“Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he OFFERED HIS SON Isaac on the altar? You see that HIS FAITH AND HIS ACTIONS WERE WORKING TOGETHER, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. YOU SEE THAT A PERSON IS CONSIDERED RIGHTEOUS BY WHAT THEY DO AND NOT BY FAITH ALONE. In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? As the body without the spirit is dead, so FAITH WITHOUT DEEDS IS DEAD.” (James 2:21-26)
James drives the point home here with one last illustration. James makes a clever wordplay here, similar to one Jesus uses in John chapter 3. James claims that a faith without works is just as dead as a body without pneumatos. This Greek term can mean “wind,” which is a euphemism for breathing, or it can mean “spirit,” or even capital-S-“Spirit,” meaning the Holy Spirit. The wordplay is key to seeing how serious James is about the implications of this teaching. A BODY WITHOUT BREATH IS DEAD. A person without “the Spirit” is spiritually dead. James ties together a lack of breath, a lack of spirit, and the presence of death WITH THE CONCEPT OF A WORKS–LESS FAITH.
Your Personal Pastor -Bill Stockham