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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of James 2:24

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Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

24. Ye see then ] The better MSS. omit the then. The Greek verb may be indicative, imperative, or interrogative. The English Version is probably right in giving the preference to the first.

not by faith only ] There is, it is obvious, a verbal contradiction between this and St Paul’s statement in Rom 3:28, but it is verbal only. St James does not exclude faith from the work of justifying, i. e. winning Good’s acquittal and acceptance, but only a faith which stands “ by itself,” “ alone,” and therefore “dead,” and assumes that “works” have their beginning in the faith which they ripen and complete. St Paul throughout assumes that faith will work by love and be productive in good acts, while the works which he excludes from the office of justifying are “works of the law,” i.e. works which, whether ceremonial or moral, are done as by a constrained obedience to an external commandment, through fear of punishment, or hope of reward, and are not the spontaneous outcome of love and therefore of faith. It will be felt that St James presents the more practical, St Paul the deeper and more mystical aspect of the Truth, and this is in itself a confirmation of the view maintained throughout these notes, that the latter was the later of the two, and therefore that so far as one corrects or completes the popular version of the teaching of the other, it was to St Paul and not to St James that that task was assigned.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ye see then – From the course of reasoning pursued, and the example referred to.

How that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only – Not by a cold, abstract, inoperative faith. It must be by a faith that shall produce good works, and whose existence will be shown to men by good works. As justification takes place in the sight of God, it is by faith, for he sees that the faith is genuine, and that it will produce good works if the individual who exercises faith shall live; and he justifies men in view of that faith, and of no other. If he sees that the faith is merely speculative; that it is cold and dead, and would not produce good works, the man is not justified in his sight. As a matter of fact, therefore, it is only the faith that produces good works that justifies; and good works, therefore, as the proper expression of the nature of faith, foreseen by God as the certain result of faith, and actually performed as seen by men, are necessary in order to justification. In other words, no man will be justified who has not a faith which will produce good works, and which is of an operative and practical character. The ground of justification in the case is faith, and that only; the evidence of it, the carrying it out, the proof of the existence of the faith, is good works; and thus men are justified and saved not by mere abstract and cold faith, but by a faith necessarily connected with good works, and where good works perform an important part. James, therefore, does not contradict Paul, but he contradicts a false explanation of Pauls doctrine. He does not deny that a man is justified in the sight of God by faith, for the very passage which he quotes shows that he believes that; but he does deny that a man is justified by a faith which would not produce good works, and which is not expressed by good works; and thus he maintains, as Paul always did, that nothing else than a holy life can show that a man is a true Christian, and is accepted of God.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 24. Ye see then how] It is evident from this example that Abraham’s faith was not merely believing that there is a God; but a principle that led him to credit God’s promises relative to the future Redeemer, and to implore God’s mercy: this he received, and was justified by faith. His faith now began to work by love, and therefore he was found ever obedient to the will of his Maker. He brought forth the fruits of righteousness; and his works justified-proved the genuineness of his faith; and he continued to enjoy the Divine approbation, which he could not have done had he not been thus obedient; for the Spirit of God would have been grieved, and his principle of faith would have perished. Obedience to God is essentially requisite to maintain faith. Faith lives, under God, by works; and works have their being and excellence from faith. Neither can subsist without the other, and this is the point which St. James labours to prove, in order to convince the Antinomians of his time that their faith was a delusion, and that the hopes built on it must needs perish.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

Ye see then; an inference either from the instance of Abraham, or from the whole preceding discourse.

How that by works; works of new obedience.

A man is justified; declared to be righteous, or approved as such, and acquitted from the guilt of hypocrisy.

And not by faith only; not by a mere profession of faith, or a bare assent to the truth, without the fruit of good works.

Question. How doth this general conclusion follow from the particular case of Abraham?

Answer. Abrahams faith and justification, both before God and the world, are set forth as the exempars of ours, to which the faith and justification of all believers, both Jews and Gentiles, is to be conformed, Rom 4:11,12,23,24.

Question. Doth not James here contradict Pauls doctrine in the matter of justification, Rom 4:1-25?

