James Commentary

James

James Commentary:
I. Greeting and Testing of Faith (1:1-18)
II. Hearing and Doing the Word (1:19-27)
III. The Sin of Partiality (2:1-13)
IV. Faith without Works is Dead (2:14-26)
A. Can that Faith Save Him? (2:14-17)
B. Response and Reiteration (2:18-20)
C. Explanation: Abraham and Rahb (2:21-26)
V. Christian Speech and Wisdom (3:1-4:3)
VI. Submission to God: (4:4-17)
VII. Concluding Admonitions (5:1-19)

C. Explanation: Abraham and Rahb (2:21-26)

Ver 21. Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

We must understand the state of the question, for the dispute here is not respecting the cause of justification, but only what avails a profession of faith without works, and what opinion we are to form of it. It would be absurd to try to prove by this passage that man is justified in a legal sense by works, because James meant no such thing. For the proofs which he subjoins refer to this declaration, that no faith, or only a dead faith, is without works. No one will ever understand what is said, nor judge wisely of words, except he who keeps in view the design of the writer.

Justified. We must take notice of the two fold meaning of the word justified. Paul means by it the gratuitous imputation of righteousness before the tribunal of God; and James, the manifestation of righteousness by the conduct, and that before men, as we may gather from the preceding words, "Show to me thy faith," etc. In this sense we fully allow that man is justified by works, as when any one says that a man is enriched by the purchase of a large and valuable chest, because his riches, before hid, shut up in a chest, were thus made known.

Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works? Not as the causes of his justification (see Rom 4:2), but as effects of it, showing the truth of his faith, and the reality of his justification: he had both faith and works, and the former were known by the latter; and even the faith which he had expressed years ago was manifested, demonstrated, and confirmed to be true and genuine, by the instance of his obedience to God, here produced; by which it appeared he was a true believer, a justified person, approved of God, and loved by him. Now if this was the case of Abraham, the father of the Jewish nation, yea, the father of the faithful, of all that believe, he is, and must be a vain man, that talks of faith without works; and his faith must be a dead one, and he be very unlike the father of them that believe.

In that he offered up Isaac his son on the altar. For when he was bid to take his son, his only and beloved son, Isaac, and offer him up on one of the mountains, that should be shown him, he made haste to do it; he provided everything for it; he split the wood, and carried it with him, and fire in his hand; he built an altar, laid the wood on it, bound his son, laid the wood on the altar, and his son on the wood, and stretched out his hand, with his knife in it, to slay him; so that it was all one, with respect to his intention and will, as if he had actually offered him, and was a full trial and proof of his obedience to God.

This was not the only act of obedience, or good work, which he performed; but this being a very eminent one, the apostle instances in it, as a very considerable evidence of his faith in God, and love to him; and which showed him to be a justified person, as he was long before he performed this action, even before Isaac was born; see Genesis 15:6 and therefore it can never be the apostle's meaning, that he was justified before God by this, or any other good work or works, as cause or causes of it; but only that he was declared to be so; or, in other words, that his faith was attended with good works, and evidenced by them.

Ver 22. You see that faith worked with his works, and by works faith was perfected.

You see that faith worked with his works.

By works faith was perfected.

Ver 23. So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.

So the Scripture was fulfilled.

Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him as righteousness.

And he was called the friend of God.

Ver 24. You see then that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.

You see then that by works a man is justified.

And not only by faith.

Ver 25. In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

In the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works?

When she received the messengers.

And sent them out another way.

Ver 26. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, even so faith apart from works is dead.

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead.

Even so faith apart from works is dead.