Christianity 201 James 2;14-26

James 2;14-26 Faith Proves Itself by Works

· Faith is a key doctrine in the Christian life
· Faith is like calories, you can't see them but you can see their effect
· The sinner is saved by faith (Eph. 2:8–9),
· And the believer must walk by faith (2 Cor. 5:7).
· Without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6)
· Whatever we do apart from faith is sin (Rom. 14:23).
· Someone has said that faith is not “believing in spite of evidence, but obeying in spite of consequence.”
· When you read Hebrews 11, you meet people who acted on God’s Word, no matter what price they had to pay.
· Faith is not some kind of nebulous(hazy/indisticnt) feeling that we work up; faith is confidence that God’s Word is true, and conviction that acting on that Word will bring His blessing.
· We need the in your face impact of James
· Jerusalem brothers(Southern)Peter, James, John(to a lesser degree)tended to be a little more in your face
· Paul, Barnabas, Silas, from Antioch/up North, their emphasis was definitely grace,
· In 1;19-27, we looked @ how faith obeys the Word.
· Remember we said that James has a pattern to his writing; he begins w/ a principle/concept
· Then he uses illustrations to amplify his teaching
· In 1;22 he said be doers of the Word=faith proving itself, not just hearers only
· He illustrated it by using the example of the man who looks @ himself in the mirror
· He said in 1;26 if you think you have the faith but, you cannot excercise verbal self-control, once again, you're not a doer
· In1 ;27 he says as an example, doers visit orphans, minister to widows, and are not worldly=more illustrations
· In chapter two he lays out the next practical principal of partiality, he says don't do it=gives an illustration
· He tells us about how to treat and not treat people that come to church, not to become a judge of others, based upon their clothes or appearance.
· In 2;8 he goes to a biblical illustration: Leviticus 19;18 “Never seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord. He says if you can do this, you do well/fulfilling the royal law=
· affirmed by Christ (Matt. 22:39): Love your neighbor as yourself. The law is royal or regal (basilikon, from basileus, “king”) because it is decreed by the King of kings, is fit for a king, and is considered the king of laws. The phrase reflects the Latin lex regia known throughout the Roman Empire.
· Turn to Galatians 5;14 For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”* 15 But if instead of showing love among yourselves you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another. Read thru ;21
· It's interesting to note that God, thru the pen of the Apotle Paul, lists adultery & murder in the same list as as quareling, selfish ambition, jealousy & envy, which become our comfortable sins.
· And then the last verse we looked @ last time, actually gives us some practical perspective on our actions. If we show mercy to others, mercy will be shown to us & vice-versa. Mercy has been defined as=to abstain from inflicting punishment upon an adversary or a law-breaker. That compassion which causes one to help the weak, the sick or the poor, showing mercy is one of the cardinal virtues of a true Christian and is a part of the "fruit of the spirit"(Gal. 5;22,23).
· If you've not been giving mercy/you won't be given mercy
· So in this next session, James discusses the relationship between faith and works.
This is an important discussion, for if we are wrong in this matter, we jeopardize our eternal salvation. What kind of faith really saves a person? Is it necessary to perform good works in order to be saved? How can a person tell whether or not he is exercising true saving faith? James answers these questions by explaining to us that there are three kinds of faith, only one of which is true saving faith.
· Faith #1=Dead Faith=2;14-17-Even in the early church there were those who claimed they had saving faith, yet did not possess salvation. Wherever there is the true, you will find the counterfeit. Jesus warned in Matt. 7;21 “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven.
· People with dead faith substitute words for deeds. They know the correct vocabulary for prayer and testimony, and can even quote the right verses from the Bible; but their walk does not measure up to their talk. They think that their words are as good as works, and they are wrong.
· Your life testifies your belief so no works, claim faith=self-decieved,
· Your words cannot make somebody warm or fill their stomach
· The works don't save me, they only prove that I have saving faith
· A lot of people have gone forward & said sinners prayer, went on living the same way
· Bible says a fool doesn't believe in God/devils said in the gospels to Jesus, we know who You are, You're the holy one of God, it was only intelectual
· What good does it do if there's no change of life?
· Evidence proves the heart has been changed
· You can look @ our lives & see if there's evidence
· There's nothing more powerful than that testimony
· It draws the broken hearted to Christ
· Paul also understood the necessity of works in proving the character of our faith. He wrote: 10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so that we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.Ephesians 2:10). He also wrote: 8 These things I have told you are all true. I want you to insist on them so that everyone who trusts in God will be careful to do good deeds all the time. These things are good and beneficial for everyone.(Titus 3:8)
Real faith, and the works that accompany it, are not made up of only “spiritual” things, but also of a concern for the most basic needs - such as the need for comfort, covering, and food. When needs arise, we should sometimes pray less, and simply do more to help the person in need. We can sometimes pray as a substitute for action.
· Food and clothing are basic needs of every human being, whether he is saved or unsaved. “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content” (1 Tim. 6:8). “Therefore take no thought, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’ or, ‘Wherewithal shall we be clothed?’... for your Heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things” (Matt. 6:31–32). Jacob included these basic needs in his prayer to God: “If God will be with me... and will give me bread to eat, and raiment to put on” (Gen. 28:20).
· like the common Jewish farewell, Go, I wish you well (lit., “Go in peace,” cf. Jud. 18:6; 1 Sam. 1:17; 2 Sam. 15:9; Mark 5:34; Luke 7:50).
· As believers, we have an obligation to help meet the needs of people, no matter who they may be. “As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith-Gal. 6;10 Whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone, especially to our Christian brothers and sisters.
· Also in Matt. 25;40 And the King will tell them, ‘I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters,* you were doing it to me!’
Faith #2=Demonic Faith (James 2:18–19)-James wanted to shock his complacent readers, so he used demons as his illustration. When Jesus was ministering on earth, He often cast out demons; and He gave that power to His disciples. Paul often confronted demonic forces in his ministry; and in Ephesians 6:10–20, he admonished the early Christians to claim God’s protection and defeat the spiritual forces of wickedness.
· What do they believe? For one thing, they believe in the existence of God
· They also believe in the deity of Christ. Whenever they met Christ when He was on earth, they bore witness to His sonship (Mark 3:11–12). They believe in the existence of a place of punishment (Luke 8:31); and they also recognize Jesus Christ as the Judge (Mark 5:1–13). They submit to the power of His Word.
· But it is not a saving experience to believe and tremble. A person can be enlightened in his mind and even stirred in his heart and be lost forever. True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life. “Show me thy faith without thy works,” challenged James, “and I will show thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18).
· How could a person show his faith without works? When you trust Christ, you are “created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:10). Being a Christian involves trusting Christ and living for Christ; you receive the life, then you reveal the life. Faith that is barren is not saving faith. The Greek word translated “dead” in James 2:20 carries the meaning of “barren or idle,” like money drawing no interest.
· James has introduced us to two kinds of faith that can never save the sinner: dead faith (the intellect alone), and demonic faith (the intellect and the emotions). He closes this section by describing the only kind of faith that can save the sinner—dynamic faith.
· Dynamic Faith (James 2:20–26)-Dynamic faith is faith that is real, faith that has power, faith that results in a changed life.
James described this true saving faith. To begin with, dynamic saving faith is based on the Word of God. We receive our spiritual rebirth through God’s Word (James 1:18).
· James used Abraham and Rahab as illustrations of dynamic saving faith, since both of them heard and received the message of God through His Word.
· Faith is only as good as its object. The man in the jungle bows before an idol of stone and trusts it to help him, but he receives no help. No matter how much faith a person may generate, if it is not directed at the right object, it will accomplish nothing. “I believe” may be the testimony of many sincere people, but the big question is, “In whom do you believe? What do you believe?” We are not saved by faith in faith; we are saved by faith in Christ as revealed in His Word.
· Dynamic faith is based on God’s Word, and it involves the whole man. Dead faith touches only the intellect; demonic faith involves both the mind and the emotions; but dynamic faith involves the will. The whole person plays a part in true saving faith. The mind understands the truth; the heart desires the truth; and the will acts upon the truth. The men and women of faith named in Hebrews 11 were people of action: God spoke and they obeyed. Again, “Faith is not believing in spite of evidence; faith is obeying in spite of consequence.”
· True saving faith leads to action. Dynamic faith is not intellectual contemplation or emotional consternation; it leads to obedience on the part of the will. And this obedience is not an isolated event: it continues throughout the whole life. It leads to works.
· Many different kinds of works are named in the New Testament. “The works of the Law” (Gal. 2:16) relate to the sinner’s attempt to please God by obeying the Law of Moses. Of course, it is impossible for a sinner to be saved through the works of the Law. “The works of the flesh” (Gal. 5:19) are done by unsaved people who live for the things of the old nature. There are also “wicked works” (Col. 1:21) and “dead works” (Heb. 9:14). Where there is dynamic faith—saving faith—you will always find good works.
· James then illustrated his doctrine in the lives of two well-known Bible persons: Abraham and Rahab. You could not find two more different persons! Abraham was a Jew; Rahab was a Gentile. Abraham was a godly man, but Rahab was a sinful woman, a harlot. Abraham was the friend of God, while Rahab belonged to the enemies of God. What did they have in common? Both exercised saving faith in God.
