James 2:14–26

Verse 14, and so forth Shall faith be able to save him? He now comes to one of the chief points of this epistle, to shew against the disciple of Simon, the magician, that faith alone will not save any one. We may take notice in the first place, that Saint James in this very verse, supposes that a man may have faith, a true faith without good works. This also follows from verse 19 where he says: Thou believest that there is one God: thou dost well. And the same is evident by the words John 12:42 where it is said, that many of the chief men also believed in him, (Christ) … but did not confess it, that they might not be cast out of the synagogue. Now that faith alone is not sufficient to save a man, Saint James declares by this example: If any one say to the poor and naked, go in peace, be you warmed and filled, and give them nothing, what shall it profit? Even so faith, if it have not works is dead, and so forth that is such a faith, though it be not lost and destroyed, yet it remains in a soul that is spiritually dead, when it is not accompanied with charity and grace, which is the life of the soul, and without which faith can never bring us to eternal life. In this sense is to be understood the 20th and 26th verses of this chapter, when faith is again said to be dead without good works. This is also the doctrine of Saint Paul, when he tells us that a saving faith is a faith that worketh by charity, Galatians 5:6. When he says, that although faith were strong enough to remove mountains, a man is nothing without charity. 1 Corinthians 13:2. When he teacheth us again, that not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. Saint John teacheth the same (1 John 3:14) He that loveth not, remaineth in death. But of this elsewhere. Witham.—Grotius in this place makes a very candid and remarkable profession of his faith, very different from that of his associates in the pretended reformation, called Solifideans: “There are some who say, ‘My works indeed are not as they ought to be,’ but my faith is firm, my salvation is therefore out of danger. This opinion, which has sprung up in this our unhappy age, and recommends itself under the name of reformed doctrine, ought to be opposed by every lover of piety, and all who wish well to their neighbour’s salvation.… no faith has ever availed any man, unless it were accompanied by such works as he had time and opportunity to perform.” His words are: “Opera quidem mea non recta sunt, sed fides recta est, ac propterea de salute non periclitor.… Renata est hoc infelici sæculo ea sententia et quidem sub nomine repurgatæ doctrinæ, cui omnes qui pietatem et salutem proximi amant, se debent opponere.… cœterum nulla cuiquam fides profuit, sine tali opere, quale tempus permittebat,” and so forth In vain do we glory in our faith, unless our lives and works bear testimony of the same. Faith without charity is dead, and charity cannot exist without good works. He who bears the fruits of Christian piety, shews that he has the root, which is faith; but the root is dead, when it affords no produce. Works are to faith what the soul is to the body. See the remainder of this chapter.

Verse 18. Some men will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works. Shew me thy faith, and so forth He confutes the same error, by putting them in mind that one can shew that he has faith, which is an interior virtue, only by good works, and that good works in a man shew also his faith; which is not to be understood, as if good works were merely the marks, signs, and effects of faith, as some would pretend, but that good works must concur with faith to a man’s salvation by an increase in grace. Witham.

Verse 19. The devils also believe, and tremble. Saint James compares indeed faith without other virtues and good works, to the faith of devils: but comparisons must never be stretched farther than they are intended. The meaning is, that such a faith in sinners is unprofitable to salvation, like that of devils, which is no more than a conviction from their knowledge of God; but faith which remains in sinners, is from a supernatural knowledge, together with a pious motion in their free will. Witham.

Verse 21. Was not Abraham … justified by works? We may observe, that Saint James here brings the very same examples of Abraham and Rahab, which it is likely he knew some had miscontrued in Saint Paul, as if the great apostle of the Gentiles had taught that faith alone was sufficient to salvation. But Saint Paul neither excludes good works done by faith, when he commends faith, excluding only the works of the law of Moses, as insufficient to a true justification. See Romans 3:27. And Saint James by requiring good works does not exclude faith, but only teacheth that faith alone is not enough. This is what he clearly expresseth here in the 22d and in the 24th verse. Man, says he, is justified, and not by faith only. And (verse 22) seest thou that faith did co-operate with Abraham’s works, and by works faith was made perfect. In fine, we must take notice, that when Saint James here brings the example of Abraham offering his son Isaac, to shew that he was justified by works, his meaning is not that Abraham then began first to be justified, but that he then received an increase of his justice. He was justified at least from his first being called, and began then to believe and to do good works. It is true his faith was made perfect, and his justice increased, when he was willing to sacrifice his son. Witham.