What James is saying in 2:14 is that if it is a faith without works (works = a lifestyle of obedience to God), it is a DEAD faith—that is, it is not the true faith in Jesus Christ—it is faith in something or someone else, thus DEAD.
He is asking, the kind of faith that says, “I believe,” but has no works—can that faith save? Then he give an illustration, v. 15-16 to show that faith without works doesn’t save any more than it helps to tell a hungry person just to be filled.
In v. 20 he says faith without works (a righteous lifestyle) is useless.
In v. 21 he says that Abraham was justified by works when he offered up Isaac. “Justify” means “to declare righteous,” “to show to be righteous.” In this context it means “to show to be righteous.” In other words, Abraham was SHOWN TO BE Righteous when he offered up Isaac, Gen. 22. He had already been DECLARED righteous in Gen. 15:6, when he believed.
What James is saying in 2:14 is that if it is a faith without works (works = a lifestyle of obedience to God), it is a DEAD faith—that is, it is not the true faith in Jesus Christ—it is faith in something or someone else, thus DEAD.
When i first started going to church back in the early 70s i would pass up people along the road that maybe needed help,
(i sure could not be late for church, what an idiot )
This was due to the fact that i was putting my faith in the church instead of God and doing what God tells us to do, my fault even though this was encouraged by the church.
Before i started going to church i was always stopping to help people.
I was also referring to the fact that people will say that James and Paul had a disagreement on the subject, no they did not have any disagreement on it, they were talking about it from two different angles.
Paul was saying that people who were going around being workers might be just doing it for to be seen of men, so he says that works with out faith is nothing, even many unbelievers can and do the same thing, socialism for instance. works is giving of yourself, not giving of some one else.
On the other hand James was saying that some one saying they have faith does not make it so, its just words, if some one has faith it will show some where in their works, it won,t be in big red letters but it will be there.
Faith and works are one where our salvation is concerned, helping some one who needs help with out fanfare is a sign of faith and most people do not even call that works.
In fact the real works of faith is rarely seen in the news because it was not done to be seen of men.
The most important commandment.
The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” (NIV, Mark 12:28-31