Real or Fake Faith
James 2:14-26
July 26, 2020
I want to tell you about an experiment performed by 2 social psychologists at Princeton University in 1973. They wanted to determine if thinking religious thoughts would lead to people helping others in need. It sounds worthwhile.
This is what they did - -
Working with the Princeton seminary, they got seminary students to unknowingly participate. All of the students had to write an emergency 3-5 minute talk about how to help those in need. Half the students had to apply the Parable of the Good Samaritan from the gospel of Luke into their talk.
Then an assistant would come by and tell some they had to hurry to the building to give their talk. Others were told to go to the building, they could take their time.
They psychologists wanted to see if there was a correlation between hurry, religious thoughts, and helping others. Are you with me so far?
As the students approached the building, there was an actor sitting on the steps who looked like they were in need. Their head was down, they were slumped and they would cough a bit.
Each time one of the students would pass the actor, he would rate their response, using a scale of 1-6. 1 meaning they did nothing and 6 meant they stopped and wanted to help.
The students who were in a rush were much less helpful toward the man in need compared to those in no rush.
But remember they all had just thought about ways to help others. Some had just thought about a very relevant Bible story. Did it make a difference?
Not at all!!
Students on their way to give a talk about the parable of the Good Samaritan were no more likely to help.
The researchers noted, “on several occasions, seminary students going to give a talk on the parable of the Good Samaritan literally stepped over the victim!”
OOPS! That’s not good! So, why tell the story? We’ve been talking about the fact that God calls us to go into the world and make a difference. We are to put our faith into action. I know in our present world the stakes have changed and we might be more reluctant to help that person who is coughing on the steps.
We’ve also been looking at the book of James and checking out what he had to say to us about faith and actions. Last week we were looking at what fake faith is. Today we’re going to move into looking at faith in action.
In James 1, we read -
22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. - James 1:22-25
As James says in verse 22, be doers of the word, not hearers only, thus deceiving ourselves.
Now, some background will make what James is saying a little clearer. James is writing to a predominantly Jewish audience. Which is something we need to hold onto as we look at what he’s writing.
Remember James is adding to what Paul said about salvation by grace, through faith. Salvation is not about works. And James is building upon the foundation Paul set for us.
But, why is there so much of an emphasis by James on not just hearing, but doing?! Here’s where knowing the audience is helpful.
When someone tells us to listen or ‘you’ve got to hear this.’ We don’t think of anything other than just hearing some noise, words or whatever it is.
Now, for the Jews, that is different. These Jewish Christians James is talking to -- would have prayed the most holy prayer every day from Deuteronomy 6:4,
4 Hear O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. - Deuteronomy 6:4
This verse has been simply called The Shema. It’s called that because the first word in that verse is the word Shema. It is the holiest of all prayers for Jewish people. It’s rooted in deep, deep theology . . . It’s also a very Christocentric verse as well. It’s about the fact that there is only 1 God.
Shema means to hear, listen, or obey. But for Jews that word means more than just hear something. And that’s what James is trying to get us to understand.
The Hebrew word means what Jesus said on a number of occasions. He would tell us “Have ears to hear.”
What Jesus was getting at and what James is also getting at is this - - -
Pay full attention, listen as if your life depends on it. Then immediately incorporate it into your life. Adapt every aspect of what you’ve heard into your thoughts, into your hearts, your words, character and conduct. Live out what you’ve heard.
Now, consider what James is telling us. Don’t just hear . . . but take what you hear and obey it and incorporate that into your life.
We think this way - - “I know it when I understand it.”
Hebrew thinking is this way, “I know it, because I do it.”
Let’s go back to what James was telling us in 2:14-17 - -
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
You see in the Jewish way of thinking - - you can’t have God-talk without God-acts. Can you talk about it, but not show it in your life? James says NO WAY! The two are one.
When Jesus was asked what’s the greatest commandment, He said, “Love God and the 2nd is close to it, love your neighbor.” They go together. You can’t love God without loving your neighbor. You can’t have God-talk without God-acts.
We know from last week, that you can’t just say “I’m a believer, trust me.” You need to have the actions behind it. You can’t say I believe, because even the demons believe, and they shudder. Which may be more than what we do.
James tells us - - It’s NOT either/or. Stop looking for the loopholes, for the easy way out. It’s both/and. Works and faith. Faith and works. That’s all that works!
Of course we can’t earn our salvation by doing good works. If that was the case, then Jesus didn’t need to come to save us from our sinfulness. He would have just given us a flowchart so we could know if we’ve don’t enough good. It’s not either/or.
James isn’t saying, "You’d better do good works if you want to be saved." He’s saying, “If you truly believe, you will show it by what you do.”
He’s not saying, ‘IF you do good deeds THEN you’ll be saved.”
