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NOVEMBER 21
and there should also come in a poor man in
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filthy clothes, and you pay attention to the one
wearing the fine clothes and say to him, “You sit
here in a good place,” and say to the poor man, 2:8 royal law. This is better translated “sover-
“You stand there,” or, “Sit here at my footstool,” eign law.”The idea is that this law is supreme
4 have you not shown partiality among your- or binding. love your neighbor as yourself.
selves, and become judges with evil thoughts? This sovereign law (quoted from Lev. 19:18),
5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not when combined with the command to love
chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith God (Deut. 6:4,5), summarizes all the Law and
and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to the Prophets (Matt. 22:36–40; Rom. 13:8–10).
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those who love Him? But you have dishonored James is not advocating some kind of emo-
the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and tional affection for oneself—self-love is clearly
drag you into the courts? Do they not blas- a sin (2 Tim. 3:2). Rather, the command is to
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pheme that noble name by which you are called? pursue meeting the physical health and spiri-
8 If you really fulfill the royal law according to tual well-being of one’s neighbors (all within
the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as the sphere of our influence; Luke 10:30–37)
with the same intensity and concern as one
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yourself,” you do well; but if you show partial- does naturally for oneself (Phil. 2:3,4).
ity, you commit sin, and are convicted by the
law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep
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the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he works, and by works faith was made perfect?
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is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not com- 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says,
mit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted
if you do not commit adultery, but you do mur- to him for righteousness.” And he was called
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der, you have become a transgressor of the the friend of God. You see then that a man is
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law. So speak and so do as those who will be justified by works, and not by faith only.
judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also
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without mercy to the one who has shown no justified by works when she received the mes-
mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. sengers and sent them out another way?
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if some- 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead,
one says he has faith but does not have works? so faith without works is dead also.
Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is
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naked and destitute of daily food, and one of
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you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed
and filled,” but you do not give them the
things which are needed for the body, what 2:19 You believe that there is one God. A
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does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it clear reference to the passage most familiar to
does not have works, is dead. his Jewish readers:the Shema (Deut.6:4,5),the
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I most basic doctrine of the Old Testament.
have works.” Show me your faith without your demons believe.Even fallen angels affirm the
oneness of God and tremble at its implica-
works, and I will show you my faith by my tions.Demons are essentially orthodox in their
works. You believe that there is one God. You doctrine (Matt. 8:29,30; Mark 5:7; Luke 4:41;
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do well. Even the demons believe—and trem- Acts 19:15). But orthodox doctrine by itself is
ble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, no proof of saving faith. They know the truth
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that faith without works is dead? Was not about God, Christ, and the Spirit, but hate it
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Abraham our father justified by works when and them.
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he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you
see that faith was working together with his
DAY 21: If salvation is by faith in Christ alone, how can James write
“faith without works is dead”(2:20)?
“Do you want to know,O foolish man,that faith without works is dead?”Literally,“empty,defec-
tive.”The objector’s claim of belief is fraudulent,and his faith is a sham.James is not contrasting two
methods of salvation (faith versus works). Instead, he contrasts two kinds of faith: living faith that
saves and dead faith that does not (1 John 3:7–10).
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works…?”(v.21).This does not contradict Paul’s clear
teaching that Abraham was justified before God by grace alone through faith alone (Rom. 3:20;
4:1–25;Gal.3:6,11).For several reasons,James cannot mean that Abraham was constituted righteous
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