James 2:14-26 is the reason 16th-century Protestant Reformer Martin Luther dismissed the book of James as “an epistle of straw.” In this passage, James stated, “Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (verse 17) and “A person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone” (verse 24). Luther rejected this book because it seems to contradict Luther’s great discovery of “justification by faith alone.”

James here said that faith has to be put into action. Was he saying that people are partly justified by works? No, but he was saying that faith is shown to be real by what we do.

The dilemma is partly resolved by considering what faith is. It is not a mere opinion or an intellectual conclusion. (As James said in verse 19, demons believe in the existence of the one true God but are still His enemies.) Rather, faith is a commitment. And a commitment means nothing unless it is acted upon. This does not mean that we are perfect. James suggested Abraham and Rahab as believers who acted on their faith. But Abraham is recorded as having lied on occasion, and his treatment of Hagar was far from exemplary. Rahab was a prostitute and hardly perfect.

What James said here is not that different from what the writer of Hebrews (perhaps Paul) said in the great “faith” chapter: “By faith Abel brought God a better offering…Noah…built an ark…Abraham…obeyed and went…Moses…chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin [and others] conquered kingdoms, administered justice…and escaped the edge of the sword…” (Hebrews 11).

Years ago, when I was a university student, there was a young man in our dorm who claimed to be a Christian but was sleeping regularly with his girlfriend. He said he knew it was sinful but was confident he would be forgiven on the basis of 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” He assumed he could go on sinning as much as he liked and God would have to overlook it as long as he claimed to be a Christian and asked for forgiveness. 

Paul, in his exposition of justification by faith, said, “Why not say—as some slanderously claim that we say—‘Let us do evil that good may result’? Their condemnation is just!” (Romans 3:8) and “Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means!” (Romans 6:1). He also said “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows” (Galatians 6:7). The writer of Hebrews was even more forceful: “It is impossible for those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, who have shared in the Holy Spirit, who have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the coming age and who have fallen away, to be brought back to repentance. To their loss they are crucifying the Son of God all over again” (Hebrews 6:4-6).

We who sin can be forgiven. We can be saved by God’s grace. But when we presume upon God’s grace, we are not being faithful, we are not demonstrating faith. We are demonstrating that we are rebellious and not committed to God at all.