02.02. Chapter 2 - Verse 22

James 2:22. Seest thou how his faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?

Having alleged the instance, he now urgeth it by an apostrophe to the boasting hypocrite, who nourished an impure life under the pretence of faith.

Seest thou, βλέπεις.—He seeketh to awaken the secure carnalist by urging this instance upon his conscience: ‘Seest thou?’ that is, is it not clear? or without an interrogation, ‘Thou seest.’

How his faith wrought with his works.—Many senses are given of this phrase. The Papists urge it to prove that faith needeth the concurrence of works in the matter of justification, as if works and faith were joint causes; but then the apostle would have said, that works wrought with his faith, and not faith with his works. Among the orthodox it is expounded with some difference. That sense which I prefer is, that his faith rested not in a naked, bare profession, but was operative; it had efficacy and influence upon his works, co-working with all other graces; it doth not only exert and put forth itself in acts of believing, but also in working. And by works was faith made perfect.—This clause also hath been vexed into several senses. The Papists gather hence that in the work of justification faith receiveth its worth, value, and perfection from works a conceit prejudicial to the freeness of God’s love, contrary to the constant doctrine of the scriptures; for faith rather giveth a value to works than works to faith, Romans 14:23; Hebrews 11:4-6; and works are so far from being chief, and the more perfect cause of justification, that they are not respected there at all. This sense being justly disproved, divers others are given. As (1.) ‘Made perfect,’ that is, say some, ‘made known and discovered;’¹ as God’s strength is said to be ‘perfected in our weakness,’ 2 Corinthians 12:9. None will be so mad as to say that our strength doth add anything to the power of God, that is incapable of increase and decrease, and hath no need to borrow aught from the weakness of man. It is ‘made perfect,’ because it hath the better advantage of discovery, and doth more singularly put forth and show itself; so faith is made perfect, that is, more fully known and apparent. And the reason of the expression is (1st.) Because excelling things, whiles kept private, suffer a kind of imperfection; or (2d.) Because it is an argument faith is come to some maturity and perfection of growth, not only living, but lively, when it can produce its proper and necessary operations; this sense is probable. But (2.) Others understand. it thus: that faith or profession is not full and complete till works be joined with it, faith and works being the two essential parts which make up a believer; which interpretation suiteth well enough with the scope of the apostle. (3.) The exposition which I take to be most simple and suitable is, that faith co-working with obedience is made perfect, that is, bettered and improved; as the inward vigour of the spirits is increased by motion and exercise: and so in short (as Dr Jackson explaineth it²), works do not perfect faith by communication and imputation³ of their perfection, to it, but by stirring, exercising, and intending the natural vigour of it. From this verse thus opened observe :

¹ ‘Opera non sunt causa quod aliquis justus sit apud Deum, sed potius sunt executiones et manifestationes justitiæ’— Thom. Aquin. in Gal. 3., lect. 4.

² Jackson of Faith.

³ Qu. ‘impartation’—ED. From this verse thus opened observe:—

Obs. 1. There is an influence of faith upon all a Christian’s actings, Hebrews 11:1-40. Faith is made the grand principle; acts are there spoken of, which do more formally belong to other graces. But we say the general won the day, though the private soldiers did worthily in the high places of the field, because it was under his conduct and direction. So because all other graces march, and are brought up in their order, to fight under the conduct of faith, the honour of the day and duty is devolved upon it. The influence of faith is great into all the offices of the heavenly life. (1.) Because it hath the advantage of a sweet principle: ‘It worketh by love,’ Galatians 5:6. It represents the love of God, and then maketh use of the sweetness of it by way of argument: it urgeth by such melting entreaties, that the believer cannot say nay. Paul intimateth the argument of faith, Galatians 2:20, ‘I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved, and gave himself for me.’ When the soul is backward, faith saith, Christ loved you, and gave himself up for you. He was not thus backward in the work of salvation; as the soldier said to Augustus when he refused his petition—I did not serve you so at the battle of Actium. (2.) It presents strong encouragements; it seeth assistance in the power of God, acceptance in the grace of God, reward in the bounty of God. When you are weakened with doubtings and discouragements, faith saith, Do your endeavour, and God will accept you. When Christ came to feast with his spouse he saith, Song of Solomon 5:1, ‘I will eat my honeycomb with my honey.’ Though it were mixed with wax, and embased with weakness, Christ will accept it. When jealousy maketh the heart faint, and the hands feeble, lest we should drive on heavily, faith showeth the soul ‘an angel that standeth at the altar with sweet incense,’ Revelation 8:3-4. Duty coming immediately out of our hands would yield an ill savour, therefore Christ intercepteth it in the passage, and so it is perfumed in the hands of a mediator. Again, are you discouraged with weakness? faith will reply, Thou art weak, but God will enable thee. It is an advantage, not a discouragement, to be weak in ourselves, that we may be ‘strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might,’ Ephesians 6:10. When the bucket is empty, it can be the better filled out of the ocean. Paul saith, 2 Corinthians 12:10, ‘When I am weak, then am I strong.’ There is no heart so dead but God can quicken it, and he is willing. It is said, 1 Chronicles 15:26, ‘God helped the Levites,’ when the work was bodily; and we are less apt to be indisposed for bodily labour. God helped them by discharging their lassitudes; so certainly he will much more give inward strength, more love, joy, hope, which are the strength of the soul, Nehemiah 8:10. Again, if the heart be lazy and backward, or stick at ease and pleasure, faith can present the glory of the reward, the pleasures at God’s right hand, &c. (3.) It breaketh the force of opposite propensions; if the world standeth in the way of duty, ‘faith overcometh the world,’ 1 John 5:4; partly by bringing Christ into the combat, partly by spiritual replies and arguments. Reason telleth us we must be for ourselves; faith telleth us we must be for God. Reason saith, If I take this course, I shall undo myself; faith, by looking within the veil, seeth it is the only way to save all, 2 Corinthians 4:15-17. Reason presenteth the treasures of Egypt, and faith the recompense of reward. From hence are those bickerings and counter-buffs which a believer feeleth sometimes within himself.

Well, then, out of all this we may infer—(1.) That we had need get faith; there is as great a necessity of faith as of life; it is the life of our lives and the soul of our souls; the primum mobile, the first pin, that moveth all the wheels of obedience, like the blood and spirits which run through the whole body. There is by the ordination of God as great a necessity of faith as of Christ: what good will a deep well do us without a bucket? He that hath a mind to work, would not be without his tools; and who would be without faith that maketh conscience of duty? (2.) Act it in all your works; no works are good till faith work with them, they are not acceptable, nor half so kindly; Hebrews 11:4, ‘By faith Abel offered’ πλείονα θυσίαν (not only a better sacrifice, as we render it, but) ‘more sacrifice,’ as the word will bear. Faith is the best support you can have; carnal ends make us mangle duty, doubts weaken us in duty.

Obs. 2. That faith is bettered and made more perfect by acting. Neglect of our graces is the ground of their decrease and decay; wells are the sweeter for draining.⁴ Christians get nothing by dead and useless habits. Talents hid in a napkin gather rust; the noblest faculties are embased when not improved in exercise. The apostle wisheth Timothy ἀναζωπυρεῖν, to ‘excite and enliven his gifts,’ 2 Timothy 1:6. It is an allusion to the fire of the temple, which was always be much in duty, draw out the acts of your graces; many live, but are not lively; decays do insensibly make way for deadness.

⁴ ‘Τὰ φρέατα ἐναντλουμένα βελτίω ἔστι.’—Basil.