Answer. The contradiction is but seeming, not real, as will appear, if four things be considered:

1. The occasion of these apostles writing, and their scope in it. Having to do with different sorts of persons, they had likewise different designs. As Christ speaks one way when he dealt with proud Pharisees, whom he would humble; another way, when with humble hearers, whom he would encourage. and Paul carried it one way when among weak brethren, in condescension to whose infirmities he circumcised Timothy, Act 16:2,3; and another, when he was among false brethren, and men of contention, who opposed Christian liberty, seeking to bring believers into bondage, and then would not suffer Titus to be circumcised, Gal 2:3-5. So in the present affair. Pauls business lay with false apostles and Judaizing Christians, such as did, in the matter of justification, either substitute a self-righteousness instead of Gods grace, or set it up in conjunction with it; and therefore his scope is (especially in his Epistles to the Romans and Galatians) to show the true cause and manner of justification, and vindicate the freeness of grace in it, by the exclusion of mans works, of what kind soever; to which purpose he propounds the examples of Abraham and David, in their justification, Rom 4:1-25. Whereas James having to do with carnal professors, and such as abused the doctrine of grace to encourage themselves in sin, and thought it sufficient that they had faith, (such as it was), though they did not live like believers, resting in an empty profession, with the neglect of holiness; his design plainly is, to show the effects and fruits of justification, viz. holiness and good works; thereby to check the vanity and folly of them who did thus divorce faith from a holy life, (which God hath joined to it), and fancied themselves safe in the profession of the one, without any respect to, or care of, the other, as appears in this chapter, Jam 2:14,17,26. And because they might bear themselves high in this false confidence by the example of Abraham, their father according to the flesh, and whom Paul had set forth, Rom 4:1-25, as justified by faith, without the concurrence of works to his justification; James makes use of the same example of Abraham, as one eminent for holiness as well as faith, and who made his faith famous by the highest act of obedience that ever a saint did, to show, that faith and holiness ought not to be separated; Abrahams faith being so highly commended, especially as productive of it. To the same purpose he makes use of the instance of Rahab, who, though a young saint, and newly come to the knowledge of God, yet showed the truth of her faith by so considerable an exercise of her love and mercy to Gods people, as her receiving the spies in peace was. This therefore helps not a little to reconcile the difference between these two apostles. Paul deals with those that magnified works too much, as if they were justified by them, and slighted faith and grace; and therefore, though he frequently shows the usefulness of faith and good works unto salvation, and presseth men every where to the practice of them, yet he proves that they have no interest in the justification of a sinner before Gods tribunal, which he asserts to be wholly and solely of grace, and by faith. But James, in dealing with loose Christians, who magnified faith, and slighted good works, not only as having no influence on justification, but as not necessary at all to salvation; he takes upon him to maintain good works, not as necessary to justification, but as the effects, signs, and evidences of it, and such as without which their faith was vain, and themselves in an unjustified state.

2. Paul and James take faith in different senses: Paul speaks of a true, lively faith, which purifies the heart, and worketh by love, Gal 5:6. Whereas James speaks of a profession, or presumption of faith, barren, and destitute of good fruits, such a faith as is dead, Jam 2:17, such as the devils may have, Jam 2:19, which is but historical, and consists only in a belief of Gods being, not a consent to his offer, or relying on his promises. What contradiction then is there here between these two apostles, if Paul assert justification to be by faith, viz. a lively, working faith; and James deny it to be by faith, viz. an idle, inactive, barren faith, and which hath only the name, but not the nature of that grace, and is rather the image of faith than faith itself?

3. But because James not only denies justification to the faith he speaks of, but ascribes it to works in this verse; therefore it is to be considered, that justification is taken one way by him, and another by Paul. Paul takes it for the absolution and acceptation of a sinner at Gods bar, by the imputation of Christs righteousness, which is the primary and proper notion of justification. But James takes it for the manifestation and declaration of that justification; and the word is taken in the like sense in other scriptures: Luk 7:29, the people justified God, i.e. owned and declared his righteousness by confession of their sins, and submission to Johns baptism; and Luk 7:35, Wisdom is justified, i.e. declared to be just and right. Rom 3:4, justified in thy sayings, i.e. acknowledged and declared to be true in thy word. And what is Christs being justified in the Spirit, 1Ti 3:16, but his being declared to be the Son of God? Rom 1:4. And that James takes justification in this sense, appears:

(1.) By the history of Abraham here mentioned: he was (as hath been said) justified by faith long before his offering up his son, Gen 15:1-21, but here is said to be justified, i.e. declared and proved to be so, by this testimony which he gave to the truth of his faith, and consequently to his justification by it; and the Lord therefore tells him, Gen 22:12, Now I know that thou fearest God, & c.; q.d. By this obedience thou hast abundantly showed the sincerity of thy graces.

(2.) Because if James doth not here speak of Abrahams being justified declaratively, how can it be true which he speaks, Jam 2:23, that the Scripture was fulfilled (in his sacrificing his son) which saith, He believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness? For if James intends justification in the proper sense, how was Abrahams being justified by works a fulfilling of the Scripture, which asserts him to be justified by faith? Here therefore again there is no contradiction between these apostles. For it is true, that Abraham was justified, i.e. accepted of God, and absolved from guilt, by faith only; and it is as true, that he was justified, i.e. manifested and declared to be a believer, and a justified person, by his works.

