James2:25 “Likewise also was not RAHAB the “HARLOT” Justified by works.when she had received the messagers,and had sent them out another way/”
Here James mentions the case of a prostitute. Rahab was not an honorable woman. There was nothing of merit in her works. Therefore, we see that justification is not a matter of good works, but of works of faith. At issue is works of faith, not works of morality. "And in like manner was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works in that she received the messengers and sent them out by a different way?" What kind of good works is this? The Israelites were crossing the Jordan River to attack Jericho. If Rahab had been even slightly patriotic, she would have handed over the two spies. But when the king of Jericho sent men to look for them, Rahab hid them upstairs. Later she let them get away. James tells us that this woman's work justified her. What work did she have? Her work was to lie. The men were obviously there, but she said that they were not. Is lying a good work? Every Christian knows that lying is not good. Yet Rahab was justified by her work of lying. If some say that this is justification by works, it is something that they themselves are saying; it is not what James is saying. They are merely saying in the name of James what they want to say. But what does James himself say? He says that when Rahab let the two men who spied out Jericho get away, it was reckoned to her as righteousness.
What does James mean? When the Israelites left Egypt and went into the wilderness, they could not settle down anywhere, but had to wander for forty years. What good is such a nation? At least there was a wall around Rahab's Jericho. All that the Israelites had was sand under their feet. At least there were houses in Jericho. All that the Israelites had were tents. Even their God had to dwell in a tent. What was so special about such a nation? However, when the two spies came and told her how God had cared for them, performed miracles for them, and had promised that Jericho, and even the whole land of Canaan, would be delivered to them, their words caused Rahab to believe. She put her own future, her life, and even her whole family in their trust. She was even willing to do something against her own country. God does not say that this was a good work; He says that this work was the expression of her faith. If the walls of Jericho had been made of straw or chicken feathers, we might think that the walls could have indeed fallen. But the walls of Jericho were as high as heaven. Its gates were fortified with brass bars. How could it have been taken easily? How could Rahab have committed herself to the two spies? This was a work out of faith, and God says that what justifies a person is this kind of work. It is not a question of good or bad. To have good works is not the issue at all. To have bad works is neither the issue. The flesh is absolutely useless before God. It has no place at all. Every work in Adam, whether good or bad, is rejected by God. If a man tells others that only good works save, such a person does not know what the flesh is. Hence, it is not an issue of works. Good works cannot justify. Neither can bad works.
Hence, James 2 is on works of faith. It is not on anything else. Rahab was there risking her life. If the men sent by the king of Jericho had found the spies in her house, immediately she would have lost her life. But her hope was to be saved through the spies of Israel. She committed her own life and future into their hands. Hence, at issue is not good works or bad works, but having faith or not having faith. It is faith that justifies. Although James says that Rahab was justified by works, her works were but a manifestation of her faith.
Verse 26 says, "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." Our spirit resides inside our body. Hence, we can say that our spirit is the spirit of our body. We say that evil spirits are spirits that have left their body, for they are without a body. There is a kind of work that requires faith and must be linked to faith. There is a kind of work that comes out from faith and that issues from faith. If faith is without works, it is dead in the same way that a body without a spirit is dead. Hence, we are saved through faith, we are justified through faith, and we also receive life through faith. Although there are many different ways to express faith, the source is still faith. Some express it by forsaking their profession. Others express it by not following in the footsteps of their parents. Still others express it by not going along with their husband in certain things or by forsaking their position. There are all kinds of expressions of faith. The question is not good or bad works, but faith. What James is saying is that when the opportunity arises, our faith should be expressed.
Hence, we cannot say that salvation is of works. Hebrews 6:1 mentions the word of the beginning of the Christ. The foundation of the word of Christ is repentance from dead works. What is repentance from dead works? It is repentance from what we have done when we were dead. In the Bible, there are two things that we have to repent for. One is sin. The other is dead works. Everything that is wrong morally is a sin and a transgression. If a man believes in the Lord, he must surely repent and deal with these sins. Furthermore, we must also hate and repent for what we did as dead persons. What are these dead works? They are all the good works that we were able to do by ourselves before we were saved, before we became the children of God, before we received the new life, and before we became a new race. One sees his sins and transgressions for what they are. But one does not see the things that he considers moral and noble as things to be repented of. God says that these are dead works. They were performed when we were dead. We must repent for all these works, not depending on them for salvation.
When we are saved, there are two great repentances. One is repentance for all the things that should not have been done. But when someone understands the gospel and sees the complete work of the cross of the Son of God, he repents for the other things also, which are all the good works that he has formerly done. Formerly, we tried our best to do good, as if God would save us if He were only impressed enough by our good works. Today, however, we have become Christians. We must not only repent for our sins; we have to repent for our dead works as well. Hence, dead works cannot help us to be saved. You may say that one should believe in the Lord Jesus, but one should also have good works. But God sees you as a torn rag. The righteousness that God gives us far exceeds the righteousness of the law. Hence, if we want to come to God, not only must we not bring our sins along, we also must not bring our works along. If we wish to talk about works, then our works must be as perfect as Christ's are before God, before they can be acceptable.

Amen