Ministry of Grace Church

But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is useless?

Truth to Learn

God calls all true believers to do good works.

Behind the Words

“Want” (“will” in some translations) is translated from thelō, which refers to the will of man (the determined will). It is a different word than boulomai (also translated “will”), which refers to the desirous will of man. Thelō includes active volition and purpose instead of just a simple desire. It is sometimes translated as “determine.”

The word “foolish” is translated from kenos, which simply means “empty.” James is most likely referring to a person who is empty of knowledge on this subject. In the New Testament a fool is someone who rejects God’s teachings. Here, James is simply saying that the person is lacking knowledge.

“Without” is the same word we saw back in verse eighteen, chōris, which means “separately, by itself, or apart from.” In other words, saving faith simply does not exist separated from good works.

“Useless” is translated from the Greek word argos, although some manuscripts have the word nekros, meaning “dead.” Argos is made up of the privative a, meaning “not” or “without” and a form of ergon, meaning work. Hence, it refers to something that is not working, or that is idle and has no effect. It is useless.

Meaning Explained

Back in verse eighteen, James started this path of reasoning by using a hypothetical argument against a saving faith which is not accompanied by works.

But someone will say, "You have faith, and I have works." Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

James is politely saying to anyone who doubts his assertion, that they are uninformed; they are empty and void of understanding. He simply states once again that faith without the evidence of works is not saving faith (it does not produce new life in Christ). It is useless faith, a faith that doesn’t work!

As pointed out earlier, the Greek word translated “without” really means “separate from.” James is emphatically declaring that true faith does not exist separate from good deeds. A genuine saving faith in the blood of Jesus Christ will always be accompanied by good works. The good works accompany salvation and are the evidence of salvation.

In the next few verses James is going to give a couple of examples of people who proved their faith through their works. In these verses, notice that neither Abram nor Rahab chose the works that became the evidence of their faith. The works were chosen by God for them to do.

Application

Do you ever feel the Spirit of God prompting you to do a good deed? It may be as simple as helping an elderly person who has a physical need, or it may be an opportunity to witness to someone about salvation through Jesus Christ. Whatever it is, your obedience is evidence of your salvation.