Faith and works, Part 2
James 2v19-23
8th December 2017
Last week, we began studying this passage from James.
James 2v14-26
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?
Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food.
If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical
needs, what good is it?
In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that - and shudder.
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called God's friend.
You see that a person is considered righteous by what he does and not by faith alone.
In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to
the spies and sent them off in a different direction?
As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
In verses 14-18, James challenged our genuineness as Christian people. He told us that’s it’s no good claiming to be a Christian if we don’t act like a Christian. Now he challenges our reliance on theology. It's no good believing the right things, if that belief doesn't change our character, and so change our conduct.
The key phrase is "faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead". James explains that faith - by which he means believing the truth about God - is not enough, in this rather powerful way:
James 2v19
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.
Here's an important idea. When we say that we believe in God, or in anything, we’re being ambiguous. To believe in a person or a thing can mean either to believe that person or thing exists, or it can mean that we trust that person or thing. If you're sitting in a chair, then you believe in that chair in both senses. You believe it exists, and you trust it. We all believe Jeremy Corbyn exists. We don't all trust him. We all believe Teresa May exists. We don't all trust her. You can know there's a bridge over a river. What matters is, are you willing to cross it? Do you trust it?
You call yourself a Christian. You believe there is one God. You’re right. And in the Roman Empire in James’s time, that put you in a minority. Most people in the empire believed there were many gods. But so what? Demons believe that there is one God. Today, we could say you believe that Jesus is divine, but so do the demons. You believe that Jesus died to save humans from the sin. So do the demons. And so on.
The demons believe in God, in the sense that they accept that He exists, and that He has a certain character, and that He has done certain things. But they don’t trust Him.
It’s not what we believe to be true that matters; it’s what we trust in. Intellectual awareness isn’t enough. Good theology isn’t enough. Do we trust God? Do we trust Him enough to do what He says?
God says He loves you and has a perfect plan for your life. Do you trust Him enough to let Him bring it about? God has given us the Bible to teach us how to live. Do you trust God enough to obey the Bible? For example, Matthew 5:5 says, "Blessed are the meek". Do we believe it? Do we believe it enough to be meek?
The demons believe the Gospel is true, but they don’t trust it. They know it’s true intellectually, but they don’t respond in faith to it. On the contrary, they shudder because they know it’s true. They know the Bible is the word of God. They know they’re defeated. And they still don’t repent.
James 2v20-23
You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?
Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called God’s friend.
Abraham didn’t willingly offer up his son as a sacrifice to God just because he knew intellectually that God exists, or that God is good, or that God has the right to command whatever He pleases. Abraham offered up is son as a sacrifice to God because he trusted God.
Because Abraham trusted God – had faith in God – Abraham’s faith resulted in obedience. His faith was made complete – brought to maturity – by this supreme act of obedience. His faith was proved by his actions.
Real faith is proved by real obedience.