). It may mean that He has answered, "Later." It may mean that He has answered, "I have something better in store for you." The God who is able to grant wisdom to those who ask for it (James 1:6) has enough wisdom to know what is best for us. He will provide what is best for us. Think: can you remember a time when you asked for one thing and something better came up? If you think hard enough, you probably can remember such an occasion.

James writes in James 5:16, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.” The word in James 5:16, effective (effectual and fervent, KJV) in James 5:16 from one Greek word meaning, "Do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forth self, work (effectually in)[9] " according to Strong. Nonchalant prayer shall avail nothing. If one prays without much faith that the prayer will be answered, or without much enthusiasm, it will avail nothing. If one prays once or twice and gives up on an answer, it will avail nothing (See Luke 18:1-8).

Conclusion

James presents faith as a conviction that God is an all-wise, all-mighty, and all-caring God. He teaches that when we obey God, His salvation will come to us. This is true of our initial salvation (Mark 16:15-16) and our whole lives as His children. James teaches that when we pray fervently with faith that He hears us, He will provide what is best for us. He teaches that we must not be partial when we pray. He teaches that if we successfully endure the trying of our faith, it will make us more patient people. Our faith is truly more than a simple belief that God and the Son exist!

[1] Strong's Number 4102 Greek Dictionary of the New Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Thayer's Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com.

[2] Strong's Number 4102 Greek Dictionary of the New Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Thayer's Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com.

[3] Strong's Number 1383 Greek Dictionary of the New Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Thayer's Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com.

[4] Strong's Number 3986 Greek Dictionary of the New Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Thayer's Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com.

[5] James 1 - Clarke's Commentary - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org.

[6] Strong's Number 4102 Greek Dictionary of the New Testament Online Bible with Strong's Exhaustive Concordance, Thayer's Lexicon, Etymology, Translations Definitions Meanings & Key Word Studies - Lexiconcordance.com.

[7] James 2 - Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - Bible Commentaries - StudyLight.org.

[8] Ibid.

[9] http://lexiconcordance.com/greek/1754.htm.

Strasburg church of Christ