4. Lastly, we may distinguish of the person that is said to be justified; either he is a sinner, in the state of nature; or a believer, in a state of grace; whence ariseth the two-fold justification here mentioned. The justification of a sinner, in the remission of his sins through the imputation of Christs righteousness, and acquitting him from the condemnation of the law, is the justification properly so called, and which Paul speaks so much of; and this is by faith only. The justification of a believer, is his absolution from condemnation by the gospel, and the charge of infidelity, or hypocrisy, and is no other than that declarative justification James speaks of, or an asserting and clearing up the truth and reality of the former justification, which is done by good works, as the signs and fruits of the faith, by which that former is obtained: and this is but improperly called justification. The former is an absolution from the general charge of sin, this from the special charge of hypocrisy, or infidelity. A sinners great fear (when first awakened to a sense of his sin and misery) is of a holy law, and a righteous Judge ready to condemn him for the violation of that law; and so his first business is to look to Christ by faith for righteousness, and remission of sin. But when he is justified by that righteousness, men may charge him with hypocrisy or unbelief, and so may the devil and conscience too, when faith is weak, or a temptation strong; and therefore his next work is to clear himself of this imputation, and to evidence the truth and reality of his faith and justification in Gods sight, which must be done by producing his obedience and good works, as the indications of his faith; and hereby he proves that he hath indeed closed with the promise of the gospel, and so is clear of the charge of not believing it, which was false; as well as (by consequence) is justified from the charge of sin against the law, which was true. To conclude, therefore, here is no opposition between Paul and James. Paul speaks of Abrahams being justified as a sinner, and properly, and so by faith only; James speaks of his being justified as a believer, improperly, and so by works; by which not his person was justified, but rather his faith declared to be justifying: nor he constituted righteous, but approved as righteous. In a word, what God hath joined must not be divided, and what he hath divided must not be joined. He hath separated faith and works in the business of justification, and therefore we must not join them in it, as Paul disputes; and he hath joined them in the lives of justified persons, and there we must not separate them, as James teaches. Paul assures us they have not a co-efficiency in justification itself; and James assures us they may, and ought to have, a co-existence in them that are justified. If the reader desire further satisfaction yet, let him consult Turretine de Concordia Pauli et Jacobi, where he may find much more to the same purpose as hath been here said.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

24. justified and, not by faithonlythat is, by “faith without (separated from:severed from) works,” its proper fruits (see on Jas2:20). Faith to justify must, from the first, include obediencein germ (to be developed subsequently), though the former alone isthe ground of justification. The scion must be grafted on the stockthat it may live; it must bring forth fruit to prove that it doeslive.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,…. Not as causes procuring his justification, but as effects declaring it; for the best works are imperfect, and cannot be a righteousness justifying in the sight of God, and are unprofitable in this respect; for when they are performed in the best manner, they are no other than what it is a man’s duty to perform, and therefore cannot justify from sin he has committed: and besides, justification in this sense would frustrate the grace of God, make void the death of Christ, and encourage boasting in men. Good works do not go before justification as causes or conditions, but follow it as fruits and effects:

and not by faith only: or as without works, or a mere historical faith, which being without works is dead, of which the apostle is speaking; and therefore can bear no testimony to a man’s justification; hence it appears, that the Apostle James does not contradict the Apostle Paul in Ro 3:28 since they speak not of the same sort of faith; the one speaks of a mere profession of faith, a dead and lifeless one; the other of a true faith, which has Christ, and his righteousness, for its object, and works by love, and produces peace, joy, and comfort in the soul. Moreover, the Apostle Paul speaks of justification before God; and James speaks of it as it is known by its fruits unto men; the one speaks of a justification of their persons, in the sight of God; the other of the justification and approbation of their cause, their conduct, and their faith before men, and the vindication of them from all charges and calumnies of hypocrisy, and the like; the one speaks of good works as causes, which he denies to have any place as such in justification; and the other speaks of them as effects flowing from faith, and showing the truth of it, and so of justification by it; the one had to do with legalists and self-justiciaries, who sought righteousness not by faith, but by the works of the law, whom he opposed; and the other had to do with libertines, who cried up faith and knowledge, but had no regard to a religious life and conversation; and these things considered will tend to reconcile the two apostles about this business, but as effects declaring it; for the best works are imperfect, and cannot be a righteousness justifying in the sight of God, and are unprofitable in this respect; for when they are performed in the best manner, they are no other than what it is a man’s duty to perform, and therefore cannot justify from sin he has committed: and besides, justification in this sense would frustrate the grace of God, make void the death of Christ, and encourage boasting in men. Good works do not go before justification as causes or conditions, but follow it as fruits and effects:

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

Ye see (). Present indicative active of . Now he uses the plural again as in 2:14.

Is justified (). Present passive indicative of , here not “is made righteous,” but “is shown to be righteous.” James is discussing the proof of faith, not the initial act of being set right with God (Paul’s idea in Ro 4:1-10).

