“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17, ESV) 

James asks the hard questions about faith. In our day, it is poor form to question someone’s faith. After all, we’re talking about something subjective and personal. Questioning faith would be like questioning someone’s favorite color. 

James, however, has a more pastoral concern in mind. He doesn’t want someone investing in a scam. Or put differently, he doesn’t want anyone showing up at the Super Bowl with counterfeit tickets that will not grant them access. Just because someone is sincere or confident that does not mean their faith is authentic. 

Like a test button on a smoke alarm, James gives us a way to examine our faith to see if indeed we belong to the household of God with all that means. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 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 2:14–16) 

James says merely a claim of faith is not enough. It is subject to scrutiny. How can we scrutinize the unseen? We test the genuineness of faith by seeing if it flows out in kingdom behavior, much like our Lord Jesus stressed in Matthew 25:34-46. The union with Christ that produces faith will be accompanied by fruit that reflects the heart of Christ. 

If we claim to have faith but don’t see evidence, we can conclude that that “faith” is dead (James 2:17). It will not save from the fires of hell, any more than a powerless smoke detector can save from a burning building. 

Often when we talk about clothing and feeding the poor, we are accused of holding to a social gospel that looks to social justice and physical needs rather than to the salvation of the soul. But consistent with the preaching of Jesus, James says that genuine faith shows up in a love for others, and that love is not in word only but in deed as well. 

The works of which James speaks do not commend us to God or contribute to the work of Christ. Rather, they serve as commentary on the nature and health of the faith we profess. As Paul put it, saving faith is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8-9) and that faith is outworked by works through God’s workmanship. 

“Father, work in me to will and to do according to Your pleasure.” 

1. How is faith related to works?

2. What pastoral concern is James reflecting?