James 2:14-26

which is found on page 15 of the church Bibles.

And our second reading is from James.

Please turn with me to Genesis 15.

After this, the word of the Lord came to Abraham in a vision.

Do not be afraid, Abraham.

I am your shield, your very great reward.

But Abraham said, O sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless

and the one who will inherit my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?

And Abraham said, You have given me no children,

so a servant in my household will be my heir.

Then the word of the Lord came to him.

This man will not be your heir, but a son coming from your own body will be your heir.

He took him outside and said, Look up at the heavens and count the stars,

if indeed you can count them.

Then he said to him, So shall your offspring be.

Abraham believed the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Our second Bible reading, as I said, is from James.

It's James chapter 2, verses 14 to 26.

James 2:14–26

But before we turn there, I'm going to briefly summarize the other two Old Testament passages

that James will refer to in this letter.

James refers to Abraham and Rahab in this section of his letter.

In referring to Abraham, he mentions the passage we just read,

as well as the start of Genesis 22, where God tests Abraham by calling to him

and telling him to sacrifice the promised son, Isaac, as a burnt offering on a mountain.

Abraham obeys God and travels with Isaac to the place God told him.

When he arrives, God prevents Abraham from sacrificing Isaac, saying,

Do not lay a hand on the boy.

Do not do anything to him.

Now I know that you fear God because you have not withheld from me, your son, your only son.

This leads to God reaffirming his covenant with Abraham.

The last illustration James uses is about Rahab and her actions in the book of Joshua.

When the nation of Israel came into the promised land, what was to become the land of Israel?

In the book of Israel, Rahab could see that God was with them and sided with them.

She hid some Israelite spies who came to her and made sure they safely escaped from the city of Jericho

by sending the spies and the people of Jericho in different directions.

Okay, now that you have those events in mind, let's read what James says in chapter 2, verses 14 to 26.

And it's on page 1214.

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 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 justified 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.

We're going to consider the meaning of what we read in a moment.

But first, let's sing towards hardworking employees with end-of-year bonuses.

It's the time of year when bonuses are decided.

You've been working hard all year.

And your boss, the person who awards them in this workplace, comes to you and says,

You're the best worker I have.

You've done exceptionally well and deserve to get a bonus this year.

However, at the appropriate time, no bonus materializes.

You ask your boss about it and they say,

Yes, the bonus.

You definitely deserve it.

Your boss freely admits that under the workplace policy, you deserve it.

And that you should receive it.

But it never materializes.

What's more, you happen to know the business has the money to award them.

How do you feel?

Confused?

Hurt?

Angry?

Used?

Now imagine another situation.

You receive the death threat.

You go to the police.

They're immediately concerned.

They say,

Your safety is our first priority.

Given your circumstances,

we will post offices outside your house for the next few weeks to keep you safe.

What if the offices never came?

Would you not feel that the very institution that was meant to protect you had failed you?

You may wonder what the motto,

Keeping People Safe, really meant.

James tells us it is the same with Christians.

What good is our faith if we do not have works?

Let's turn back to James 2, 14 to 26.

In this section, James answers the question,

What does saving faith look like?

He does this by arguing that faith without works is dead and does not justify the person who claims to have it.

We might say then that faith without works is not faith at all because it is not saving faith.

In answering the question of what saving faith looks like,

James begins by posing the question,

What good is a claim to have faith which does not produce deeds?

From verse 20, he turns to consider the alternative.

What faith with deeds looks like?

Let's turn to verse 14.

James writes,

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?

Can such faith save him?

In this verse, James introduces the problem.

A person who says that they have faith,

who says that they follow Christ,

but does not act like they follow Christ.

He is talking about claim versus action.

This person might be identified with the one in James chapter 1, verses 19 to 27,

James 1:19–27

who is merely a listener or reader of God's word and not a doer.

In verses 15 to 17, James argues his point with a comparison to hospitality.

Suppose a brother or 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.

What does James mean by this?

His example here is a comparison.

He wants us to see the similarities between the situations.

This is why he says,

In the same way, at the start of verse 17.

What is James' example meant to illustrate then?

It's an example from hospitality.

The example is like those I gave earlier.

What good is it if your manager says you deserve a bonus,

but neglects to give you what you deserve?

Or what good is it if the police declare that they care about keeping people safe,

but they don't demonstrate they mean it with their actions?

What good is it if you see someone's need?

If you know how to fill that need and can fill that need,

but you decide that what you have is yours, not theirs,

so you wish them well in having their need met.

Is that showing hospitality?

James is saying that in the same way,

those well-wishers are worthless.

So, faith is faith without deeds.

