What does James 2:25 mean?
James is wrapping up his case that genuine faith in God naturally results in a believer participating in good works. After showing how Abraham's saving faith caused him to act, James cites one more example from the Old Testament: Rahab the prostitute.Rahab's story is told in Joshua chapter 2. She was a citizen of Jericho who had heard the stories of Israel's mighty God and believed them: "The Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath" (Joshua 2:11). So when Israel's spies showed up to prepare for the battle against Jericho, Rahab hid them and helped them escape. Because of her actions, God spared Rahab and her family from the destruction to follow.
It's important not to read something into the Bible which the author does not actually say. James point is not that Rahab's salvation was accomplished by what she did. The entire context of his discussion has been knowing what kind of faith it is that actually saves. Rahab's actions revealed that her faith in Israel's God was more than simply opinion: it was trusting, genuine faith. It's one thing to claim belief (James 2:14), or to have knowledge (James 2:19), but Rahab demonstrated that she had real saving faith—she "was justified," as James is using the term here—by courageously trusting the God of Israelites. This trust led inevitably to her good deeds. This is in perfect harmony with other New Testament passages such as Hebrews 11:31: "By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies."
Genuine faith in God and good works always go together. Works do not save, but they naturally flow from a legitimate relationship with Christ.
James 2:14–26 makes the case that how one acts—their ''works''—are a sign of the kind of ''faith'' they possess. So-called-''faith'' which doesn't lead a person to participate in good works is not a saving faith; it is a dead thing. It is pointless and meaningless to believe, or ''wish,'' a poverty-stricken person to be well, if such an opinion leads to no action. In exactly the same way, James insists that it is not enough to mentally agree about certain facts of God. If what a person believes about God does not lead them to act accordingly, then their ''faith'' is not saving faith. It is merely opinion. James never says that faith is not essential for salvation. He never claims works are required to obtain or keep salvation. He is, however, crystal clear that truly saving faith cannot be separated from the evidence of good works.
Genuine saving faith in God leads to good and loving actions: ''works.'' In chapter 1, James discussed the importance of acting on the words of God, not merely hearing them. Favoritism to the rich over the poor demonstrates a lack of faith. In fact, this is a sin. Following up on these ideas, James insists that ''faith'' which doesn't result in good works is dead. Such belief is merely intellectual agreement. It is not trust, or true, biblical saving faith. James doesn't deny that belief in God is essential to salvation, nor does he claim that works are necessary to obtain salvation. Rather, he makes the case that works are to faith what the breath is to the body: a sign of life. A ''faith'' without works is like a body without breath: dead.
