What Kind of Faith Do You Have?
James 2:14-26
Intro
If you have a Facebook account on your computer at home to keep up with friends and family, you will have seen quizzes taken by people you know, which are usually titled “What kind of…” or “Which one of…” They are just for fun and can be very interesting as well. We not going to use a computer, but I want us to take a quiz like that tonight. And the title of the quiz is, “What kind of Faith do you have?”
In 1991 James Patterson and Peter Kim took on the task of surveying America and tabulating the results. The results were given in their book entitled, “The Day America Told the Truth.” In the chapter dealing with America’s religious beliefs they stated that 90% of the people questions said that they truly believed in God. Yet they also discovered that of those who said they believed in God – 50% had not been to church in at least three months and one out of three had not been in a service in a year. Something is wrong when what people say they believe does not affect the way they live. Something is wrong with this kind of faith!!!
George Barna claims that in his surveys – four out of five Americans claim to be Christians. Yet what they say they believe has very little to do with how they live their lives. As a nation we are drowning in drugs and pornography. The faith that the majority of Americans claim to have does not affect they way they live. Something is wrong with this kind of faith!!!
This is the very condition that James was speaking of in our text tonight. Living a life as though God’s Word was merely advice and it is up to us to make our own decisions about right and wrong.
Where is the faith that many Americans say they adhere to. “Someone has said that faith is like calories, you can’t see them, but you can see their results!”
As we look in on James chapter 2 tonight, I want us to see the true nature of real faith and see what James gives as the foundation of that faith.
I. Real Faith is more than Just an Intellectual Acceptance of the Gospel Facts (vv. 14-17)
• Some people depend on the fact that they have intellectually accepted the facts of the Gospel as assurance that they are saved.
o Yet it is interesting to consider that the Bible never tries to prove the existence of God.
o It very plainly states that the man who denies the existence of God is not in his right mind.
o The Psalmist said, “The fool has said in his heart, there is no God.” (Ps. 14:1)
• Therefore the man who is content because he believes in the existence of God really has nothing to pride himself on.
o He has something commonly held by nearly all intelligent people.
• James says in verse 14, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can faith save him?”
o Some find the phrase, “Can faith save him” confusing.
o But the literal translation would be, “Can that faith save him?”
o That question that James wants to answer is not whether works without faith can save us, but whether a dead faith, one which produces no transformation, can save us.
• What about the person who claims to believe the gospel but whose practice never matches his or her claims?
o How should we regard the spiritual state of some people who claim to be Christians but who never live like it?
o Are such people safe in their assurance of Heaven, or are they simply the possessors of hellfire insurance sold by the Devil himself.
• James goes on in verses 15-16 to draw a comparison for us when he says, “If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, Depart in peace; be warmed and filled, but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?”
o James illustrates his point with a simple story.
o A church member was starving form lack of food and cold because of inadequate clothing.
o Another member, well aware of the need, responded to the person with a heartfelt wish for his prosperity but without doing anything tangible.
o He wished God’s peace and wholeness upon his fellow believer.
o What may have sounded spiritual was, in reality, pitiful.
o The whole world would agree that this man is a hypocrite and a fraud, and we are ashamed and embarrassed that he professes to believe in Jesus – all of which is James’ intention here.
• James draws a conclusion on this thought in verse 17, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
o Faith that does not result in obedience to the word of god is without life.
o No man can come into contact with Christ and remain the same any more than a person can come in contact with a high voltage wire and remain the same.
• Real faith is more than just an intellectual acceptance of the Gospel facts.
II. Real Faith is more than an Emotional Experience (vv. 18-19)
• Some people think they have a pass to heaven just because they believe in the existence of God.
o James confounds this with the evidence that the Demon’s also believe in the existence of God.
o Think for a moment what the Demon’s not only believe – but what they know from experience.
They believe in the existence of God.
They believe in the deity of Christ.
They believe in the Virgin Birth.
They believe in the Reality of Hell.
They believe in the Resurrection of Christ
They believe in the Coming Judgment.
• The demons know there is a God, even demons know Jesus is who he said he is, that He is the son of God sent by the Father to save all those who believe in Him.
o The difference between demons and Christians is not knowledge, the difference is that Christians faithfully submit to the Lordship of Christ and become His followers.
o Not only do the Demons believe, but James says, “The demons also believes, and trembles”
• Real faith is more than an emotional experience alone
III. Real Faith Produces Change (vv. 20-26)
• Real faith is based on the Word of God.
o Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.”
• Real faith involves the whole person: intellect, emotion, and will.
• Real faith always leads to action.
• For faith to be real there must be a response to the Word.
• Jesus illustrates this principle by the use of two well known Biblical persons, Abraham and Rahab (vv. 21-26)
o You could not have found two more different persons.
Abraham was a Jews, Rahab was a Gentile.
Abraham was a godly man, Rahab was a sinful woman.
Abraham was the friend of God, while Rahab belonged to the enemies of God.
o What did they have in common?
o Both exercised saving faith in God.
Abraham’s faith is seen in verses 21-24.
• It was Abraham’s works that demonstrated his salvation to others.
• Abraham was first justified before God by faith and later justified before men by his works.
Rahab’s faith is described in verses 25-26.
• Rahab was a resident of the city of Jericho.
• Her story is told in Joshua chapters 2 and 6.
• When Joshua sent the spies into the city to get the lay of the land, there they meet Rahab who protected them and in so doing confirmed that she believed in what God said and what God was doing.
• Rahab heard the Word and believed.
• Rahab responded with her mind and her emotions but also with her will, she did something about it.
She risked her life to protect the spies.
• Her mind recognized the truth, her heart was stirred by the truth and her will acted upon the truth.
• She proved her faith by works.
o In the case of both Abraham and Rahab they vindicated their claims to believe in God by the conduct of their lives.
If what we claim as faith doesn’t lead to obedience, it is dead, empty, fruitless, and will not save.
Closing
If you believe that Christ is the Lord of Your Life, Good!! But what are you doing to prove that faith? What kind of faith do you have?
