Studies from the Book of James

Faith and Works Part 2 James 2:14-26

Introduction. In the closing section of chapter 2 James highlights the central theme of his whole epistle "faith without works is dead"

James 2:17 even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

If Faith does not have works, deeds and actions of obedience to back it up, then that faith is inoperative, for it is dead. It is a false faith.

True saving faith will never be alone it will produce fruit to accompany it.

James is not challenging the person, who claims to be a Christian because of the presence of good works in his life. He is challenging the person, who claims to be a Christian in spite of the absence of good works in his life.

Faith alone saves, but faith that saves is not alone; good works always accompanies it. The new life in Christ produces a new life style, new values, and the fruit of good works. James shows us that Faith without fruit is false and futile.

False Faith shows no Compassion. False faith shows no fruits of Conversion. False faith has no communion with God.

Having pointed out

1. A Claim that is False v 14

2. A Comparison that is Foolish v 15, 16

3. A Conviction that Is Firm. V 17,18

He amplifies the subject as he challenged his readers to recognise real faith.

1.The Question that he Asks. V 20

The Amp Bible- makes it very clear what James is saying. " Are you willing to be shown proof, you foolish, unproductive, spiritually-deficient fellow, that Faith apart from good works is inactive and ineffective and worthless?

James is certainly not paying a compliment to the type of person he has in mind. This kind of person often has a lot to say but little to show.

The Bible makes it clear that eloquence and ignorance can often go together. The Bible also makes it clear that empty vessels can make the greatest noise.

Thus, the man, who says he has faith, but has no fruit, is an empty, and foolish man and his faith is dead. This kind of faith, which is accompanied, by a lot of talking and no walking, is a dead faith, it is FATAL!! The question that James is asking the spiritually blind soul is " Do you really want to know? Do you want evidence of what I am saying is true?

Friends, there are those who ask questions about the Christian Faith, they ask sincerely because they want to believe.

The insincere enquirer does not want to know the truth, they only want to debate and to discredit the faith. They do not want to forsake their sin

But as William Gurnall once said " One, who is trying to open and to understand the Bible without the Holy Spirit’s help, is like trying to open a door with the wrong key.

The person without the Holy Spirit does not accept the things, which come from the Spirit. To him they are foolishness because they are spiritually discerned. Jesus said-

John 3:20 For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

There is also a challenge for the Christian. We can know the Word of God, listen to its exposition. Be aware of the need for the application of the truth, and yet fail to act in submission to the truth.

James is stating that claiming to be a Christian without the evidence of a goodly life that is manifest in good works is a false claim.

There are many good moral people today who give to charity, are involved in the good works in the community, are regular Churchgoers, and are good upstanding citizens.

Yet, they have no testimony of ever having been being genuinely born again into the family of God.

John Blanchard: "The point is not that the presence of fruit proves the presence of faith, but the absence of fruit proves the absence of faith."

1.The Question that he Asks. V 20

2. The Clarification that he Makes. V 21-25

Having challenged his readers to recognise a faith that is False, Futile and Fatal, James now uses two Old Testament Illustrations.

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Having dealt with the "Work of Faith" he now turns to look at works that proceed from Real Faith. Having the Jews primarily in mind, he uses the illustration of Abraham.

Was not our forefather Abraham shown to be justified—made acceptable to God by his works when he brought to the altar as an offering his own son Isaac

The Faithful Patriarch--- Abraham is not only the National Father of Israel, he is the Spiritual father of all who believe. The Apostle Paul

Gal 3:7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

Therefore all can identify with the illustration, which James is using. The life of Abraham shows him to be a great man of Faith, but James is drawing his illustration from Gen 22, when Abraham, in obedience to God’s command, was willing to place his son on the Altar of sacrifice.

James 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?

Is James saying that God declared Abraham righteous because of what he did? Does his works justify a man? Is this in conflict to what Paul declares, "We are justified by faith"?

There is a Key word that we need to get hold of in verse 21--- (When) for it underlines a time element in this debate. GEN 15-1-6)

Gen 15:6 and he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

Abraham believed, he trusted in, relied on and remained steadfast to the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. The word "accounted" is a legal and a financial term, which means to put into ones account.

As Warren Wiersbe says—" Abraham was a spiritual bankrupt but he trusted God, and in return God put righteousness into Abraham’s account.

In Gen 15—Abraham was declared righteous by faith he was justified by faith.

Rom 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.

The question before us is, When was Abraham justified? The Answer is, 40 years before he offered Isaac on Mount Moriah.

Justification is a very important doctrine for the child of God to understand.

Justification is an act of God, whereby He declares the believing Sinner righteous, on the basis of the sacrificial work of Jesus on the cross.

Erwin W. Lutzer-- The doctrine of justification is the foundation that supports all of the other benefits we receive from Christ. God does not justify us because we are worthy, but by justifying us He makes us worthy.

To say that God justifies the ungodly means quite simply that God, in his amazing love, treats the sinner as if he was a good man Justification means "just-as-if-I-never-sinned."

Justification is not a process. It is not something that the sinner does, it is something that God does when a sinner trust His Son as their Saviour.

How can you tell if a person is justified? If this is, a private matter between the Sinner and God? Abraham answers this very important question for us.