And not only by faith ( ). This phrase clears up the meaning of James. Faith (live faith) is what we must all have (2:18), only it must shew itself also in deeds as Abraham’s did.

Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament

1) Rhetorically James asks, can you not see how that out of works, a man’s faith is justified or made righteous, in the sense of shown to be righteous, and not by covert faith within, that is not expressed? Neither a saved nor an unsaved person can “see” a saved person’s faith, except as it is visibly expressed in some manner, audibly or tangibly. James asks, can’t you see this?

2) James discusses here the proof or evidence of faith, not the initial act of becoming right with God by faith when one believes, Eph 2:8; Joh 1:11-12; Gal 3:26; 1Jn 5:1.

Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary

(24) Ye see then how that by works . . .Observe that St. James says a man is not justified by faith only, putting the adverb in the last and most emphatic position. He never denies Justification by Faith; but that fancied one of idle, speculative, theoretic faith, with no corresponding acts of love.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

24. By works justified Not that by merit-work (except so far as faith itself is a work, note, Rom 3:27) a man is first brought into justification. But he is justified by work as an external completion of his faith.

Not by faith only For if the faith be alone, and without the working element of faith, namely, the hearty will for work, it is mere speculative faith, as above said, and so dead and unjustifying.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

‘You see that by works a man is justified, and not only by faith.’

So James now reaches his conclusion. That having been recognised as righteous as a result of a response of faith towards God in Jesus Christ, a man will be seen to have been accounted righteous by what happens afterwards when as a result of it his life begins to reveal a new righteousness. And when he approaches the great throne of judgment his works will be examined and they will reveal that he was a person who really had been justified by faith, and had thus experienced the work of God within him. It would be clear from his works that he had been begotten by God through the word of truth (Jas 1:18) and that it had been effective.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

Jam 2:24. Ye see then, &c. “You see then by this instance of the great father of the faithful, if the characters of the children are to be estimated in the same manner as those of the father, that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only: it is by no means enough that the great principles of religion be credited, if they have not also their practical influence on the heart and life.”

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

Jas 2:24 . An inference universally valid from the adduced example of Abraham: “ Ye see that by works a man is justified (declared righteous), and not by faith alone ,”

] is not imperative (Erasmus, Grotius), but indicative; Griesbach, Schott, Schulthess incorrectly understand the sentence as a question, which it is as little as in Jas 2:22 .

] is emphatically placed first, because the chief stress is upon it.

] has the same meaning as in Jas 2:21 . James thus infers from the foregoing that the declaration of man’s righteousness proceeds , and, with special reference to his opponents, he adds: . [156] The chief emphasis is on ; for as little as James in Jas 2:14 has not said that faith cannot save ( ), so little will he here say that a man is not justified (rather is to him the presupposition, without which the attainment of salvation cannot be conceived, as without it the , are impossible); but that the faith, which justifies, must not be . is therefore not to be united with (Theile: appositionis lege explenda est oratio: non solum fide, sed etiam operibus nempe cum fide conjungendis), but with (Theophylact, Grotius, Knapp, Hottinger, Wiesinger, and others); comp. 1Co 12:31 ; 2Co 11:23 ; Gal 1:23 ; Phi 1:26 . The declaration of righteousness, which James intends, is not that by which the believer on account of his faith receives the forgiveness of his sins, but, as is evident from the connection of the whole section, that which occurs to the believer, who has proved his living faith by his works, at the judgment ( , ), and by which he receives (Jas 2:14 ). When James, in reference to this, appeals to what happened to Abraham, there is nothing unsuitable, for why should not that which God has done in a definite instance be regarded as a type and testimony of what He shall do at the future judgment? Moreover, this is completely appropriate, since to Abraham, by the address to him after the offering of Isaac, the promise which was before made to his faith, was rendered unchangeably firm at the close of his theocratic life. The present is explained, because the thought was to be expressed as a universal sentence. [157]

[156] Philippi, according to his explanation of , ver. 21, must find here the thought expressed, that “faith alone without works cannot prove a man before men to be a believer, and justified by faith;” but this thought is in fact so self-evident, that James would not have thought it necessary to state it as a consequence from the history of Abraham. The idea opposed to should not be , but must be (comp. , ver. 14); moreover, the simple cannot possibly denote: “a man is justified as a believer whom God, on account of his faith, has justified.”

