August 21, 2022
Faith Works
James 2:14-26

INTRO:

• The Book of James has many varied opinions as to the questions of, “What are the finer points of James’ chapter 2 theses?” and “Who does the latter part of the passage apply to?” I realized these questions’ answers cannot be truly dogmatic myself when I was wrestling with the text this week.
• This came to light further for me as I counted the paragraph breaks in ten English translations of James 2. For paragraph breaks give one insight into what the translators are thinking regarding separated contextual points. Hart’s translation has 1 paragraph for chapter 2; therefore he sees every point of the chapter tying back to James 2:1, “My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory.” NLT conversely has 12 paragraphs for chapter 2. Two translations have ten; another seven; NET has three; ESV has four; etc.
• There are one three possibilities for our text as I see it—although there are many more out there: ^{See Note 1 below for others.}
• # 1: The salvation James is talking about a faith that saves a person. This faith users in the moment a person becomes indwelt by the Holy Spirit and is born again.
  • There are parts of the passage that lend themselves to this idea.
• # 2 view: James is talking about the salvation of sanctification.
  • James is stressing that we need to respond in faith on a daily basis to the word of God even when it is difficult and requires sacrifice.
• # 3: James easily could be talking about both a dead faith of a lost person and a lack of exercised faith for a saved person at different times. A blend of ideas 1 and 2.
• It’s unclear due to the lack of full developmental treatment of his comments and the generally broad theological nature of James’ letter.
• While these things are true, the central message of of our passage today, James 2:14-26, is very clear: Genuine faith results in genuine works. The shorter version: “Faith Works,” which is the title of my sermon.

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

COMMENT

ILLUSTRATION

15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed [lit: naked or underwear perhaps] 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.

COMMENT

APPLICATION

• John said it this way, “But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.” (1 John 3:17-18)
• Does my faith result in meeting the needs of people?
• What has my faith cost me this year?
• Did my faith cost me mortality?
• Did my faith involve my sacrifice of time into the lives of others?
• Faith works. Alive faith results in actions that make a difference in people’s lives.

TRANSITION

Now that we see that dead faith does nothing of value, let’s turn our attention to the objections James felt like he might hear and how he addressed them upfront in his letter.

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.

• I would expect the pronouns to be reversed here, but they are not.
• Christians sometimes compartmentalize their roles in life.
• My experience: Someone has said something like this, “My spiritual gift is faith. It’s up to those that have the gift of giving buy the things for those in need.”
  • There is such a thing as having the “spiritual gift of faith.”
  • There is such a thing as having the gift of giving, but Christians are asked to be a cheerful giver and set aside money to give to the kingdom of God.
• James here explains that both are necessary, faith and works.
• “MY WORKS” in the end of v 18.
• James emphatically teaches that, good works validate genuine faith.

v 19, You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

• When your faith gets compared to a demon’s faith by the head leader in the church you know that there’s a problem.
• Saving faith is not just intellectual understanding.
  • Demons know that “God is one.” (Monotheism)
  • They also have fear of God associated with their knowledge.
• “I believe in Jesus.” but they cannot explain—biblically—how a person may enter heaven.
• GOSPEL

James continues his discourse as he restates his main point: v 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

• The rebuke continues in the strongest of ways
• “you foolish person”
• I think James is address a situation that developed…
• Now he moves to his ILLUSTRATION

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?

• Let’s focus on Abraham for a moment. Was Abraham first “coming to faith” or “get’in saved” in the event described by James? No.
• Abraham was already a man of faith before he was going to offer Isaac. Rahab was already a woman of faith before she hid the spies.
  • Abraham came to faith at least before he left his homeland.
  • He was already a person of faith.
  • So how was he justified by the offering of his son?

The Term Justified: δικαιόω (dikaióō)

• SHEETS
• Familiar usage: To be declared righteous by God (Strong).
  • Luke 18:13-14a, But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other.”
• Unfamiliar usage: to show, exhibit [in a clear way] … to vindicate (LSJ) [to prove to be just or valid. (Webster; emphasis mine)]
  • Turn to Luke 7:28-29, I tell you, among those born of women none is greater than John. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” When all the people heard this, and the tax collectors too, they declared God just, [literally reads “justified God”] having been baptized with the baptism of John.
  • God did not “get saved” hello!
  • The word just in Luke 7:29 of God is the same word for justified James uses in 2:24.
• Rahab acting justly as she began her walk of faith, and they validated their faith through their lives.
• And know, others in Jericho feared the Lord (Joshua 2:8-9). The had that faith of the demons. … They did not posses saving faith however. They had the intellectual knowledge only, but they did not attempt to align themselves with a holy God and perished.
• Rahab placed her genuine faith in God and was saved both physically and spiritually. He love work, that validated her faith, was the hiding of the spies and the misdirection of the persecutors.

