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and ask the one who is sent empty away how much this "saying" has profited him
(James 2: 15, 16). "Even so", comments James, "faith, if it hath not works, is dead in
itself". He then goes on to the second illustration: "Thou believest that there is one God:
and thou doest well."
The word hoti ("that") after pisteuo ("to believe") expresses the highest form of faith
(John 6: 69; 17: 8, etc.). Yet what follows? "The devil believe [and thus far are
`believers'] and shudder."
Now comes the appeal to Abraham:
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son
upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith
made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God and it
was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see
then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only" (James 2: 21-24).
Note carefully what James actually says here. The supreme act of obedience on
Mount Moriah "fulfilled" the Scripture which said that "Abraham believed God, and it
was imputed unto him for righteousness", and showed to a demonstration that Abraham's
faith was "living" and not "dead". Faith, says James, wrought with his works, and by
these works faith was perfected--or brought to its goal or consummation. Wesley
observes: "There is no contradiction between the apostle because: (1) They do not
speak of the same faith; St. Paul speaking of a living faith, St. James here of a dead faith.
(2) They do not speak of the same works; St. Paul speaking of works antecedent to faith,
St. James of works subsequent to it." Abraham had "gone on unto perfection", he had
reached his goal, he had finished his course, and attained to a crown, for he was called
"the Friend of God". It is all a matter of "right division", for balanced truth is truth
"rightly divided".
We trust that the application of this thought of "perfecting" will be made by the Spirit
of Truth, as the reader ponders the doctrine of "perfecting" in Phil. 3:, with its "prize"
(Col. 1: 28) and its "reward" (Col. 2: 18), together with Heb. 12: with its "race" and
"joy", and James with its "crown of life". Any teacher who builds an argument upon a
false comparison of James, with his "perfecting" and "crown", and Paul, with his
justification of the ungodly, is building something which will not stand the test of
"that day".