Visible Faith – Part 1
Scripture: Second Corinthians 5:7; Hebrews 11:1, 6; James 2:14-26
Good morning Strangers Rest. The title of my message this morning is “Visible Faith.” If you recall from my message last Sunday, I talked with you from the topic of “A Time for Faith.” In that message, I spoke about the seasons of life that we experience and how the presence of God’s Word in our lives and exercised on will guide us through them. I reminded you of what is recorded in Second Corinthians 5:7 which say, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” I also reminded you that Romans 10:17 say, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” My point last week was that we are required to walk by faith and the only way we can do that is to have faith which comes through the word of God. This morning, I will be building on this thought as I share with you how our faith, real faith, is visible to others. W. H. Griffith Thomas wrote, “Faith commences with the conviction of the mind based on adequate facts; it continues in the confidence of the heart or emotions based on the above conviction; and it is crowned in the consent of the will, by means of which the conviction and confidence are expressed in conduct.” Faith requires something of us and that something is action.
Remember what is recorded in Hebrews chapter eleven about what faith is? I want to read this verse from the Amplified Bible because it will further support what we are going to be reading in the book of James. It says, “Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality--faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses].” (Hebrews 11:1) In thinking about our faith being visible to others, the writer of Hebrews explains how this happens. He says faith is our assurance of things we hope to receive. The writer further states that it is the evidence of things not yet seen but having conviction that they do exist. Do you see the connection here? Faith is visible because we believe the promise from God that something exists that has yet to physically manifest itself. This is what others see in us when we believe God for something before we receive it. They witness our faith in action. It is our actions once we believe something that gives proof to our faith. This is why Hebrews 11:6, again from the Amplified Bible, says, “But without faith it is impossible to [walk with God and] please Him, for whoever comes [near] to God must [necessarily] believe that God exists and that He rewards those who [earnestly and diligently] seek Him.” When we say that we believe God exists then our faith is evident in how we act. We “act” like we believe God exists and we begin to seek out what God has to say about how we choose to live. Are we living for ourselves or are we choosing to live for Him because of our professed faith in Him? This is the point that James brings out in his book. Our foundation Scripture will be James 2:14-26, and we will crisscross through the Bible to further explain the examples that James uses.
But, before we read what James wrote, I want to first remind you of who he was because understanding this will add another level of understanding as to how he reached the conclusion that he did about faith. James was the half-brother of Jesus. He was the son of Mary and Joseph and had other brothers and sisters. James was initially skeptical of Jesus's claims, and we see this recorded in John 7:3-5 which says, “(3) His brothers therefore said to Him, ‘Depart from here and go into Judea, that Your disciples also may see the works that You are doing. (4) For no one does anything in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these things, show Yourself to the world.’ (5) For even His brothers did not believe in Him.” Here is something to consider, it’s interesting to me that Jesus did not do the works to gain a following or to gain recognition. His works flowed from His heart of simply doing His Father’s will. But we don’t see that today in some of our Church leaders. They want to be followed. They want recognition. But they don’t have Jesus’s heart for people. Just something to think about. After Jesus’s resurrection, James became a believer and an Apostle. He also became a leader in the Church and played a prominent role in the Jerusalem Council. So, this James, who authored the book of James, became a believer, a man of faith, after Jesus’s resurrection. Strangers Rest, this is the man who wrote about faith being visible to others. Now let us read what he wrote. Please turn to James chapter two and we will begin with verse fourteen. Again, James will be the foundation verses that I will keep coming back to with the other examples in Scripture.