He’s saying the opposite - “IF you’ve been saved, THEN you’ll do good works.” Faith without works, won’t work! It’s dead faith.
In 2 Corinthians 13:5, Paul wrote -
5 Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? — unless indeed you fail to meet the test! - 2 Corinthians 13:5
So what’s the test? What’s the true test of faith? Repentance - belief in Jesus, which is shown in love for God - - - followed by love for one another. Love then becomes the ultimate test of faith. James says faith is proven by how you love your brothers and sisters.
And who are your brothers and sisters? The church.
James writes about brothers 15 times — and each time he’s talking about the church. God’s family. He sees the church as being his family. It’s deep and strong. The blood of Jesus unites them and us. Remember, James’ half-brother is Jesus. Mary’s his Mom, Joseph is James’ dad.
Family was no longer only about your nuclear family, but now more than anything it encompassed the church, the people of faith were now your family. That’s why passages like Acts 2:42-47 typify what the early church family looked like.
It was almost communal living. They shared everything together, they ate together, read scripture, prayed and worshiped together, gave away their possessions to those in need, They were together encouraging one another. That’s the early church, acting just like a family.
Whatever family meant and looked like before, Jesus has made all things new. God the Father wanted a family and the church is the family of God. James says you show you belong to Jesus, when as part of His family you care for the other members. Because only faith that works, works.
To illustrate what James is saying - - - he gives us 2 examples. He wrote -
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;
Think back to the Father of faith - Abraham. He prayed, hoped, and waited all his life for a son. He’s 100 years old when Isaac is born. Then a few years later, God tests his faith. Genesis 22 is a faith/love test.
2 God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” - Genesis 22:2
I can picture the response - - “Lord, that’s an interesting question to ponder. You and I both know I love you more than anything.” Can Abraham stay there, and have faith? Can faith stay in a tent at the bottom of the mountain? Can faith say to God, “I need to figure this all out first. This doesn’t seem like a great idea. I thought you were my friend. I don’t get it. But I still believe in my head that you exist!” Is that faith? No.
Faith has to put walking boots on, and go up the mountain – with his son.
As they’re climbing the mountain, Isaac looks at his dad and says, “We’ve got the wood, but where’s the lamb for the burnt offering?” Then Abraham looks at him and said -
8 Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.”
Faith says, “God will provide.” Faith knows, before you know. That is faith. When I have no idea what God is up to.
Martin Luther said this was “blind faith.” Faith without reason. Soren Kierkegaard called it the “leap of faith.”
But you know what? This wasn’t blind faith. It was reasonable. Abraham was trusting the God he knew. He’d seen so many times that God is a provider. Isaac himself was a miracle. So he hung onto what he knew. He knew who God is and what He could do. It was not a leap in the dark, but a step into the light. And here’s the really cool thing . . . All the time Abraham was walking up one side of the mountain, God was sending a ram up the other side, the side of the mountain that he couldn’t see.
See that? That’s what faith is. Faith says - - “I trust you God!” The God who can raise the dead, can do anything! When you know that God didn’t spare His own Son but gave Him up for us, you never need to doubt that He loves you. That’s faith, that works.
James’ final picture of faith comes from an outsider. He said -
25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. - James 2:25-26
We read about Rahab in the book of Joshua. She’s not one of God’s chosen people. She’s a Canaanite living in the walled city of Jericho where the enemies of God’s people live. But she’s heard about this God who’s coming with His people. How they came out of Egypt years before by walking across the Red Sea as if it was dry land, and now they’re just on the other side of the River Jordan!
So when the Israelites send spies into the city, Rahab helps them. She hides them. Why? She says, “I heard about your God, Yahweh, please - I want to be saved.” They say, ‘When our God comes to destroy this place, if you will tie a scarlet cord in the window as a sign of that faith, you’ll be saved.” And she did that, and when the walls came tumbling down, hers didn’t. So now Rahab is also listed in the heroes of faith with Abraham in Hebrews 11.
She came into a new family, the family of God, by faith. And it’s a great story. She married a Jewish man called Salmon. They had a son called Boaz, who married another foreigner - Ruth. Ruth was the great grandmother of King David.
Now . . . jump to Matthew’s Gospel. And Matthew tells us that Rahab was the great, great, great — well, 30 generations — grandmother of a man called Joseph. Whose son was called Jesus of Nazareth, who was and is the only begotten Son of God - - our Lord - - - our Messiah - - - our Savior - - - our Redeemer.
Faith in action. That’s what this is about. We have an amazing opportunity to demonstrate to the world what faith looks like.
Let people see your faith through your actions, not your actions through your faith. Let your actions be real and intentional, filled with grace and love, through the power of Jesus. That will make a difference.
