PRACTICAL CHRISTIANITY
James 2:26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
James is described as “the Lord’s brother” in Gal 1:19 “But other of the apostles saw I none, save James the Lord’s brother.” He was surnamed “the Just,” and was much respected beyond the limits of the Christian Church for his holy life. While Paul deals specially with doctrine, James is concerned with practice; Paul explains the wonderful significance of Christ’s death and resurrection; James explains the teaching of our Lord, especially in the Sermon on the Mount. Paul insists on faith as the means of justification before God; James lays stress on the works to which faith must lead.
It seems as if James had seen Paul’s epistles (letters), for he uses so many of the same phrases and examples, and probably set himself to combat those who abused the teaching of the great apostle. (But this was revealed to him by the Holy Spirit as his writings was written well before the letters of Paul.) There were plenty in his time who believed about Christ, and prided themselves in the tradition and accuracy of their belief; and James maintains that this is not sufficient to save the soul.
As far as beleiving goes, no belief can be more absolutely religious than that held by evil spirits. Repeatedly, during our Lord’s life, they acknowledged that He was the Holy One of God, but their belief had no effect on their character; it only filled them with fear and dread. Jas 2:19 “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”
“Faith without works is dead.” It is good to test ourselves. We must see to it that our heart is pure and our way absolutely transparent. In our dealings with those around us, we must always seek to realize our highest conceptions of love and duty. Even when our efforts of goodwill and affection are not reciprocated, we must never lower the high standard of our action, but always keep before us the conception of our Saviour’s life in Nazareth. Be merciless to yourself, but always merciful to others, always bearing the burdens of those around you, always moderating your pace to the weak and weary. Even Rahab was justified by a faith which wrought itself out in beautiful and unselfish action. Jas 2:25 “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?” and in
Heb 11:31 “By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace.”
Remember our Lord’s words in Mat 7:20 & 21 “Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.”
PRAYER
“Lord Jesus, please help me, add to my faith brotherly kindness, and forgive the unkind word or impatient gesture; the hard and selfish deed, the failure to give kindly help where I had the opportunity. Enable me so to live that I may daily do something to lessen the tide of human sorrow and need, and add to the sum of human happiness. AMEN.”