This is Part II of a series I’m writing on James 2:14-26. If you would like to read Part 1 please click on this link.
In this post I will be looking at the first of James’ examples stating that works are necessary for salvation in some sense:
18 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.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Verse 19 is referring to the Jewish prayer “The Shema” which is said in every synagogue to this day, as in James’ day, as far as I know. Before I get into the weeds with the Shema I would like to point something out in the James passage.
Something Seems Wrong Here
These two verses are where I start having a problem with the works salvation interpretation of this passage. Notice that both the Jerusalem church and the devils (demons) have faith. No distinction is made between the kinds of faith shown by both groups. In fact, if the Jerusalem believers and demons have a different kind of faith then wouldn’t James be telling his congregation that they need a better kind of faith?
James is stressing the need for works here. Think about it though, if the Jerusalem believers need to add works then why can’t the demons do the same thing? The demons are trembling so why don’t they start a food/clothing drive for the Jerusalem believers who are in need? Wouldn’t this give the demons faith plus works and move them from being fallen angels to elect angels? I can think of a couple different ways the works-salvation folks might try and get around this but none of them seem very convincing.
The Shema
The Shema is a Jewish prayer that is recited at every Jewish worship service and would have been very familiar to James’ Jerusalem congregation. The full Shema is composed of three Old Testament passages but I am going to focus on the first passage which is taken from Deuteronomy 6:
3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increase mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promised thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey.
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord:
5 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.
James 2:19 is a direct quote of Deuteronomy 6:4.
As I mentioned in my previous post, James 2:14-26: Introduction, the Hebrew concept of love involves works. Deuteronomy 6:5 says that we are to love God, a work, with all our heart, soul and might which involves works.
Now that we have established that Deuteronomy 6:3-5 involves works, how do those works benefit the believers in Jerusalem? Well, Deuteronomy 6:3 tells us. Faithfully following the Shema promised Israel a mighty increase in population and a land that flows with milk and honey. In short this is a promise of temporal prosperity! This is what the Jerusalem church was lacking. This is exactly what they were trying to gain in all the wrong ways. Why else would they be catering to the wealthy man described in James 2:2-4?
To turn the Deuteronomy 6:3 blessings into eternal salvation would require an allegorical interpretation that defies logic. James sure does seem to be offering salvation from current persecution instead.
My next post will deal with the next example of Abraham offering Isaac. Was Abraham saved from eternal torment by offering Isaac? I think you can guess my answer but you’ll have to read my next post (probably next week) to find out.