Some people mistakenly assume that James preached a different gospel, one other than salvation by grace through faith in Jesus, based on his stark declarations about salvation and works. One such statement was James 2:14, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” Another was James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” Yet another was James 2:20, “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” Lastly, James 2:24 proclaims, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone,” concluding with verse 2:26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”
It is not difficult to understand how someone could deduce that salvation comes through faith and works rather than faith alone, based solely on James’ statements. However, one of the many rules of proper Bible interpretation is to let Scripture interpret Scripture. That means Bible passages must be interpreted in light of other Bible passages rather than being isolated and interpreted independently.
The Bible unmistakably and consistently declares that salvation and justification before God are by His grace alone, through faith alone in Jesus Christ alone. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Romans 5:1-2 states, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.” Jesus said in John 5:24, “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.” He also declared in John 14:6, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.” Lastly, Acts 4:12 says of Jesus, “And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.” (See also John 5:24, Titus 3:4-7, Philippians 3:8-9, Galatians 2:15-16 and 3:26, Ephesians 3:17, 1 John 5:11-13, and Romans 3:28-30.)
Considering these explicit declarations about salvation and recognizing that all Scripture is inspired by God, who cannot lie or deceive, James could not have advocated for justification by works or faith plus works without being a heretic and a hypocrite. Furthermore, the book of James could not be divinely inspired if it contradicted the Old and New Testaments’ declarations that salvation is through faith and faith alone (see John 3:16 and 36, Romans 5:1-2, 6:23, and 10:9, Ephesians 2:8-9, Galatians 1:6-9 and 2:15-16, and 1 John 5:11-12).
So, what did James convey in James 2, if not salvation through works?
In context, James fervently distinguished genuine salvation from pretense or charades, using the evidence of good works as a determining factor. James boldly contended that someone who claimed to possess saving faith without exhibiting any good works possessed inauthentic and imaginary faith because genuine salvation naturally produces good works and godly obedience. This fact is due to the Holy Spirit residing within born-again believers to make them new creations in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), conform them to God’s image (see 2 Corinthians 3:18, Romans 8:29), and enable them to walk in the Spirit, bear fruit, and avoid sin, to name a few (see Galatians 5:22-25, Colossians 1:10-12, and John 15:4-5, and 1 Corinthians 10:13).
Consequently, it would be impossible for someone to possess the indwelling Holy Spirit without any observable or measurable evidence of His presence in their life. It would be like claiming to have the United States President living at your house without any visible indications of his presence or any property modifications made that signify his residency. In other words, it is not simply implausible but impossible. Hence, James boldly penned in James 2:26, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
I hope this information helps you understand and explain the relationship between salvation and its accompanying works to others.
Note: James presented Abraham’s offer of Isaac on the altar (James 2:21-23) as powerful evidence to illustrate his point that genuine salvation will be accompanied by works, while uncompromisingly maintaining that Abraham’s faith rendered him righteous before God, not his obedience.
