James 2:22

2:14-26 Those are wrong who put a mere notional belief of the gospel for the whole of evangelical religion, as many now do. No doubt, true faith alone, whereby men have part in Christ's righteousness, atonement, and grace, saves their souls; but it produces holy fruits, and is shown to be real by its effect on their works; while mere assent to any form of doctrine, or mere historical belief of any facts, wholly differs from this saving faith. A bare profession may gain the good opinion of pious people; and it may procure, in some cases, worldly good things; but what profit will it be, for any to gain the whole world, and to lose their souls? Can this faith save him? All things should be accounted profitable or unprofitable to us, as they tend to forward or hinder the salvation of our souls. This place of Scripture plainly shows that an opinion, or assent to the gospel, without works, is not faith. There is no way to show we really believe in Christ, but by being diligent in good works, from gospel motives, and for gospel purposes. Men may boast to others, and be conceited of that which they really have not. There is not only to be assent in faith, but consent; not only an assent to the truth of the word, but a consent to take Christ. True believing is not an act of the understanding only, but a work of the whole heart. That a justifying faith cannot be without works, is shown from two examples, Abraham and Rahab.

James 2:22 . Seest thou — Or thou seest then, in this instance; how faith wrought together with his works — And animated him to great zeal and self-denial in them. Therefore faith has one energy and operation, works another. And the energy and operation of faith are before works, and together with them. Works do not give life to faith, but faith begets works, and then is completed by them. And by works was faith made perfect — “The command to offer Isaac for a burnt-offering, ( Genesis 22:2 ,) appearing directly contrary to the promise, ( Genesis 21:12 ,) In Isaac shall thy seed be called, Abraham’s faith was thereby put to the severest trial. Yet it was not staggered by the seeming contrariety of the divine revelation: Abraham reasoned with himself, ( Hebrews 11:19 ,) that God was able to raise Isaac even from the dead; and firmly believing that he would actually do so, he therefore set himself to obey the divine command without the least gain-saying. James therefore had good reason to say that Abraham’s faith co-operated with his works in procuring him the promises confirmed with an oath, because it was his faith in God which enabled him to perform the difficult works, requisite to the offering of Isaac as a burnt- offering. He had equally good reason to say, by works his faith was perfected, or rendered complete; because, if, when tried, he had refused to obey, his would not have been a complete faith.

In this passage, therefore, 1st, James hath declared that faith and works are inseparably connected, as cause and effect, and that good works must flow from faith as their principle.” 2d, He here fixes the sense wherein he uses the word justified; so that no shadow of contradiction remains between his assertion and St. Paul’s. Abraham returned from that sacrifice perfected in faith, and far higher in the favour of God. Faith hath not its existence from works; for it is before them; but its perfection. That vigour of faith which begets works is then excited and increased thereby: as the natural heat of the body begets motion, whereby itself is then excited and increased: see 1 John 3:22 .

Jam 2:22 . Ὅτι , that ) Here are two clauses; and if emphasis is laid on the word faith in the former clause, and on works in the latter, the sense will be plainly seen, by which the bearing of the one part upon the other is clearly expressed.— ἡ πίστις , faith ) It was by faith that Abraham offered his son, Hebrews 11:17 .— συνήργει , wrought with ) Therefore faith has one kind of efficacy and operation ( ἐνέργειαν ), works another: and indeed faith before works and with them. Works do not give life to faith; but faith produces works, and works make perfect faith.— ἐτελειώθη , was made perfect ) He does not say, was made alive . That which faith derives from works is not its reality and truth, for it has a true existence before works, but its perfection and its attaining to the Divine friendship; Jam 2:23 . Comp. John 15:10 . The vigour of faith, which produces works, is increased, excited, and strengthened by the very act of producing them, just as the natural heat of the body is promoted by the exercise which it first stimulates. See 1 John 3:22 . Abraham returned from that sacrifice much more perfect in faith than he had gone to it. The same word, τελειοῦσθαι , is used by Alexander Aphrodisiensis, in his 2d Book, respecting the soul, Chapter III., τρίτος δέ ἐστι , when he describes the intellect as increased by the knowledge of things situated beyond [external to] itself. Faith itself is made perfect , that is, is shown to be true, by works. James 2:22

