James 2:17

Faith. Literally, “the faith,” that is, the “faith” without “works” of v. 14. Such a faith is merely an intellectual conviction that certain doctrines are true. The mind is convinced because of the overwhelming evidence from God’s Word, but the heart remains cold and unconverted.

Not works. As good wishes for the poor and needy can be shown to be genuine by works only, so faith cannot be proved genuine without works. Faith without the fruit of Christian works is faith in name only, without the living principle controlling the actions of the heart (cf. Rom. 2:13; 1 Cor. 13).

Dead. Like a corpse, faith without works may retain an outward resemblance to its living counterpart, but it is lifeless. As a dead vine bears no fruit, dead faith produces no consistent pattern of Christian deeds. Both are worthless.

Being alone. James is not comparing faith with works, but a genuine faith with a dead faith. The dead faith believes in God, but it will prove useless in that this mental conviction has not made Christian service a life habit. In addition to being worthless in this life, this dead faith cannot save its owner (see on v. 14).