James 2:14-26
New King James Version
Faith Without Works Is Dead
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without [a]your works, and I will show you my faith by [b]my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is [c]dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made [d]perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was [e]accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
In this passage it says, "someone will say, . . " The context of this passage is justification before man, not God. Romans speaks of justification before God.
Context. While Paul in Rm. 4 is dealing with whether works themselves justify one before God as meriting salvation, versus Abrahamic faith, James is opposing inert faith, vs. salvific effectual faith which effects obedience, and in that sense works is faith in action and justifies a person as a believer, versus teaching that one merits salvation by doing enough good things vs bad.
Like as in Mark 2:1-16, since cause and effect go together, then works and faith can sometimes be used interchangeably, yet effect is not to made the cause. For example,
And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. (Mark 2:8-11)
Since forgiveness effected healing, thus the Lord could tell the palsied man to do what required and enabled forgiveness, and likewise to be believe is to obey. however, The effect is not to made the cause.
However, if Abraham was justified by works in the sense of obtaining salvation when he offered Isaac his son on the altar in Genesis 22, rather than Genesis 15:6 when he believed in the Lord ("that what He [God' had promised [And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be: Genesis 15:5], he was able also to perform. And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness:" Romans 4:21-22), then James is contradicting both Moses, Paul and God.