REAL FAITH

JAMES 2:14-26

APRIL 30, 2000

 

James and Paul have been pitted against each other concerning faith and justification. But has this been a fair contest? Neither of these men was at odds with the other on spiritual issues. Instead, their whole approach came from different contexts and with different aims. They used similar terminology but from different perspectives.

 

For instance, when I was younger I was accustomed to working on our family farm during the summer. If I mentioned going to the farm, I thought of the two to three acres of plowed land that we planted each year. But if my friend in south Alabama spoke of going to the farm, he would think of the 1500 acres planted in peanuts, soybeans, and corn. If I spoke of plowing, I would think of the five horsepower "Merry Tiller" that had the mighty capability of doing one row at a time. But my friend would think of the massive tractors that plowed a dozen rows in one swath. If I spoke of planting, I would think of buying a few pounds of seeds and putting them in the rows by hand. My friend would think of tons of seeds distributed by automated planters. If I spoke of "weeding" I implied the use of a hoe and lots of sweat. But my friend's idea of weeding was spraying via crop duster planes. We use the same terminology but with a different shade of meaning due to the context of its use.

 

Paul wrote to those beginning the Christian faith; James addressed those who already claimed to be saved. So Paul had in mind exercising faith in order to be saved, while James viewed this from the other end for those who claimed to have already exercised faith. Paul was saying your works could never get you to God. James was saying your faith is deficient unless accompanied by works.

 

Paul used the word "justification" to explain the start of salvation; James utilized it to show salvation's culmination. Paul was primarily dealing with the judicial aspect of justification as a legal declaration of righteousness. James has in mind more of the ethical dimension of justification, that it actually produces a change in one's character and behavior.

 

Paul often used the term "works" to signify an attempt to gain merit with God through the Law; James has no such thought, but thinks of works as that which must follow faith. Paul was continually wrangling with the legalists and Judaizers who thought that following the ceremonial law or ordinances related to circumcision would gain salvation. James does not even broach the subject but thinks of works as the "good works, which God prepared beforehand that we would walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

 

Paul upbraids those who claim that their "works" have saved them; James upbraids those laying claim to a "faith" that offers no evidence of good works. One seeks to by-pass the sufficiency of Christ, while the other seeks to deny the reality of Christ's saving work.

 

Are James and Paul in disagreement? Not at all! They are simply looking at different problems from different angles, but happen to utilize similar terminology. Paying careful attention to a passage's context helps us to properly interpret its meaning.

 

James' whole point is that real faith finds expression in works of mercy toward others and obedience toward God. Let us see the making of real faith as explained by James.

 

I. Distinguishing faith

 

There are four scenes or illustrations within this text. The first and last go together while the second and third fit together. In typical rabbinic style, James uses the imaginary person with whom he carries on an intense dialogue. We are left with a clear message on how to distinguish real faith.

 

The question asked in verse 14 helps us to see the entire reason for this dialogue. "Can that faith save him?" James asks, and then gives an example of a faith lacking works. Literally, he asks the question, Can that kind of faith save him? Can the kind of faith that is a mere boast truly bring him into a right relationship with God? So the issue at hand is how some in his audience are claiming to have faith (we would assume he means faith in Christ) but there are no other reasons to believe that such a claim is reasonable. He helps us to see this by pointing out the necessary quality of faith if it is real.

 

1. Lonely faith=dead

 

The first illustration involves a striking scene. "If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?" The picture is found within the church family of someone who lacks the outer garments that provide warmth and protection from the elements (not what we would think of as naked) and without even a solitary meal during the day. They have gathered with the other believers, perhaps worshiping and praying, and then when time comes for the assembly to scatter, the professing Christian says, "See you later! Good luck! Hope you find some clothes and food! Best wishes to you!" But he does nothing to alleviate the need. Even though he recognizes the dire need of his "fellow Christian," he has no sense of compassion or mercy in trying to do something to help out.

 

James calls this a faith that stands alone. His assessment is that it is a dead faith. "Even so, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself." The last thing a hungry and poorly clothed person wants to hear is "good luck, hope you find what you need." That does nothing to eliminate his pressing need. It is a dead comment. The force of James' illustration is to show us that in the same way, if a person claims to have faith in Christ but his faith is not accompanied by works (in this case, works of mercy), then such a faith is dead. It is a lonely faith that cannot be a saving faith.

