There Is Great Benefit To A Working Faith (James 2:14-26) Series

This morning we find ourselves in James 2:14-26. Let's start by just reading James 2:14:

(14) What is the benefit, my brothers,

if faith, someone says he has; ["faith" is focused in Greek]

now, works, he doesn't have. ["works" is focused]

That faith isn't able to save him, right?

If you're like me, your immediate reaction to this verse, is to misread it. We see this cluster of words that sounds like Paul-- we hear "salvation," and "faith," and "works." We find ourselves immediately wrestling with passages like Ephesians 2:8-9. We think that James is about to answer the question, "How do I become a Christian? What kind of faith does God want from me, that will make me a Christian?"

This natural tendency is inevitable. We can't help ourselves here. Many of us have spent our entire Christian lives in churches hearing about faith, and works, and salvation. But James is actually talking about something different.

(And James and Paul are talking past each other, using similar words, but with very different meanings.)

James isn't starting a new, unrelated section in his letter, where he explains how you become a Christian. What he's doing, is extending the same argument he's been making since the beginning of the letter, and especially from James 1:22 forward.

It's really hard to force ourselves to take James seriously, on his own terms. The only way we can do that, really, is by jumping back to James 1:22, and letting ourselves get sucked back into his argument. So let's do that. James 1:22:

(22) Now, become doers of the word,

and not hearers only,

deceiving yourselves,

(23) because if anyone, a hearer of the word, he is, and not a doer-- this one is like a man staring at his own face in a mirror.

(24) For he stared at himself,

and he departed,

and immediately he forgot what sort of person he was.

(25) Now, the one studying the perfect law-- the one of freedom-- and staying in it--

not a forgetful hearer being,

but a doer of work--

this one, blessed/happy, in all he does, he will be. ["blessed" is focused]

(26) If anyone thinks, religious, he is-- ["religious" is focused]

(while) not bridling his tongue,

but deceiving his heart--

worthless, this one's religion is. ["worthless" is focused]

(27) Religion pure/clean and uncontaminated in the sight of our God and Father is this:

(A) To help/look after orphans and widows in their affliction;

(B) Blameless/spotless, to keep oneself from the world.

The first thing we need to remind ourselves of in these verses, for today's passage to make sense, is the nature of "religion." We tend to think of "religion" as a dirty word. But James doesn't view it that way. And neither does God. The key, is that we have the type of religion God desires.

True religion-- the type of religion God wants-- has two main parts. First, that we look after people on the margins of the church-- people who are vulnerable, who don't have an advocate or a helper. Children should have parents, who protect them, and provide for them. Orphans lack that, and need the church's help. And widows, in a male-dominated (patriarchal) society at least, need a husband, who will protect them, and provide for them. [Even today, with all our technology, companies aren't lining up to give 80 year old widows a job]. Widows who lack that, need the church's help.

The second mark of true religion is that we keep ourselves blameless, and spotless, from the world. We are in the world, but we don't let ourselves be polluted by it. We live in the midst of the dirt, but we aren't dirty.

The second thing we need to remind ourselves about, for today's passage to make sense, is in James 1:22. There is a difference between "hearing" and "doing." Our natural tendency is to assume that hearing is doing. We hear someone teach from the Bible, or we read our Bibles, and we tell ourselves, "I'm doing this." We read about being quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry, and we say, "That's me." We act like we are obeying because we heard it.

And this may or may not be true, right?

But James says, if we "do," and not merely "hear," we will be blessed in every single thing we do in life. The key to God's blessing, is obedience.

If we can remember these two ideas-- the nature of religion, and the difference between hearing and doing-- we will be halfway to reading James 2:14-26 the way James wanted.

Now, let's reread last week's passage, James 2:1-13.

(1) My brothers, don't with partiality hold the faith of our glorious Lord, Jesus Christ.

(2) For suppose someone should enter your assembly with a gold ring on his finger, with fine clothing.