NEEDED: REAL FAITH. JAMES 1:16-18, 21-27; 2: 14-19
JAMES 1: 16-17, 18, 21, 22, 23-24, 25, 26-27; 2: 14, 15-17, 18-19.
PLEASE OPEN YOUR BIBLE TO JAMES 1.
The “Bible in the language of today” says in Heb. 11: 1 that “Faith is being sure of the things we hope for, being convinced of the things we cannot see.” The men of long ago won approval for their faith. All 40 verses of Heb. 11 speak of faith. Heb. 11:6 says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God.” In vs. after vs. individuals are named who proved their faith by their actions. According to the book of James, real faith results in a holy life of good works that benefit others. You can grow your faith through study of God’s Word.
Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God,” so if we would increase our faith we must study the Word of God. We demonstrate our faith in God by doing works that honor God and meet others’ needs.
Faith is similar to electricity and radio waves: It is one of those concepts that everyone talks about, even uses every day, but few people understand it. People regularly demonstrate some sort of faith in something or someone. They trust that their chair will hold them up, that their car will get them to work, and that their food has not been poisoned. But faith is essential to one’s spiritual life. The way a person lives gives evidence of the type of faith that person has.
Those who want true, biblical faith that leads to God’s saving grace must look to God for real faith. That kind of faith---saving faith--- brings about a new birth that changes one’s life and lifestyle.
True faith in Christ will manifest itself in practical ways as believers seek to do God’s will. By doing works that honor God and meet the needs of others, they prove that their faith is genuine.
PLEASE READ JAMES 1: 16-17.
The Letter of James is a manual on practical Christianity. It is like a bright light. It may hurt your eyes in the beginning. But as you grow accustomed to it, you can discern subtle shades of colors and fine details you couldn’t otherwise see.
God’s goodness is seen in His good gifts and His regeneration of believers. Christians base their faith and actions on God’s Word of truth. They are doers of the Word, not hearers only. True religion is seen in the living and loving service. Faith shows itself in good works. Faith without works is not saving faith.
The N.T. teaches that salvation is by grace, the free gift of God. Paul taught in Eph. 2: 8-9 that “By grace you are saved through faith and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift---; not from works so that no one can boast.”
Then James, the brother of Jesus and pastor of the church in Jerusalem said faith without works is useless. He said we are justified by works and not by faith alone. James’s point is that real faith shows its reality and does so by good and right actions.
So in the Book of James we see more clearly the teaching of grace. It turns a bright light on adults today who claim to be Christians but who do not have real faith. And in spotlighting these adults the Book of James also spotlights real Christians and challenges them to demonstrate their faith by doing works that honor the Christ who lives in them.
In the preceding verses, James talked about how to win over temptation. He warned about the way lust becomes sin, and sin brings death. As part of that discussion, James informed his readers in James 1: 13 that “God is not tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone.” These verses lead to the more positive statement that “every generous and every perfect gift is from above.”
James considered his readers as beloved brethren. He was writing to Jewish believers who were among the first to be saved, the first fruits of many to be gathered to Christ. Just as crops that began to ripen for harvest indicated more to follow, so believers in the first century pointed to a greater number who would come to Christ in the future.
At the root of all sin is the suspicion that God is not good. In the Garden of Eden, Satan in Gen. 3: 5 tempted Eve to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil by leading her to question the goodness of God: “God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Eve believed Satan’s lie and ate the fruit. Adam followed her lead and sin entered the world.
Satan’s tactics have not changed much in all these millennia. He still plants doubts in the minds of people. He makes them think that sin is good, that God is withholding something good and pleasurable from them, or even that God is somehow behind the temptation that they feel.
After dealing with the way to defeat temptation, James seemed to shift gears rather abruptly when he wrote about God’s goodness. But he did not change subjects at all, for James wrote these verses to instruct his readers to replace their negative views about God with true ones.
Christians need to realize that everything good they have ever received was a gift from heaven. Behind every daily delight, every human happiness, and every comfort of life, there is a benevolent God who bestows gifts on His creatures. Satan does not give good gifts. His gifts are destructive, having only the appearance of beauty and pleasure. James warned his readers not to be deceived by Satan’s counterfeit offers.