That is, faith that is not accompanied by action is dead.

It cannot save.

How does this fit with our belief that we are saved by faith alone?

I'll go into that.

But let's save that for later,

after we've examined more of James' arguments.

Let's continue by looking at verse 18 and the first part of 19.

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.

Verse 18 feels slightly strange coming after verse 17.

This verse ties back into 14.

His thought runs in this manner.

If a man claims to have faith but no deeds,

someone will say to him,

you have faith, I have deeds.

Is the imagined claim of verse 18

meant to be suggesting one can rely on their actions to save them,

as though they could work their way into God's good books

and earn the right to be saved under their own power?

Not at all.

The imagined response turns out to be James' own response.

You have faith, I have deeds, he says,

but this is not an isolated claim.

James says that the person with deeds also has faith.

I will show you my faith by what I do.

James finishes verse 19 with a comment

intending to show how faith without action is dead,

that it is fraudulent faith.

You believe that there is one God.

Good.

Even the demons believe that and shudder.

Faith without deeds,

faith that does not produce action,

may be equated with assent to some intellectual facts.

It is faith that acknowledges what God wants,

but then refuses to do it.

It is like the boss or the police from our imagined incidents

who declare one thing with their mouths

and display something completely different with their actions.

James reminds us that the demons,

those angelic beings who rebelled against God,

believe truths about God.

But even the demons shudder at that knowledge.

James is suggesting that a person who claims belief

and is not impacted by that claim,

who thinks they can go on living as they always have,

has even less than the demons.

Because demons in shuddering,

at least demonstrate awareness

of what such belief means for them.

If we truly acknowledge who God is,

there are practical implications.

True belief produces works.

On the other hand,

faith which is dead produces nothing.

Such a person, in the words of James,

deceives themselves

and their religion is worthless.

In verses 20 to 26,

James turns to examples

to demonstrate the validity of his argument.

First, he explains how Abraham's faith

supports what he says

in verses 21 to 24.

And then,

how Rahab's faith

supports what he says in verse 25,

concluding the whole section in verse 26.

Let's look at verses 20 to 21.

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?

I summarized this story earlier,

but we'll quickly cover it again.

Abraham, when called by God

to sacrifice his son Isaac,

the son promised to him by God,

obeys.

However, God stops him before he can.

And in Genesis 22,

Genesis 22:16–18

verses 16 to 18,

he commends Abraham for his actions,

saying,

I swear by myself

that because you have done this

and have not withheld your son,

your only son,

I will surely bless you

and make your descendants

as numerous

as the stars in the sky

and as the sand on the seashore.

Your descendants will take possession

of the cities of their enemies

and through your offspring,

all nations on earth will be blessed

because you have obeyed me.

This oath,

this promise that God makes

is a reiteration of the covenant

he made with Abraham,

which appears in various forms

in Genesis 12,

chapter 15,

which was the first reading,

and chapter 17.

There is evidence in Genesis 22

that Abraham was considered

righteous for his actions

in offering Isaac on the altar.

That is,

because of Abraham's actions,

God reiterates his promise,

his covenant with Abraham,

saying,

because you have done this

and have not withheld your son,

your only son.

James does not stop here

with his example, though.

In verses 22 to 24,

he makes his argument clearer.

Let's read those verses together.

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 justified by what he does

and not by faith alone.

What is James saying

in these verses?

What is the relationship

between faith and works

that he's illustrating?

Is James saying

we need to not just believe,

but reach a certain level

of goodness to be saved?

We can answer that

through a careful reading

of these verses.

The core of verses 22 to 24

is bracketed with the conclusion

James is pointing us to.

Verse 22 and verse 24

both begin with,

you see.

You see that Abraham's faith

and actions

were working together.

You see that a person

is justified by what he does

and not by faith alone.

Similarly,

the core of these verses,

which is the second half

of verse 22

and all of verse 23,

use terms of fulfillment.

Abraham's faith

was made complete

by what he did

and the scripture

was fulfilled

by what he did.

We need to pay attention

to the order of events

in this example

so that we properly understand

James' reading of Genesis.

In Genesis 15,

Abraham believed God

that God would give him a son

and make him into a great nation

and it was credited

to him as righteousness.

Afterwards,

in Genesis 22,

Abraham offered his son Isaac,

the son of the promise,

to God

when God tested him

and God reiterated

his promises to Abraham

saying,

because you have done this

and have not withheld your son,

your only son.

James has carefully chosen

which events of Abraham's life

to talk about.

This is crucial

to his argument.

They both involve

the promised son,

Isaac.

Abraham believed

that God would give him Isaac

in Genesis 15

and he freely offered Isaac

back to God

when tested

in Genesis 22.

