Living (acting/working) Faith
James 2:18-19
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
James broken into C’s
James 1 is Confidence – What a Christian has (maturity, the word, good influence)
James 2 is Compassion – What a Christian does
James 3 is Careful – What a Christian says
James 4 is Contrite – What a Christian feels
James 5 is Concerned – What a Christian gives
In James 1 we learned about faith and James used true love to help us determine our commitment to the faith, to Jesus’ teachings.
James 1:22-27
[22] But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. [23] For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. [24] For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. [25] But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
[26] If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. [27] Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.
The law of love
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Then in the first part of James 2 we learned about trivial sin and it’s impact.
James 2:10
[10] For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become guilty of all of it.
So really no trivial sin. (Remember God asking Adam and Eve “what are you doing?”
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So here we are today still in James 2 (Remember our C for Compassion and really “what a Christian does”?
Going really deep today, take a deep breath.
What does your faith look like? To you? To others? To the Lord?
When I say faith I mean your loyalty to God’s teachings, your salvation, your new life, your testimony, your walk, your attitude.
How about this…not meant to put others on a pedestal or for you to judge others, but what does the testimony of someone you’ve really admired look like?
I’m trying to produce an image in your mind that is the right one, not some made up one, not something we’ve justified to make ourselves feel better. Usually that goes to extremes – We either say, “I’m once saved always saved and you can’t judge me regardless of what I do, you don’t know me or who I am or what I’ve been through”…… or we go to the other end and say “that kind of commitment is crazy, I mean I love those missionaries but who would take their kids to the other side of the world and risk all of that, or miss out on ball games and the comforts of America, I mean I’m not called to that”
So we settle somewhere in the middle. Let’s see where our passage leads us today.
James 2:14-26
Faith Without Works Is Dead
[14] What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? [15] If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, [16] and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? [17] So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
[18] But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. [19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! [20] Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? [21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; [23] and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. [24] You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. [25] And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? [26] For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
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The thing to notice:
Dead Faith can’t save you.
James 2:14
[14] What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
*can that “kind” of faith save you?
James point:
- Simply knowing the words or even who God is, does not equate to faith and salvation. Knowing doctrine doesn’t save you.
James 2:19
[19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!
- This isn’t an argument among Paul and James about what is more important in the Bible (works or faith). This question is already settled.
Genesis 15:6
[6] And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.
James 2:21-23
[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; [23] and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God.
Romans 4:1-5
[1] What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? [2] For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. [3] For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” [4] Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. [5] And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,
Ephesians 2:8-9
[8] For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, [9] not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So which is it?
Ephesians 2:10
[10] For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
- Not about true faith but about false claims of faith
- All talk no walk
- Workless faith is worthless faith
- Great claims can be made about a corpse that is supposed to have come to life but if it doesn’t move, no vital signs no heartbeat it’s still dead. Evidence
- James did not say works are essential for faith he said works are evidence.
- James argument is not pro faith/ anti works nor pro works/anti faith
- He is saying genuine faith is accompanied by good works
Maybe better said Paul argues for the priority of faith and James argues for the proof of faith.
The question is are we looking for a loophole. Right? Are we looking to see how little work can actually be done?
Spiritual maturity is continuing as a major theme. To gain it a believer does what God wants him or her to be and to do.
That’s my question for you from earlier and from the text. You see, I’m not asking you if you’re coming down front today to say you will go to Africa. I’m asking you and believe God is asking through the word if we’re willing to do what he wants us to do in our context today?
What does that mean? I don’t know what it means exactly for you, but here’s some examples in our passage.
Abraham & Rahab
James 2:21-26
[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; [23] and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. [24] You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. [25] And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? [26] For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
Abraham isn’t a missionary. He’s a shepherd.
Rahab isn’t a missionary. She’s a prostitute.
Yall ever got a song in your mind and can’t get it out? Ever got the tune in your mind and can’t think of a tune of the song you want to sing or hum?
I think we have this song in our mind. It’s an old song. Its tune is sin and we overlap everything we try to think of with that song.
If we don’t have, and keep, and nurture, and show, our faith. It’s dead, no evidence. It’s not to “show off or show out”
It’s evidence. living faith
Matthew 25:31-46
The Final Judgment
[31] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. [32] Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. [34] Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. [35] For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, [36] I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ [37] Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? [38] And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? [39] And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ [40] And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
[41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [42] For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, [43] I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ [44] Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ [45] Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ [46] And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
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So what does that mean for me today?