I will be reading James 2:14-26 from the Amplified Bible. “(14) What is the benefit, my fellow believers, if someone claims to have faith but has no [good] works [as evidence]? Can that [kind of] faith save him? [No, a mere claim of faith is not sufficient--genuine faith produces good works.]” James asks the question of what benefit is there for someone to say they have faith but has no work as evidence of it. This is the first statement of proof that our faith is to be visible to others. Remember what Jesus said in John chapter fourteen when He was preparing His disciples for His departure? Thomas said that they did not know where He was going and asked how they could know the way. Jesus then explained to them again Who He was and His relationship to the Father. But its verses ten through twelve that I want to call your attention to. Jesus said, “(10) Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. (11) Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. (12) Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.” (John 14:10-12) Jesus said if for no other reason they should believe His relationship to the Father because of the “works” that He had been doing. Those works were the evidence of His faith and relationship to the Father. The same applies to us and this is what James was stressing. Let’s continue reading what James wrote.
“(15) If a brother or sister is without [adequate] clothing and lacks [enough] food for each day, (16) and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace [with my blessing], [keep] warm and feed yourselves,’ but he does not give them the necessities for the body, what good does that do? (17) So too, faith, if it does not have works [to back it up], is by itself dead [inoperative and ineffective].” James gives the example of someone in need of food and clothing and another person who knows this and can do something about it refuses to do so. Instead of providing what they need (evidence of their faith in Christ) they tell them to go away in peace – with their blessing – and be warmed and fed. How are they supposed to do that without any help? James asks what good is that profession of faith when there is no work to back it up. He says that faith without true works to back it up is dead – inoperative and ineffective. Let’s continue reading.
James continues with, “(18) But someone may say, ‘You [claim to] have faith and I have [good] works; show me your [alleged] faith without the works [if you can], and I will show you my faith by my works [that is, by what I do].’ (19) You believe that God is one; you do well [to believe that]. The demons also believe [that], and shudder and bristle [in awe-filled terror--they have seen His wrath]! (20) But are you willing to recognize, you foolish [spiritually shallow] person, that faith without [good] works is useless?” James says that one person “claims” to have faith in words only while his faith is proven by the works that he does. There is a difference. But I want to call out what he says in verse nineteen. There are many people walking around claiming to believe in God as if that belief is enough to save them. James makes it clear that just believing in God is not enough. He said the demons believe in God and shudder as they have seen His wrath when they were kicked out of heaven. In verse twenty James asks again, very pointedly, if they are willing to admit that faith without “good” works is useless. If you are wondering what’s the difference between works and “good works” then let me tell you. You can do work in religious service that aids no one. You can read your Bible which is work, and then not believe it and therefore do not act on it. Your work therefore is useless. But good works are those things done in faith that impact the lives of others. Those works will aid those in need and bring others to Christ. What kind of work are you doing in your faith walk?
James proceeds by giving us two examples. The first one pertains to Abraham. He says, “(21) Was our father Abraham not [shown to be] justified by works [of obedience which expressed his faith] when he offered Isaac his son on the altar [as a sacrifice to God]? (22) You see that [his] faith was working together with his works, and as a result of the works, his faith was completed [reaching its maturity when he expressed his faith through obedience]. (23) And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND THIS [faith] WAS CREDITED TO HIM [by God] AS RIGHTEOUSNESS and AS CONFORMITY TO HIS WILL," and he was called the friend of God. (24) You see that a man (believer) is justified by works and not by faith alone [that is, by acts of obedience a born-again believer reveals his faith].” You know this story very well. God asks Abraham to sacrifice His son, and Abraham does not deny Him. Abraham did not ask God why nor did he attempt to clarify or remind God of the promise that He had made to him about his son. No, Abraham said okay and was obedient.
Have you ever wondered why Abraham was willing to sacrifice his only Son to God? The writer of Hebrews tells us why. Hebrews 11:17-19 tells us, “(17) By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, (18) of whom it was said, ‘IN ISAAC YOUR SEED SHALL BE CALLED,’ (19) concluding that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense.” Abraham believed God! Abraham believed God when God said he would have a son in his old age. Abraham believed God that through this son he would become the father of many. Now, because he believed God, he knew that if he were to slay his son at God’s request that God would surely raise him up because there was a promised attached to Isaac. Do you see how his faith was visible? James said because Abraham was obedient it was credited to him by God as righteousness. Abraham’s faith was visible in his obedience and his actions. Now let’s look at the second person James mentions - Rahab.
