INTRODUCTION
1. Open your bibles to James 2:18-26.
2. In our last lesson we discussed two different kinds of faith, from James 2:14-17. We discussed a faith that is not profitable and a faith that is dead. As a contrast to those two faiths, we also discussed a “living faith”.
3. In the remainder of James chapter two, three other kinds of faith are discussed by James.
DISCUSSION
I. FIRST, JAMES 2:18 TEACHES THAT THE CHRISTIAN’S FAITH CAN’T BE SHOWN OR DEMONSTRATED BY JUST MAKING THE STATEMENT THAT THEY HAVE FAITH. JAMES DEMANDS THAT A CHRISTIAN’S FAITH MUST BE PROVEN BY WORKS.
1. Let’s read James 2:18, “But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”
(1) How do we show someone we are a Christian? There are a number of ways we can do that, but one of them is by showing them the kind of life we live—as evinced by the works we accomplish on Christ’s behalf. In the first 13 verses James mentioned the work of being friendly to others.
(2) You can’t just say you’re a Christian; you’ve got to prove it by the things you do. You cannot be a child of God, and not act on Christ’s behalf by carrying out good works.
2. In James 1:26 James teaches that part of what let’s people see that you are trying to be a Christian is by you controlling your language. Let’s read James 1:26, “If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.”
3. In James 1:27 James teaches that part of what let’s people see that you are trying to be a Christian is by you helping the widows and the orphans and they also see you refusing to spot your soul with sinful things. Let’s read James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.” Also, read James 1:21a, “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness…”
4. In James 1:23-25 James teaches that part of what let’s people see that you are trying to be a Christian is by you studying and obeying the bible at home and by faithfully coming to the services of the church. Let’s read James 1:23-25, “For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. 25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”
5. In 1 Tim. 2:9 Paul teaches that part of what let’s people see that you are trying to be a Christian is by you dressing modestly and wearing the right kind of clothes. Let’s read 1 Tim. 2:9, “in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing”
6. The bible teaches us many more things, but these should be enough to motivate Christians to have the kind of faith that James is demanding that we have.
(1) James is stressing that Christians have got to do things that identify them with the faithful.
(2) James is teaching that no Christian is correct when they say, “I’ve got faith and you’ve got works. “Faith” is my strong point and “works” is your strong point. Each one of us is o.k. by just having one or the other.”
(3) James is teaching that faith and works are inseparably linked.
(4) You can not have just works. You also must have faith to back it up. And then you can not have just faith, you must have works to show that you are faithful.
II. SECOND, JAMES 2:19 TEACHES THAT OUR FAITH MUST BE MORE THAN MENTAL AGREEMENT WITH WHAT THE BIBLE TEACHES ABOUT GOD, BECAUSE THAT KIND OF FAITH IS NO BETTER THAN THE FAITH OF THE DEMONS.
1. Let’s read James 2:19, “You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!”
2. The belief that there is only one God, James says is correct. There are many people that believe that there is more than one God. This is a false teaching to have faith in.
3. Let’s read a passage that teaches that there is only one God.
(1) Turn to 1 Cor. 8:4-6. Here, Paul draws a contrast between the many “gods” (spelled with a little g) that were associated with idol worship and our Great one and only true God.
(2) Let’s read 1 Cor. 8:4-6, “Therefore concerning the eating of things offered to idols, we know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is no other God but one. 5 For even if there are so-called gods, whether in heaven or on earth (as there are many gods and many lords), 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.”
(3) Many bible passages teach that there is one God and the devils are correct in that belief, and interestingly they even go a step beyond “belief”. The demons also, “tremble”.
(4) James says, “Thou doest well”. The acceptance of the proposition of one God is not under criticism; this is obligatory. But acceptance of the proposition by itself is not sufficient to save a lost soul.
4. Let’s read a few verses that tell us some things that the demons believe relating to God and Christ.
(1) Turn to Mark 3:11&12. This, along with many other passages, teach that the demons believed that Jesus was deity – that is that He was divine and possessed characteristics that qualified Him to be God the Son. Let’s read Mark 3:11&12, “And the unclean spirits, whenever they saw Him, fell down before Him and cried out, saying, “You are the Son of God.” 12 But He sternly warned them that they should not make Him known”.
(2) Turn to Luke 8:31. This passage teaches that the demons believed in the existence of a place of condemnation. Let’s read Luke 8:31, “And they (the demons mentioned in v. 30) begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss.”
(3) Turn to Matt. 8:28&29. This passage teaches that the demons believed that Jesus will be the Judge! Let’s read Matt. 8:28&29, “When He had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. 29 And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”
(4) Certainly, every Christian must have a faith that believes in the deity of Christ – a faith that believes in hell and a faith that believes that Jesus will return to be our Judge!
5. Something else about the demons and their faith that challenges us is the fact that the demons were touched in their emotions: verse 19, the later part say, “Even the demons believe – and tremble”!
(1) The man with the “dead faith” is only touched in his intellect.
(2) The demons being touched in their emotions show a stronger faith than one just touched by their intellect.
6. Can the intellectual or the emotional faith save one?
(1) No, neither one by their self can save a person.
(2) Neither can both of those kinds of faith save a person.
(3) James makes it so clear that one must have intellectual and emotional faith and then also have an active, working faith. A faith that strives to obey all of what God teaches.
