Dead Faith
James 2:14-26 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.
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.
This is probably the culmination of the entire book of James – if you had to pick out a key passage, if you had to summarize the whole book, this is it.
This is going to be a big one – we are going to continue to go through the practicality of the book of James, but we’re going to talk theology today and get deeper than we have before. Here’s why: if we just teach topically all the time, and don’t examine an entire book/passage, we miss stuff. This is one of those passages that we don’t get into a lot – the first few verses, absolutely, but there are a few verses and phrases here that can confuse you to no end if you don’t dig a little deeper.
You may be a brand-new believer, a year or less in your walk with Christ, or you may have been saved for a long time and have only recently begun to own your faith and grow in it, so now it’s not only a time of teaching and encouragement, but we need to deal with some controversy. And this passage creates controversy, but we said we’d work through the whole book of James and that’s what we’re going to do.
We need to examine both our actions and the motives for our actions.
This is going to be a big one – we are going to continue to go through the practicality of the book of James, but we’re going to talk theology today and get deeper than we have before. Here’s why: if we just teach topically all the time, and don’t examine an entire book/passage, we miss stuff. This is one of those passages that we don’t get into a lot – the first few verses, absolutely, but there are a few verses and phrases here that can confuse you to no end if you don’t dig a little deeper.
You may be a brand-new believer, a year or less in your walk with Christ, or you may have been saved for a long time and have only recently begun to own your faith and grow in it, so now it’s not only a time of teaching and encouragement, but we need to deal with some controversy. And this passage creates controversy, but we said we’d work through the whole book of James and that’s what we’re going to do.
We need to examine both our actions and the motives for our actions.
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 faith save him?
When James says “My brothers” he is talking to his brothers, fellow Christians. This is going to irritate some people. Are we basing our faith on our works? OR are we basing our works on our faith? Are our works growing out of our faith, or are we trying to do all the right things so that hopefully our faith will grow? Can that faith save us?
I am constantly sending articles and challenges to the leadership team, on statistics or research on leadership, church growth, and personal growth. I have to develop our leaders so that our leaders know how to develop more leaders. We have to lead people to lead people. We are saved people, so we serve people. If it were just me, I could reach maybe 40 or 50 people really well. But if I pour into the leaders, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, and they can each reach 40 or 50 people, then we’re talking, because they will create more leaders who will then reach more people. See how that works? One of our leaders sent an article that was challenging the church, from David Platt based on John 2 and 3. He said what if we are relying so much on our actions that we prayed a prayer, and we’re basing our faith on those few words that we said and go on with life thinking that we’re good, we’re okay. He taught through John 2 and 3, and he said we may be giving a false hope and false sense of confidence to people who aren’t really saved. What is your hope and confidence based on?
One of the scariest verses in the Bible is
I am constantly sending articles and challenges to the leadership team, on statistics or research on leadership, church growth, and personal growth. I have to develop our leaders so that our leaders know how to develop more leaders. We have to lead people to lead people. We are saved people, so we serve people. If it were just me, I could reach maybe 40 or 50 people really well. But if I pour into the leaders, elders, deacons, ministry leaders, and they can each reach 40 or 50 people, then we’re talking, because they will create more leaders who will then reach more people. See how that works? One of our leaders sent an article that was challenging the church, from David Platt based on John 2 and 3. He said what if we are relying so much on our actions that we prayed a prayer, and we’re basing our faith on those few words that we said and go on with life thinking that we’re good, we’re okay. He taught through John 2 and 3, and he said we may be giving a false hope and false sense of confidence to people who aren’t really saved. What is your hope and confidence based on?
One of the scariest verses in the Bible is
Matthew 7:21-23 21 "Not everyone who says to me,
'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name,
and do many mighty works in your name?'
23 And then will I declare to them,
'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven,
but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 On that day many will say to me,
'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name,
and cast out demons in your name,
and do many mighty works in your name?'
23 And then will I declare to them,
'I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.'
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This should scare the socks off you! “I never knew you!” What in the world?
What good is it if someone has faith but no works? Can that faith save him? |
“There is a belief that is purely intellectual...I accept it but it has no effect on me.” William Barclay |
James 2:15 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.
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.
