James 2 - Worldly Favouritismနမူနာ

The claim of ‘faith’

The opening line (verse 14) helps us understand the whole passage. James does not think this hypothetical Christian has true faith at all. The man merely ‘claims to have faith’. The reference to ‘such' faith makes clear that the ‘faith’ now under discussion is a poor imitation of the real thing. 

It seems that for some in James’ original audience the word ‘faith’ means little more than ‘assent’, an intellectual conviction that God exists. This is particularly clear in verse 19; “You believe (‘have faith’) that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” The ‘belief’ or ‘faith’ of this person is not real trust in God and his Messiah. It is a mere mental conviction that there is just one God. It seems that some of James’ readers thought that believing in monotheism (one God) was a magical guarantee of salvation regardless of how you behaved. James has got news for them. 

First, ‘faith’ like this is powerless to save. As verse 14 asks; “Can such faith save him?” The answer is obviously no. Next, James insists in verses 15-17 that a faith which blesses the poor but shows no mercy toward them is ‘dead’. In verse 18 James introduces a hypothetical objector who wrongly assumes that faith and deeds are options you can choose between; "Someone will say, ‘You have faith; I have deeds.’" James responds by making clear that deeds (of mercy) are not an optional extra in the Christian life, they are the proof of true faith. 

James ends the section in verse 19 by effectively saying that a faith without deeds is the kind of ‘faith’ demons have; except, at least the demons know to ‘shudder’ in their knowledge of God. 

In short, James insists that a ‘faith’ which is not compassionate to the needy is no faith at all.

Faith and poverty

Throughout chapter 2 James seeks to apply the royal law of love to a particular area of Christian conduct—care for the poor. From verse 1:27 he has sought to impress upon his readers the nature of acceptable religion, of true faith. It rejects the world’s bias toward the rich and strives to show mercy toward the poor. 

According to the World Bank, 1.2 billion people in the world right now live on less than a dollar a day. Add to this the findings of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization Report (2003), which calculated that over 68,000 people die of starvation in the modern world every day.

In light of the terrible state of world poverty today, Christians must think hard about how they spend their money. For, according to James, mere sentiment toward the needy is worthless. What counts is practical support. True faith shows itself in merciful activity.