James is very concerned that we have a faith that matters. He never encourages a faith that works in order to get saved, but he bluntly teaches a faith that saves and produces works. So much talk today is of a faith that is intensely personal, internal, devotional, religious, and James will have none of it. In the book of James, we are encouraged to evaluate our claimed faith, to measure it up against our works and to let the Spirit reveal to us how much of our faith stands the test. He says there are only two options- a real faith that produces works or a dead faith that can only bring death.
