“A Faith That Works!” James 2:14-26
Introduction
As a Marine Sergeant there were many times when I helped out the young troops in my charge with various sorts of favors. Sometimes I was the local financial aid officer, assisting a young Marine in between pay days with the money necessary for a car insurance payment. Sometimes my home was the local USO as Christina and I held thanksgiving dinners for troops who for various reasons would not be heading home for the holidays. This was a part of my job and I never minded it very much; except for one particular favor paid by me to a certain LCPL Rice. John was a fun kid who loved fast cars and big trucks. He had once loaned me his brand new 4wheel drive truck to drive from Yuma Arizona to San Diego California which I very mistakenly, and equally to his disfavor, drove that entire trip with the 4 wheel drive engaged; all the while wondering why the gas mileage was so terribly poor and so impressed with the incredible way the truck seemed to hug the freeway. Not long after that time John purchased a classic corvette of moderate condition, which he had intentions of fully restoring. He was heading to a military school for a few months and asked if I would keep his corvette at my house while he was away. He told me that I could drive it as often as I liked upon the condition that I keep the gas tank full and wash it once in a while. John left for the school over the weekend and I got a ride into the base on Monday morning, found the keys where John had left them for me, and later that day, during the lunch hour I was set to drive home this corvette and then return to the base in my own car. It was July, in Yuma Arizona; it was hot, very HOT. I strapped myself into the low riding corvette, started the car and revved the engine a bit. It had a low growl. Even though he had yet to restore the body, he had done many repairs to the engine and it purred beautifully. I drove out of the front gate and did take the liberty of pushing the speed limit on my way done 32nd street in Yuma, on my way to the foothills where our house was. I noticed on the way home that the oil gage was acting very erratic. In fact it was bouncing all over the place. About 2 miles from home the car began to sputter and slow down, about a mile and a half from home the car began to shake and jerk, the temperature grace shot into the red zone, and then 1 mile from home the engine exploded, seized, and I coasted to a stop. I then pushed that car for the better part of a mile, by myself, in the Desert heat. My hopes of cruising in John’s corvette for the next 3 months were dashed. That car sat in my driveway, motionless until he returned.
I would sometimes sit outside in the corvette and pretending I was cruising in it until Christina would tell me I had to get out of the car because it was pathetic and I was embarrassing her in front of the neighbors! The car looked good, in fact, for a little while it ran for me, but at the end all I had was an attractive lawn ornament; I had the appearance of speed with a broken engine. I had the appearance of real Detroit muscle without any punch. I had something very much akin to what is spoken of in James chapter two. I had something like faith without works, because the car was dead. It was unable to perform its intended purpose. Its purpose was not to reside in my driveway, unable to move, it was built for speed! It was build to race down the road and growl at stops. So it is with our faith. Our faith is not an end unto itself. Faith is not intended for faith’s sake.
Faith that doesn’t work is as useless as a car which cannot drive a plane which lacks the ability to fly, or a ship which cannot sail.
Transition
Our works are not the pathway to salvation; they are the evidence of it. Our goodness, good deeds, transformed thoughts, is not a means by which we access the mercy of God; they are the fruit which mercy bears.
(John 13:35 ESV) “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (Galatians 5:13 ESV) For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.”
Faith without works is dead, not because faith is invalid apart from works, as though works is the starting point, but because a faith that is valid works; a faith that is sincere, transforms, a faith that is born not of selfish motivation or false intentions, but is born as a response to the outpouring of God’s mercy, works.
Exposition
Here is a hard saying: I am convinced that for lack of straightforward, plain, expository biblical preaching, there are many who believe themselves to be in a right relationship with God and yet are not. This can be true of people who have not set foot in a church for many years as well as those in regular attendance and those who profess Christ from a pulpit.
In James 2:14 it says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” (ESV) While the Greek word translated here save (sozo) can refer to salvation in terms of that initial pouring out of grace at one’s initial salvation experience, the time when we first believed, as the Bible says, when upon responding to the outpouring of grace in Christ we respond rightly in faith, when we are born again.
James nearly always uses the word within the context of being saved from the coming judgment of God upon the earth when Christ shall return for His bride the Church and to cleanse the world of sin and rebellion and to establish His earthly reign. So, what James is saying, in context with this overreaching biblical motif, is “can a man’s faith which has no works (no evidence of validity / no power / no substance/) save him from the impending judgment upon Christ return?”
Speaking of the time of His return to judge the living and the dead, Jesus said, “And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:23 ESV) It is nothing short of a deplorable shame that the Church in so routinely neglecting to teach the whole counsel of God, in adopting the attitudes of the culture, in preferring a prosperity message over an identification with Christ message, has too often presented an inadequate Gospel.
Faith is works is dead, inadequate, insufficient, because it is possible to believe something to be true and yet not allow that truth to make a difference in your value system, attitudes, or life. The severely drug addicted know all too well the shortfall of his lifestyle and yet, that knowledge, that belief, does not change anything because the drug addict is trapped in a web of self-deceit.
