James 2 Explained - 'Faith Without Works is Dead' | Can Faith Save Him?

What does "faith without works is dead" mean? I pray this explanation is a blessing to you!

#Salvation #FreeGrace #Christianity

[crocuscreekwoodworks]

We work because we are Saved NOT to be Saved. AMEN Brother

[dove.]

5:03 when you said our works glorify the father made me smile so big bc I may have won my mother over to Christ I’m not 100% positive yet but I’m seeing signs in her she’s leaning towards Jesus

[mr.porgens]

In other words as a real Christian, try not to be poor or bad example toward your fellow Christians including the unsaved as well if you're going to win souls.

[mikemanners]

I subscribed and gave a thumbs is a anti-Works Salvationist warrior....God Bless You

[murraylloyd]

This has helped me so much. Thank you for using God's word to interpret what God's word is saying. Blessed by your teaching.

[sassysara]

The guy that Pastor Jack Hibbs had on for his last Happening Now, was totally misinterpreting this scripture, and Pastor Jack did NOT correct him. I had to turn it off. I had the weirdest feeling in my spirit. I'm thankful for the precious blood of Jesus. I know that I'm eternally secure because of what He did for me. I disappointed the Father daily, and it makes me feel so ashamed, but He has never turned His back on me. Thank you, Father God, for the precious gift of Jesus. I'm only justified through Him. Amen.

[darkrey_BriesVersion]

tonight i opened my bible with an expectant heart open to God for the first time in 3 years. I’ve read my bible here and there, but tonight I tried to open my heart and have faith. I felt drawn to James 2 and then found your video my chance after. Your video completely opened my eyes and brushed off a burden i’ve been carrying with me since 2019, as a someone who’s only been saved since 2016. Since 2018, after a friend’s wrong teaching, I’ve lacked confidence in my salvation b/c my faith always seemed to be dead. I never seemed to grow and always backslid and didn’t have fruit in my life. This video changed everything. I though my faith was dead as in disingenuous and my salvation void. This video completely changed my perspective. I want to have works, but now I know again that my lack of works doesn’t discount my salvation.

[robertperez]

