James 2:17 KJV
[17] “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.”
Please note the order in which James is speaking in this verse. He first mentions faith and then works because faith always comes first. Salvation is the result of putting faith in the Word of God and not a result of faith, plus works. That is not what James is teaching. Works can never produce faith, and they are not equal to faith, but true faith will produce works.
James teaches us that when a man puts his faith in Christ, works will follow. These works are not the source of his salvation but evidence that he has faith. When someone says they have faith, but it does not produce works, it is dead faith and only a cheap profession.
Many people today will tell you they believe in God, that Jesus is the Son of God, and that He died on the cross for our sins, but they have never shown any desire for the things of God, and they live in sin and disobedience to God without chastisement. They have no appetite for spiritual things. They have a faith that is dead, and it has gone no further than their intellect. It is simply a head knowledge that has not turned their heart toward God. Therefore, they can sin and feel no conviction because they have a dead faith.
It is hard to understand how someone could look at something that God condemns in His Word and say they see nothing wrong with it, even after being shown in the Bible where it is wrong. They don’t feel bad about the way they are living or the things they are doing. They see nothing wrong with it because they are blind. They do not feel bad because their faith is dead, and a dead man feels nothing. How is your faith?