Verses 18-20: But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
The word ‘but’ continues the case in point which James made in the previous verses, particularly in response to the one who says “Go in peace,” etc. in verse 16. We may presume that the individual in verse 16 has faith and is saved; for the issue is not to determine whether they are saved but what type of faith do they have. James states what someone might say by way of a challenge to the ‘one’ mentioned in verse 16: “You have faith and I have works.” This challenge can be paraphrased as follows: “You have ‘faith’ (the type described as being dead in verse 17) but I have works (a faith that is active).” Dr. C.C. Ryrie maintains that:
The challenger’s statement ends before the first occurrence of the word show. James’s reply begins there.1
And the reply James gives is a decisive resolution to the essential issue of faith and works: “Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith with my works.” The word “show” in this context means to display, to demonstrate the genuineness of one’s faith.2 This is addressed to James’ readers and to all of us today. Anyone who states that they have faith that is absent of works—producing divine good; fruit of the Spirit—they are directed to give evidence of how their faith can be observable to others. And then James states that he will manifest evidence of his faith by (with) his works, the production of divine good.
It should be noted that this is a purely hypothetical challenge. It is not a challenge designed to be employed by us with others. We should apply the challenge to ourselves asking: what type of faith do I have? Do I have the correct Biblical understanding of faith and the Christian way of life? We should not be judgmental about others, except in special instances, such as with our children (Proverbs 6:20, 23:22; Ephesians 6:1-3; Colossians 3:20) and for those who are seeking church leadership positions (1 Timothy 3:1-13; Titus 1:6-9).
God is One
He now challenges the thinking of those who are relying on a belief that merely asserts that God is ‘one’, that is, the one true God. This refers to the recitation of the creed by the Jews known as the Shema found in Deuteronomy 6:4: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one."3 And to believe that God is one is splendid, for James applauds them that they ‘do well.’ The Greek word for ‘well’ means good. James is saying that they have come to a good and true conclusion about God.
However, just because they have arrived at a true understanding of God, it does not mean that their faith is productive. James is suggesting that to believe in God’s existence does not really substantiate that your faith is functioning as God intended—a life of love, submission and obedience towards Him. It is almost as if he is saying “Bully for you! The demons also believe.” However the demons’ belief “does not lead to love, submission, and obedience; instead it leads to hatred, rebellion, and disobedience.”4 In addition, the demons believe and shudder. This word ‘shudder’ is found nowhere else in the New Testament. It literally means “to bristle, to have one’s hair stand on end,”5 just like a cat that has been frightened. The movies have demonstrated this quite well when they depict exorcisms and show demons shaking and quaking.
The Useless Faith
In light of what James has stated in verse 19, he now questions whether they are willing to begin to distinguish what truly constitutes this life of faith. He characterizes them as a ‘foolish fellow.’ The word foolish means empty or hollow—and it is not meant to be very complimentary.6 Dr. Wuest notes that this person “is one in whom the higher wisdom has found no entrance, but who is puffed up with a vain conceit of his own spiritual insight.”7 What this implies, in essence, is this person is empty of accurate Biblical truth and is satisfied with and persuaded by the content of what he believes, however erroneous.
James is appealing to their volition asking if they are willing to recognize that faith without works is useless. He has already stated that faith having no works is 'dead'—inactive, inoperative (v.17). Now he wants to know if they will accept the Biblical truth that a faith without works is 'useless'—idle or unproductive.8 Robertson equates this to “money with no interest and land with no crops.”9
The bottom line is this: James maintains that a believer who does not produce good works, their walk of faith is unproductive in fulfilling the plan of God for their life. God’s plan for the believer to avoid being useless or unfruitful is provided in a condensed form by the Apostle Peter:
Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (2 Peter 1:5–8)
The issue of faith and works has divided many believers throughout the ages, and still perplexes many even today. James is not attempting to determine whether a certain faith can bring about salvation—eternal life. But instead his intention is demonstrate that the productive faith is evidenced by divine good and the unfruitful faith is inactive, being idle and unproductive.
[1] Ryrie, C. C. (1995). Ryrie Study Bible: New American Standard Bible, 1995 update. Chicago: Moody Press, p. 1970 note.
[2] Beetham, Christopher A. (Ed.) (2021). The Concise New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis, Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Academic, p. 197.
Schlier, Heinrich (1964–). In Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (Kittel, G., Bromiley, G. W., & Friedrich, G., eds.)Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2.27 note4.
[3] “The confession that God is One was the most basic confession of Judaism, found in the Shema and taken up into earliest Christianity (Mk. 12:29).” Burdick, Donald W. (2006). The Expositor’s Bible Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 13.240.
[4] Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1997). The Nelson Study Bible: New King James Version. Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, (Jas 2:19).
[5] Zodhiates, S. (2000). The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (electronic ed.). Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, G5425
[6] The New American Bible translates this word as ignoramus.
[7] Wuest, K. S. (1997). Wuest’s Word Studies from the Greek New Testament: for the English Reader. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 21.139.
[8] Arndt, W., Gingrich, F. W., & Bauer, W. (1957). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, p. 104.
[9] Robertson, A. (1997). Word Pictures in the New Testament. Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, James 2:20
© 2023 David M. Rossi
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