Amen Brother...this book is one of the most misused books of the bible...God bless you for explaining it so clearly. Written study of James:
WHY DOES JAMES SAY, “FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD?”
The epistle of James was written to a group of people who were already children of God. James addressed them as brethren. In James 1:22, 25, he went on to say to them, “But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves … But whoso looks into the perfect law of liberty, and continues therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed” (not saved) “in his deed.”
Good works don’t have any part in making you a child of God, but they certainly determine whether you are an obedient child of God or not. Obedience results in God’s blessings in a person’s life, whereas, disobedience results in God’s chastening. It is not the person who knows God’s will that God is going to bless, but rather the one who does His will.
The believers whom James was addressing were guilty of showing favoritism to the rich people who came to their assembly. They claimed to be loving their neighbors as themselves, but in actuality they were hypocrites. They were treating people differently because they didn’t have money or dress well (James 2:1-11). So James admonishes them, “So speak, and so do, as they that shall be judged” (literally, `as they who are about to be judged’) “by the law of liberty … What does is profit, my brethren, though a man says he has faith, and has not works? Can faith save him?” (James 2:12, 14).
The Greek construction of the question, “can faith save Him?” requires a negative answer; therefore, the reply is, “no, faith alone cannot save him.”
Now according to Ephesians 2:8, 9, in order to be saved, a person must have faith and no works; yet according to James 2:14, a person can’t be saved without works. Some people have tried to explain this away by saying that the faith that saves produces works; however, James didn’t say faith produces works; he said faith alone can’t save.
JAMES WAS WARNING OF IMPENDING DISCIPLINE
The problem is quickly solved when you realize that the word “saved” isn’t always used in reference to salvation from eternal judgment. In James 5:15 he uses it in reference to being saved from physical death, and in James 2:14 he uses it in reference to being saved from God’s discipline.
James was warning of impending discipline the Lord was going to bring into these Christians’ lives. It is not the believer who talks the good talk who avoids God’s discipline; it is the believer who lives the good life.
These believers talked about love but were not practicing it. James 2:15-17 explain, “If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit? Even so faith, it if has not works, is dead, being alone.”
Words alone could not supply the needy believers with food and clothing. Telling someone who is cold and hungry to be warmed and filled is to do absolutely nothing for that person. To be of profit, those words must be accompanied by works. They were to supply food and clothing for those in need, not just talk, because, “faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.”
These believers apparently claimed to have faith, but without works, that sort of faith could not save them from God’s judgment in their lives. That’s why James said, “So speak, and so DO, as they that shall be judged” (literally, `are about to be judged’) “by the law of liberty” (James 2:12).
Now since James was addressing believers, he was not talking about their receiving judgment in the lake of fire.
. For the believer there is no such thing as coming into judgment as far as one’s eternal destiny is concerned. Christ said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, he who hears My word, and believes on Him who sent Me, has everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation;” (literally, `judgment’) “but is passed from death unto life” (John 5:24).
James makes it abundantly clear that he is speaking of faith in the Christian life, and faith in the Christian life will always manifest itself in works. A parallel passage can be found in First John 3:17, 18, “But whoso has this world’s goods, and sees his brother have need, and shuts up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwells the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth.” If I say I love fellow believers, yet when they are in need I don’t help them out, then in truth, I don’t love them.
BUT EVEN THE DEMONS BELIEVE AND THEY TREMBLE
Many times those who think that one must submit to the Lordship of Christ in order to be saved will support their view by the passage in James which says the demons believe and tremble.
James wrote, “You believe that there is one God; you do well: the demons also believe, and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” (James 2:19, 20).
People who use these verses to teach that it is not enough just to believe in Christ for salvation don’t realize what they are saying.
First of all, there is a big difference between believing in Christ and believing that there is one God. Believing that there is one God is not going to save anyone – even the Jews who rejected Christ believed that.
Second, why would James use demons as an example of saving faith when there is no hope of demons being saved anyway. The Scriptures teach that since Christ didn’t die for angels (Hebrews 2:16).
So James is not using the demons to prove that you have to do more than just believe in Christ to save you from eternal annihilation. James was using satire to reprimand these disobedient believers. To paraphrase, he is saying, “Big deal if you believe in God, so do the demons. You can talk all you want about faith, but without works all your so-called faith is dead.”
James continues by using Abraham as an example. Verse 21 states, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac, his son, upon the altar?”
Now in Romans 4:3-5, Paul uses Abraham as an example of a man who was justified by faith alone, apart from any works. “For what does the Scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him who does not work, but believes on Him Who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”
It sounds like a contradiction between Paul and James, but in reality, they are speaking of two different events in Abraham’s life. Paul, in the book of Romans, deals with the faith Abraham had which resulted in his salvation and James deals with the faith Abraham had which resulted in his friendship with the Lord. It was by faith alone that Abraham became a child of God, but it was by his faith and works that he became a friend of God. It is important to realize that there are more than thirty years between the two occurrences referred to by Paul and James.
Notice at what time in Abraham’s life he was justified by works. James 2:21 says, “when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar.” God had already promised Abraham that the Messiah was going to come through the line of his son Isaac. Isaac was unmarried at the time, and Abraham knew he would yet have to marry and have a child in order for God’s promise to be fulfilled. When Abraham was commanded by the Lord to offer Isaac as a burnt offering, he knew God wouldn’t break His promise and he trusted God to raise Isaac from the dead.
And where did I get that? Hebrews 11:17-19 explain, “By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, That in Isaac shall your seed be called: accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from whence also he received him in a figure.”
When God told Abraham to go and offer his son as a burnt offering, Abraham could have replied, “Now Lord, I know You’ve already promised to have the Messiah come through Isaac and I know You can raise him up from the dead, but there is no way I’m going to take his life.” Abraham could talk all he wanted about faith but the proof that he really did have faith was his works. Without the works, there is no faith. However, Abraham truly did have faith that the Lord would do what He promised as was proven by his obedience and Abraham “was called the friend of God” (James 2:23).
Once a person is a child of God, he is always God’s child regardless of what he does (John 6:37). However, a person is not God’s friend unless he is doing the things God commands. Jesus Christ said, “You are My friends, if you do whatever I command you” (John 15:14).
Being God’s friend is synonymous with what the Bible terms “fellowship.” The word “fellowship” means “partnership” and conveys the idea of having things in common with another individual. Thus, a believer who claims to be having fellowship with the Lord and is living a life of sin obviously is not having fellowship. He will come under the chastening hand of God, but nonetheless, he is still on his way to heaven.

[sandiland]

exceptional, biblically clear. God bless you for sharing Gods word on this platform 👍🙏😁

[fine]

The best video I've seen explaining this. Excellent.

[privatepilot]

For by GRACE are ye saved through faith. Gotta love that Grace. Unmerited favor. You can have all the faith in the world, but without that sweet grace….

[LilPeeper]

Romans 4:4-8 KJV
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, And whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.

Matthew 3:11
“I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:”
King James Version (KJV)

Colossians 2:11
“In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ:”
King James Version (KJV)

2 Corinthians 5:10
King James Version
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

1 Corinthians 3:13-15
King James Version
13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is.
14 If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a reward.
15 If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire.

Galatians 2:21 KJV
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

[biblexstreamlive]

We are "SAVED by Grace through Faith (In Jesus )" alone not by works. The works are the output of our Faith in Jesus, they are a byproduct which are profitable to others.

[helenem]

There are so few who teach soundly from the text; Calvinism and Lordship Salvation and Arminianism have spoiled the faith of many, but here, at least, the sheep find pasture. I've listened to enough of your videos to know the scriptures are in safe hands. God bless you brother.

[therealmorganofficial]

Your ministry is the absolute best in defending faith alone. Thank you man!

[shepherdstone]

Ok the context of James 2:26 makes more sense now. Jesus was talking to already saved people calling them brethren. This scripture is often misinterpreted in teaching works based, but was taken out of context.

[fsdfmsbcxx]

Pure joy to listen to a brother who understands James 2.
It's so important to THINK about the words that we read in our King James Bible, because they're given by God with razor-sharp precision.

[lokat]

Brother you are gifted! Works being done that are so profitable to the saints and unbelievers right from this channel! Absolute clarity on this scripture that has tied every Christian in knots for centuries. Bless you!

[krisjustin]

Clear, concise and very convincing! A wonderful analysis of scripture explaining scripture!

[scottbright]

Faith alone saves you, works show your faith.
Romans 11:6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.