Just as Jesus’ ministry and his messages regarding salvation were directed toward God’s people, so too James’ letter provided God’s people with insight into the path leading to life. Neither needed to explain nor did they inform their audiences about how to become God’s people.
James, in writing to the "twelve tribes dispersed abroad," acknowledged that both he and his readers were disciples when he penned, "as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ" (James 2:1). If James wrote to those who are saved in Christ, why was there any need to address a saving faith?
As it turns out, actively trusting in Christ is not only required for entering Christ’s body but also for living out one’s faith in our Lord. To live with faith in Jesus requires more than just knowing truth. Faith acts!
To prove that this is so, James began by contrasting how a dead faith in Christ differs from a healthy one. To identify a futile faith, he proposed a not-so-hypothetical situation (James 2).
Imagine a worship service where Christians serve the ways of the world, rather than God’s ways! Imagine God’s people showing favoritism to the wealthy and influential while disparaging and mistreating the poor!
He presses his point by asserting that rebelling against God’s ways in one matter is just as bad as sinning in some other way. James concluded that a faith that fails to live out the content of faith is a dead faith. He rhetorically asks, "can that faith save him? (James 2:14).
James’ focus was upon how God’s people live. He did not inform those outside of Christ that  they could become God’s saved people based upon their lifestyle.
James called living out one’s faith "works." Paul also acknowledged the value of a lived-out-faith when he lauded and encouraged "works of faith" (1 Thess. 1:3; 2 Thess. 1:11). Such works stand in stark contrast to "works of the Law," such as circumcision which do not provide a basis for being right with God (Galatians 5:16; Acts 15:1,5,8-11).
How then should we understand James’ message? He instructed God’s people that living as a Christian required living out the ways of Christ and God. How we live as Christians does matter.
Furthermore, Paul taught the same message. To warn God’s holy people in Corinth against deliberately living in rebellious ways, Paul reached back in history to ancient Israel. Like the church at Corinth, the Israelites had also been baptized and nourished by Christ, but due to their sinful rebellion God was not pleased with most of them! (1 Cor. 10:1-4). The implication was clear. "So let the one who thinks he is standing be careful that he does not fall" (1 Cor. 10:12). How God’s people live does matter.
Conversely, Paul encouraged the church to live out their faith when he wrote such things as, "I urge you to live worthily of the calling with which you have been called" (Eph. 4:1; Phil. 1:27; Col. 1:10; 1 Th. 2:12). Echoing James’ principle, Paul also wrote, "we ourselves boast about you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith … This is evidence of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be considered worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you are also suffering" (2 Th. 1:4-5).
We should be able to agree that James and Paul were not in disagreement about the need for Christians to possess an active faith. Next week we’ll explore what Paul wrote about salvation.
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