In verse 21, James claims that Abraham was justified by his works when he offered up Isaac. In verses 20–21, James introduces Abraham as an example to prove that faith apart from works is no faith at all. Saving faith also trusts God for redemption and this trust is made manifest to other people as we obey the Lord by doing good things. We see here that merely assenting to the truth of God is not enough for salvation because even the demons do this (v.
This is plain from verse 18 where he asserts that he can demonstrate his faith by his works. Today’s passage again emphasizes the importance of works but makes clear that when James discusses works he teaches that they demonstrate the presence of faith, not that they add to faith or can earn merit for us. The Roman Catholic Church to this day bases much of its soteriology (doctrine of salvation) on a misreading of this passage, especially 2:24. Too many people in church history have misinterpreted James 2, claiming that our right standing with God is based upon both faith and works. It is very important to understand that James is in no way saying that our good works earn salvation for us. If a person claims to have faith and his “faith” does not issue forth in service toward others, then the professed faith is actually dead (v. Saving faith is always a living faith, producing good works. Yesterday we examined James’ instruction that effectual faith always demonstrates itself in works (2:14).
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