James 2:14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
That a man say governs the interpretation of the entire passage. James does not say that this person actually has faith, but that he claims to have it. “Faith”: is speaking of any degree of acceptance of the truths of the gospel. “Have not”:describes someone who continually lacks any external evidence of the faith he routinely claims. “Can faith save him?”We all know the answer to this is, that we are saved by faith and faith alone, but if we are saved, we will have works showing our faith. The works are a manifestation of our faith. Verse 15 is not speaking of wants in their lives; this is speaking of their needs.James is saying that just telling them to be filled will not fill that empty place in their stomach. To wish them well, without giving them a coat to warm with will not keep them warm. We must put action to our wishes. Feed them and clothe them, and then wish them well, and you will have done something.We can say we have faith, but we will not be believed, unless we have works to match up with our faith. All of these Scriptures show faith in action, or faith acted upon. Fear is the opposite of faith. To be truly faithful, we must act upon our faith. Just to sit down and say you have faith, without doing something about it, actually shows lack of faith.