James says of Rahab, “(25) In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works too, when she received the [Hebrew] spies as guests and protected them, and sent them away [to escape] by a different route?” Do you recall the story of Rahab? For a lot of people, the only thing they know about Rahab is that she was a prostitute. But there is a whole lot more to this story. I want to read a little about how she became a woman of faith – as a prostitute – and what her faith led to. Turn to Joshua chapter two. The first verse says, “Now Joshua the son of Nun sent out two men from Acacia Grove to spy secretly, saying, ‘Go, view the land, especially Jericho.’ So they went, and came to the house of a harlot named Rahab, and lodged there.” (Joshua 2:1) Joshua sent two spies to check out the land of Jericho. When they came to the city they went to the home of a harlot named Rahab. Rahab, being a member of this city, should have immediately turned them in but she did not do this. In fact, it was told to the king that the spies had come to the city and were in her home. The king sent men to capture the spies, but Rahab refused to turn them over. Rahab lied and said that the men had already left the city before the gates closed when in fact she had hidden them on her roof. Now why did she do this? Let’s continue with verse eight.
“(8) Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof, (9) and said to the men: ‘I know that the LORD has given you the land, that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land are fainthearted because of you. (10) For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. (11) And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted; neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you, for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath. (12) Now therefore, I beg you, swear to me by the LORD, since I have shown you kindness, that you also will show kindness to my father's house, and give me a true token, (13) and spare my father, my mother, my brothers, my sisters, and all that they have, and deliver our lives from death.’ (14) So the men answered her, ‘Our lives for yours, if none of you tell this business of ours. And it shall be, when the LORD has given us the land, that we will deal kindly and truly with you.’”
Rahab tells the spies that Jericho is already defeated. The people had heard the story about how Israel’s God takes care of them, how He fights for them. And now they were terrified – no courage, no mental or emotional strength to fight were left in them (“our hearts melted”). This is what they felt even though they lived behind a wall that had protected them from other armies. Now understand this, when Rahab tells the spies that Jericho had heard how the Lord had dried up the waters of the Red Sea for Israel, she was talking about an event that had happen 40 years before! She was talking about an event that might have happened before she was even born.
Think about how Jericho hears about the Red Sea? Egypt was a little over 6,500 miles from Jericho. That’s like making a round trip from the west coast to the east coast here in the US. In a span of 40 years, Jericho had heard about Egypt’s destruction – from different travelers. After the Lord delivers the nation of Israel by bankrupting Egypt (Exodus 7-12) and destroying its army in the Red Sea (Exodus 14), the people with firsthand knowledge of the events began to migrate to other parts of the region. They would talk about the incredible events with relatives and friends, who in turn retold the stories with their neighbors and friends, who did the same. Because of the overwhelming destruction of Egypt, one of the most powerful kingdoms in the region, the stories were told again and again and again for years. Think about how family members would get together and the older members would tell stories they had heard about the destruction of Egypt – the plagues and what happened at the Red Sea. This story was shared in every household in Jericho to the point that when the Children of Israel finally arrived at their doorsteps even their famous wall did not provide them with much comfort. Rahab specifically had settled in her heart that if the God of the Israelites had given them into the Israelites hands then no wall could stop them from taking the city. It was a done deal!!!
This is an example of what Paul wrote in Romans 10:17 that “…then faith cometh by hearing …” Imagine hearing the stories pertaining to Egypt’s destruction at the hands of the God of Israel for 40 years. Would you not start to believe it when you heard the “same” story over and over and over? I mean there is room for doubt when the stories are not the same, but what they were hearing from different people was the same story. When you hear the same story from various sources it adds a level of credibility to the story. Jericho had heard about the destruction of Egypt enough times that it produced in the people a terror of Israel and their God. Jericho had come to the place of believing – of having absolute faith in – the fact that it truly happened! Are you following me? In 40 years’ time, they had heard the same story from different travelers again, repeatedly. For the people of Jericho, repeatedly hearing what had taken place, even though they did not witness it themselves, was enough for them to fear – to believe that they would suffer the same fate as Egypt. The more times they heard the story, the more real it became to them. This is what prompted Rahab.