[157] See remarks by the author in the April number of the Erlang. Zeitschrift fr Protest. Frank, in his reply (in the same, p. 220), combating the reference of to the final judgment, says: “If there was in the life of Abraham a justification by works, which may be considered as the type and testimony of the final acquittal, so there occurs also in the life of Christians such acts of justification by works, that they may also be regarded as a testimony and type of their future justification before the judgment-seat of God.” To this it is to be replied, that such an act of justification is here treated of by which the accounting of his faith for righteousness already imparted to the believer comes to its termination, as was here the case with Abraham. But this act, as concerns Christian believers, occurs not in their earthly life, but only at the judgment. Philippi also incorrectly says that the reference to the judgment is not indicated, since it is sufficiently indicated by the whole context; see remarks on ver. 14.

Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary

DISCOURSE: 2365
JUSTIFICATION BY WORKS EXPLAINED

Jam 2:24. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

CERTAINLY, of all the questions that can occupy the human mind, the first and greatest is, How shall man be just before God [Note: Job 9:2.]? On this subject men have differed from each other as far as the east is from the west. To this difference the passage before us has not a little contributed. It is therefore most desirable that we enter candidly into the investigation of it, and endeavour to ascertain with all possible precision what is so indispensable to our eternal welfare.

It is obvious, that the words which I have read to you are a deduction from a preceding argument. We ought therefore carefully to examine the argument itself; for, it is only by a thorough knowledge of the premises that we can understand the conclusion drawn from them. Suppose that I were, as a conclusion of an argument, to say, So then man is an immortal being; if the argument itself were not investigated, you might understand it as a denial of mans mortality: but, if the argument shewed, that the conclusion referred to his soul alone, the conclusion would be found perfectly consistent with an apparently opposite position, namely, that man is a mortal being. In like manner, if the Apostles argument in the preceding context be candidly examined, there will be found no real inconsistency between the deduction contained in the text, and an apparently opposite deduction which may be founded on premises altogether different.
Let us consider then,

The Apostles argument

The first thing to be inquired is, Whence the argument arose? or, What was the occasion of it?

[St. James was reproving an evil which obtained to a very great extent among the Church in his day; namely, the shewing partiality to the richer members, whilst the poorer were treated with supercilious contempt, and harassed with the most flagrant acts of oppression [Note: ver. 26.]. Now, as this was directly contrary to the whole spirit of Christianity, he introduced his reproof with these words; My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons [Note: ver. 1.]. Now these words, duly noticed, will give a clue to the whole. Have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ with respect of persons: hold not the true faith in so erroneous and unworthy a manner. He then proceeds to shew, that a faith productive of no better conduct than that, will never justify, never save, the soul [Note: ver. 14.]: for that it is a dead faith, and not a living one, a mere carcass, and not a living body [Note: ver. 26.].]

The next thing we have to do is, to trace the steps of his argument

[Having reproved the partiality before-mentioned, he shews, that it is alike contrary both to the law and to the Gospel: to the law, the very essence of which is love; (which if any person habitually violates, he violates the whole law [Note: ver. 811.];) and to the Gospel, which inspires its votaries with a more liberal spirit [Note: ver. 12.], and declares, that the person who exercises not mercy to his brethren, of whatever class they may be, shall find no mercy at the hands of God [Note: ver. 13.].

He then appeals to the whole Church; and calls upon them to say, whether any person so holding the faith of Christ can be saved? and whether all the faith whereon he builds his confidence, be not a nullity, and a delusion? What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith, such a faith as that, save him [Note: ver. 14.]?

He then proceeds to shew how vain any mans pretences to love would be, if it were as inoperative as this faith. If a brother or sister be naked, and be destitute of daily food; and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed, and be ye filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit [Note: ver. 15, 16.]? Could that person be said to possess any real love? or would such a love as that be approved and rewarded by God? Certainly not. Even so then, says he, faith, if it have not works, is dead, being alone [Note: ver. 17.]: and any person before whom you might boast of such a faith as that, might justly reply, Shew me thy faith without thy works, (which you can never do:) and I will shew thee my faith by my works [Note: ver. 18.]; which is the only test to which such pretensions can be referred. Nay more, such a faith as that is no better than the faith of devils. The devils believe that there is one God: and they tremble; but they do not love. So you may believe that Jesus Christ is a Saviour; and you may be partially affected by that persuasion: but, if you do not love, your faith is no better than theirs: and, by pretending to a living and saving faith, when you have nothing but a dead and inoperative faith, you only shew, that you are a vain, ignorant, and self-deluded man [Note: ver. 19, 20.].

