God's Word is very clear concerning the condition for salvation. God shows us that salvation is by faith and not by works. We have read enough Scriptures and seen enough clear reasons why our works cannot come into consideration. Because we believe in God's work through His Son, there must not be works of our own. Yet some who do not understand the words of the Bible have come to me, asking, "Is it not true that the book of James tells us clearly that a man is not justified by faith, but by works? Is it possible that James and Paul contradict each other? And is it possible that man is justified by both faith and works?" These ones think that James and Paul do not agree with each other. They think that the books of Romans, Galatians, and James also do not agree with each other. I have to use Paul's expression: "Absolutely not!" Let us come to the book of James and see what James himself had to say.
When we read the book of James, we must take care of one thing. We can only read what is said; we cannot add into it our own thoughts. What counts is what James said. What one adds on top of that does not count. Do not read your own thoughts into the book of James. You must see what James said and not what he did not say.
We will read James 2:14-26. But before we read this passage, I want to first ask a question: What is the context of these verses? Paul wrote the book of Romans with a subject in mind. He also wrote Galatians with a subject in mind. Romans says that man is justified by faith; Galatians says that man is not justified by works. Romans speaks from the positive side; Galatians speaks from the negative side. Romans declares positively how man is justified; Galatians argues negatively how to be justified and how not to be justified. Hence, the two books, Romans and Galatians, complement each another. The subject of these books is strictly justification. They deal specifically with the problem of justification. One deals with the problem from the positive side; the other deals with it from the negative side.
Many people feel that James 2 is a difficult chapter. What is the subject of James 2? The subject of Romans is justification, and the subject of Galatians is also justification. But what is the subject of James 2? The subject of this chapter covers at least mercy and help to others. What do the verses prior to this portion say? Beginning from verse 6 James says, "But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who oppress you and is it not they who drag you to the courts? Is it not they who blaspheme the honorable name by which you are called? If indeed you are fulfilling the royal law according to the Scripture, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself,' you do well; but if you respect persons, you commit sin, being convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever keeps the whole law yet stumbles in one point has become guilty of all. For He who said, Do not commit adultery, also said, Do not murder. Now if you do not commit adultery, but you murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who are to be judged by the law of freedom. For the judgment is without mercy to him who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment" (vv. 6-13). The subject of these verses is the showing of mercy. James tells us not to flatter the rich, but rather to care for the lowly and show mercy on the poor. This is what verses 1 through 13 say. Moreover, verse 1 is a continuation of chapter one. The last verse of chapter one says, "This is pure and undefiled religion before our God and Father: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (v. 27). This is James's subject. If a man says that he is a godly Christian, his godliness should be manifested in his care and giving to the orphans and widows. He should not invite someone wearing splendid clothing to sit in a good place and ask the orphans, the widows, and the poor to sit under his footstool. He should care for, show mercy, and give to the despised ones. James's subject is pure and undefiled religion. Pure and undefiled religion is manifested toward the poor, the lowly, and the despised.
After 2:14, he continues to talk about giving: "If a brother or sister is without clothing and lacks daily food, and any one of you says to them, Go in peace, be warmed and filled, yet you do not give them the necessities of the body, what is the profit?" (vv. 15-16). At the end of chapter one, the subject of James is given, that is, to care for the orphans and widows. At the end of the first section of chapter two, he says that we should show mercy to others, that we should give to the poor, and that we should not despise the poor. In the second section of chapter two, James tells us what one should do when he sees a brother or a sister without clothing and lacking daily food. All these words have to do with giving to others, showing mercy on others, not despising the poor, and helping others. Verses 14 to 26 only speak of justification in passing. Because mercy, giving, and caring for orphans and widows is the subject, justification is mentioned only in passing as a means to arrive at the goal of developing his subject. Hence, we see that James is not teaching the matter of justification in his book.
The subject of our meetings during these past two weeks has been the salvation of God. But suppose that during this period I stand up on the Lord's Day morning and give a message, not on salvation, but on overcoming, or on the kingdom, or on how to reign with the Lord Jesus in the millennium. That would be the subject of my message. While I speak, I may mention eight or nine sentences about salvation in passing. If you wish to understand the doctrine of salvation, would you not consider the other messages I gave during the rest of the two weeks? Would you ignore all that was spoken in two weeks and just take the eight or nine sentences that you hear in that one message? Romans and Galatians are specifically on justification, whereas James only mentions a few words about justification. His subject is not justification, nor is his purpose to teach justification. His purpose is to exhort others to give; the matter of justification is only mentioned in passing. A person cannot overturn Romans and Galatians with James's few words on justification. Is James then in conflict with Romans and Galatians? In a while you will see that it is not. But from the start, I want you to accurately grasp the subject of James. He was not talking about justification. He was talking about mercy, about care, and about what one should do for the orphans and widows.