James says that even the demons believe and tremble or shudder. Their belief in an inadequate form of faith for it is not a saving faith because it has not produced change. Again, it is not the change which saves, not the good works, but the change manifested, the fruit produced, is the evidence of the nature of the faith within; it is the litmus test as to the genuineness of that faith.
So it is that works apart from faith are equally invalid. Why does the one work for Christ but does not have the love of God in his heart. He who believes that in his much activity, apart from the abiding presence of Christ love in his heart, God is pleased has believed a lie and has been deceived.
Listen to the words of Jesus found in Luke 6:39-49, “He also told them a parable: "Can a blind man lead a blind man? Will they not both fall into a pit? A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone when he is fully trained will be like his teacher. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ’Brother, let me take out the speck that is in your eye,’ when you yourself do not see the log that is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take out the speck that is in your brother’s eye. "For no good tree bears bad fruit, nor again does a bad tree bear good fruit, for each tree is known by its own fruit. For figs are not gathered from thornbushes, nor are grapes picked from a bramble bush. The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. "Why do you call me ’Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? Everyone who comes to me and hears my words and does them, I will show you what he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when a flood arose, the stream broke against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who hears and does not do them is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. When the stream broke against it, immediately it fell, and the ruin of that house was great." (ESV)
How do we know that an apple tree is an apple tree? I am no horticulturalist or tree expert, I know that an apple tree is an apple tree because it produces apples. But what fool would ever be expect a pear tree to produce apples. Though he beg the tree to do so, though he yell at the tree to do so, though he beat the tree into submission; no tree will naturally ever produce any fruit other than after its own kind. So it is with us.
Conclusion
I read the account of a seminary professor with regard to a young woman who wanted to grow in her relationship with God. She had come to tell the professor about some difficulties she was having, mainly having to do with her family life. As was his practice, they walked around campus as they talked. After talking for some time about her family situation they turned to other areas of her life. When she reached spiritual matters they had the following exchange: “I need to spend more time working on my relationship with God.” He responded, “Why would you want to do that?” Startled she says, “What do you mean?”
“Well, why would you want to spend any time at all on working on your relationship with God?” “Isn’t that what I’m supposed to do?” “Let me answer by asking you a question. Can you think of anyone, right now, to whom you need to apologize to? Anyone you’ve wronged?” She thinks and answers, “Yes.” “Well, why don’t you give them a call today and ask for their forgiveness. That might be a better use of your time than working on your relationship with God.” The Professor ended his story with this pearl: “I truly want people to spend time working on their relationship with God. I just want them to do it by taking the time to care about the person standing right in front of them.”
Faith without works is dead. What we need is not more seminars and 5-step plans to increase our faith, have better relationships, and grow spiritually. What we need is to have a faith that works. Faith which is kept private, faith which is reserved only for quite time with God and is not on display is like a promise made but never kept, or a check written in a huge amount which, rather than cashing, is placed in a jar, buried deep in the back yard, only to be forgotten about.
Dear Saints of God, in our doing let us never become legalistic, as though it is in the doing that grace is received. At the same time, may we be active participants in the work of God’s superabundant grace as we ascribe to Him through worship – in faith – the immense glory due to His name and as we ascribe the immeasurable worth that God places on every human being by sharing in the work of building God’s Kingdom in this world, in our lives, and in the lives of others!
We need faith. This is true. Faith without expression, faith without transformation, faith without works, is dead. Endeavor today to live in such a manner as this, “Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works!” We need a fully functioning faith; one that works!
Communion
“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Corinthians 11:26-29 ESV)
I have spoken a hard saying to you today. I have suggested that there are some who believe themselves to be in a right standing with God but they are not. I have highlighted the reality that there are many who proclaim Christ with their lips but their hearts are far from Him, as evidenced by the work of their hands, and sadly, in many cases, the lack of work of their hands.
In 2 Corinthians 5:17-21 the Apostle writes, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (ESV)
Dear saints of God, as we partake of the Lord’s Supper let us be ever mindful of the reality of what it is we are doing. In the communion we celebrate the broken body of our savior who has purchased us back from sin and its consequences, reconciled us back to God, and made available the reconciliation we need in our lives with one another!
In Communion we celebrate the newness of life that has been poured out to us freely according to the superabundant grace of Almighty God! Examine your heart, not for a willingness to work to earn favor with God, but examine your heart for the evidence of the gift of faith in Jesus Christ which makes men free; which transforms us from people of religious obligation and disconnection from the pure love of Christ into disciples, pilgrims on the journey of life, sandal shod feed covered in the dust of the trails of this life, walking stick in hand, hands calloused from the journey, eyes transfixed squarely upon the Master of Mercy!
As we take in the elements of Sacred Communion, be reminded that it is by faith that we apprehend Christ and His love, according to the grace of God, which leads to a lifelong process of transformation, which leads to increasing evidence of that transformation in our lives; the fruit of good works. Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by works! Amen.
