The Vitality of Faith
James 2:14-26
Intro: If you’ve studied Romans or Galatians recently, you might come to this particular passage in James and wonder if Paul and James believed the same thing about what it meant to be saved or to be a Christian. Martin Luther was impacted very strongly by the message in Romans that we are made right with God by faith alone! Nothing we can do is good enough to make us worthy of God’s favor and forgiveness. That is why Luther stumbled over the book of James, calling it an epistle of straw, not worthy to be included in our Bibles. In our text today, James says things like this: “Faith without works is dead and can save no one.”
-Well, Paul and James knew each other, and both were likely Torah-observant Jews who kept the Mosaic law and had faith in Yeshua the Messiah – Jesus. I am certain that they both agreed on how to connect with God’s grace and forgiveness and be saved.
-However, they were each writing to different situations. Among James’ purposes in writing, he was addressing the need to bless the poor by helping supply their needs and not to discriminate against them. However, he was also countering the influence of some Jewish pietists who were stirring up revolutionary fervor among the people that would lead to a war with Rome. James is writing to show that just as wisdom is justified by all her children, so the reality of a person’s faith is validated by the actions of a person’s life.
-Have you ever seen a movie or read a book where someone checked for signs of life in a person by holding a mirror in front of someone’s mouth? If the mirror fogged up it showed that the person was breathing – even if ever so slightly. Well, actions are vital signs of real faith. Faith that moves is faith that is alive. And that is the main thought of this message:
Prop: Faith that pleases God must find expression in actions that please God.
TS: I’d like to make a few observations about genuine faith and the actions that should accompany it.
I. Faith is more than words (14-17)
14 What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15 Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
-Faith is more than pious expressions, such as, “Bless you.” It is good to bless people, but only if you are willing to be part of that blessing. Some translations say, “Go in peace,” which may have been the equivalent of the Jewish greeting, “Shalom.” When you greeted someone with shalom, you were agreeing with God’s plan for them, that they would experience wholeness and blessing, lacking nothing. However, if that person had nothing to keep them warm at night and you did nothing to help, then you aren’t being sincere in wanting God’s best for them. Jerusalem nights could be quite cold in the winter, due to the elevation, and a homeless person would not be feeling warm or peaceful in such a predicament. [James likely wrote from Jerusalem, and his readers’ minds could easily take them there, since many of them had either lived or traveled there.]
-In a Peanuts cartoon, Charlie Brown and Linus are inside all bundled up and Snoopy is out in the cold shivering in front of an empty dog food bowl. Charlie and Linus are having a discussion on how sad it is that Snoopy is hungry and cold. "He’s cold and hungry. We ought to do something about it." They walk outside and say to Snoopy, "Be of good cheer, Snoopy." It is reported that Charles Schultz got that idea from this verse. What good is it if you see someone in need and you say, "I feel for you!"
-How often have we said things like “God bless you,” or “Jesus loves you,” or even “Have a good day” to people when they were so miserable that those words didn’t even make sense to them? How could they possibly have a good day when they are lacking peace and wholeness and acceptance? How could they possibly have a good day when they have no hope, and very little to look forward to? How can they have a good day if someone doesn’t take the time to enter their lives?
-Most people around us may not be physically homeless or lacking food, but how many are suffering from emotional starvation, or spiritual homelessness?
-Here’s the thing! I sincerely believe that most of us would help if we could. It’s not that we don’t care, but sometimes we just don’t notice. Why not? Sometimes it is because we are so busy with our own lives, we don’t notice how shabby someone else is feeling or living. Sometimes we don’t notice because it is easier to keep things on a surface level. That way we don’t have to deal with the hard stuff in life. Or possibly, we do notice someone else’s emotional or spiritual poverty, but we really don’t think they are interested in what we have to offer. We sometimes withhold what they need because we are worried they might throw it back in our face.
-We will talk a bit more about how we might offer more than words, but for starters we need to realize that people need more than a few pious words. They need some substance! They need connection. They need someone to step out of the comfort zone into their lives, expressing their faith in a way that makes a difference!
-James says that just as religious words don’t help someone who is cold and hungry, so a profession of faith by itself does no good, if not accompanied by action that pleases God. It’s not that hard to learn to say all the right words, but what’s really in the heart? Faith is more than getting the words right; it is getting the heart right!
II. Faith is more than belief (18-19)
18 But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that-- and shudder.
-To understand these verses, it helps us if we know to whom James was writing. He was writing to Jews who were scattered around the Mediterranean world. These same Jews most likely quoted the Shema two or more times each day, which starts with this: “Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Dt. 6:4).
