Faith And Action! Series

Believe and Do

James 2:14-26

June 25, 2023

James is one of my favorite books of the Bible because it’s practical and straight forward. It’s very understandable. Yet, the passage we’re looking at today is considered one of the most misunderstood passages in James.

There’s controversy over what James wrote, because the apostle Paul seems to contradict James. James seems to be saying works brings salvation, while Paul says it’s all about our faith. So which is correct?

For most Christians, we would say we believe we aren’t saved by our works, we’re saved by faith. That’s one of our key beliefs. So, is James wrong?

I mean, didn’t James ever read Paul’s letters? In Romans 10:9-10, Paul wrote,

9 If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For one believes with the heart and is so justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved.

Do you hear that? There’s nothing about works in there. There’s no action other than believing and confessing Jesus is Lord!

Or what about the great passage in Ephesians 2:8-9, when Paul wrote - - -

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast.

We’re saved through faith! Paul said it’s faith not works, so you don’t boast about what you did to earn salvation. It’s God’s grace because of your faith!!

So . . . what gives? And if you must know, James never read Paul. James was written before any of Paul’s letters were written. While the statements from James and Paul seem to be going in opposite directions, there’s really a pretty simple explanation, because in the end Paul and James are in agreement.

Paul and James were writing to two very different audiences. Paul focused on the MEANS of our salvation - - - - saying that we are saved BY God’s grace.

But, James wrote about the OUTCOME of salvation - - - the evidence that a person has actually experienced God’s grace. You could say Paul focused on the ROOT of our salvation and James focused on it’s FRUIT.

Paul was attacking self-righteous legalism, those who said they could earn their way to heaven which is something that James wasn’t dealing with. James was attacking superficial faith - - - a faith that had no effect on a person’s lifestyle who claimed Jesus was Lord.

For Paul, if a person followed the law, or if they did enough good works, they would be saved. And, the people were picking and choosing what laws they were following. Paul was clear - - - you were saved by faith, not by your good deeds.

On the other hand, James was saying if you continue to live your life as you did before you were saved, and don’t show evidence of any life change, then that’s a reflection that you really don’t believe in Jesus.

If you had genuine faith, then you would demonstrate your faith by your works. In essence, GENUINE FAITH produces GENUINE WORKS.

There were also people who advocated something called antinomianism. It means a person could accept God’s grace, but they didn’t need to change their lifestyle. How’s that sound? Accept Jesus, but do as you please?

James was teaching that if there’s no FRUIT, then we should question the health of the ROOT because genuine faith produces WORKS . . . . and it should stand to reason that WORKS authenticates our faith.

So . . . . James BUILDS on the teachings of Paul. They don’t CONTRADICT one another - - - - they COMPLEMENT one another. In his commentary on Romans, W. H. Griffith Thomas puts it this way - - -

“James and Paul are not soldiers of different armies fighting against each other, but soldiers of the same army fighting back to back against enemies coming from opposite directions.”

With all that in mind, let’s see what James has to tell us at the end of chapter 2 - - -

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

15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed 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.

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.