![]() Jews new to the Christian faith had grown up in Judaism’s traditional, often guilt-inducing legalism. They’ve never seen the validation of their salvation in righteous works. “(James) realizes that in the church there are people who can be self-deceived, self-deluded, and ultimately damned, MacArthur said.” Multitudes have professed faith in Christ, but they have never surrendered their life to Him in obedience. Do what it says.” In other words, if there are no deeds of faith to prove genuine spiritual life, a person is deceived and playing the fool. James introduced the truth about faith and works in James 1:22: “ Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. They are orthodox and they tremble.” But they don’t produce good works from transformed hearts. MacArthur writes, “All demons are orthodox. Even the demons “believe,” James said (2:19). But if there is no hunger for godliness-no desire to live righteously-and no resultant fruit, James labels that “dead faith.” Even adhering to orthodox theology is not enough. For the antinomian, it’s enough to believe the facts about God, Jesus, and even the gospel. ![]() Those who embrace antinomianism think it is sufficient for people to “believe” and then live as they desire. Unlike other New Testament writers, James didn’t focus on legalism, but rather on antinomianism. He referenced the words of Jesus about professing believers who rely on their works to enter the kingdom of heaven-“And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you depart from me…” ( Matthew 7:21-23). John MacArthur describes this as “faith that has no product, that gives no evidence” and he adds, “(I)t is my constant fear, frankly, that many, many people within the framework of Christianity and involved, to one degree or another, in the church possess nothing more than that kind of faith: dead faith.” MacArthur also believes modern evangelism fails to recognize that problem. In James 2, James refers three times to faith without works being dead faith ( James 2:17, 20, 26). The dispute centers around James 2:14-26, and especially verse 26 that reads, “ faith without deeds (works) is dead.” What Did James Mean by “Faith without Works Is Dead”? The text focuses on maturity, character, and the hallmarks of true faith but this short book has invited considerable controversy through the years. The epistle of James was written to encourage readers to live consistently in light of what they say they believe.
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