The reason that God can be trusted is that He is the Father of lights. This phrase appears only here, but what a wonderful title for the Lord it is! Some scholars believe that this phrase could simply means that God is the Creator of the stars, but James meant that God can be trusted. 1 John 1:5 says, “He is always good, always light.” With Him there is no variation. He does not waver or change, so not even a shadow is cast by His turning. Shadows move and lengthen through out the day because of the movement of the sun in the earth’s sky. James wanted his readers to know that God does not change. He can always be trusted to do what is best for us.
TEACHER READ JAMES 1: 18. BY HIS OWN CHOICE, HE GAVE US A NEW BIRTH BY THE MESSAGE OF TRUTH SO THAT WE WOULD BE THE FIRSTFRUITS OF HIS CREATURES.
Vs. 18 focuses on the greatest of God’s good gifts---“the new birth.” God’s will or purpose was “to give us birth.” He did this with the word of truth. God’s word has always been powerful, creative, and true. God created the universe by speaking His word. The prophets spoke God’s words. The Law was God’s word. The Christian gospel is God’s word. For us, all of these are in written form in the inspired Scriptures. His word is living, powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword.
Some people claim that the Bible is just another book: for us it is the Book of books, trustworthy and true. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 1:23, “You have been born again---not of perishable seed but of imperishable—through the living and enduring word of God.” Paul used “word of truth” in Ephesians 1: 13 to describe “the gospel of your salvation.” He wrote in 2 Timothy 2:15 about “correctly teaching the word of truth.” God’s Word is the means by which God leads people to experience the new birth of God’s Spirit. Those who are born anew are described as a kind of first fruits of his creatures.
The three persons of the Trinity are in complete agreement and cooperation in salvation. By His choice God gave us a new birth. God loves humanity so much that He devised a way to maintain His perfect holiness and yet pardon sinful people. He poured out His wrath on Jesus so that anyone who trusts in Him might be saved. Faith is the way people receive that wonderful gift, but sinful people don’t even have the capacity to believe God if left to themselves.
The new birth occurs as a result of the message of truth, the gospel, when it is proclaimed and applied to a person’s heart by the Holy Spirit. As Paul stated in Eph. 2: 8 “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves, it is God’s gift.”
When a person receives that message of truth as applied by the Holy Spirit, then he or she responds in faith and becomes the first fruits of His creatures. The word “first fruits” implies rank and order. All of God’s creatures are precious to Him, but those who have responded to the message of truth in repentance and faith are the objects of God’s love unlike any other part of His creation.
TEACHER READ JAMES 1: 21. THEREFORE, RIDDING YOURSELVES OF ALL MORAL FILTH AND EVIL EXCESS, HUMBLY RECEIVE THE IMPLANTED WORD, WHICH IS ABLE TO SAVE YOU.
Saving faith comes freely. Jesus paid the price of sin so sinners can receive salvation. But once a person receives that saving Word of God, then he or she must live up to that calling. James summarized that calling by admonishing his readers to get rid of all moral filth and evil excess. Any view of salvation that allows its recipients to remain in their sin is completely unbiblical.
Scripture clearly instructs every Christian to get rid of anything that detracts from humbly receiving the implanted word. James emphasized that salvation has two aspects. First, God must implant the Word. No one can be saved apart from the free and gracious work of God so clearly described here. On the other hand, the one in whom God implants that Word must humbly receive it, realizing that he or she had done nothing to earn salvation.
This kind of faith---faith that is first implanted by God through the Word and then humbly received by the sinner---is able to save any sinner. As a result, the believer has a change of heart and life. Genuine saving faith is always accompanied by the work of the Holy Spirit and by a change in the life of the believer.
Being born again provides the Christian with the ability to resist temptation. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 10: 13, “God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it.”
TEACHER READ JAMES 1: 22. “BUT BE DOERS OF THE WORD AND NOT HEARERS ONLY, DECEIVING YOURSELVES.”
Frogs in the tadpole stage are huge heads with little else—no legs for kicking, no feet for springing. Christians who only fill their heads with knowledge are tadpole Christians—all head but no action. James questioned whether they are even Christians because such people are deceiving themselves.
This vs. 22 is actually the key to the entire Epistle of James. The great theme of James is that all who claim to have faith must live out that faith by doing good works. James did not allow for the possibility that someone could have true faith without good works resulting from it.
