Series Title: Being Real an Automated World
How to be Real in Human Relationships
James 2:1 – 26
1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.
3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—well,
4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the Kingdom he promised to those who love him?
6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag you into court?
7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you bear?
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.
11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law that sets you free.
13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others. But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,
16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.
20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete.
23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.
26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.
Introduction:
A- The reality of our faith can be tested.
1- At the end of James chapter 1, the writer established acid tests that are
designed to expose the genuineness of a believer’s faith.
a- The test of obedience (James 1:22 – 25)
b- The test of true religion (James 1:26 – 27)
B- In chapter two, James instructs us about being real in human
relationships.
1- The principles that he lays out and the searchlight of God’s word
directly into our interaction with other people.
a- It is impossible to be properly related to God if we are improperly
related to other people.
b- When we are improperly related to other people, we give the world
opportunity to criticize our Lord and ridicule Christianity.
2- It is imperative that we exercise genuine, biblical Christianity in
our human relationships in order to be able to proclaim the good
news of Christ effectively.
We must be real in our attitudes toward others (James 2:1 – 13).
Real Faith in Christ is incompatible with favoritism
(James 2:1 – 4).
1 My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim to have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people over others?
2 For example, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in dirty clothes.
3 If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, “You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor”—
well, 4 doesn’t this discrimination show that your judgments are guided by evil motives?
A question that needs answering: (James 2:1)
The question that James asks assumes a negative answer.
A practical illustration of the problem: (James 2:2 – 3)
The example James gives illustrates a practical problem.
3. A Pointed Indictment: (James 2:4).
Prejudicial treatment of others is born from evil motives.
B. Real faith in Christ is exercised when we make an honest
assessment of people based upon biblical principles (James 2:5 – 7).
5 Listen to me, dear brothers and sisters. Hasn’t God chosen the poor in
this world to be rich in faith? Aren’t they the ones who will inherit the
Kingdom he promised to those who love him?
6 But you dishonor the poor! Isn’t it the rich who oppress you and drag
you into court?
7 Aren’t they the ones who slander Jesus Christ, whose noble name you
bear?
1. Worldly possessions do not constitute eternal reality (James 2:5).
2. The Stark Reality: we sometimes tend to allow our loyalties to become
confused (James 2:6 – 7).
C. Real faith in Christ calls us to live by a higher standard
(James 2:8 – 13).
8 Yes indeed, it is good when you obey the royal law as found in the
Scriptures: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
9 But if you favor some people over others, you are committing a sin. You
are guilty of breaking the law.
10 For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a
person who has broken all of God’s laws.
11 For the same God who said, “You must not commit adultery,” also
said, “You must not murder.” So if you murder someone but do not
commit adultery, you have still broken the law.
12 So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will be
judged by the law that sets you free.
13 There will be no mercy for those who have not shown mercy to others.
But if you have been merciful, God will be merciful when he judges you.
1. The higher standard: the royal law of love (James 2: 8).
2. There is a higher accountability for God’s people (James 2: 9 – 13)
II. we must be real in our actions toward others
(James 2:14 – 26) .
Real faith in Christ is unbelievable without practical demonstration (James 2:14, 17-18).
14 What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have
faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save
anyone?
17 So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good
deeds, it is dead and useless.
18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have
good deeds.”
Faith that produces no action is of no practical worth (James 2:14).
Real faith is only validated by practical action (James 2:17 – 18).
real faith in Christ is made believable when it motivates action (James 2:15 – 16).
15 Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing,
16 and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat
well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing.
What good does that do?
1. the practical test:
How do we respond when confronted with practical need?
Empty platitudes?
empty Platitudes wishing for a better future
Empty platitudes without empathy or sympathy
Empty promises?
Promises of prayer support without follow-through
Promises of help that never materialize
C. Real faith in Christ Must move beyond mere profession
(James 2:19 – 26).
19 You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God.
Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in
terror.
20 How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is
useless?
21 Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to
be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on
the altar?
22 You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions
made his faith complete.
23 And so it happened just as the Scriptures say: “Abraham
believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his
faith.” He was even called the friend of God.
24 So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do,
not by faith alone.
25 Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be
right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and
sent them safely away by a different road.
26 Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead
without good works.
mental assent without obedience is useless
Faith + obedience = real (complete) faith
Example of Abraham (James 2:23) (Genesis 15:6)
Example of Rahab (James 2:25) (Joshua 2:1-21)
Body - breath (spirit) = dead
Faith - obedience = dead (useless) faith
Conclusion:
Being real in an automated world requires that we understand that real faith requires us to be real in our human relationships. We must live out the faith that we claim to have on the inside. James is given us two practical ways to demonstrate the reality of our faith:
1. We must be real in our attitudes toward others.
2. we must be real in our actions toward others.
God, through James, has given us these basic principles to guide our actions toward fellow believers, and other people in general. He has also established these two principles as tests by which other people can assess our faith. The world does not need automated believers, who live fake faith. As followers of Christ, we need to remember the words of James and the words of the poet who wrote,
“You are writing a gospel,
a chapter each day.
by the deeds that you do
and the words that you say.
men read what you write,
whether faithful or true.
Say, what is the gospel,
according to you?”
The writer could have added another line about the attitudes we express toward others in our daily lives. The question we must answer is this:
“Do our attitudes and actions demonstrate that our faith is real?”
It is time that we were painfully honest with ourselves. If there are issues with our attitudes or actions toward others, it is time for us to do business with our Lord. Repentance is not only for unbelievers. Because we are all sinners saved by grace, we are quite often candidates for repentance ourselves. How will you respond to the Holy Spirit of God as he is pointing out issues in your own life? Will you not repent and recommit your life to Christ? Will you not decide to be real in an automated world?
