![]() It can be as simple as making sure a confused customer finds the right item for their need or noticing that a new co-worker needs help but is afraid to ask. We have opportunities every day to meet the needs of people we work for and among. James takes it for granted that believing in Christ (trusting in God) will move you to feel compassion for- and act to help-someone in need. What does James himself say? James 2:14 is arguably the centerpiece of his argument, so we will consider this section before moving on: “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works?” James bluntly answers his own question by stating, “So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (James 2:17)-as dead (as he notes in a carefully chosen example) as someone in desperate need of food who receives only empty words of well-wishing from his neighbor (James 2:15–16). Although we cannot go into the long debate about Luther and the book of James here, we can inquire briefly whether James’s emphasis on work is at odds with the Protestant rejection of “justification by works.” Other leaders of the Protestant Reformation did not share this view, but Luther’s objection came to dominate the Protestant reading of James. Luther famously disliked James because he read James 2:24 (“You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone”) to be a contradiction of Galatians 2:16 (“A person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ”). James’s focus on work has led to deep controversy about the letter. Grace and Works Interact in Business (Click to Watch) His use of the plural shows that he expects Christians’ work to be continual. James is describing any kind of work, from works of kindness, such as giving food to someone who is hungry, to on-the-job work, such as increasing the sustainable yield of rice paddies. This leads some to suppose that James uses “works” to mean something different from “work.” However, erga and ergon are simply plural and singular forms of the same word. When discussing work, he invariably uses the plural “works” (Greek erga) rather than the singular “work” (Greek ergon). ![]() ![]() James takes up the topic of work in detail in the second part of chapter 2. Learning From the Psalms How to Pray Through Your Work.Beyond Rank and Power: What Philemon Tells Us About Leadership.Evangelism - Sharing the Gospel at Work.10 Key Points About Work in the Bible Every Christian Should Know. ![]()
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