20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Revealing once again his Jewish origins (and those of the people he’s writing to), James supports his argument with two cases from the Old Testament, one of a man and the other of a woman. The first one he gives is Abraham, a traditional example of faith. This choice is no accident for Abraham fathered the Jewish people, and James sees the Christian community as his true heirs. Abraham, James tells us, showed the depth of his faith through his willingness to sacrifice his son, Isaac. God tested his faith and Abraham was vindicated. Of course, the sacrifice never occurred, but by preparing Isaac for it, Abraham showed the strength of his faith.
In verse 22, James presents a kind of virtuous circle between faith and works. Because we believe Christ’s teaching, we seek to put it into effect through our actions, and the interaction between the two makes our faith stronger. Keeping with the example of Abraham, James sees the patriarch’s actions as fulfilling Genesis 15:6: in other words, his actions reflected his belief in God and this in turn made him a better person. He became righteous by acting out his faith. Therefore, he was God’s friend (23). James suggests here that we can become the friend of the world or the friend of God, but we must choose. And, if we want to be a friend of God, we imitate Christ in our actions.
James’s second example is that of a woman, Rahab, whom he praises for welcoming the Hebrew spies seeking to learn about the Holy Land before the Israelites arrive there. She is there to show that women are an essential part of the community and that caring for others is a necessary Christian duty. James notes the fact that she was a prostitute, thus showing that even people despised as sinners can have a greater faith than many considered righteous. Finally, she is also listed as an ancestor of Jesus in his genealogy (as, of course, was Abraham).
In the last verse, James drives home his point that faith and works are not two separate things but rather intimately linked. A human being, to be alive, needs both a body and a soul. In the same way, faith and works together give life to our Christianity.
St. Joseph's Paris: Bible Study Website 