2:21 justified by works. At first glance, this statement does seem to be contradicted by Paul in Romans 4:2, when he denied that Abraham was justified by works. The point is that Abraham was justified by faith in the sight of God, as testified in Genesis 15:6, but he was justified in the sight of men (even in his own estimation) when he demonstrated the reality of his faith (Genesis 22:18) in his obedience to God’s command to offer up Isaac.

2:25 Rahab the harlot. It is interesting that such a woman as “Rahab the harlot” is cited in Hebrews 11:31 as an illustration of true faith and by James as evidence of justifying works. Her inclusion in the human genealogy of the Lord Jesus (Matthew 1:5) is evidence of God’s grace.