APPLICATION

• v 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
• I talking to Christians. When you look behind you life, are you seeing faith works? Does your life look like the world?
• Genuine faith is proven, validated, and justified through good works.
• There are plenty of people who say, I am living a life of faith. James would say, where’s the works? Show me your ministry results.
• There are plenty of people who say, “I am a Christian.” or “I believe in Jesus.” James point is, if that is true, they will have works of the faith that validate those words.
• There are plenty of Christians who think they are living out the Christian life. James point is, if that is true, they will have works of the faith that validate those words.
• Genuine faith results in genuine works.

Big Picture Truth Regarding Good Works

• It is a good thing to live for reward. Jesus explains how to do it.
  • see Mark 10:42-45
  • see Luke 6:27-42
• Reliance is essential
  • John 15:5, I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
    • “No fruit, no root!” (Utley)
  • Galatians 5:22-23, But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
• All good works must contain love, faith, proper motivation and if possible, secrecy.
  • Love
    • Love must be a holy love.
    • Matthew 5:46, “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”
  • Faith
    • Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.”
  • Motives
    • Love includes motive not just actions (cf. 1 Corinthians 13): love desires the best for another (Love your neighbor as yourself.).
    • 1 Corinthians 4:5, Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive his commendation from God."
    • “purposes of the heart” / proper motivation is a must (cf. 1 Corinthians 4:5).
    • Integrity matters
      • Colossians 3:22-24, "Slaves, obey the earthly masters in all things, not with eye-services as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you might do, work from the soul, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that you will receive from the Lord the reward of the inheritance. You serve the Lord Christ!
  • Secrecy
    • Secrecy is the best way to “uninvolve” the flesh.
    • cf. Matthew 6
• Good works are about others not self.
  • Galatians 6:2, Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ (NIV).
• Everything we do for the benefit of others and worship of God most certainly will qualify for rewards if the above biblical principles are followed.
  • The smallest actions of worship are rewardable.
    • Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
  • The smallest actions of care are rewardable.
    • Matthew 10:42, “And whoever gives one of these little ones even a cup of cold water because he is a disciple, truly, I say to you, he will by no means lose his reward.”

Note

¹ Other Views:

• Armenians point to this verse 14 and saying, “A Christian may loose their salvation.” (Basic Armenian theology.)
• Some have seen distinction between Gentile Christian doctrine and a “Jewish flavor”—if one will—of Christian doctrine. For an example see Christian Forums. “Dispensationalism.” https://www.christianforums.com/threads/the-book-of-james-not-written-to-we-gentiles.3295636/
• “Baur maintains that the doctrine of this Epistle must be considered as intended to correct that of Paul.” (EBC; et al.) Others see Paul’s letters trying to correct James.

² From Utley:

• 2:18-20 Grammatically this is a very ambiguous passage as to punctuation and pronoun antecedents. It is uncertain whether there is

1. one supporter of James’ position
2. one objector to James’ position
3. one of each
4. two opposing hypothetical persons alluded to by James
5. It is uncertain whether the quotation stops at James 2:18a (NKJV, NRSV, NIV) or 18b (NASB, TEV) or if it goes through James 2:19.

• It is possible that James’ supposed objector is claiming that Christians have different spiritual gifts, some faith and some works. James responds that faith is not a gift, but a bedrock relationship of trust in Christ. To know Christ is

1. to emulate Him
2. to live as He lived
3. to love as He loved
4. to give oneself to others as He gave Himself to others (cf. 1 John 3:16)

• Spiritual giftedness is not a reduction of Christian responsibility, but an empowerment for effective ministry (in conjunction with other believers).

Bibliography and Works Cited

NOTE: Please see the following web-page for most of the works cited: https://insidecrosspoint.org/sermons/2022/july/bibliography.html. Most works cited on that web-page correspond to the verses they are are grouped or outlined with, or in the case of general references (e.g., author information, book background information, etc.), one would usually find citation material with the Bible books the citations are associated with.

Scripture quotations [unless otherwise noted] are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Other Works Cited