(4) James has mentioned faith that endures during trials, a faith that doesn’t doubt as he prays, a faith doesn’t put material riches ahead of God, a faith that admits that the individual is to blame for his or her own sins,
a faith that will swift to hear God’s word and use the N. T. as a spiritual mirror and keep ones self spiritually groomed to please God, a faith that will bridle their tongue, a faith that will help the widows and orphans, a faith that will be friendly to all who attend the services of the church and a faith that will be profitable and spiritually alive!
(5) Are all of these things, discussed thus far in the book of James, things that are characteristic of your faith? If so, you are maturing as God and Christ expect you to mature! If not, you need to work hard in each of the areas that you show a lack of adequate faith.
III. THIRD, JAMES 2:20 TEACHES THAT THE CHRISTIAN’S FAITH MUST BE MORE THAN “DEAD FAITH” OR GOD WILL PLACE THEM INTO THE CATEGORY OF “THE VAIN AND EMPTY HEADED”.
1. Let’s read James 2:20, “But do you want to know, O foolish [kjv “vain”, which means empty headed] man, that faith without works is dead?”
(1) It is interesting that James gets the point across about one falling into the category of being a foolish, vain or empty headed man by asking a question. “But do you want...”
(2) I am thinking that the “foolish, vain or empty headed person” will really not ever want to understand “that faith without words is dead” because when he finally comprehends this truth it will be on judgment day and then it will be too late for him to change his ways.
2. The kind of faith described (faith without works) is the same that the denominational world claims is sufficient to save a person. “Faith only” as the denominational world teaches falls under the condemnation of the inspired writer, James.
3. The Greek word translated “foolish” or “vain” means empty or without content and out in ever day life it refers to containers that are empty. James uses the word to refer to heads and minds that are empty of the real truth of God’s word about the necessity of doing the works of God.
4. James is trying to reinforce his point. He mentions it in verse 17, “Faith without works is dead.” He repeats himself in verse 20, “Faith without works is dead.” He’ stresses it a third time in verse 26, “Faith without works is dead.”
5. Why do some in the religious world teach that we are saved by faith alone? James makes it very clear, “You are not saved by faith alone!”
6. In fact, if you look at the New Testament, you will not find that any one thing is said to save us.
(1) Rather, we are saved by a number of things in conjunction with one another. We are saved by our belief, but not by belief only.
(2) We are saved by repentance, but not by repentance only. We are saved by confession, but not by confession only. We are saved by baptism, but not by baptism only.
(3) We are saved by walking in the light of God’s word and continuing in the grace of God.
7. Considering the way that James stresses how we are not saved by “faith only,” how could anyone come to the Bible for justification of the concept of “salvation by faith only”?
(1) If we were saved by faith only, then that would exclude the grace of God, as well as His mercy.
(2) James’ point is that a faithful Christian has to be one who exhibits good works in his life. James is not talking about us “earning” or “meriting” our salvation.
8. Some people come to this passage in James and say, “If you say that you’re saved by works, then you’re talking about a meritorious system in which you ‘earn’ your salvation.”
(1) That is not true. As a matter of fact, Paul addressed that in Ephesians 2:8-10 when he noted that we are saved “by grace through faith.”
(2) This indicates faithfulness. We are “saved by grace through faithfulness, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast, for we are His workmanship, created in Christ for good works.”
9. Obviously, Paul and James are not contradicting one another, since they both were under the guidance of the same Holy Spirit, which aided them as they wrote down the Word of God infallibly.
(1) The truth is, Paul and James are in complete harmony. Paul is saying that although we must have works, they are not the kinds of works that allow us to merit or earn our salvation.
(2) James is saying that if we don’t have the same kinds of works that Paul addressed—works that show we are faithful—then we are not going to be saved.
CONCLUSION
1. James and Paul teach that there is a difference in conditional and meritorious works.
2. James is talking about conditional works, not meritorious works.
(1) Conditional works are those things I must do to receive the free gift of salvation that God has given me.
(2) It’s like any gift that someone wants to give you.
3. Suppose someone puts a hundred-dollar bill in front of you and says that they are willing to give it to you—free. You still have to walk up to that hundred-dollar bill, pick it up, and put it in your pocket. Those are conditions you had to meet to receive the gift.
(1) It was a free gift, but you still had to go through several different steps to get the gift. The same is true in regard to salvation.
(2) In fact, one of the great proofs of the inspiration of the Bible is that, long before people invented various false doctrines, the Bible had already defeated those doctrines.
4. Many of our religious friends say, “We are saved by faith only.” But the Bible says that we are not saved by faith only.
(1) “Faith only” is a doctrine that applies to demons (Jas. 2:19, “The demons believe and tremble”), but are demons going to be saved? Of course not!
(2) Why not? Because they did not do more than merely “believe” and “tremble”’ but they did not and do not obey God!
5. The concept of salvation by faith only is a doctrine that comes straight from the devil himself. The kind of faith God wants us to have is not “faith only,” but faith combined with conditional works.
6. Such works do not earn salvation for us, but are things we must do to be pleasing to the God of Heaven. Jesus said in Matthew 7:21, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”
(1) Those people believed in Jesus, and were willing to call Him “Lord.” But that was not enough. Jesus said that those who do the will of the Father are the ones who will be saved.
(2) Jesus is the author of salvation to all those who obey Him (Heb. 5:8&9).
(3) In the Book of Romans, faith is emphasized as “the obedience of faith” (Rom. 1:5; 16:26). Such faith is obedient trust in God.
7. We encourage you to obey the plan of salvation! We encourage you to confess and ask the church to pray with you as we stand and sing!
