Philip Dampier's Blog

Chapter 2, Verse 25 “And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”

James is not suggesting that Rahab was a non-believer because of his emphasis on works. He is just continuing to stress that in Rahab’s case her justification was a result in her belief in God moving her to action. She was a Gentile and identified as a prostitute in the scriptures; neither of which recommends her for justification. She saved the spies because she believed in the God of heaven. Whatever we make of her as a person the Bible recognizes her as a person whose faith led to her rescue and a place in the family of Jesus.

James wants us to understand that it wasn’t just the belief she had, but the way in which the belief was manifested. She took risks but her faith called her to take action. It is hard to miss James’ point about faith and works when you look at Rahab’s story.

Task for Today: Regardless of how deep your faith runs, if it exists without obedient action on your part, it is worthless. To believe otherwise is to deny the plain written word of God and countless examples.