22. Or, "thou seest." how—rather, "that." In the two clauses which follow, emphasize "faith" in the former, and "works" in the latter, to see the sense [Bengel]. faith wrought with his works—for it was by faith he offered his son. Literally, "was working (at the time) with his works." by works was faith made perfect—not was vivified, but attained its fully consummated development, and is shown to be real. So "my strength is made perfect in weakness," that is, exerts itself most perfectly, shows how great it is [Cameron]: so 1Jo 4:17; Heb 2:10; 5:9. The germ really, from the first, contains in it the full-grown tree, but its perfection is not attained till it is matured fully. So Jas 1:4, "Let patience have her perfect work," that is, have its full effect by showing the most perfect degree of endurance, "that ye may be perfect," that is, fully developed in the exhibition of the Christian character. Alford explains, "Received its realization, was entirely exemplified and filled up." So Paul, Php 2:12, "Work out your own salvation": the salvation was already in germ theirs in their free justification through faith. It needed to be worked out still to fully developed perfection in their life.

Seest thou how faith wrought with his works? He doth not say, works wrought with his faith, as he should have said, if he had intended their concurrence in justification; but faith wrought with his works, i.e. his faith was not idle, but effectual in producing good works, it being the office and business of faith to respect Christ for sanctification, as well as righteousness, Acts 26:18 . And by works was faith made perfect; either: 1. Faith by producing good works is itself encouraged, heightened, improved; and so not made perfect by any communication of the perfection of works to it, but by being stirred up and exercised as to the internal strength and power of it. Or rather: 2. Faith is made perfect by works declaratively, inasmuch as works evidence and manifest the perfection and strength of faith. Faith is the cause, and works are the effects; but the cause is not perfected by the effect, only its perfection is demonstrated by it, as good fruit doth not make a tree good, but show that it is so. See 2 Corinthians 12:9 .

22 . Seest thou how faith wrought with his works …? ] Better, perhaps, not as a question, Thou seest that … Attention is called, not as the English “how” suggests, to the manner of co-operation, but only to the fact. The tense of the verb emphasises the continued co-operation of Abraham’s faith with his works. The one was all along working together with the other. What St James presses is, not that works can justify without faith, but that faith cannot justify unless it includes “the promise and the potency” of the life that shews itself in acts. by works was faith made perfect? ] Here the tense is changed to that which denotes completion in a single act. It was “by works” (i. e. out of , as from the originating cause) that faith was brought to its completion. The interpretation which sees in the words nothing more than that faith was shewn to be perfect, must be rejected as one of the afterthoughts of controversy. It may be added, however, as pointing to the true reconciliation of St James and St Paul, that the very form of the statement implies that the faith existed prior to the works by which it was made perfect.

Jam 2:22 . βλέπεις …: as these words are the deduction drawn from what precedes, it is better to take them in the form of a statement, and not as interrogative.— ἡ πίστις συνήρ γει : this implies a certain modification, with regard to πίστις , of the earlier position taken up by the writer, for in Jam 2:21 he says: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works?” no mention being made of faith; while here faith is accorded an equal place with works; cf. Galatians 5:6 , πίστις διʼ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη , concerning which words Lightfoot says that they “bridge over the gulf which seems to separate the language of St. Paul and St. James. Both assert a principle of practical energy, as opposed to a barren, inactive theory”. On συνήργει see Test. of the Twelve Patriarchs , Gad. iv. 7, “But the spirit of love worketh together with the law of God …” (Charles).— καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔργων ἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη : it is obvious that “faith” is used here in the highest sense, not merely as an attitude of mind, but as a God-given possession.

It must, however, be further remarked that if the Judaism of the Jewish-Christian writer of this part of the Epistle had been somewhat less strong, the words under consideration would probably have been put a little differently; for according to the purely Christian idea of faith, works, while being an indispensable proof of its existence, could not be said to perfect it, any more than the preaching of the faith could be said to perfect the preacher’s belief; though works are the result and outcome of faith, they belong, nevertheless, to a different category.