A Faith Without Fruit Is A False Faith

AN EXPLANATION

James wasted no time getting to the heart of the issue in this passage. He began with a question: “What does it profit—what good is it—if someone claims to have faith but doesn’t back up that claim with actions?” To put it bluntly, a faith without any accompanying fruit is a false faith. Earlier, on a Galilean hillside, our Lord had said the very same thing in a different way: “By their fruits you will know them” (Matthew 7:20).

Observe carefully what James was actually saying—and note what he did not say as well. James was not referring to a man who has faith, but to someone who “says he has faith.” James was addressing a false claim to faith, not the nature of genuine faith. The mere claim that one is a believer does not make him such. Many people today say they are people of faith, but they have never placed their faith in Christ alone and experienced what Jesus called “the new birth.” In fact, Jesus framed it rather bluntly: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 7:21).

Much of the unnecessary confusion in the faith-works debate stems from the translation of James’s second question in James 2:14. Both the King James Version and the New King James Version ask, “Can faith save him?” The Greek text has an article in front of the word faith, indicating that this faith is the same faith just mentioned in the first question of verse 14—that is, a false faith. Properly translated, the question reads, “Can such a faith, can that kind of a faith, save him?” James was certainly not saying that faith cannot save a person, but that a faith characterized only by intellectual assent but exhibits no fruit is, in the final analysis, a false faith.

Every Sunday multiplied thousands of people say they have faith. But James asked, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can [that kind of] faith save him?” The answer is no.

AN ILLUSTRATION

Having described a false faith, James proceeded to illustrate it. He painted the picture of someone in need of food and clothing, the basic necessities of life. This person is not a professional con artist or streetwise person with a slothful lifestyle, but someone with a legitimate and immediate need. A person who claims to have faith goes to him, puts his hand on his shoulder, pats him on the back, and says, “Have a good day. Be careful out there and try to stay warm. I hope you find something to eat. Bless you.”

Then came the rhetorical question: “What good does that response do for the hungry and cold man?” James was shining the spotlight on those of us who seem to prefer words over works, who know how to talk a good faith game yet have no impact on the world around us because our faith does not produce fruit.

AN APPLICATION

A glib “Good luck” to a person who is hungry does not relieve his immediate need. Thus, James continued, “Faith, by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” That is, faith without any fruit doesn’t do you or anyone else any good. It is a false faith.

The only way to know if faith is genuine is by its fruit. Now, before any of us get too self-righteous, we should remember that God didn’t put us on the judgment committee. In fact, Jesus warned, “Judge not, that you be not judged” (Matthew 7:1). However, in that same sermon Jesus later said, “By their fruits you will know (recognize) them” (v. 20). We are never to stand in judgment of others, but we are expected to have the spiritual sensitivity necessary to be fruit inspectors.

Recently, I was called to jury duty. Judges and lawyers are quick to tell you that in a trial there is no place for hearsay. Only hard, cold facts qualify as indisputable evidence, a truth that reminds me of a question we all should ask ourselves: “If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?” More specifically, would anyone be able to take the stand on your behalf to say—in Jesus’ words—“I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me” (Matthew 25:35–36)?

One more note about faith and works. Among the legacy of the Reformers is their often-repeated affirmation, “It is faith alone that saves, but faith that saves is never alone.” In James’s words, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Remember, James was not talking about faith and works but about a faith that works.