Go! And… Live A Faith That Works Series

Go! And… Live a Faith That Works

There is a story told of a tightrope walker who stretched a rope across Niagara Falls. Crowds gathered as he walked across with incredible skill. Then he took a wheelbarrow and pushed it across. The people cheered. He asked them, “Do you believe I can do it again with a person in the wheelbarrow?”

“Yes!” they shouted.

“Who will volunteer?”

Silence.

Everybody believed—but nobody had faith.

Church, as we continue our Go! And… series, today the Lord is calling us to examine the difference between a belief that agrees with God in the mind, and a faith that trusts God with the whole life. A faith that sits in the wheelbarrow. A faith that works.

Today we come to two verses that many people think contradict one another. But Scripture never contradicts Scripture—only our shallow understanding contradicts itself. So let us look deeply at two key passages.

James 2:24 (NLT): “So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.”

Romans 3:28 (NLT): “So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.”

At first glance, James seems to say the opposite of Paul. Paul says we are saved by faith apart from works. James says we are “shown to be right with God” by what we do.

So which is it?

Both.

Absolutely both.

Perfectly both.

And the Gospel shines brightest when we understand how these Scriptures fit together.

1. Go! And… Understand the Relationship Between Faith and Works

Paul and James are addressing two different problems.

Paul addresses legalism—people who think they can earn salvation through works of the law.

Greek word: ergon nomou—“works of the law,” referring to religious duties, rituals, and attempts to justify oneself.

James addresses dead, empty, useless profession—people who say they “have faith” but show no evidence of transformation.

Greek word: nekra pistis—“dead faith.”

Paul says: “You cannot save yourself.”

James says: “The faith that saves you will change you.”

Paul speaks of root.

James speaks of fruit.

Paul speaks of justification before God.

James speaks of justification before men—the visible evidence of salvation.

Ephesians 2:8–10 (NLT): “God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

Grace saves.

Faith receives.

Works reveal.

Paul Keller wrote, “We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.”

Keller captures the whole tension beautifully. Genuine faith is a living seed—if it is living, it grows. If it never grows, it was never alive.

2. Go! And… Recognise True Saving Faith

James uses two powerful illustrations in his argument: Abraham and Rahab.

Abraham – Faith that acts

James 2:21–22 (NLT): “Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.”

When Abraham raised the knife over Isaac, he was not earning salvation. He was demonstrating the salvation he already had.

The Greek phrase is sunergei he pistis—“faith working together with actions.”

It’s where we get the English word “synergy.”

Faith and obedience cooperate.

Rahab – Faith that risks

James 2:25 (NLT): “Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.”

Her faith moved her to action that could have cost her life.

Faith always leads to obedience—even when risky.

Matthew 7:17–20 (NLT): “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree can’t produce bad fruit, and a bad tree can’t produce good fruit. So every tree that does not produce good fruit is chopped down and thrown into the fire. Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions.”

Jesus teaches exactly what James teaches.

Fruit does not create the tree.

Fruit reveals the tree.

John Piper once said, “Faith is the root of salvation, love is the fruit of salvation.”

Commentary: This is precisely James’s point. The visible fruit proves the invisible root.

3. Go! And… Reject Dead Faith and Embrace Living Faith

James 2:19 (NLT):

“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.”