James is instructing the believers in spiritual maturity and to understand chapter 2, it’s best to go back to chapter 1. It’s not about eternal life. It’s not about proving they were saved. That’s not even the point. He’s guiding believers to maturity in their Christian lives.

My simple summary for James is this and it’s written to believers.

The point of the book: Spiritual Maturity

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:2-4).

Trials build perseverance. Perseverance is necessary to grow stronger and spiritually mature in Christ. (Chris gave an excellent example of the silversmith which explains this much deeper).

Now specifically James 2:

Having faith in Christ and believing in God does not put food in the mouth of the hungry or clothes on the naked. Favoritism has no place among believers. Love our neighbor as ourselves. As a child of God, we will reap what we sow and God will show us mercy in our consequences on the level we show mercy to others. Mercy trumps judgment so it’s worth the trouble. So straighten up.
_______________________________
And to Ryan,

You said,

“Now do not mistake me, I do not believe that he is saying the works themselves have any salvific power. But I believe that he is simply saying that any genuine faith (and only God and the individual can know if their faith is genuine because God judges the heart) will motivate the believer to works out of gratitude for the price that has been paid.”

Are you saying that works are automatically generated from having faith in Christ? If so, then why write the book in the first place? We are not saved by our good works, and once we are saved we’d be motivated automatically to do good works. That just eliminated the need for most of the NT including half the gospels. This entire passage would have been pointless.

Following that logic, if James is talking to believers, they’d already be doing the works so what’s the point. If he was talking to the lost, works isn’t the right topic but rather faith because then the works would automatically follow. He would not be pleading for them to do the works but rather to have faith. We’ve just eliminated both options. I just can’t picture James writing a passage to nobody.

Instead, we are motivated, passionately pursued, prodded, and pleaded with both by Paul AND James to walk in obedience to God as believers. That means there IS a choice for those who have eternal life. Either we are obedient to God or we choose NOT to be obedient to God. We are still battling our old nature. We choose which one to follow, the spirit or the flesh. Paul admittedly battled it and wrote about it.

I’m just not sure what you meant by the comment “any genuine faith will motivate the believer to works out of gratitude for the price that has been paid.” I know it SHOULD motivate us, but it’s not automatic.

And why would James write an inside joke to Paul in a letter to an entirely different group of people? Wouldn’t he instead write the joke to Paul in a letter to maybe Paul?

Your brother in Christ and a great fan,
Ryan Phillis

Second, saying we all know people who claim to be Christians who really aren’t isn’t a judgement. It is a gathering of facts based on conversations with individuals who don’t believe faith is enough to save us. They call themselves Christians, but add works to faith. If you add anything to it you are, in some way, trusting in yourself to get to heaven. Jesus said on the cross “it is finished.” There is nothing for us to add.

Many comments I have read, as well as, the ones from my own youth group are: I don’t know any/many unsaved people. My challenge to you in sharing the gospel with “every one” you know is this: include those you would consider to be Christians into “every one” you know. Engage them in spiritual conversations, and I think you will find,if you ask the right questions, some will be trusting in their works. My 48 hour challenge was one such person, when I ask if he knew for sure if he was going to heaven, he said, “Yes, I believe in “God,” and I am a good person.” I then walked him through the G.O.S.P.E.L. and he accepted Christ. I knew that he claimed to be a Christian, and through conversation realized he didn’t know the truth. I didn’t judge him, rather, I shared the “truth” with him.

In response to your #18 comment…

I’m not sticking up for Chris; I believe he can do that on his own. I just wanted to add to your comments. As you say, we do not know their hearts. We cannot know if someone who claims to have trusted Christ actually has done so based on their works and you do a good job of backing that up with scripture.

You even use the Matthew 7 passage that leads to Jesus saying ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ to those who add works to their faith for eternal life (“didn’t we prophecy? didn’t we drive out demons? didn’t we perform miracles?”). Excellent job by the way. You nailed fact that works are in no way responsible for our eternal life when you asked “how do you know someone who you see just commit a sin that that person has been fighting and praying about for some time? Perhaps, that sin is their “thorn” that Paul talks about.” And again when you added, “All of us were sinners and all of us still sin. No one in this flesh is perfect enough to meet God.” No matter how hard we try before or after we trust Christ, we will not be perfect. That renders our efforts pointless for anything other than service and proof of nothing concerning eternal life.

No amount of good works can prove a person believes, just like no amount of bad works can prove a person does NOT believe. Our works have nothing to do with receiving eternal life. This solidifies that Greg and Christ were accurate and James was NOT talking about eternal life. It is the people who tie their works into their eternal salvation that are in error.

And yes, we are all judgmental animals like you say and we are such because we are sinners. As sinners, our works will never be good enough to help our salvation in any way. As mentioned in Hebrews 6:1, we must reject also our good works, bad works and any other effort and cling only to the finished work of Christ for our eternal life. Our works are not proof for God that we believe. He already knows. They are not proof for us that someone believes, as we don’t know their heart. But they do help those who may doubt our claims.

And there cannot first be an obedient child, unless there is first a child. Obedience to God doesn’t make us His children. Believing only in Jesus Christ alone does that. But once we are His children, we are expected to be obedient and act like one. Of course, we are sinners and we don’t always do that and you made a strong case supporting that fact. It’s like raising any child, it’s not pretty and children have to learn. It’s not automatic. We must mature as God’s children and James 2 covers it well.

As far as what Chris meant when he said “You and I both know plenty of people who claim to be Christians, but aren’t.” I don’t know who Chris was talking about but I agree with him in one way.

It’s not about judging someone based on their works as Jesus warned against. Keeping with the Matthew 7 theme here, we are to judge false prophets based on what they teach and the fruit they bear. The judgment is based on what they are having faith in. If they add works to grace, it’s false. If it’s by grace, through faith alone in Christ alone… true.

I know many who claim to have faith in Jesus Christ alone but instead rely on their good works to get them to heaven. They are the examples Jesus gives in Matthew 7:22. Instead of clinging to their faith in Him alone for their eternal life/salvation, they are clinging to their works as proof. Jesus says here that they are not saved. This is not a judgment based on their works like He warns against in the opening verses of the chapter but rather based on the actual focus of their faith. And if they are preaching that false faith, they are false prophets and their fruit will not be good fruit but corrupted.

The issue is that they claim to be Christians but focus on their works as the proof. Faith in Jesus Christ and HIS finished work on the cross is what makes a Christian, not OUR works. What someone is trusting in for their eternal life can be judged and should be judged.