-It is quite possible that some of James’ readers claimed to have faith and quoted the Shema each day, but did nothing to help the poor and needy. It is also possible that there were others who also claimed faith in God, and quoted the Shema, but were actively participating in illegal, violent behavior, hoping to overthrow the Roman govt.
-So James calls their bluff. He implies, “You believe that the Lord our God is one? Good for you! Even demons believe that. So if belief alone was enough, then all the demons would be saved. Instead, since they chose to live apart from God, they shudder or tremble at His name.” Quoting Scripture will not save you, nor is it sufficient evidence of genuine faith.
-Instead, James says that faith is shown by how a person lives. The argument that one person could have faith while another has deeds does not wash. They are linked, both intrinsically and inextricably. James implies that a comparison of the two brands of faith would show the inferiority of the faith with no works. “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
-It is possible that some Christians today claim to be followers of Christ, but are lacking in obedience and action. They believe in God, but they aren’t really interested in being generous to the poor or in showing mercy to those in need. They may even be prone to violence or other pursuits that are contrary to the nature of the God they claim to believe in. Belief alone is not enough to make the grade of true faith. Let’s visit this final point about how true faith is known.
III. Faith is expressed by how we live (20-26)
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
-James uses 2 main characters from the Jewish OT to show that faith and actions must work together. You could not find two more different people than Abraham and Rahab.
Abraham is a man. Rahab is a woman. Abraham is Jewish. Rahab is a Gentile. Abraham is a patriarch. Rahab is a prostitute. Abraham is a somebody. Rahab is a nobody. Abraham is a major character in the Bible. Rahab is a minor character. Abraham was the friend of God; Rahab had belonged to the enemies of God!
James uses these illustrations to say, it doesn’t matter who you are as long as you’ve got the important thing. They only had one thing in common -- their faith in God. Their faith in God led them to an action. Imagine if they had claimed to believe in God, but never acted on that belief.
-Abraham was called God’s friend because He trusted God enough to act in obedience to Him – even when God was asking for the life of his son, the son through whom God said He would fulfill His promise to give him as many descendents as there were visible stars in the sky! Abraham was very familiar with human sacrifice, since he had grown up in the midst of pagan idolatry. So he wasn’t shocked by God’s request. He trusted God enough to obey Him, and the Lord was able to teach him that He wasn’t the kind of God that required human sacrifice.
-Faith can be expressed with words, and it certainly ties in with belief and trust in God. However, if what we say and what we claim to believe do not find expression in our actions, then our faith is lifeless, and as James says, it is useless faith.
-Obedience is the breath of faith. Faith in action is evidence of faith that is alive. Doing what God says is the vitality of faith! If we consistently neglect to do what God says, a dead or dying faith is revealed. Your faith is only as strong as your obedience.
-Several years ago there was a tightrope walker, Charles Blondin. He was one of the greatest tightrope walkers of all time, and there are many legends told of feats he performed. One of the most often told stories of Blondin is of his crossing over the Niagara Falls on a tightrope. He reportedly did that several times. At some point he turned to his large audience, which included numerous reporters from various newspapers, and he asked them, “How many believe I can walk across this tightrope over the Falls pushing a wheelbarrow?” People cheered loudly — they were sure the great Blondin could do it. Then he asked, “How many believe I can push a wheelbarrow across the tightrope with a man sitting in it?” Again, there was a loud response. Blondin then pointed to one of the most enthusiastic men in the audience, and said, “Okay, you get into the wheelbarrow.” Needless to say, the man made a quick exit.
-Blondin demonstrated that there is often a great difference between the faith we SAY we have, and the faith we really have. The measure of our faith is NOT our just words we use, or what we say we believe. The genuineness of our faith is measured by our actions, as we respond in obedience from our hearts to God and His word to us!
Conclusion: As we close, how alive is your faith? Are there signs of life? Is there any vitality in what you believe? If you are doing the things you know God wants you to do (helping the needy, living a holy life), that shows that your faith is real and it is alive. There is a pulse to your faith! Keep it up! Don’t stop now!
-If faith is not an obvious part of your lifestyle, then you need a change. The purpose of this message is not to invalidate what little faith you have. Rather, it is to remind us that there must not be a disconnect between our belief in God’s word and our actions. If there is, please talk to the Lord about it today and ask Him to forgive you and help you put your faith in action.
-And if you’ve never made a confession of faith in Jesus, asking Him to be your forgiver and leader, why not do that today? As you let Him lead your life, the fact that you follow Him and obey His word is evidence of your faith! A lifestyle of obeying the Lord is the vitality of your faith! If you want to take that step of faith today and ask God to forgive you and lead you, will you raise your hand so I can pray for you?