Because Abraham

had faith in God,

he carried out

what God asked

and so,

it's put this way

in the book of Hebrews,

Hebrews 11:17–19

chapter 11,

verses 17 to 19.

By faith,

Abraham,

when God tested him,

offered Isaac

as a sacrifice.

He who had received

the promises

was about to sacrifice

his one and only son.

Even though God

had said to him,

it is through Isaac

that your offspring

will be reckoned,

Abraham reasoned

that God could raise the dead

and figuratively speaking,

he did receive Isaac

back from death.

Abraham offered Isaac

by faith.

His actions worked

together with his faith.

The faith he claimed

to have

and his actions

were in agreement,

they did not contradict

each other

and so,

James says,

Abraham's faith

was made complete

by his actions.

What does it mean

that Abraham's faith

was made complete?

It sounds rather unusual

in English.

We don't really use

complete in this way.

Unfortunately,

this is the result

of trying to translate

a concept.

This concept carries

the idea of fulfillment.

Abraham's works

displayed the reality

of his faith.

They were the natural result

of his faith.

Going back to our examples

at the beginning,

imagine instead

that your boss

both declares

you're worthy of a bonus

and then gives you

the bonus.

Or the police declare

that they care

about your safety

and they protect you

from those who

threatened you.

Now,

we could say

that their actions

back up their claims.

In James' language,

their actions

could be said

to complete

their claims,

to show

that they truly

believe what they say.

This is how

James can go on

to say

that Abraham's actions

fulfilled scripture.

Genesis 15,

1-6,

concluded with,

Abraham,

that is Abraham,

believed the Lord

and it was credited

to him

as righteousness.

Abraham's actions

of offering Isaac

fulfilled this scripture

by demonstrating

that his faith,

his belief

in God

was true.

it was faith

that was proven true

by his action.

So going back

to those questions

I said we could answer

with a close reading

of verses 22 to 24.

What is James saying

in these verses?

What relationship

between faith

and works

is he illustrating?

Is James saying

we need to not just believe

but reach a certain level

of goodness

to be saved?

What is the answer?

Well the answer is

James is not addressing

that question.

What is James addressing?

James is addressing

whether or not

saving faith

will produce fruit

in our lives.

Are we saved by works?

No.

It is helpful

to consider Paul

on this subject.

Paul says

in Ephesians 2

Ephesians 2:8

verses 8 and 9

Paul quite clearly

writes that we are

not saved by our works

but he does not

stop there.

He goes on to say

in verse 10

for we are God's

workmanship

created in Christ Jesus

to do good works

which God prepared

in advance

for us to do.

So we see that

while we are saved

by faith alone

that is what we do

works sorry

that is what we do

remain important.

Why then

does James claim

that we are not saved

by faith alone

in verse 24?

because he is answering

a different question.

He is talking about

whether or not

we are saved

by a claim

to have faith.

True faith

will necessarily

produce evidence

of its existence

as Paul says

we are created

in Christ Jesus

to do good works

which God prepared

in advance

for us to do.

Jesus tells us

if you love me

you will obey

what I command

and if anyone

would come after me

he must deny himself

and take up his cross

daily and follow me.

Saving faith

is productive

it is worked out

displayed

in changes

in every aspect

of life.

Saving faith

is a work of God

in us

which inevitably

transforms us

affecting how we think

and all we do.

When James uses

the word faith

in this passage

he is choosing

the language

of those

whom he is critiquing.

In verse 14

he talks about

those who claim

to have faith.

All through this passage

when he refers

to faith

he is talking

about the claim

to faith.

Making a claim

to faith

does not save you.

You need to have faith.

Faith which is not dead.

Faith which produces

action.

You need to have

saving faith.

faith.

The Westminster

Confession of Faith

which is the doctrinal

standard of our church

in its 14th chapter

summarizes what

saving faith is.

It says among

other things

that by

saving faith

a Christian

acts differently

in their life.

However

the principal

acts of saving

faith are

accepting

receiving

and resting

upon Christ

alone

for justification

sanctification

and eternal life

by virtue

of the covenant

of grace.

What does that mean?

Many wonderful things

but the important part

that I want us

to take away

this evening

is what I have

been saying.

What James

has been saying.

That saving faith

that is faith

which is not dead

will produce

changes in our life

good works

good works

which do not

themselves

save us

but are instead

an outworking

of our faith.

What saves us?

The sacrifice

of Christ.

He saves us

through his death

and resurrection.

Saving faith

is not idle

it produces

many things

but our salvation

our forgiveness

by God

for all the wrong

things we know

we've done

all the shameful

things we wish

to hide from

the world

even for all

those wrong

things we do

not realize

we do.