Some of you are sitting here, and your faith is dead. How do we know? You see people in need and do nothing. Be warm and filled – but you don’t give them the things that they actually need! Where are the clothes they need? In your closet! Where is the food they need? In your kitchen! The food that is needed to feed those who have nothing is sitting in your kitchen right now! If you go look in your pantry and fridge, it’s packed full.
James is already escalating in this passage, and he’s saying that your faith is dead, because your faith is in your ability and not in Jesus’ completed work. You are still trying to earn God’s grace and God’s favor, and you’re still thinking that you’re not good enough, you haven’t been completely forgiven because you still struggle with stuff and haven’t forgiven yourself, so how could God forgive you? My question is this: who do you think you are? To hear from God Almighty, “I forgive you” and you say, “I don’t forgive me.” Who do you think you are? How selfish and arrogant and prideful can you possibly be, to think that your forgiveness of yourself is at a higher standard than God’s forgiveness of you. Your faith is dead because you are basing it on what you can do alone. You have a dead faith, a faith in us and not in Jesus.
James is already escalating in this passage, and he’s saying that your faith is dead, because your faith is in your ability and not in Jesus’ completed work. You are still trying to earn God’s grace and God’s favor, and you’re still thinking that you’re not good enough, you haven’t been completely forgiven because you still struggle with stuff and haven’t forgiven yourself, so how could God forgive you? My question is this: who do you think you are? To hear from God Almighty, “I forgive you” and you say, “I don’t forgive me.” Who do you think you are? How selfish and arrogant and prideful can you possibly be, to think that your forgiveness of yourself is at a higher standard than God’s forgiveness of you. Your faith is dead because you are basing it on what you can do alone. You have a dead faith, a faith in us and not in Jesus.
James 2:18 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.
Show me your faith apart from your works,
and I will show you my faith by my works.
Some of you will study the word and have your systematic theology down. You can point to chapter and verse and explain the whole thing – your theology is rock solid. But you do nothing except study and learn more and more just so you can know it.
On the other hand, “Well James, you may have the faith, I have the works.” You don’t have faith in anybody, you just have what you would call a good heart. You’re just trying to help humanity. Morally, you’re probably a wonderful person. Spiritually you’re dead. There’s nothing there except a selfish desire to feel good that you helped someone.
James knows that what he’s writing is going to offend and upset people, because people are easily upset and offended, especially religious people because they’re doing all the right things and condemning everyone who’s doing the wrong things. So James says “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You look like you’re doing everything right, you’re an upstanding citizen. Remove all that, and let’s see your heart. Where is your heart in all this? James says he knows where his heart is and you can see it because of what is pouring out all over the place. He’s spending time loving Jesus, loving who Jesus loves, and serving who Jesus serves because it just comes out!
Every time I hear this passage I think of the passage from an Indiana Jones film. His faith is put to the test in a certain scene, where he has to cross the gorge. How do you know Indy had the faith to cross there? He took the step. If he hadn’t taken the step, his faith would have been dead – and he would have been dead! We show our faith by our works! I’m not trying to prove my faith to you, but it’s something that is evident by my life.
On the other hand, “Well James, you may have the faith, I have the works.” You don’t have faith in anybody, you just have what you would call a good heart. You’re just trying to help humanity. Morally, you’re probably a wonderful person. Spiritually you’re dead. There’s nothing there except a selfish desire to feel good that you helped someone.
James knows that what he’s writing is going to offend and upset people, because people are easily upset and offended, especially religious people because they’re doing all the right things and condemning everyone who’s doing the wrong things. So James says “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You look like you’re doing everything right, you’re an upstanding citizen. Remove all that, and let’s see your heart. Where is your heart in all this? James says he knows where his heart is and you can see it because of what is pouring out all over the place. He’s spending time loving Jesus, loving who Jesus loves, and serving who Jesus serves because it just comes out!
Every time I hear this passage I think of the passage from an Indiana Jones film. His faith is put to the test in a certain scene, where he has to cross the gorge. How do you know Indy had the faith to cross there? He took the step. If he hadn’t taken the step, his faith would have been dead – and he would have been dead! We show our faith by our works! I’m not trying to prove my faith to you, but it’s something that is evident by my life.