People find it easy to be hearers of the word, but James boldly asserted that those who are not also doers of the word are self-deluded.
Many Christians pray about finding God’s will for their lives but the biblical emphasis is always on doing the will of God. Even when Christians struggle with difficult decisions, they can always rest assured that God is pleased when they do what He has clearly revealed---even though they may continue to wonder about the specifics of God’s plan and purpose.
PLEASE READ JAMES 1: 23-24.
To illustrate his point, James compared someone who is a hearer of the word and not a doer to a man looking at his own face in a mirror. He looks at himself, perhaps noticing that he needs to wash his face or comb his hair, but then he does nothing about it. Instead of taking action by picking up a washcloth or a comb, he simply goes away and right away forgets what kind of man he was when he noticed that he needed to make some changes.
A mirror reflects what someone looks like on the outside, but God’s Word reflects what someone looks like on the inside. When believers look into the Bible, they see themselves as they really are. The Bible shows them their pride, anger, lust and greed. The Word of God exposes the thoughts, intents, motives, and desires of the heart. Sometimes that experience may not be very pleasant, but it is always necessary. Until people see what needs to be corrected, they won’t make the changes that are necessary to be more like Christ.
Some people hear the word of God and see themselves as God sees them. But they do nothing about this vision of their moral and spiritual needs. This may be because they are so distracted that they really don’t hear what God says to them. Others choose to ignore what God says. Still others have good intentions, but they put off any action. Whatever the reason, the results are the same. They hear the Word but do nothing about it.
TEACHER READ JAMES 1: 25. BUT THE ONE WHO LOOKS INTENTLY INTO THE PERFECT LAW OF FREEDOM AND PERSEVERES IN IT, AND IS NOT A FORGETFUL HEARER BUT A DOER WHO ACTS---THIS PERSON WILL BE BLESSED IN WHAT HE DOES.
Here is the secret of blessing: staying in the Word of God and doing what it says! James had no patience with a person who claims to be a believer but whose faith ends at his or her head. The test of true faith is not knowledge but character. An atheist can know the content of the Word, but if he does not act on it he has no faith.
Anyone can study the Bible the way a classical scholar studies Greek mythology. He would be familiar with the numerous deities and stories in ancient Greece, but he doesn’t actually believe them.
But James went one step further, He argued that those who claim to believe the Word must demonstrate that belief through their behavior. They look in the mirror of the Word and see the aspects of their character that need to be changed and then they do whatever is necessary to make those changes.
In this vs. 25 James called the Word the perfect law of freedom. He most likely referred to the O. T. law as explained and expanded by Jesus (as in the Sermon on the Mount). Whatever specific law he had in mind, James clearly believed that it brings liberty.
Some people think the commands of God’s Word are restrictive and oppressive, but a genuine believer knows that God’s commands bring freedom, not bondage. When a woman gets up in the morning, she looks in the mirror to assess what needs to be done. She needs to bathe, her hair is unkempt, her eyes are still heavy from sleep, and she needs to apply makeup.
What would the world be like if people thought of freedom as meaning that they didn’t need to wash themselves and do other things to improve their appearances? We rejoice, not that we are free from those actions, but that we are free to do those things.
In the same way, Christians see all of God’s instructions as the path to freedom. Whenever God tells us not to do something, He is saying, “Don’t hurt yourself!” Whenever God says to do something, He is saying, “Enjoy yourself!” God’s instructions are always intended to bring freedom, and those who fail to trust His instructions usually discover the truth the hard way.
This passage in vs. 25 carefully defines the manner in which people must look into the Word. First, they must look intently. Living by faith is not a casual commitment. Second, they must persevere in the Word. True believers don’t just start the race well; they finish the race well.
The general direction of their lives is marked by their desire to honor God and live out their faith in practical ways. Perseverance demands that the believer is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts.
Think of a man who was a bit out of shape and bought a body-building book. Every day he sat in his recliner and read that book to learn about how to get physically fit. He munched on potato chips and dip, drank soft drinks, devoured his favorite ice cram, and enjoyed candy while he read his book.
He regularly underlined important points. He took notes about the best techniques he found in the book. Since he read the book every day, he soon discovered that he could quote large sections of the book. Ironically, his physical condition grew worse. Eating as he read the book actually added pounds. Sitting in his easy chair all that time made him lose muscle tone. Obviously that book will have an impact on his weight problem only if he actually does what it teaches. In the same way, a person must actually follow the Bible’s instruction before he or she will be blessed.
