Can a Believer Have Dead Faith?

Can a Believer Have Dead Faith?

If you want to start a controversial conversation with fellow believers, bring up the subject of “works”. You will get strong opinions from both sides of the argument. Are Christians justified by works? As believers, we know that nothing we do or don’t do can save us. Everything that needed to be done for our salvation was completed at the cross. Nothing we do or don’t do can add to that salvation. Jesus said, before He bowed His head and breathed His last, “It is finished” and it was. So, why then did James write that faith without “works” is dead? This is another example of why we must study The WORD in context. Let’s look at what The WORD Says.

James 2:1-26; 1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality. 2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, "You sit here in a good place," and say to the poor man, "You stand there," or, "Sit here at my footstool," 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts? 5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world [to be] rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? 7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called? 8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; 9 but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. 10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 11 For He who said, "Do not commit adultery," also said, "Do not murder." Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. 12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. 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 your works, and I will show you my faith by 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 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 perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was 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.

The first thing I want to point out is the audience James is writing to, which is the brethren. The Greek word for “brethren” here is adelphos and in context it means fellow believers. And we know this because James says, “…do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.” He is writing to those with faith in Jesus and he is writing to instruct them on the evidence of their faith. James instructs them not to show partiality and gives an example of sinful partiality. Then he again calls them brethren in verse 5, indicating he is still talking to believers. He follows that up in verse 6 by saying that to show partiality is to dishonor the poor man. He does not say that if you show partiality, you are not truly saved. Remember, he is speaking to an audience of believers.

James then delivers a reminder of what believers are saved from by having faith and he emphasizes that all transgression, be it one sin or a million, makes a person a transgressor. Then in verse 12, James instructs his audience to separate themselves from the law and subject themselves to the law of liberty. What is the law of liberty? The Greek word for “liberty” here is eleutheria and it means freedom. James instructs his audience not to subject themselves to the law, but to speak and act as someone who is free from the law. So, I ask you, what is the law that is not the law of liberty? It is the opposite of liberty. What were we liberated from? The law of “WORKs”. We were delivered from the law of “Thou shalt not…” which is merit-based works. And James said do not put yourself under that law. And he goes on to say that if you are under the law, you will be judged according to it. He says, be under the law of liberty where mercy triumphs over judgement.

Now that we have that contextual foundation, let’s address the “faith without works”. In verse 14, James asked the audience, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?”. Pay close attention to who James is describing here. He does not say “…if someone has faith…”. He says, “…if someone says he has faith…”. Keep in mind, James started this passage with instructions on how a believer should conduct himself. This is a discourse on Christian behavior. The Greek word for “profit” here is ophelos and it means increase or advantage. James is speaking of a person that claims to have faith, but that person’s faith is not evident by their actions or behavior. He is stating that there is no advantage (for the kingdom) or no increase when someone says they have faith, but they do not use it.

I will give you an illustration that might help you relate this passage to modern day vernacular. I have a car in my garage. If I go to the garage, get in, turn the key and it doesn’t start, what do I say about the car? I say, “Honey, the car won’t start. It’s dead.” Can you relate? Now let me ask you this question. Is it still a car? Of course it is. But if it will not start, it is of no value to me. There is no advantage to having it, if it does not operate as it is intended to. There is no profit because it does not do what it was built to do. This is what James was stressing to his audience. “Don’t call yourself a believer if you are not going to perform like a believer or do what a believer should do.” Let’s look at the other side of this. If I sleep in the garage and wake up in the morning and declare, “I am a car.” Am I really a car? Of course not. Just because I call myself a car doesn’t make me one. I must be able, at the very least, to perform or operate like a car for anyone to believe that I am a car. If I cannot, nobody will believe me when I declare “I am a car”. This is the point that James was trying to make. In verse 17, after James gives an example of faith with actions that are contrary to the kind of behavior that Jesus has called us to, James says that kind of faith is dead. If you don’t do what Christians or believers are supposed to do, then your faith is unprofitable. It is dead. James does not say, if your faith is dead, you are not a true believer. That is the misconception.

Consider what Jesus said in this passage:

Matthew 7:15-20; 15 "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. 16 "You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? 17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. 18 "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. 19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 "Therefore by their fruits you will know them.

Jesus gave a stern warning about those that “profess” to be Christians but are not. He said, “You will know them by their fruits”. The same can be said about believers that bear no fruit. If they bear no fruit, then you will not know they are believers and again, that is unprofitable for the kingdom. Contrary to what a lot of Christians believe, God did not create you simply to save you. Yes, He does redeem everyone that calls on the name of Jesus. However, He created everyone with a purpose. That purpose is to build His kingdom. If you are not effectively fulfilling your purpose, then your faith is dead, not producing. But you do not lose your salvation because you do not fulfill your purpose any more than you can lose your salvation for sinning after you are born again. My salvation is not predicated on my works, but my witness is. Doing “works” is obedience if the Spirit has directed you to do something. If we disobey, we don’t do the “works” that we are supposed to do; we sin. But God doesn’t take away our salvation. You simply miss out on the rewards that we are told to store for ourselves in heaven. Those rewards will be distributed to us at the Judgement seat of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Here is another passage that should help clear things up:

1 Corinthians 3:9-15; 9 For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, you are God's building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12 Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, 13 each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is. 14 If anyone's work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone's work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.

Verses 14 and 15 above tell us exactly why our works are so important. If they are good, we receive rewards. If they are not good, there is no reward. However, verse 15 states that person is still saved and that is the point James was trying to make. What else does this passage say? It says that works without faith will be burned up. Not all works are works of faith, so neither can you identify a believer simply by works. And who can see faith but God? No one. If I tell you that God told me to open an orphanage and I do it, is that work credited to me as righteousness if God did not tell me to do so? No, it is just works. And what does the Word say?

Romans 3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.

Galatians 2:16 "knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.”

Now let’s address James 2:23-24. “23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was 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.” Yes, James wrote that man is justified by works and not faith only. But what did James say just prior to this in verses 21-22? “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 perfect?” James wrote that Abraham was justified by works when he offered up Isaac. But which came first, the works or the faith? The faith that earned Abram righteousness came at a minimum of 40 years before the work of faith occurred! Look at Genesis 15. This was God having a conversation with Abram. This is when God told Abram that he would be the father of nations, even though Abram had yet to have a child.

Genesis 15:3-6; 3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!" 4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir." 5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.

God credited Abram’s belief to him as righteousness BEFORE Isaac was even born. So, the act of offering up his son Isaac had nothing to do with the existence of Abram’s faith or righteousness. Abraham’s offering of Isaac perfected his faith. Remember, God sees the heart. Man cannot. Do you think that God would have “taken back” Abraham’s righteousness had he not displayed his faith in offering up Isaac? I don’t believe so. But the fact that Abraham was willing to be obedient was one of the greatest displays of faith recorded in the Bible. Abraham was willing to do what God did do with Jesus. Abraham’s faith was perfected in his works. But Abraham’s faith was not perfect. He also failed in his faith when he had his wife Sarah lie to Abimelech because Abraham did not have the faith to believe that God would protect him from Abimelech. When Abraham failed in his works of faith, God did not take Abraham’s righteousness away. In fact, even in a “works of faith” failure, God blessed Abraham. Abraham left Abimelech’s kingdom wealthier than when he arrived.

I heard it said this way once. I do not remember who said it, but the phrase stuck with me. “We are not accountable to men, but our works justify us to men. We are accountable to God, but our works do not justify us to God.

I hope this helps. Jesus loves you!