The spiritual principle of “faith comes by hearing” is being demonstrated in a dramatic way today in our country and around the world. We have seen examples of how what is reported in the news as not being entirely accurate is causing people to question the truth. This principle of faith works both ways. You can hear something false for so long that it becomes your truth even in the face of reality. While the people of Jericho had heard about the God of Israel and believed the reports, they also heard all the reports from the builders of their walls about how secure they were and that no one could get through. But Rahab believed that their walls could not stop the God of the Israelites. Even though she heard the same reports about the security of their walls, she believed the reports coming out of Egypt because the things that happened there had nothing to do with man. Man could not separate the Red sea, cause a plague, or kill all the first born in one night. Only a God could do that!
Rahab saved the spies lives that evening in return for them saving hers and her family’s when they attacked the city. When Rahab sent the spies away, she knew Jericho would be destroyed. She knew friends and acquaintances would die. But she also knew that if she did what she had agreed to do, her family would be saved. Understand that her role in the whole deal did not stop once she let the spies go. She had to make sure that ALL her family was under her roof when the city was attacked. That was her guarantee – no one under her roof would die. Here we see her faith at work. She believed the promise of the spies and she acted upon that belief – that is faith! If her family members were not under her roof when the attack came they would be killed. So, she had to make sure that they were – this was her responsibility.
Before I close, I want to share with you what is recorded about Rahab – beyond the fact that she was a harlot. Hebrews 11:31 records “By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace.” Rahab is remembered for the faith she exercised in believing in the God of Israel which led to all her family being saved. That is her testimony. But it does not end there. You see, Rahab was a Canaanite woman who came to believe in God. Her faith was visible when she accepted the spies into her home, hid them, helped them escape and negotiated for the lives of herself and her family. She did all of this because she believed what was being said about the God of Israel. Rahab believed and because of her faith, Matthew 1:5-6 records, “(5) Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, (6) and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.” Rahab, because of her faith, is one of five women listed in the genealogy of Christ. She was King David’s great-great-grandmother and therefore part of the bloodline of Jesus’ mother and earthly father. One last point about Rahab before I close, Rahab at one time was a prostitute but her acceptance and belief about what she heard of the God of Israel changed her. God used her and through her bloodline brought His Son into the world. Visible Faith. Let’s finish with what James said.
James closes out this chapter by saying, “(26) For just as the [human] body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works [of obedience] is also dead.” (James 2:14-26) The physical body dies at the point of death, but not the spirit. This physical death is caused by the soul and spirit leaving the body. The body returns to dust and the soul and spirit of the righteous go to heaven to await the resurrection. With this understanding James says that as surely as the inner man leaves the body at physical death and is no longer with the body, so is faith without works is dead (separated) and powerless. Faith is visible because of the work that we do. When we “walk” in faith the walking is action. The Bible says we “walk” by faith, not “sit” by faith. Sitting is a “non-moving” action. The action happened when you moved to take the seat and from that point forward the action is you staying upright. But when you walk, you are moving. You are going someplace. We walk by faith, not by sight. If you are sitting on your faith right now and have no work visible of your faith, stand up! Stop sitting on your faith and get to work.
I leave you with the words of Elizabeth Cheney:
“Faith came singing into my room, and other guests took flight.
Fear and anxiety, grief and gloom, sped out into the night.
I wondered that such peace could be, but faith said gently,
‘Don’t you see? They really cannot live with me.’”
I will conclude this message next week. Until next time, “The Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up His countenance on you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