James did not spell out the blessings that come to those who are doers of the Word. Those who live this way know that the blessings are too many to list.
PLEASE READ JAMES 1: 26-27.
One of the principal areas of life that demonstrates the reality of a person’s faith is the way one speaks to others. According to James a person’s religion is not revealed only in attendance at worship or praying before a meal. A person’s religion is useless if he cannot control his tongue. A person who considers himself to be a Christian but uses the tongue to curse, to express anger inappropriately, to gossip, to tear others down, or to mock and scorn the things of the Lord is only deceiving his heart. What good is a person’s religion if it cannot even make it from the mind to the mouth? How can a person’s faith open the gates of heaven if it can’t even shut the mouth? His religion is useless. Self-control is one of the primary marks of true faith.
James also showed his readers what true religion looks like. The misuse of one’s mouth exposes the false nature of one’s faith, and the treatment of people in need is equally significant. Caring for orphans and widows is pure and undefiled religion. Scripture often refers to God as caring for the defenseless and the needy. Those who follow Him will care for people in need too. Service to others is another primary mark of true faith. This is based on the fact that according to Ps. 65:5 God is “a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows.’
But being kind is not a license to sin. James added that a person must keep oneself morally unstained by the world. While some people may serve others out of a desire for glory or gratitude, pure religion is marked not only by one’s manner of service but also by one’s motive. The person of faith does it before our God and Father, not just to be seen by others or to feel good. A third mark of true religion is separation from the sinfulness of the World.
In James 3: 13-4: 17 James later wrote about worldliness. It includes not only sensual sins but all kinds of sensual desires. The world’ standard was self-centered. The values and standards of non-Christian society constitutes the way of the world.
TEACHER READ JAMES 2: 14. “WHAT GOOD IS IT, MY BROTHERS, IF SOMEONE SAYS HE HAS FAITH, BUT DOES NOT HAVE WORKS? CAN HIS FAITH SAVE HIM?
James’s emphasis on works has often been misunderstood. James questioned the validity of someone’s claim to faith even though he or she does not have works. James then asked a powerful rhetorical question: “Can his faith save him?” The answer to the first question that James asked is that such faith has no value, and the answer to the second question is simply NO!
At first glance James’s teachings seem to attack the great biblical doctrine of salvation by grace alone through faith in Eph. 2: 8-9. But throughout this passage James made it clear that he was talking about the evidence and the nature of saving faith. Paul, on the other hand, emphasized the quality and the object of saving faith. In other words, Paul explained that people are saved apart from the works of the law such as circumcision. They cannot take credit for accomplishing their salvation. But James emphasized that genuine saving faith is evidenced by the fact that subsequent to salvation the person who exercises faith also does good works.
Paul, in Eph. 2: 10 also addressed the importance of good works for those who are saved.
Once one understands this, the two questions that James asked in vs. 14 makes perfect sense.
The kind of faith that stays only in the head and does not translate into a persons’ behavior is no good at all. Notice the wording of the second question in vs. 14. James did not ask, “Can faith save him?” but Can his faith save him?---that is the intellectual kind of faith that never affects a person’s behavior. Paul also emphasized that a person can seem to have faith. In 1 Cor. 10: 1-12 Paul reminded his readers that the Israelites, God’s people, passed through the Red Sea, ate the manna from heaven, and drank water from the rock: but God as not pleased with them so their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.
Jesus Himself warned in Matt. 7: 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
The witness of
Scripture is thoroughly consistent that a person is saved by
faith apart from works and that genuine faith results in good
works. If good works were absent, the faith is not saving
faith. Good works are not the root of salvation, but they are its
fruit.
PLEASE READ JAMES 2: 15-17.
In next Sunday’s lesson from James 2: 1-13, James addressed believers who sinned by practicing personal favoritism. In today’s lesson in vs. 15-17 James raised the larger issue of believers who give no evidence of real faith in the way they live. These verses are frightening because they force believers to examine the faith they claim to have. In recent years some writers and others have asserted the possibility that a person might have true faith in Christ without any repentance or resulting change of lifestyle. James certainly disagreed with that teaching and would have quickly leveled it false doctrine. The Book of James teaches that faith without deeds has no validity. Real faith in God will result in deeds of faith that honor God and bless people.
