James 2 isn't about Baptism

We in the church sometimes resort to ripping a passage out of scripture to prove our stance on an issue. This is fine example. Baptism is commanded many times in scriptures. It's easy to prove its necessity. When we take James 2 and make it about Baptism, it causes us to miss the point and makes it more difficult to prove our point than if it was not brought up.   

Why do we use this passage? 

It's a game of Bible verse ping pong. I quoted a verse in support of my stance, so now it's you're turn. We feel like every verse someone brings up, we have to bring one up to match it.  We bring James 2 up when people say that we are saved by faith, not by works and they quote Ephesians 2:8-9 which says, 

"For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast." 

So, what is the common answer to this?

"Faith without works is dead"  - James 2.

 Seems logical enough, and it works... occasionally.

Why shouldn't we use this passage in this way?

Many reasons really... 

The main reason is this passage isn't about Baptism. By making it something that it is not, we distract from what it is. It has gotten to the point that I cannot look at this chapter without thinking about baptism. The writer is writing to people who are already Christians. You don't start working before you get a job! James 2 is about Charity in the context of criticizing them for elevating the rich and discriminating against the poor. You cannot show your faith, something we should all strive to do, without works. We can wish someone well. We can even pray for them, but your faith is dead unless you actually do something yourself. Praying is doing something, but we aren't called ONLY to pray for the widows and orphans. We are commanded to GO TO the widows and orphans as James said in the previous chapter of the book. In the same breath he makes the point that we are to be DOERS of the word, not hearers only. This leads us to Chapter 2 where he says that if you aren't doing these things, your faith is dead. If you don't DO instead of only HEAR, you aren't really doing any better than the devils that believe on Christ. 

This is descriptive of many of our churches and I think it is because we take this verse and misapply it. Rather than WORKING after we become a Christian. I've said this before, but how many of our churches have actual ministries set up? How many of you as individuals actually DO anything other than give to the church? If we have someone who is poor come into our churches, some avoid them while few help them. We overlook the homeless, assuming that they are in that situation by choice or it was their fault, but sometimes people ACTUALLY fall on hard times or suffer from mental illness. It isn't for us to make assumptions about WHY they are in the situation they are in. It's our responsibility to help them. That is the point of this verse. 

Baptism is not a work!

 There is another logical reason. One that we often miss.  By bringing this passage up to prove that you cannot be saved without works, you are calling Baptism a work... It's not. You are bringing this up right after someone showed that the Bible says that works cannot save you. Showing James 2 does not answer their claim. It only presents more confusion. It is a non-answer. The person across the table says within themselves, "So, you can't be saved by works, but you can't have faith without works. You are saved by faith, so works save you, but they don't?"  This only frustrates that person and presents a logical contradiction. No wonder the conversation doesn't ever get past this! As Christians, most of us accept A Priori that the Bible doesn't contradict itself on matters of doctrine, so if "works" (that we do) cannot save you (Eph 2:9) and Baptism is saves you (I Peter 3:21) , then Baptism cannot be a "work"... at least not one that we do.

In a way, Baptism is a work. It is a work that God does. Yes, you make the choice and volunteer to be dipped in water, but God does the work. My friend Evan Kirby gets credit for pointing this out to me. 

Colossians 2:12 "having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God , who raised him from the dead." 

and 

Titus 3:5 "he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,"

God does the work. We just have to do what we are told we need to do to accept his gift, and we are told to be Baptized in so many places that it is hard to deny. 

Whether or not you agree that Baptism is NOT a work, you must agree that James 2 was not written in order to prove a point about baptism. Proof texting has its time and place (not many times or places if any really), but when we do that we miss the point that scriptures try to make. We make them into something else. When reading a passage, keep in mind that they read this as a letter. This was part of a larger paragraph. It made sense IN CONTEXT. They had no verse numbers. So, let's all try to look at the Bible for what is says, not what we want it to say. Let's look at James for what it says and have a more mission-minded church.