Title: Can you have faith and works?
Theme: To help the people to have a better understanding between faith and works.
Text: James 2:14-26
James 2:14. What [doth it] profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
What better way to answer the question of faith than by asking a question. A question of great concern. What profit is there to a man who says that he has faith and not works? Can this faith save him?
There has been many conflicts that has been made over the book of James. Some believe that James and Paul is in conflict on the subject of faith. Some even go on to say that the book of James was written as a rebuttal to the soft teaching of Paul on works. These very people even say that James contradicts Paul’s teaching on faith.
I believe that this is not true. I believe that in these two great men we see two men working toward the same goal and that is the salvation of all.
As I have heard,"Paul and James do not stand face to face fighting each other but they stand back to back, fighting opposite foes."
In the New Testament times there seems to be two extremes, notice these extremes have not changed. On one side there were those, especially in the Jewish realm, who kept every part of the law. We see this in the many reactions to Jesus teachings by the different religious groups. We also see it today in those people who believe that by their good works they will make it to heaven. And because of this group Paul had to combat these heresy ideas. So he penned verses like,
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
and Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
He is not saying that there is NO works after faith but what he is saying that we are saved and only saved by faith in Jesus Christ and not by keeping of the Law.
This brings us to the second extreme. It was that there would be no deeds after belief in Christ. The works of the life does not matter. It is useless and mundane. Here is another popular argument of todays people. I ask people are they saved and they say well I believe in Christ. They never show it by their life but they believe. James says this is not true. True faith is shown by works. What profit is this true faith if it is not continued by the works of the individual? Is the faith that you have real. Paul writes in,
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves.
What is the profit?
Parable of faith
15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be [ye] warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what [doth it] profit?
It is like a brother who comes to us in need. He may be naked and hungry and thirsty. If we say to him," Brother I will pray for you." What does it profit him. Although prayer is good he wants physical things. He wants food not words. Not even words of encouragement. This what Jesus meant when he said in,
John 13:35 By this shall all [men] know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one
to another.
1John 3:17 NASB But whoever has the world’s goods, and beholds his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?
So the love of the father and the love of Jesus Christ is shown by how we treat our brother and if we don’t treat our brother well then we must examine ourselves to see if the love of our father is there.
17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith
without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Out of faith comes works. Without faith there is no works. Without works there is no faith. We are told by Jesus to bear fruit.
John 15:5 I am the vine, ye [are] the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him,
the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness,
goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
The evidence of faith is fruit and works. Now listen to this next verse.
vs 18 Prove me your faith without deeds and I will prove to you my faith with deeds
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also
believe, and tremble.
You say you believe in God. You say that you even believe that there is one God. That there is only one way to heave. Well even the demons believe in that and they tremble at it and the mentioning of his name.
I read a story once that said the head demon came to Satan after the resurrection of Jesus and asked him,"Master what shall we do about this." "Shall we send out our demons into the hearts of authors to write that this Jesus never existed. Shall we bury him in history." "Or shall we put in the hearts of man that he was a fake and that all he taught was not true." "He was a great man but he knew the tricks." Satan said,"No, No let them believe but when the do we will convince them that this is all they need and no work for God this will get them." Satan don’t care that you go to church or that you pay tithes or that you do other things as long as you don’t live for the Lord.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
"O vain man" or "O foolish man" " a man in whom the higher wisdom has found no entrance, but who is puffed up with a vain conceit of his own insight."
Illustration of Faith
A. Abraham
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac
his son upon the altar?
This would seem to be a direct contradiction to Paul’s writing in
Romans 4:3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.
Both Paul and James refers to Abraham in making their argument. Both refer to the birth of Abraham’s son. But Paul refers to the initial belief that God would give him a son. He refers to faith of believing and trusting God before he ever had a son. James now refers to him willing to sacrifice his son on the altar of God. His faith was expressed most of all in this manner when he was willing to give up his most important possession to God. Why? Because he have faith that God would raise him from the dead but the faith was not shown until the deed was attempted.
Genesis 22:12 And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing
unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only [son] from me.
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made
perfect?
His faith was perfected by his works. Works build faith. Our works build our faith. It is actually exciting to do work for the Lord. It lifts me up and builds up my faith.
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it
was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Out of all of this Abraham was called a friend of God. II Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Sum of the argument
B. Rahab
25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent [them] out another way?
Another example. She was justified or her faith was shown by her works. If she had turned away the spies. If she and rejected them and just said she would pray for them then her faith in the Lord would not had been there. She could have said," I will pray for you." or " God be with you." No she showed her faith and it was justified unto her. In one sense she proved her faith in God to God and others.
Hebrews 11:31 By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when
she had received the spies with peace.
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
Finally crux of the argument. "Faith without works is dead". Just as the body without the spirit. They are inseparable. They are together and must be shown together.
I close with this verse,
2 Corinthians 13:5 Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be
reprobates?