Love spoken and not lived is just talk. So is faith that’s declared and not done. A husband and father who spends his paycheck gambling and can’t pay the rent or buy food may say he loves his family. He may even believe he does because he has deceived his own heart. But his actions prove he does not love his family. Words don’t put food on the table.
Faith only spoken is fain faith. Paul said in 1 Cor. 15:2 we are saved by the Gospel “If you hold the message I proclaim to you—unless you believed to no purpose.”
So there are two kinds of belief: First, there is dead faith—accepting something as true but not acting on it.
Ted Turner, founder of cable News Network (CNN) and one of the wealthiest men in the United States, once said, “Christianity was for losers.” He later apologized for the statement. He said he was saved seven or eight times as a youth. He went to Sunday School and church and attended a Christian school where he was required to take religion classes and attend chapel.
Turner said he started losing his faith when his sister died after a long illness despite his prayers. “If God is love and all-powerful, why does he allow these things happen?” Turner asked. His faith was conditional. If God would answer his prayers and heal his sister, Turner suggested he would have believed.
Matt. 7:21-23 says that dead or useless faith is evident by a lack of good works or by doing evil works. Saying that one accepts the gospel but failing to produce good works is as useless as telling a cold and hungry person, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well.” The words are vain; they contribute nothing toward warming and filling one who is cold and hungry.
Second, there is real or saving faith. Saving faith is not only accepting the truth about Christ, but also trusting in Him. Rom. 10:9 says, “Trust involves heart belief.” Saving faith is made evident by good works. Dead faith is believing only about Jesus Christ. Real or living faith is believing about Jesus Christ, trusting in Him alone for salvation, and showing one’s faith by works.
These verses 15-17 are frightening because they force believers to examine the kind of faith they claim to have. In recent years some writers and others have asserted the possibility that a person might have true faith in Christ without any repentance or resulting change of lifestyle.
James certainly disagreed with that teaching and would have quickly labeled it false doctrine.
True Christians are feeding the hungry, providing clothing for the needy, providing care for unwed mothers, rescuing addicts, and performing many other acts of kindness. The local church could not thrive without willing people who teach the Bible study, clean up the kitchen, mow the grass, and do many other volunteer jobs.
PLEASE READ JAMES 2: 18-19.
Faith is an intangible thing---without color, texture, weight, or dimensions. It may be impossible to describe, but it is easy to show. James mockingly suggested that a person who claims to have faith without works might just try to show his or her faith without works. But it cannot be done. James responded, I will show you faith from my works..
At the heart of both the Jewish and Christian faith is the core belief and verbal declaration that God is one. (Deut. 6:4) James commended belief in that truth by saying to his readers, “you do well.” But then James added that even the demons also believe that great biblical truth; they also shudder at the very thought of God, but they do not worship or serve Him.
False faith can be based on biblical truth, but if it remains mere intellectual assent, it will never be sufficient. Professing faith in God is not the same thing as believing so deeply that you are wiling to commit your eternal destiny to Him and serve Him in gratitude and love.
Poll after poll shows that the vast majority of American claim to believe in God. Does this mean, that all who claim to believe have saving faith? Certainly not. Their lives are often no different from outspoken unbelievers. Their lives are barren. Claiming to believe in God is not in itself evidence of saving faith. Words have power to help but not when unaccompanied by deeds.
Humans with intellectual assent of the truth of the gospel without trust or commitment to Christ may say, “I believe in God.” But that doesn’t make them Christians any more than saying “open sesame” opens a locked gate.
To believe in God is good so far as it goes, but it doesn’t produce salvation that provides eternal life with God in heaven.
This morning it is OK for James to put the stethoscope to our hearts and listen---to listen for the sound of spiritual life. And what is that sound? It is the sound of living faith resulting in our doing good in the world. Does your heartbeat reveal real faith?
NEXT SUNDAY WE RETURN TO JAMES 2: 1-13 TO SEE IF PEOPLE WITH REAL FAITH IN GOD TREAT OTHERS WITH IMPARTIAL LOVE AND MERCY.
A.V. DAUGHERTY altav@swbell.net http://www.theweeks.org/av/