James cuts right to the point here. Can someone who claims faith but has no works be saved by such a faith? Clearly the context gives away the answer as NO. This reveals some important truths for us. First of all, the claim to having saving faith is not enough. This is so crucial in these last days as we see more and more false teaching and poor theology create so many false conversions. People who think they are saved but are not. People who said a three sentence prayer but never actually had their heart regenerated. Remember it is grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. We hear a lot of grace preaching today. We hear some faith preaching. But we hear precious little Christ preaching. That means the preaching of the cross and the blood. The need to repent of our sins before a holy God. Beloved, people cannot sit though a half hour speech about how significant they need to be in their community and then say a three sentence prayer that barely touches on sin and repentance at all, and think they are saved. They will profess faith if asked but they walk away from the altar the exact same way they walked up to it. Can that faith save him? No, it cannot.
If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
James now gives a concrete example. You see someone in dire need and you pay them lip service. You are not moved by their condition. It does not grieve you as it would grieve Jesus. The Prophet Micah teaches us that there are three things God actually requires of us. To do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly before our God. When you are found in Christ these are the things that show you are actually in Him. We are compelled by the Spirit of God inside of us to do what is just and right in a world that celebrates the opposite. We are to do so in humility before God - no boasting. We are not to merely act merciful beloved. We are to LOVE mercy. These things however are not works in pursuit of salvation. Rather they are the direct outgrowth of salvation.
So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. - James 2: 14-17 (ESV)
So we come to it. James makes it very clear. There is saving faith and there is false faith. There is a faith that is genuine and a faith that is useless. I think about Simon the Sorcerer in the Book of Acts. The Bible says that Simon believed! The Bible says that Simon was baptized! The Bible says that Simon followed Phillip wherever he went! I consider Simon one of the first examples of false conversion and it would soon be revealed. When he saw Peter lay hands on people and they received the power of the Holy Spirit - Simon offered money for the same power.
But Peter said to him, "May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain the gift of God with money! You have neither part nor lot in this matter, for your heart is not right before God. Repent, therefore, of this wickedness of yours, and pray to the Lord that, if possible, the intent of your heart may be forgiven you. For I see that you are in the gall of bitterness and in the bond of iniquity." - Acts 8: 20-23 (ESV)
What do we see? Repent - forgiveness. The bond of iniquity simply means Simon was still tied to his sin. His heart was not right before the Lord. The mere expression of faith is not enough. The demons will give profession of who Jesus is! Our heart must be right before the Lord and that is only accomplished by the removal of our bond to iniquity - through repentance.
So what is James saying then about the relationship of works to our salvation? Works is a result of our salvation - not a requirement for it. But it must be a natural result of it beloved and do not miss this point. If you see the person who needs food and clothing and you help him because you think you should as a "Christian" - then your salvation is still works based. It is because Christ lives in us that we should not be able to see a need and not feel compassion for that need - as Christ did. That is the point of what James is teaching us here. If you claim to have faith but that faith produces no works of Christ - then that faith is dead.
