​As I pointed out in the last post James 1:19-21 sets the theme for the rest of chapter 1 and all of chapter 2 of his letter.  If you haven’t read it, do it now before reading this post.  You will see in 1:19 that James wrote to people he called his beloved Brethren.  He was writing to believers as he would never refer to non-believers as beloved brethren.  He then continued with instructions for how his beloved Brethren, people who have everlasting life, should conduct themselves.  Basically, instructing Believers to live in ways that are pleasing to the Lord and which will not compromise their witness to those who are outside. 
 
The challenge is to live dynamic lives of faith.  The fact that he warned against being a passive hearer means it’s possible some Believer will do just that.  Why warn against a danger doesn’t exist?  The balance of chapter 1 describes a Believer who fails to apply what they are taught by the Word of God.  The person James calls a forgetful hearer is the same as Paul’s carnal Christian in 1 Corinthians 3.  James goes on to say that life style leads to a dead faith (James 2:14).  The context clearly supports the idea of dead being inactive rather than non-viable.  It is still faith, just not a faith that can save from discipline up to and including physical death.  It didn’t spare the Corinthian Believers (1 Corinthians 11:30) and neither will it spare forgetful Christians today. 
 
James’ comparison to the belief of demons further demonstrates he didn’t have salvation in mind because demons were never offered redemption.  It is more a Proverbs 9:10 thing.  Unlike the passive Christian, they’re smart enough to be afraid.  The Epistle of James is a guide to making the most of the gift of everlasting life while living in this world.  He was not suggesting anyone could lose the everlasting life the Lord promised to give to all who believe in Him. 
 
James believed Jesus Christ was telling the truth when He said “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”   So, the question I have for anyone reading this blog is simple.  Who are you going to believe?  Jesus Christ or someone who says you cannot trust what Jesus Christ has said. 

​Another commonly misunderstood word in the New Testament is the Greek word Sozo.  Too often people assume it always means saved from hell.  The truth is it is used of being saved from a lot of things besides hell.  Sozo is a verb whose primary meaning is preserve, rescue or save.  From what one is being preserved, rescued or saved is determined from the context in which the word is used. 
 
For example, in Matthew 9 a woman was healed of a bloody discharge by touching Jesus Christ’s robe.  When she touched Him, he turned to her and said “Be of good cheer, daughter; your faith has made you well.”  The word translated as ‘made well’ is the Greek word Sozo (Perfect active indictive form).   In Romans 5:9 & 10 Paul used the word Sozo to mean preserving or redeeming one’s physical life after salvation.  He distinguished being save as different than being justified and reconciled to God. So, he was speaking of being saved the wages of ongoing sin, suffering God’s disciple.  The Apostle James also wrote about this in his letter.   
 
James 1:21 Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.  The word souls is translating the Greek word Psyche which means life.  Rendering it as souls is misleading in contemporary English and it doesn’t really fit the context.  James referred to his readers as beloved brethren in 1:19, so he was addressing this to people with everlasting life.  Therefore, we should read v. 21 as ‘save your lives’ meaning their physical lives.  That sets the context for this next section that runs from James 1:22 thru 2:26.    
 
James 1:22 starts with the call to be doers of the Word and not just Hearers.  It is a call to put their faith into action by doing good works.  He then gave a partial listing of the good works he had in mind.  And that is the context in which he wrote James 2:14 - What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?  Again, he called his readers brethren so we know he was writing this to believers.  James 2:14 is not about being saved from hell, but is all about saving physical life from the wages of sin.  More on that later.  

Jesus Christ taught that everlasting life is given the moment a person believes in Him for the 2nd birth.  Despite the clear teaching of Jesus Christ on the permanence of everlasting life, after all He did call it everlasting, there are still those who deny it is.  They claim it can be lost.  I call them the “yeah, but” people because they generally say something to the effect of yeah, He said that, but over here it says and they quote something from a different passage.  In doing so they fail to realize they actually conceded the truth of what Jesus Christ said.  If it is true then whatever passage that person wants to look at must be dealing with something other than receiving everlasting life. 
 
One example I’ve heard people use is Luke 14:25-28 - Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, 26 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. 27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.  28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it--
 
Jesus said that so it must be true and it is.  But the subject here is discipleship not initial salvation.  Becoming a disciple is not the same thing as receiving everlasting life. One huge clue is that Jesus Christ doesn’t mention faith.  He was talking about something we must do.  Being a disciple will cost you something (v. 28), so you need to know the price.  Everlasting life is a free gift.  Romans 6:23 -For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.  OK, this is not complicated.  Something that cost you is not free. 
 
These distinctions are important.  Those who preach everlasting life can be lost are saying we cannot trust the words of Jesus Christ.  They also run the risk of convincing someone being good is the way to heaven.  The Bible clearly teaches it is by grace we are saved through faith and that not of our selves; it is a gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast (Ephesians 2:8 & 9).