The Gospel in James

Can Faith Save Him?

James 2:14-17 “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”

Grace and Works don’t Mix

Romans 11:6 “And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.”

Ephesians 2:8-9 “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.”

Hermeneutics - “It’s either in context with the Bible or it’s in context with your theology”

Key Words

Brethren - ἀδελφὸς - adelphos

James is addressing believers, brethren, sister, brother - the family of God. Not unbelievers.

20 x’s in James (“my brethren”)

Save - σῴζω - sōzō

Two types of use:

temporal deliverance 7/10 use in NT

eternal salvation

① to preserve or rescue fr. natural dangers and afflictions, save, keep from harm, preserve, rescue

② to save or preserve from transcendent danger or destruction, save/preserve from eternal death {BDAG}

Mt 8:25 “Then His disciples came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Lord, save us! We are perishing!””

Mt 14:30 “But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!””

Mt 9:22 “But Jesus turned around, and when He saw her He said, “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.” And the woman was made well from that hour.”

Mt 27:40 “and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.””

Mt 27:49 “The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.””

Jn 12:27 ““Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour.”

Heb 5:7 “who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear,”

Acts 27:20 “Now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.”

Acts 27:31 “Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, “Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.””

Acts 27:43 “But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land,”

2 Pe 2:5 “and did not spare the ancient world, but saved Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly;”

Jude 5 “But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.”

What does it profit? -Τί τὸ ὄφελος - Ti to ophelos

Bookends :14 - :16

A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed. ὄφελος

an advantage derived from someth., benefit, good

What advantage, what benefit, what good is it?

An assessment for future rewards 1 Cor 3:12-15 “Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.” 2 Cor 5:10 “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”

Hearer // Doer

James 1:22 “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

James 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;”

James 2:12 “So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.”

James 2:14-16 “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”

Dead Faith

It was alive

Lk 15:32 “It was right that we should make merry and be glad, for your brother was dead and is alive again, and was lost and is found.’ ””

Car battery dead (you don’t sell the car) Out of gas - “O well, I guess it’s dead”

Living Faith

Christians always need to make “faith decisions”

Fulfill the “Royal Law of Love”

James 2:8 “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well;”