Be Warmed and Filled James 2:16

James, the “servant of God and the Lord Jesus Christ”, asked his readers “what does it profit” if a person “says he has faith” and does not “have works”. He began to share with them an example of “a brother or sister” who is “naked, and destitute of daily food”, and in chapter two and verse sixteen of his letter, James continued with his illustration as he referred to telling the “naked and destitute of food” to “be warmed and filled” where we read:

And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit?

The verse begins, “And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled;” James began with the words, “And one of you say” or “one of the people within the twelve tribes utters, speaks, answers, calls, grants or tells” “unto them” which refers to “the person who is naked and without food”, “Depart” or “withdraw yourself or go away” “in peace” which means “by way of tranquility, harmony and concord”, “be warmed” or “heated” “and filled” which means “satisfied, full and fattened”. James continued his question with merely stating and offering of words to satisfy the hungry and cold.

The verse goes on to say, “notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit? James continued, “notwithstanding” which means “moreover, but and then” “you give them” or “his readers bestow, grant, supply and furnish to the needy” “not those things which are needful” or “the suitable, convenient and advantageous necessities” “to the body” which means “the corpse or physical human being”; “what” or “which, why or whom” “does it profit” which means “bring advantage, benefit or gain”. When a person is not actually given the “necessities” for their bodies such as “food” and “clothing”, there is no “advantage” or “profit” to them at all.

When we meditate upon these words of James, we understand his exhortation to be sure your “works” match your “faith”. Saying words of comfort to a person who is hungry or in need of clothes does nothing about their physical needs. James desired for his readers to have their “faith” to “work”, and like unto a row boat that has only one oar in the water at a time, we will only go in circles singling them out. “Faith” “works”, and when we allow Jesus Christ to be the Lord and Savior of our lives, we will know how to say what He has to say, but also be able to meet physically needs for those who are in demand.

Next time James shares how “faith, if it has not works, is dead”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, and the new devotional “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore.