James 2:14-17

“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?… So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” vss. 14, 17

It was because of verses like this that Martin Luther despised the book of James. He considered it an “epistle of straw” and wished that it had not been included in the New Testament. Luther had been driven to despair by his conviction that his works were not sufficient for salvation, and had found peace only when he realized that righteousness came through faith, and was his by grace. That was a remarkable insight and Lutherans in particular have clung tenaciously to his understanding. But James had a perspective that had come through observation and he had seen first hand how some religious people, claiming to have faith, had failed miserably in reaching out to the poor and the hungry. He concluded that if they didn’t have works, they must not have had any faith–and we can’t argue with his logic. And even though Lutherans continue to relish their legacy of grace, most have come to agree with James. Our pious statements of faith turn stagnant and impotent unless they are accompanied by a vigorous mission to reach out to the needy and the downtrodden, and then treat them with all the respect and dignity they deserve as precious and beloved children of God.

Thought for the Day: What would James think of my congregation?