He now goes on to confirm these assertions by an appeal to the Scriptures themselves. Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect [Note: ver. 21, 22.]? Abraham believed in the promised Seed, in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed. But what kind of a faith was his? Was it unproductive of holy obedience? No: it led him to obey the hardest command that was ever given to mortal man, even to slay, and to reduce to ashes upon the altar, that very son, to whom the promises were made, and through whom alone they could ever be accomplished: so that his works evinced the truth and sincerity of his faith; and proved indisputably, that he was accepted of his God. His faith existed before: but now it operated; and was made perfect by the works which it produced; just as a tree is then only in a state of complete perfection, when it is laden with its proper fruits. The fruit indeed does not add to the vegetative power that produced it; but it evinces that power, and displays it in full perfection: and so did Abrahams works evince the truth of the faith which previously existed in him, and complete the objects for which it had been bestowed. And then was fulfilled the Scripture which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called, The friend of God [Note: ver. 23.]. The same he illustrates by another instance from Scripture, even that of Rahab, who evinced the truth of her faith, and was accepted in the exercise of it, when at the peril of her life she concealed the Jewish spies, and sent them home in safety to their own camp [Note: ver. 25.].

Now from all this he draws, as an unquestionable deduction, that very truth, which in the first instance he had only asserted; namely, that persons, whatever degrees of faith they might pretend to, could never be accepted of God, unless their faith wrought by love: Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only: for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also [Note: ver. 24, 26. If ver. 25. were put into a parenthesis, the connexion between ver. 24 and ver. 26 would more plainly appear, and the argument stand more full and complete.].]

Thus viewed, the argument is clear from beginning to end. That the terms which are used are strong, is certain: but then they may be accounted for from the general drift of the argument, and its immense importance to the Church of God. The Apostles do not measure words and syllables as we are apt to do, but speak in broad unqualified terms. St. Paul had done so on the subject of a sinners acceptance by faith alone: and St. James does so on the subject of those vain pretences to faith which were made by many who were destitute of good works: but an attention to the scope of their respective arguments will lead us to a just view, both of the terms which they use, and of the conclusions at which they arrive. St. Jamess argument we have seen. Let us now attend to,

II.

The conclusion drawn from it

This must accord with the argument on which it is founded. If we make the premises refer to one thing, and the conclusion to another, or, if we make the conclusion broader than the premises, we destroy the argument altogether, and make the Apostle reason, not only as if he were not inspired, but as if he were not endowed with common sense. What then does his conclusion amount to? it amounts to this:

That the future judgment will proceed on grounds of perfect equity

[God could, if it pleased him, assign to every man his portion in the eternal world, according to what he has seen existing in the heart. But it is his intention to shew before the whole universe, that, as the governor and the judge of all, he dispenses rewards and punishments on grounds which are not arbitrary, but strictly equitable. On this account the day of judgment is called the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God [Note: Rom 2:5.]. If the judgment were passed on men solely on grounds which none but God could see, it would be impossible for any one to judge of the equity of his proceedings: but when the works of all are brought forth as witnesses of the inward dispositions and habits of their minds, all can see the correctness of the estimate which is formed of mens characters, and the justice of the sentence that is passed upon them. This then is one part of the conclusion which the Apostle arrives at in the words before us: God will not judge of men by their faith, which he alone can discern, but by their works, which all may judge of as soon as ever they are laid before them. A man may pretend to faith of the strongest kind: but the inquiry will be, what effects did it produce? And, if the fruits which it produced were such as were insufficient to attest its genuine truth and excellence, they will be utterly disregarded; and God will say, Depart from me, I never knew you, ye workers of iniquity [Note: Mat 7:21-23.]. However confidently the truth and genuineness of it may be asserted by the persons themselves, God will not at all regard it, but will bring every thing to the test which is here established, and condemn or justify every man according to his works [Note: Mat 12:36-37.].]

That faith, of whatever kind it be, is of no value, any farther than it is attested by works

[If faith in the first instance apprehends Christ as a Saviour from guilt and condemnation, it does not rest there: it lays hold on him for sanctification, as well as for righteousness [Note: 1Co 1:30.]; and would account him not worthy of the name of Jesus, if he did not save his people from their sins [Note: Mat 1:21.]. The characters given to faith in the inspired volume are inseparable from it: it works by love [Note: Gal 5:6.], and overcomes the world [Note: 1Jn 5:4.], and purifies the heart [Note: Act 15:9.]: and if it produce not these effects, it will never benefit the soul. Knowing therefore in what way God will appreciate it hereafter, it becomes us to form a correct estimate of it now; and to weigh ourselves in the balance of the sanctuary now, that we may not be found wanting in the day of judgment.]

