James Expounds on Faith Volume 26

 Faith without Works is Dead Faith Part 2

James 2:18-20 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? KJV Note: NKJV=New King James Version

The Apostle James continues to expound on his subject matter of faith without works of obedience to the God someone says that they believe in; that has no subsequent works or actions of obedience to what He declares, decides, demands, and determines to be His will is no true faith at all. This sort of belief would be mere intellectual belief that is worthless when it comes to being a true Christian. Example, someone says that they love their wife, yet they abuse her physically by beating her and they speak to her with such vile, volatile, and violent language; is she to believe that this sort of man really loves her; answer, of course not, likewise no one can say they love God and count what He says in His Word of no importance to them, therefore, we now read these next words from the Apostle James, "Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (James 2:18-20) (KJV). The Apostle is first here declaring that to say one believes in God without actual evidence that they have the desire (given to them in the inner man 👨 or the inner woman 👩 at their new birth) to obey His Word without changing it, commuting it, or compromising it does not meet with actual faith, for James goes on to say that even the demons have this type of faith or belief in God even to the point of making them 'tremble' and this English word is translated by the Greek word phrissō (used this one time only in the entire New Testament) a primary verb; meaning to 'bristle' or chill, that is, shudder (fear): - tremble. In other words, demons fear God tremendously, yet they now have within themselves no desire ever to obey Him, but they now only fear 😱 what He will and is going to do to them in the lake of fire, as it written here of the devil, the beast, and the false prophet (so will every demon be there with them), "The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever." (Revelation 20:10) (KJV). So, we see that if demons believe in God with no desire to love and obey Him, then the human being who says they believe in God and also have no regard for His Holy Word, that is, no plans, preparation, or purpose of obeying it, then that human being is no better than any demon who already has a date with the lake of fire 🔥and as the Apostle Paul used the word accursed or anathema. As we said in the last study/commentary Volume 25, salvation does not come to any sinner by their being good or doing good, but it comes solely by the grace of God, but God's grace is not without power and His grace also has no limits, that is, He has an endless supply for every creature under the Sun ☀. Just as this faith of demons cannot save them, so cannot any sinner who says they believe in God without the evidence that God has moved upon them by His grace and given to them the desire to obey Him, that is, to 😍 love and obey His Word. The Apostle James says that this type of faith is what a vain man or woman has and that faith is figuratively and literally empty, just like a motorcycle without gasoline in the tank can go nowhere so cannot this type of faith bring one to heaven, also just like a dead body of a man 👨 or woman 👩 is not alive, so is the faith of any person that has not obedience to God at the very center or core of said faith is instead dead faith. Amen!!!

Here is what Albert Barnes had to say of faith without works being dead faith, "The word which is rendered 'yea' (ἀλλὰ alla) would be better rendered by 'but.; The Apostle designs to introduce an objection, not to make an affirmation. The sense is, 'some one might say,' or, 'to this it might be urged in reply.' That is, it might perhaps be said that religion is not always manifested in the same way, or we should not suppose that, because it is not always exhibited in the same form, it does not exist. One man may manifest it in one way, and another in another, and still both have true piety. One may be distinguished for his faith, and another for his works, and both may have real religion. This objection would certainly have some plausibility, and it was important to meet it. It would seem that all religion was not to be manifested in the same way, as all virtue is not; and that it might occur that one man might be particularly eminent for one form of religion, and another for another; as one man may be distinguished for zeal, and another for meekness, and another for integrity, and another for truth, and another for his gifts in prayer, and another for his large-hearted benevolence. To this the apostle replies, that the two things referred to, faith and works, were not independent things, which could exist separately, without the one materially influencing another - as, for example, charity and chastity, zeal and meekness; but that the one was the germ or source of the other, and that the existence of the one was to be known only by its developing itself in the form of the other. A man could not show that he possessed the one unless it developed itself in the form of the other. In proof of this, he could boldly appeal to anyone to show a case where faith existed without works. He was himself willing to submit to this just trial in regard to this point, and to demonstrate the existence of his own faith by his works. You have one form or manifestation of religion in an eminent or prominent degree, and I have another. You are characterized particularly for one of the virtues of religion, and I am for another; as one man may be particularly eminent for meekness, and another for zeal, and another for benevolence, and each be a virtuous man. The expression here is equivalent to saying, 'One may have faith, and another works.' That is, you who maintain that faith is enough to prove the existence of religion; that a man may be justified and saved by that alone, or where it does not develop itself in holy living; or that all that is necessary in order to be saved is merely to believe. Let the reality of any such faith as that be shown, if it can be; let any real faith be shown to exist without a life of good works, and the point will be settled. I, says the Apostle, will undertake to exhibit the evidence of my faith in a different way - in a way about which there can be no doubt, and which is the appropriate method. It is clear, if the common reading here is correct, that the Apostle meant to deny that true faith could be evinced without appropriate works. It should be said, however, that there is a difference of reading here of considerable importance. Many manuscripts and printed editions of the New Testament, instead of 'without' (works - χωρίς chōris), read 'from' or 'by' (ἐκ ek), as in the other part of the verse, 'show me thy faith by thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.' This reading is found in Walton, Wetstein, Mill, and in the received text generally; the other (without) is found in many manuscripts, and in the Vulgate, Syriac, Coptic, English, and Armenian versions; and is adopted by Beza, Castalio, Grotius, Bengel, Hammond, Whitby, Drusius, Griesbach, Tittman, and Hahn, and is now commonly received as the correct reading. It may be added that this reading seems to be demanded by the similar reading in James 2:20, 'But wilt thou know that faith 'without works' (χωρὶς τὼν ἔργων chōris tōn ergōn) is dead,' evidently implying that something had been said before about 'faith without works.' This reading also is so natural, and makes so good sense in the connection, that it would seem to be demanded. Doddridge felt the difficulty in the other reading, and has given a version of the passage which showed his great perplexity, and which is one of the most unhappy that he ever made. I will furnish in this way the best and most certain proof of the existence of faith. It is implied here that true faith is adapted to lead to a holy life, and that such a life would be the appropriate evidence of the existence of faith. By their fruits the principles held by men are known. See the notes at Matthew 7:16."

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.


Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…