The Pulpit Commentary — James — Section 45

James are just the "faith" of Paul developed in action. In the verses before us, Ja.mes continues his illustration of the operative fruit-bea_ring nature of justifying faith. He adduces two examples from the Old 'l'estament Scriptures. I. THE EXAMPLE OF ABRAHAM, (Vers. 21-23.) It is remarkable that Paul empl0p the same illustration in setting forth the doctrine of justification by faith alone; aml that he appeals also to the identicit.l Old Testament statement (Gen. xv. 6) here quoted respecting Abraham's acceptance (Rom. iv.; Gal. iii. 6, 7). Paul says that Abraham was justified by faith before Isaac was born; while James says that he was "justified by works, in that be offered up Isaac his son upon the altar" (ver. 21). But James is careful to add, that in this crowning manifestation of bis piety the patriarch's faith co-operated with his works. The confidence which Abraham had reposed in God for so many years was the very life of bis obedience to the dreadful command to kill his only son; and the reflex influence of hie victorious passage through such an awful ordeal was that his strong trust in God was still further strengthened and " made per- fect" (ver. 22). Abraham's faith alone had been" reckoned unto birn for righteousness" ever since the day when be first "went out, not knowing whither he went;" but the longer that be persevered in believing, and kept adding practical virtues to bis faith, bis original justification was the more confirmed. So, as good works are vitally con- nected with saving faith-being, in fact, wrapped up within it in germ from the begin- ning-Abraham may be said to have been "justified by works." 'l'be faith which saved him was a. works-producing faith. And be was so greatly distinguished for the fruitfulness of bis faith that he became known in Hebrew history as " the friend of God." II. THE EXAMPLE OF RAHAB. (Ver. 25.) Her case seems t.o have been selected because it was so unlike the preceding. .Abraham was a. Jew, and the father of the chosen nation ; Ra.bah was a. heathen woman. Abraham bad for many years received a special training in the school of faith; Ra.hab had enjoyed no training at all. .Abraham was a good and pure man; Ra.bah bad lived a. loose and sensual life. Yet this degraded Canaanite obtained "like precious faith " with the illustrious patriarch. 'l'he same two Old Testament examples are cited also in Heb. xi.; and certainly they take rank as the two extreme cases selected for special mention in that chapter. The con- trast is useful as showing that, invariably, good works are found flowing from a. living faith. The object of Rabab's belief is expressed in her own words in Josh. ii. 9-11; and her strenuous exertions for the safety of the two spies, made at the risk of her life, bring her faith into prominence, as " working with her works." CoNOLUSION. In ver. 20 the apostle begins the paragraph with a restatement of his thesis; and in vers. 24 and 26, after presenting the scriptural examples respectively, he introduces a. triumphant "Q.E.D." He has shown that the faith which lies only in the cold assent of the intellect to a. system of divinity is more like a. lifeless corpse than a. living man (ver. 26). Truly saving faith consists in such a warm personal trust of the heart as will manifest itself in a. life of holy obedience. So the ethical in religion ought never to be divorced from the evangelical. Every Christian minister should preach many sermons on distinctively moral subjects, taking care, however, that such discourses are informed with gospel motives. And every member of the Church should practise in the market-place and the workshop the morality of the Sermon on the Mount-not simply because a holy life is the appropriate evidence of faith, but rather because it is the great end in order to which the believer's faith is reckoned for righteousness.-C. J. Vers. 1-13.-Respect of persons. Amongst the other evils of which these Christian Jews were guilty, was the gross evil of respect of persons. James presents the scene graphically, according to his wont. There is the synagogue, with the worshippers gathering for worship, some taking the good places, as it were the chancel-seats, near to the ark with the roll of the Law, and to the table of the Lord; some the lower seats, away from the speaker and the Word. When, lo, a rich man enters, some stranger to the place, blazing in 'l'yrian p~rple, all ~n~broider_ed_ o'er with gold, a°:d heavily !~den with jewelled rings. And ~1m the offiinous m1D1strants conduct with ostenta~l0\18 honour to the stalls in the chief part of the synagogue. A poor man enters, likewise a. stranger, in squtuid garb, and with some contempt of gesture or of tone the deacon 40 THE GENERAL £PISTLE OF JAMES. ton. u. 1-20.