It will here be expected, of course, that we answer a common objection to the foregoing statement

[It is said that St. Pauls sentiments and declarations on this subject are directly opposed to those of St. James; since, after a long argument, he comes to this conclusion: Therefore we conclude, that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law [Note: Rom 3:28.]. He goes farther still, and says, that to him that worketh not, but believeth in him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness [Note: Rom 4:5.]. Now it may well be asked, How can this be reconciled with the foregoing statement? I answer, Only examine St. Pauls argument, as you have that of St. James, and you will see that there is no opposition at all between their respective assertions. The two Apostles are writing on two different subjects. St. Paul is proving that a man is not to seek salvation by any righteousness of his own, but simply by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ: whereas St. James is proving, that the man who professes to have faith in Christ, must shew forth his faith by his works. St. Paul endeavours to convince the self-justiciary; St. James, the Antinomian;St. Paul, by shewing, that works are nothing without faith; St. James, by shewing, that faith is nothing without works. St. Paul exalts Christ, as giving a title to heaven; St. James, as giving a meetness for heaven. St. Paul bends the whole force of his mind to establish the one leading doctrine of the Gospel; St. James, to have that doctrine adorned. Thus, according to the two Apostles, a man is justified by faith, because by it he is made righteous; and he is justified by works, because by them he is proved righteous: and God in justifying him, whether on the one ground, or the other, approves himself both a just God and a Saviour. We may render this matter somewhat more clear by means of a familiar illustration. A scion must be engrafted into a stock in order that it may live: and it must bring forth fruit in order to prove that it does live. Is there any opposition between these two assertions? None whatever. So then with Paul I assert, that man must be engrafted into Christ by faith, in order that he may live: and with St. James I assert, that he must bring forth fruits of righteousness, to prove that he does live. Without being engrafted into the stock, he can have no life: and, if he bring not forth good works, he shews that he has no life. These two positions are perfectly compatible with each other: and so, when properly understood, are the apparently opposite positions of these two Apostles.]

Hoping now that I have set the whole of this matter in a clear light, I conclude with a few words,
1.

Of caution

[Two things in particular I would caution you against: first, Do not separate faith and works; and next, Do not confound them.

Do not separate them, or imagine that you can be saved by either of them apart from the other: for faith, if it be alone, is dead; and works, if they be alone, leave you altogether destitute of any interest in Christ. If your faith be strong enough to remove mountains, yet, if it work not by love, it will leave you no better than sounding brass, or tinkling cymbals. And if your works be ever so perfect, they can never exceed what the law requires of you; and consequently, can never discharge the debt which you owe to God for your past violations of it: nor indeed can you ever in your present imperfect state fulfil the law so perfectly as not to come short of it every day you live: and consequently, every day you live, you stand in need of mercy for your daily transgressions, instead of purchasing heaven by your superabounding merits.

On the other hand, Do not confound the two, as though you were to be saved by faith and works united; or to have a first justification by faith, and a second justification by works. Either the one or the other of these errors will invalidate the whole Gospel; and will rob Christ of his glory, and you of your salvation. Christ is the only Saviour of sinful man: and his righteousness is that in which alone any child of man can be accepted before God. If you join any thing with that, you make it void: and, as far as respects you, Christ will have died in vain [Note: Gal 5:2; Gal 5:4.]. The true way of salvation is this: go to Christ as a sinner: and seek salvation altogether through his atoning sacrifice, and his obedience unto death. But, when you have believed in him, be careful to maintain good works, yea, and to excel in good works [Note: Tit 3:8. .]. Then will Christ be honoured in every way: your faith will honour him as the alone Saviour of mankind; and your works will honour him as your Lord and Master. But remember to keep each in its place. In building an edifice, you do not build the superstructure first, (if I may so speak,) and then lay the foundation afterwards; nor do you mingle the foundation and superstructure in one indiscriminate mass: but you keep each in its place; and then it answers the end for which it was raised. So you must lay Christ as your foundation first; and afterwards raise on him the superstructure of good works: then shall you be found workmen that need not be ashamed; and both in your faith and in your works be justified before God.]

Of encouragement

[Let not any apparent difficulties in this subject embarrass you. They will all vanish in an instant, if only you get a broken and contrite heart. It is surprising what light such a state of mind will reflect on the subject before us. It may not indeed enable you to solve all the verbal difficulties that may be raised: but, as far as relates to the main subject, it will scatter all doubts, as mist is scattered by the noon-day sun. It will convince you that no righteousness but that of Christ can ever avail for your acceptance before God: and, at the same time, that holiness is no less necessary for your final enjoyment of his favour. It will convince you too, that both faith and holiness, being the gifts of God, you have no reason to despair of attaining all that is necessary to your complete salvation; since God is pledged not to despise the contrite heart, or to withhold from his upright people the blessings either of grace or glory [Note: Psa 84:11.].]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

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

Ver. 24. By works a man is justified ] Declaratively, as by faith apprehensively, by God effectively.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

24 .] General inference from the example of Abraham . Ye see (not imperative, nor interrogative) that by (from, out of, as a source) works a man is justified (accounted righteous before God, as above: not, as Calvin, “Fructibus cognoscitur et approbatur ejus justitia”), and not by (from) faith only (notice : St. James never says that a man is not justified by faith, provided that faith include in it the condition of obedience: but by faith , , is no man justified. must be joined with , not with , as Theile, “Appositionis lege explenda est oratio: non solum fide, sed etiam operibus. nempe cum fide conjungendis:” see similar instances of adverbs joined to substantives in 1Co 12:31 ; 2Co 11:23 ; Gal 1:23 ; Phi 1:26 ; and cf. Winer, 54. 2, b ).

Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament

Jas 2:24 . : The argument between the two supposed disputants having been brought to a close, the writer addresses his hearers again, and sums up in his own words. : the writer, by using this word, allows more importance to faith than he has yet done; there is not necessarily any inconsistency in this, the exigencies of argument on controversial topics sometimes require special stress to be laid on one point of view to the partial exclusion of another in order to balance the one-sided view of an opponent.

Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson

see. App-133.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

24.] General inference from the example of Abraham. Ye see (not imperative, nor interrogative) that by (from, out of, as a source) works a man is justified (accounted righteous before God, as above: not, as Calvin, Fructibus cognoscitur et approbatur ejus justitia), and not by (from) faith only (notice : St. James never says that a man is not justified by faith, provided that faith include in it the condition of obedience: but by faith , , is no man justified. must be joined with , not with , as Theile, Appositionis lege explenda est oratio: non solum fide, sed etiam operibus. nempe cum fide conjungendis: see similar instances of adverbs joined to substantives in 1Co 12:31; 2Co 11:23; Gal 1:23; Php 1:26; and cf. Winer, 54. 2, b).

Fuente: The Greek Testament

Jam 2:24. , ye see) So , seest thou, Jam 2:22.- , is justified by works) See Jam 2:21, note.-, a man) whether Jew or Greek.-, only) The Scripture has foreseen and marked out here the error of those gospel-bearing Cyclopians, as Erasmus terms them, and degenerate disciples of Luther, who have for their banner faith only, not as taught by St Paul, but apart (desolatam, separated) from works.

Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament

Jam 2:15-18, Jam 2:21, Jam 2:22, Psa 60:12

Reciprocal: Luk 10:29 – willing Joh 14:21 – that hath

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Jas 2:24. The works that James means consist of doing what the Lord commands. He is not considering the works of the law of Moses, for at the time of this epistle those were termed “dead works” (Heb 6:1 Heb 9:14).

Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary

Jas 2:24. Ye see then, from this example of Abraham, how that by works a man is justified. The emphasis is upon works: stress is put upon the fact that faith must be productive of works.

and not by faith only. These words do not admit of the translation, and not only by faith: as if there were two kinds of justification, the one by faith and the other by works; or as if faith did part, and works were required to do the rest. The meaning is, not by faith simply,by a faith without works, which cannot justify either in whole or in part. It must be carefully observed that James does not deny that a man is justified by faith; on the contrary, he presupposes this truth, as without faith there can be no works, in the sense in which he employs the term works; he only asserts that justifying faith must not be alone, but must be productive of works.

Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament

Verse 24

Faith only; mere inert and lifeless belief.

Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament

Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

Okay, now, who put that verse in my finely appointed commentary? This nearly requires works to be part of justification, and justification is a part of the salvation process – and the verse is clear that it is not by faith only! So, what goes with this passage? And what is with the next verse – it is just as bad.

Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson

2:24 {12} Ye see then how that by works a man is {o} justified, and not by {p} faith only.

(12) The conclusion: Only he who has faith that has works following it is justified.

(o) Is proved to be just.

(p) Of that dead and fruitless faith which you boast of.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

6. James’ final argument 2:24-26

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

The use of the plural "you" in this verse in the Greek text shows that James had completed his response to the objector. He was now addressing his readers directly again (cf. Jas 2:14-17).

Works declare us righteous (Gr. present passive indicative of dikaioo) in the sense that our works testify to onlookers that we have exercised saving faith. They are the external fruit that bears witness to the eternal life within. "You see . . . by [his] works." However, James previously said that not every believer will bear visible fruit (Jas 2:17; cf. Joh 15:2). Such a believer’s faith is not productive but "dead." Nevertheless he has faith. Some unbelievers appear to bear the fruit of saving faith, but God will one day expose their "wheat" as "tares" (Mat 13:30).

". . . Paul and James are best understood as addressing quite dissimilar situations . . . Whereas Paul’s audience is in danger of relying on ’works’ for salvation, James’ readers are excusing themselves from good works, thereby showing only a faith that is dead . . ." [Note: Martin, p. 95.]

One writer argued for the view that the vindication in view here is universal and is stated in a salvific context. [Note: C. Ryan Jenkins, "Faith and Works in Paul and James," Bibliotheca Sacra 159:633 (January-March 2002):62-78.] My view is that the vindication is only before others and is not in a salvific context.

Fuente: Expository Notes of Dr. Constable (Old and New Testaments)

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