Our salvation

is as Paul

says

not by works

so that no one

can boast

but instead

is through faith

and so we are

transformed inwardly

so that we can

desire what is right

and we are

gradually changed

outwardly

sanctified

by God

so that we both

more and more

desire what is right

and are enabled

to do

the good works

which we now

desire to do

which God

has prepared

for us to do.

James has one

more example

for us.

Let's look at

verses 25

and 26.

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 verse 25

James offers

the example

of Rahab

the prostitute.

As I said earlier

her story appears

in Joshua.

She is a prostitute

who lives in Jericho.

She protects

the Israelite spies

from being captured.

In exchange

when Israel

captures Jericho

her life

and the lives

of those in her house

are spared.

Essentially

she and her people

become a part

of the people

of God.

I do not believe

James idly

chose this example.

Rahab was a prostitute

and he points

that out here.

She had a shameful

sinful occupation.

However

she was considered

righteous

by what she did

in receiving

the spies.

James offers

this example

to show

that our past

no matter

what we were

it cannot prevent

us from being

saved.

That is

because we are

saved by grace

not by works.

What shameful

things are in

your past?

What things

make you think

that if someone

knew everything

about you

they would

despise you?

God knows

everything about us

not just what

we've done

he even knows

all the thoughts

we've ever had.

no matter

how shameful

or sinful

our pasts are

God offers us

his friendship

if only we

believe in him

in Jesus

he promises us

his spirit.

He has prepared

good works

for us to do

but not on

our own.

He transforms

those of us

who believe

gradually and

gently

into better

people who

care and

love others.

What if

you're thinking

I'm not that

bad

I'm a pretty

good person

really.

Jesus tells us

that to earn

ourselves into

favour with

God through

our own

works requires

nothing less

than perfection

according to

God's rules.

In Matthew

5 48

he says

be perfect

therefore as

your heavenly

father is

perfect.

We're all

far from that

kind of

perfection.

However the

example of

Rahab

who had

such a

shameful

occupation

demonstrates

that we

can be

saved if

only we

believe in

God with

a true

faith.

In 1

1 Corinthians 6:9–11

Corinthians

chapter 6

verses 9

to 11

Paul writes

Do you

not know

that the

wicked will

inherit the

kingdom of

God?

Do not

be deceived

neither the

sexually

immoral

nor idolaters

nor adulterers

nor male

prostitutes

nor homosexual

offenders

nor thieves

nor the greedy

nor drunkards

nor slanderers

nor swindlers

will inherit

the kingdom of

God.

And that

is what

some of you

were.

But you

were washed

you were

sanctified

you were

justified

in the name

of the

Lord Jesus

Christ

and by the

Spirit

of our

God.

Through

Jesus

we who do

so many

things God

detests

can be made

clean from

those things.

Because God

loves us

he made

us a way

through Jesus

to be clean

to be changed

to come

to him.

Rahab

was considered

righteous

for what

she did

and spared

the destruction

that came

upon Jericho.

We too

though we

are sinners

though we

do what

God detests

need to

come to

God in

faith

and being

transformed

by him

we need

to seek

his will

and do

the good

works

he gives

us to

do.

James

wrote this

passage

to answer

the person

who is

thinking

I believe

God saved

me by

faith

but I

don't need

to change

I can

live for

myself

and do

whatever

I want

but what

about the

person

who's

thinking

I believe

and I

want to

change

I want

to be

what God

wants

but I

just can't

see any

changes

in my

own

life

should

they be

worried

for their

salvation

should

they be

afraid

do you

understand

that it

is by

grace

you have

been

saved

that it

is not

by

works

and that

there is

nothing

you can

do to

earn

your

salvation

such a

person

should pray

pouring out

their heart

to God

seeking

his help

this is

a prayer

he delights

to answer

he will

not let

you down

in

Ezekiel

Ezekiel 36:26

36

verse 26

God

speaking

through

Ezekiel

of the

new

covenant

which we

now have

says

I will

give you

a new

heart

and put

a new

spirit

in you

I will

remove

from you

your heart

of stone

and give

you a

heart

of flesh

the fact

that you

desire

what God

wants

is a sign

of change

in itself

pray that

God will

complete

this change

in you

what's more

you need

not do

this alone

and you

are never

alone

if you

believe

God

is with

you

but

he's

also

given

us

each

other

to help

to encourage

to build

each other

up

let's

help

each

other

as we

seek

to live

for

God

let's

help

each

other

as we

become

outwardly

the people

God has

made us

inwardly

let's

pray