2:25
There are parts of the Bible that shock us and we are quite sure how to handle. One such example is Rahab. She was a prostitute, but the Bible makes nothing of this, though it does condemn prostitution. In Joshua she is seen as a hero, Hebrews 11:31 cites her as an example of faith, and James here cites her as an example of living faith. Her actions demonstrated her faith.
2:26
This verse gives the conclusion of the matter, and it is one that Paul would have no trouble agreeing with. Faith without works is dead. The first part of the verse is also poignant. “The body without the spirit is dead”. We are not mere physical beings, but spiritual and physical, and the two work together and are united. Let me make a comment that might upset some of you! It is actually intended to make us think. The debate about evolution and creation sometimes centres around the existence of hominids prior to mankind. Evolutionists tend to place far too much emphasis on the physical aspect. Theistic evolutionists will often talk of God choosing two of the hominids and making his people out of them. I find this most unconvincing. On the other side, creationists, especially young earth creationists cannot see how our “descending” from previous species can possibly be consistent with God creating us as special creatures (which we undoubtedly are). However, another possibility is that we did have physical ancestors, but then God breathed life into two of them and they were the first humans. And the breathing of life into them had a far more profound effect than “God choosing” two of them seems to have in the theistic evolutionary tales. One might even claim this is consistent with Gen 2:7. Anyway, these just thoughts!
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