JAMES 2:26

Victor M. Eskew

 

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

 

1.    Body

A.   Strong (4983):  the body

B.    Thayer:  the body of man

C.   Vine:  the body as a whole, instrument of life

 

2.    Spirit

A.   Strong (4151):  …a spirit, that is, (human) the rational soul

B.    Thayer:  the rational spirit, the power by which the human being feels, thinks, decides, the soul…a spirit, i.e. simple essence, devoid of all or at least all grosser matter, and possessed of the power of knowing, desiring, deciding, and acting

C.   Vine:  the immaterial, invisible part of man…the sentient element in man, that by which he perceives, reflects, feels, desires

 

3.    Dead

A.   Strong (3498):  dead

B.    Thayer:  one that has breathed his last…destitute of force or power, inactive,

inoperative

C.   Vine:  dead, inactive and barren

 

4.    Faith

A.   Strong (4102):  persuasion…moral conviction (of religious truth, or the truthfulness of God or a religious teacher), especially reliance upon Christ for salvation; abstractly constancy in such profession

B.    Thayer:  conviction of the truth of anything, belief; in the NT of a conviction or 

belief respecting man’s relationship to God and divine things, generally with the

 included idea of trust and holy fervor born of faith and joined with it.

C.   Vine:  firm persuasion, a conviction based upon hearing; is used in the NT always of

faith in God or Christ or things spiritual

 

5.    Works

A.   Strong (2041):  to work; toil (as an effort or occupation); by implication an act

B.    Thayer:  an act, deed, thing done:  the idea of working emphasized in opposition to

 that which is less than work

C.   Vine:  work…denotes every activity undertaken for Christ’s sake