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Exegetical Paper on James 2:18-26

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Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary

An Exegetical Paper of James 2:18-26

Submitted to Professor Dr. Steve Waechter
In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Course “Greek Language Tools” – NGRK505

By
Steven B. Darden

Burleson, TX
March 8, 2015

Contents Introduction 4 Context 5 Historical-Cultural Context 5 Literary Context 6 Analysis of Text 7 James 2:18-19: Objections to False Faith 7 James 2:20-24: Examples of Faith 9 Verses 2:25-26: Rahab 11 Conclusion 11 Appendix A: Block Diagram of James 2:18-26 Using the ESV Bible 13

Introduction Throughout the history of the Bible, few words have had more controversy than the words, faith, works, and justification. James’ uses a powerful interrogative to pose the rhetorical question about helping those in need. However, James’ apparent statement concerning these acts has led many to argue that “good works” equals “faith”. Paul expounds on the belief that justification is produced solely by faith in Jesus Christ. James makes a statement in 2:16-26 that many people believe rationalizes faith as equal with good deeds. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the context and to provide a thorough exegesis of the passage of scripture located in James 2:16-26. James’s use a type of koine Greek that indicates an educated writer with a greater than average familiarity with the language of that era’s culture. While doubtful a scholar, the writer of James, none the less, describes a faith that is exemplified by the desire, or perhaps even the need, to do good works as a projection of an inward drive to validate one’s love of God. This scripture is divided into three outline sections: 1. Faith that is not activated is dead (2:16-17) 2. Fake faith comes in two forms (2:18-19) a. a faith that is lacking works b. a faith that is nothing more an academic

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