James 2 is about salvation, Jerry.
Clete, let us look at this verse which is in the first chapter of James:
"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (Jas.1:18).
Those who received the epistle of James were "born of God" and therefore saved by faith and faith alone.
James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
His answer is clear....
James 2:24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
This single verse destroys your entire premise. There's nothing more to say about it.
You ignore the context because what James is speaking about is what a man can know about another man's faith:
"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" (Jas.2:18).
As far a man knows, if another man shows no good works then that man's faith is dead or non-existent. And obviously as far as a man can tell, that kind of faith will save no one.
Sir Robert Anderson, the father of systemized Mid Acts Dispensationalism, had this to say about this subject:
"Paul's Epistle (Romans) unfolds the mind and purposes of God, revealing His righteousness and wrath. The Epistle of James addresses men upon their own ground. The one deals with justification as between the sinner and God, the other as between man and man. In the one, therefore, the word is, 'To him that worketh not, but believeth'. In the other it is, 'What is the profit if a man say he hath faith, and have not works?' Not 'If a man have faith', but 'If a man say he hath faith' proving that, in the case supposed, the individual is not dealing with God, but arguing the matter with his brethren. God, who searches the heart, does not need to judge by works, which are but the outward manifestation of faith within; but man can judge only by appearances...He (Abraham) was justified by faith when judged by God, for God knows the heart. He was justified by works when judged by his fellow men, for man can only read the life" [emphasis added] (Anderson, The Gospel and Its Ministry, [Kregel Publications, 1978], pp.160-161).
Now I wait for you to answer this verse which proves that those to whom James wrote were saved by faith and faith alone:
"Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (Jas.1:18).
“You see, brother, how many myriads of Jews there are who have believed, and they are all zealous for the law; 21 but they have been informed about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children nor to walk according to the customs.[/INDENT]
Yes, and even though they were all zealous of the law every one of these people were saved by grace through faith:
"Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all" (Ro.4:15-16).
Anyone who has truly believed the gospel of grace knows that "works" and "grace" are mutually exclusive.
Matthew 19:16 Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” 17 So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.”
That is one way whereby a Jew who lived under the law could inherit eternal life. However, if a Jew broke just one of the commandments he was guilty of all (Jas.2:10). Since all men have sinned it is obvious that no Jew was saved in this way. However, there is another way that they can be said, as witnessed by the following words of the Lord Jesus spoken to the Jews who lived under the law:
"Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life" (Jn.5:24).
I have answered three of the verses which you quoted so now answer what I said about James 1:18 and the two other verses which I quoted.