· You will want to read Genesis 15 and 22 to get the background facts for this illustration. God called Abraham out of Ur of the Chaldees to lead him into Canaan and to make out of him the great nation of Israel. It was through Israel that God would bring the Saviour into the world. Abraham’s salvation experience is recorded in Genesis 15. At night, God showed His servant the stars and gave him a promise, “So shall thy seed [descendants] be!” How did Abraham respond? “And he believed in the Lord, and He [the Lord] counted it to him for righteousness” (Gen. 15:5–6).
· The word counted is a legal or financial term; it means “to put to one’s account.” As a sinner, Abraham’s spiritual bankbook was empty. He was bankrupt! But he trusted God, and God put righteous on Abraham’s account. Abraham did not work for this righteousness; he received it as a gift from God. He was declared righteous by faith. He was justified by faith (read Rom. 4).
· Justification is an important doctrine in the Bible. Justification is the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross. It is not a process; it is an act. It is not something the sinner does; it is something God does for the sinner when he trusts Christ. It is a once-for-all event. It never changes.
· How can you tell if a person is justified by faith if this transaction takes place between the sinner and God privately? Abraham’s example answers that important question: the justified person has a changed life and obeys God’s will. His faith is demonstrated by his works.
· James used another event in Abraham’s life, an event that took place many years after Abraham’s conversion. This event is the offering up of Isaac on the altar (Gen. 22). Abraham was not saved by obeying God’s difficult command. His obedience proved that he already was saved. “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did” (James 2:22, NIV). There is a perfect relationship between faith and works. As someone has expressed it, “Abraham was not saved by faith plus works, but by a faith that works.”
· How was Abraham “justified by works” (James 2:21) when he had already been “justified by faith”? (see Rom. 4) By faith, he was justified before God and his righteousness declared; by works he was justified before men and his righteousness demonstrated. It is true that no humans actually saw Abraham put his son on the altar, but the inspired record in Genesis 22 enables us to see the event and witness Abraham’s faith demonstrated by his works.
· D.L. Moody often said, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather.” He did not say that because he had been a successful shoe salesman; he said it because he was a dedicated Christian. Dynamic faith obeys God and proves itself in daily life and works. Alas, we still have church members today who fit the description given in Titus, “They profess that they know God, but in works they deny Him” (Titus 1:16). Paul also writes, “This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works” (Titus 3:8).
· His second illustration is Rahab, and the background for her is found in Joshua 2 and 6. Israel was about to invade their Promised Land and take the city of Jericho. Joshua sent spies into the city to get the lay of the land. There they met Rahab, a harlot, who protected them and affirmed that she believed in what God had said and what God was going to do. When the men departed, they promised to save her and her family when the city was taken; and this they did.
· It is an exciting story. But in it is one of the Bible’s great examples of saving faith (see Heb. 11:31). Rahab heard the Word and knew that her city was condemned. This truth affected her and her fellow citizens so that their hearts melted within them (Josh. 2:11).
· Rahab responded with her mind and her emotions; but she also responded with her will: she did something about it. She risked her own life to protect the Jewish spies, and she further risked her life by sharing the good news of deliverance with the members of her family.
· The Hebrew word translated “harlot” in Joshua 2 can also have the wider meaning of “an innkeeper.” Rahab ran a guest house, so it was normal for the spies to go there. The Greek word “harlot” in James 2:25 definitely means an immoral person.
· This is also the meaning in Hebrews 11:31. Matthew 1:5 indicates she married into Israel and became an ancestress of our Lord. What grace! Rahab is one of the first soul winners in the Bible, and you can compare her with the “bad Samaritan” in John 4.
· Rahab could have had dead faith, a mere intellectual experience. Or she could have had demonic faith, her mind enlightened and her emotions stirred. But she exercised dynamic faith: her mind knew the truth, her heart was stirred by the truth, and her will acted on the truth. She proved her faith by her works.
· When you realize the small amount of information Rahab had, you can see how truly marvelous her faith really was. Today we have the full revelation of God through His Word and His Son. We live on the other side of Calvary, and we have the Holy Spirit to convict and to teach us the Word. “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). Her faith is an indictment against the unbelief of sinners today.
· James 2 emphasized that the mature Christian practices the truth. He does not merely hold to ancient doctrines; he practices those doctrines in his everyday life. His faith is not the dead faith of the intellectuals, or the demonic faith of the fallen spirits. It is the dynamic faith of men like Abraham and women like Rahab, faith that changes a life and goes to work for God.
· It is important that each professing Christian examine his own heart and life and make sure that he possesses true saving faith, dynamic faith. “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves” (2 Cor. 13:5a). Satan is the great deceiver; one of his devices is imitation. If he can convince a person that counterfeit faith is true faith, he has that person in his power.