Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary James 2:23

"and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God." — James 2:23 (ASV)

“The scripture” that James considers “fulfilled” is Ge 15:6; the account of the offering of Isaac on the altar appears in Ge 22:1–14 (cf. v.21). Thirty years may have intervened between the events of these two chapters. In the former passage Abraham’s faith was “credited to him as righteousness”; the obedient offering of Isaac in Ge 22 “fulfilled” that former statement. This should not be understood as the fulfillment of a prophecy. Rather, it is fulfillment in the sense of completion (cf. v.22). God’s act of crediting Abraham with righteousness because of his faith was vindicated by his act of obedience in offering his son. James adds, as a parallel description of Abraham’s standing with God, that “he was called God’s friend” (see 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8). This is another way of saying that he was right with God. He acted as a friend of God should act and thus showed that he was in reality God’s friend.