Can faith save him?

This is the second post in the series on James 2:14-26, Faith, works, and justification or Does James really contradict Paul?


James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?

Here is the issue in a nutshell. I’m not fancy so let’s just look at the verse:

What does it profit? What good is it? What good does it do? No one gains anything from the faith under consideration. Not the man. Not his neighbor. There is no profit.

though a man say he has faith – Apparently the idea is the person loudly proclaims he has faith; this man is a blowhard. It is true that we are to confess our faith, and bear witness to it, but the only way we know this fellow has faith is he tells us, because….

and have no works – nothing has changed in his life. This is a big problem. True faith always results in doing something.

John the Baptist – bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance
Jesus – If a man love me he will keep my words
Paul – repent, turn to God, do works meet for repentance
John – hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments

This person says he has faith but has no works. This is clearly faux faith.

can faith save him? Here is the first thorn in this passage! The way the question is framed, the expected answer is, No. As if James said, Faith can’t do him any good, can it?

If the question is simply, Can faith save? We would have a problem. Just this morning I read Luke 7. In the very last verse Jesus tells a woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

Oh the power of faith! Jesus often told people, Thy faith hath made thee whole. Every time it is the Greek word sozo, saved. Can faith save him? Yes. Can faith heal him? Yes Can faith make him whole? Yes. But I want to be absolutely clear, there is no power in faith itself - the power of faith is that it connects us to Jesus - the Savior, Healer, Deliverer.

Can a person who has no good works, nothing to offer, be saved simply by believing in Jesus? Yes! to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.

I am happy to report, that is NOT what James was asking. Then, what was he asking? My Bible has, Can faith save him? They neglected to translate or account for the article. What? Yes, James asked, Can the faith save him? Can this particular faith save him? Can this kind of faith save him? Or taking in the entire verse, Can ‘faith’ that is all talk and no action save him? The answer to that question is, No. Faith is powerful when you consider the results. Faith is dynamic when you consider the difference it makes in me. When I am walking down the road and I see a car coming toward me, if I believe it is going to hit me if I don’t move, I guarantee you I’m going to move!! Even so, faith in Jesus gets big results and produces a big change in me.

John Wesley said James was contrasting “that empty name of faith to real faith working by love. Can that faith which is without works save him? No more than it can profit his neighbor.”


Tomorrow: James 2:15  If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16  And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? 17  Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.