James Chapter 2 — Commentary on Verse 17

    In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

    Here James shows that mere profession of faith is no better than verbal charity. God looks on it as dead, cold, and useless.

    Inthesameway,faith. James speaks according to their presumption: you call it faith; and it looks like faith, but it is dead in itself.

    Ifitisnotaccompaniedbyaction. He means not only good deeds but all other fruits of faith.

    Isdead. The apostle alludes to a corpse or a dead plant, which only appears to be alive. It is dead with respect to root, and dead with respect to fruit. It is void of the life of Christ, and it is void of good fruits. Operation or motion is an argument for and an effect of life.

    Notaccompanied. The Greek means it is dead in itself; that is, no matter how great it is, it is all dead. The KingJamesVersion translates this beingalone, denoting the emptiness, barrenness, and nakedness of such a profession; and so it ties in with that well known Protestant maxim, “faith alone justifies, but not faith that is alone.”

    Notes on Verse 17

    False faith is a dead faith. It cannot act any more than a dead body can stand up and walk; it is dead, because it is not united to Christ. True faith plants us in Christ, and so we receive virtue and life from him: “I live by faith in the Son of God” (Galatians 2:20). Faith is the life that animates the whole body of obedience. So, here is a test for your faith: does it receive life from Christ? Does it act? If Christ is in you, he wants to live in you. Never think of living with Christ unless you live in Christ; and no one lives in Christ unless he bears “much fruit” (John 15:5).