JAMES 2:14-26 — PART 9
May 10, 2019
READ TIME: 2-3 minutes
James 2:14-26 – Part 9
“Dave, how does the story of Rahab in James 2:25 fit into James’ argument in 2:14-26”?
Zane Hodges and David Anderson give excellent answers to this question.
“Although Rahab’s faith began to operate the moment she received the messengers, she could not really be justified by works until she had sent them out another way. This is obvious when the story in Joshua 2 is carefully considered. Up until the last minute, she could still have betrayed the spies. Had she so desired, she could have sent their pursuers after them. That the spies had lingering doubts about her loyalty is suggested by their words in Josh 2:20, “And if you tell this business of ours, then we will be free from your oath.” But the successful escape of the spies demonstrated that Rahab was truly a friend of God because she was also their friend. In this way, Rahab was justified by works” (Hodges).
“The key to understanding Rahab is to compare what James says about her to what Hebrews 11 says about her. In Hebrews 11 the emphasis is on faith. And again, we must remember that the emphasis of James is on works. In Hebrews 11:1 Rahab receives the spies by faith, but in James 2:25, she sends them out another way. In Hebrews 11:31 only God can see the faith of Rahab. The spies were probably shaking in their boots wondering if she really believed their report. How would they know? The Gestapo knocks on Rahab’s door to ask if there are any spies in the house. The spies are up on the roof, but they can hear Rahab interacting with the Gestapo. What will she tell them? They wonder. Have they been set up? Was she on their side or not? They only knew the answer to these questions when Rahab misdirected the Gestapo. Then they could run out, give Rahab a hug, and tell Joshua that there is a believer in Jericho because she sent them out another way. She should be spared. They are convinced that she is a believer in their message because of her work, that is when she sent them out another way. And so, they declare her righteous. She is justified before men by her works. To summarize, only God could see her faith when she received the spies. At that very moment, He could declare her righteous, but no one else could. However, when she sent the Gestapo out the other way, the spies could go to Joshua and declare her righteous based on what they could see, her works. In this sense, and in this sense only, Rahab was justified by works” (Anderson)
SOURCES USED
Anderson, David R. Triumph Through Trials: The Epistle of James. Grace Theology Press, 372-373.
Hodges, Zane C. “The Epistle of James.” The Grace New Testament Commentary. Ed. Robert N. Wilkin. Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2010, 1123.