The person, who has been justified, demonstrates their faith in their obedience to God, and their works displays that faith. (James 2: 21, 22)

The Principle of Faith—v 22 "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works"

His Faith was co-operating with his works. Faith and actions working together and we see this on Mount Moriah, as Abraham offers up Isaac to God.

there is a perfect relationship between "Faith &Works"

Yes by faith Abraham was justified and his righteousness was declared. But forty years later his works demonstrated his faith and his righteousness, when he placed Isaac on the Altar of sacrifice.

Having pointed out a false and a dead faith in the previous verses, James now highlights a living and a dynamic faith. This is the kind of faith that obeys God at all times and proves itself in daily life by works.

Today many profess faith in Christ but deny Him by their works. Those who believe in God must be careful to maintain good works. Abraham’s "Faith" was the energizing force that moved him to action, and his action was the evidence of his faith.

Abraham was justified before God by Faith, and his works justified him before men. His faith was not dead and fruitless; his was a living faith, which was displayed by his works.

When we look at Abraham’s faith, we find it at work, and when we examine his work, we find that it is the product of his faith.

Faith, that does not include faithfulness to Christ’s call to walk in newness of life and in obedience to God, is a distortion of the Gospel.

The kind of faith that does not give attention to ethical issues — telling the truth, seeking to live morally clean lives, shunning evil, fighting personal immorality and social injustice, feeding the hungry, caring for the needy, and seeking the lost.

A person, who claims to have faith without works is like a person who puts all their effort into building the foundation of a house and never builds anything on that foundation.

But a person, who displays great works but has no faith, is like a person who builds their house on sand without any foundation.

The Principle of Faith—v 22 "faith wrought with his works

The Proof of Faith—v22 "by works was his faith made perfect"

Abraham’s faith was not only credited to him, it was made complete by what he did. His faith was brought out in the open for all to see, by his staggering act of obedience on Mount Moriah.

A.W. Tozer: "Faith isn't trusting God while the sea is still. Faith is trusting God when the storms come!"

The Privilege of Faith—v23

James 2:23 and the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.

What a wonderful privilege to be called the friend of God—to be God’s friend. Our mindset is usually reversed. We love the old hymns like "What a friend we have in Jesus" Jesus the sinners friend I hide myself in Thee" and this truth is a real blessing to the soul.

"I’ve found a friend oh such a friend; Oh such a friend He loved me ere I knew Him

He drew me with the cords of love and thus He bound me to Him.

And round my heart still closely twine Those ties that none can sever

For I am His and He is mine forever and forever

 

Abraham was called the friend of God! But this privilege is not just limited to one man

John 15:14 &15 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

We are His friends. We can share our secrets with Him and He will share His with us. Real faith has not only communion but it has communication from God.

The Principle of Faith "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works"

The Proof of Faith "by works was his faith made perfect"

The Privilege of Faith "he was called the Friend of God"

The Promise of Faith v 23 "the scripture was fulfilled "

This kills the argument of those who say that his works made Abraham righteous. James is not quoting from the incident on Mount Moriah in gen. 22. He is quoting from gen. 15, forty years earlier when Abraham had believed God.

(Verses 24& 25) Having used Abraham in his illustration, James now uses Rahab, who was a Gentile and was known as Rahab the Harlot as his second witness. He now goes to the bottom of the social barrel as he reminds his readers of the story of Rahab.

Israel is about to invade Jericho. Joshua has sent in his spies to the city, and there they meet Rahab who confessed her faith in Israel’s God

 

Josh 2:11 The LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. How similar her confession is to what James in verse 19 "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well

Rahab confessed her faith and confirmed her faith by her works by protecting the Spies. Her faith came first, as she identified herself with the God of Israel and her faith was confirmed when she put her own life on the line to save the lives of two of God’s children.

Heb 11:31 by faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace. Her Faith was practical for her works accompanied it.

The Apostle Paul defines practical Christianity, as: Faith working in love.

Galatians 5:6: "For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision is of any avail, but faith working through love."

Paul is saying that if we are in Christ, neither being a Jew nor Gentile counts for anything. It is only Faith that is activated, energised, and expressed and is working through love that matters.

Illustration A Pastor was talking to a professing Christian and asked him if he was active in a local church. The man responded, "No, but the dying thief on the cross wasn’t active in any church and yet he was still accepted."

The Pastor then asked if he was baptized. The man responded, "The dying thief on the cross was not baptized and he still made it to heaven." The Pastor then asked if he had partaken of the Lord’s Table. The man responded, "No, but the dying thief didn’t either, and Christ still received him." The Pastor then commented:

"The only difference between you and the dying thief is that he was dying in his belief, and you are dead in yours."

Our response to God’s love is to be more than simple belief. It is to be a belief so strong that it calls us to action. James is calling for: Faith working in love.

1.The Question that he Asks. V 20

2. The Clarification that he Makes. V 21-25

3 The Conclusion that he States v 25

James 2:26 for as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

James now makes his closing statement by using yet another illustration. He states as a body without the spirit (without breath is lifeless) so faith apart from its works is also dead.

We know that there is life in a physical body when it is breathing and actions are displayed. We know that faith is a living faith, when it is active in good works, which bring glory to God.

James challenges us to put our faith to work – to make it fruitful and productive.

When we do:

James is speaking of works of faith – works that show others the reality and reliability of God.

Those are the kinds of works by which we are justified in the sight of others.

May the Lord give us the Grace to Prove what we Profess.

Only the Truth that in life we have spoken

Only the Seed on earth we have sown

These shall pass onward, when we are forgotten

Fruits of the harvest by what we have done

Only remembered, Only Remembered

By what we have done.

 

 


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