Misquoting Scripture: "Faith Without Works is Dead"

But this is not all. There is action and more action. "Faith without works is dead." (Big Book, pg. 88)

The perverse use of this Scripture, "Faith without works is dead" (James 2: 20) is one of the most heinous abuses of Scripture in the entire Alcoholics Anonymous Book.

Even denominational Christians, who are not involved in any program of recovery, misconstrue this passage! Pastors like Joseph Prince, Andrew Wommack, and others have diligently instructed believers on how to rightly divide the Word of God.

Before engaging in a spirited, Spirit-filled revelation of this passage, let us refer to Peter's caution:

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation." (2 Peter 2: 10)

Here, private does not mean "individual" as if the Word of God cannot speak to you personally, but rather "isolated", as in separated from the harmony of scripture. Jesus Christ Himself is the central theme of all Scripture (Luke 24: 26-27), above all, and any interpretation that diminished Christ or adds anything to His Finished Work is a rank perversion, as well.


So let us consider James 2: 20 first of all in light of the passage in which it is found,the entire book, an finally within the totally of Christ and Him Crucified.

The entire passage in James appears thus:

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

If a man "says" that he has faith, of course, and that does not mean that he believes! Many people may say that they have faith, but their profession has no confession because they are not skillful in their righteous standing before God (Hebrews 4: 16; 5: 13)

"If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,

"And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?

"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

 that they are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus have a living faith!:

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2: 20)

"Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.

Beyond question, we are saved by grace through faith (Ephesians 2: 4-8), but this faith will produce obedience.

"Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

The object of our faith is what matters the most. The devils believe that "there is one God". Exactly that, and nothing more. They do not have perfect doctrine, as some commentators would suggest. As James is writing to the circumcision, the Jews (James 1: 1 -- "To the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting), he was well aware that they would know the Shema ("Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD" --Deuteronomy 6: 4).

Yet Jesus tells the same Israelites of the one work which they are called to do:

"Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent." (John 6: 29)

By His death we are saved from our sins, by His Life, by His faith we live! The Israelites believed in one God, but they had to receive the revelation that Jesus Christ was God in the flesh, too.

"But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Abraham was deemed righteous before God long before (Genesis 15: 6) Twenty years later, he sacrificed his son, justifying as a witness before men of the saving faith which he had, the savig faith that made him righteous.

There is not contradiction here. We are saved by grace through faith, but James was writing to the Circumcision, and the false belief was that faith by itself, with works to follow, would save a man. Yet a man who believes on Him whom God the Father has sent will produce obedience, just like a tree brings forth fruit.

"Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

This verse clarified cogently the whole matter -- faith made "perfect", or rather "complete." Abraham's faith in the Lord allowed God to bring forth a child of promise, Isaac, who in turn was then offered on Mount Moriah, a type of God the Father giving His Son to die for us.

"And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

The Scripture was fulfilled! Abraham's faith, steadfastness to God's Word, brought forth obedience!

"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

"Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2: 14-26)

The issue, therefore, is not a matter of saved by grace or saved by works, but rather the heart change which takes place by grace through faith will produce the works! Faith cannot help but bring forth obedience in a believer, if he believes in Jesus, God made flesh made a sacrifice oce and for all ofr our sins.

Even in an earlier passage, James signals that the more that a man hears and believes the word, then he obeys:

"For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:

"For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.

"But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed." (James 1: 23-25)

Here, the "perfect law of liberty" is the Gospel, and continuing in this law of liberty -- here, "continue" renders the Greek word παραμένω paramenó, which means "abide, remain in, stay with. . .

So, a believer who keeps hearing, keeps believing what he reads about Christ and Him Crucified becomes by the Spirit of God a doer of the work, and blessed indeed in his deed!

We are not called to strive for obedience, but thrive on His Word, which in turn awakens obedience in us!

Of course, this scripture will excite bondage and works of the flesh when not mixed with the faith in and of the Son of God!