Misunderstanding James
James 2:17 - Through faith, we receive the salvation freely given by God’s grace.
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“In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”
James 2:17 NIV
This verse from the Epistle of James is widely quoted, but usually by people who misunderstand what it really means.
How is the verse misunderstood? It, and other verses in James 2, are often taken as meaning that Christians are not justified by faith alone. For example, look at James 2:24, which says “You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” The misconception received a boost from some versions of the Bible that translated James 2:24 as “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone” (ESV translation) and “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only” (NKJV translation).
As a result, some reject the doctrine of salvation by faith alone by pointing to James 2! James is not saying this in his epistle and (as noted on GotQuestions.org)
“the Bible does not need to contain the precise phrase ‘faith alone’ in order to clearly teach salvation by faith alone.”
Part of the confusion lies in the meaning of the word “justified” as used by James. The apostle Paul used the word “justified” in Romans 3:28 (“For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law” to mean “considered righteous” (the same as the NIV translation) while James interprets the word as meaning “being demonstrated and proved”.
Today’s verse, taken with the rest of James 2:14-26, is all about demonstrating and proving how genuine your faith by what you do. A genuine salvation in Jesus Christ by faith will show itself in good works, the demonstration and proof of faith! So what James is saying in this verse is that faith without works is not true faith at all.
Salvation is by faith alone, but that faith will always be accompanied by good works arising from Jesus living in your heart! James is stating that a salvation absent of good works and being obedient to God’s Word is dead. Through faith, we receive the salvation freely given by God’s grace.
Heaven On Wheels Daily Prayer:
Father in Heaven, help us to have faith that is alive and engaged in Your creation. May our faith be reflected in our actions, and may we always strive to do good works in Your name. Let us reflect Your light in the world, making a positive impact on everyone we meet. We pray that our faith is never lifeless, but always growing and flourishing. Thank You for Your grace, for our salvation, and for the guidance we receive through Your abiding love. AMEN.