James 2:14‏

"What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?" James 2:14‏

I know how quick we are to read this and jump to what little or what all we do in the Name of Jesus... or, "for the faith". However, this is not a new subject in this chapter... or a change of thought here. James is continuing the discussion of our perception and control over the things of God. Picking for ourselves what we reason is acceptable and pleasing to Him.

"Hey, I've not murdered anyone... that's obeying the 10 Commandments, right? And, I'm not the only one that thinks poor people stink-up the new pews we put in the worship center!" "I put a lot of my hard earned dollar toward that church beautification project."

"How about adultery... I've never done that either! And, I also worked hard on pushing our new "Dress Code" here at the church... I mean, you look at how some of the women take time to look so pretty, while some of those... well, let's just say, "other women" come in here half dress.""

I'm sorry if these two examples offend you... they do me, also, because the person that might have said them just murdered and is an adulterer... according to the whole Word of God (see Mat 5, for starters), yet I see examples like this in the church, all the time... "Do-Gooders"... very busy, doing God's work... or are they? The reason I bring this up is because I've seen too many commentaries take this verse and add it to James earlier verse (1:22), focus in on works to prove they are saved, and forget to mention how the work of God get's done,

Earlier James had alluded to the delusion of hearing without doing... challenging his readers to... "prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves", back in James 1:22, and he is right... the question I have is, what do we "hear" to do?

Jesus spoke some of the most frightening words ever uttered at the end of His Sermon on the Mount to those who surely thought they were saved (e.g., they called Him "Lord, Lord") declaring... Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven. "Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' "And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS. (See notes Matthew 7:21; 22; 23)

To reiterate, James is concerned that his readers understand the nature of "genuine", saving faith so that they do not have to hear those fateful words from the Judge of all men.

With that in mind... What is the use (profit), my brethren, for anyone to profess to have faith if he has no [good] works [to show for it]? Can [such] faith save [his soul]?

Let's pick up with James verse 2:15 next time.

I love you.