Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

heaven (Eph. 2:6; Col. 3:3; Heb. 10:10), but already purposefully here on
earth. 245
Although the case James presents is hypothetical (Jam. 2:15), there is no
reason to conclude that this scenario cannot occur, has not occurred, does not
occur and will not occur (Martin, 85)! The extremity of the case underscores
the intensity and seriousness of James’ insistence upon an “active faith.” To
claim to have faith, without possessing practical godliness, is tantamount to
saying a pious “good-bye” to folks who are ill-clad, and are famishing for
lack of food, and in essence letting them freeze to death and die of hunger
(See 1 John 3:18). Therefore, such claim, which is “limited to verbal expressions”
only (Cargal, 121), is hollow, and exposes the claimants as pretentious
and presumptuous impostors, who are “twice dead” (Jude 12), “dead in their
natural condition and dead after their (lifeless) profession” (Manton, 233).
There is a remarkable parallel with James 1:22. Just as hearing the Word
means nothing without doing the Word, speaking the Word means equally
nothing, if it is not accompanied by action! James 2:17 is a worthy and telling
conclusion. Clearly faith alone justifies us before God’s tribunal. But any
pretended faith that remains alone and does not qualify as a living and fruit
bearing faith, is not worthy of the name, is not “justifiable” before God or
man, and cannot claim a living hope (1 Pet. 1:3). It is mock-faith, in the same
ballpark as mock-love, and as such “hateful” (Manton, 237; Henry, III, 1294-
1295). This is clearly indicated by the question with which James both rhetorically
starts and emphatically ends this paragraph. “What good is it (to be a
hypothetical-faith-without-works reader, who offers only a prayer and good
wishes, without giving folks in need what ‘they need for the body’)? ... No
good at all” (Brosend, 73)!
All this should be compared with God’s care for the physical needs of
his people.
1. God promises after the flood that the earth will always produce food
(Gen. 8:22) to support life. This has a strong bearing upon the discussions
pertaining to the world’s food shortages, and its over-population. Many moderns
in their secularistic humanism approach the problem in the same way as
the people in the time of the tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). They become
restless, “statist” and “socialist,” planners, hoping to survive in the face of the
threatening presence and the dangerous future, rather than resting on the
promise of God that the earth will always produce a sufficient food supply.
Ironically the more rigorous statist and socialistic ideology is applied, the
more harm is done to the food supply. History records that “bread baskets,”
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This is why both “a tract should be wrapped up in a sandwich” (Spurgeon) and “a sandwich
wrapped up in a tract” (Motyer, 111).
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