 

Notice the explanation for this sort of behavior: "What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?" The phrase, "if someone says he has faith," distinguishes the blowhard from one who has been humbled by the gospel of Christ and transformed from the inside out. The other merely lays claim to faith; it seems to be the right thing to claim, so he does so, carelessly making his way through life with a dead faith. He assumes he is in a right relationship to God because of his claim. But James exposes this as dead, because this sort of faith is alone and without works.

 

The illustration of Rahab the harlot goes right along with this. She could have claimed to believe that the Lord was the true God, but ignored the plight of the two spies who sought refuge in her home from the Jericho Gestapo. She demonstrated that her faith in the Lord was real by receiving the messengers and sending them out safely.

 

2. Orthodox faith=useless

 

But someone says, 'Hey, don't you know that I am theologically astute! I have orthodoxy on the side of my claim of faith'. To this James presents a conundrum. How can you demonstrate faith? "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." Is there any means to demonstrate faith without utilizing works as the means? James takes up the imaginary argument of one claiming to show his faith through his orthodox theology. "You believe that God is one." Every Jew would have acknowledged such a statement on a daily basis even if he were dabbling in idolatry. James does commend such an orthodox truth, but does so tongue in cheek: "You do well; the demons also believe and shudder." His point is that any demon you pick is more knowledgeable of theology than any of us and on top of this, demons even believe orthodox theology. But no demon has saving faith.

 

Jonathan Edwards preached a powerful sermon on this verse 1752 in Newark, NJ. In it he explains the devil's extraordinary knowledge of God.

Thus the devil has undoubtedly a great degree of speculative knowledge in divinity; having been, as it were, educated in the best divinity school in the universe, viz. the heaven of heavens. He must needs have such an extensive and accurate knowledge concerning the nature and attributes of God, as we, worms of the dust, in our present state, are not capable of. And he must have a far more extensive knowledge of the works of God, as of the work of creation in particular; for he was a spectator of the creation of this visible world...and he must have a very great knowledge of God's works of providence. He has been a spectator of the series of these works from the beginning; he has seen how God has governed the world in all ages.... He must have a great degree of knowledge concerning Jesus Christ as the Saviour of men, and the nature and method of the work of redemption, and the wonderful wisdom of God in this contrivance [The Works of Jonathan Edwards, vol. 2, p. 43].

We can honestly say that there is no one so orthodox in understanding as the devil! He knows these things to be true, yet he radically opposes God in all of his thoughts and actions. Just because a person has a good theology does not mean that he has been saved. That is the warning James offers. Does this strike a chord in your own mind? Perhaps you have worked diligently to be orthodox in your theology, but you are not trusting in the sufficiency of Jesus Christ in his person and his death and resurrection for your salvation. Then you are no better off than the devil, other than the fact that you do have opportunity to believe, whereas he does not.

 

Edwards adds, "The devil is orthodox in his faith; he believes the true scheme of doctrine; he is no Deist, Socinian, Arian, Pelagian, or antinomian; the articles of his faith are all sound, and in them he is thoroughly established" [p. 43]. Yet none of this offers evidence of saving faith.

 

But maybe someone would say, "I've had terrible convictions of my sin. I've thought long and hard about the judgment of God. Surely I must be saved." James tells us that the demons' theological convictions make them "shudder," which means to bristle or to have one's hair stand on end in terror. But no demon has exercised saving faith. Even conviction of sin is no evidence of saving faith, for the terror of God's judgment has caused demons to "shudder."

 

James explains that such a faith, if it has no works to distinguish it from that of the demons, is useless: "But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow [vain or empty, used to describe an imposter], that faith without work is useless?" So such a faith, if you can call it that, is barren. The tree has no fruit and is only fit for the woodpile. Like the fig tree that Jesus cursed for its unfruitfulness, it has the outward appearance of orthodoxy, but the lack of fruit in character and service proves the person to be an imposter.

 

II. Developing faith

 

But how can you recognize real faith? James explains that real faith continues to develop. It is not a mere profession, an exhalation of hot air; it has substance to it that continues to thrive. It is the good seed planted on the good soil that produces good fruit.

 

The biblical authors often used the life of Abraham to teach specific truths. Paul refers to Abraham's faith in order to explain that he was justified before his circumcision and apart from the giving of the Law. The writer of Hebrews points to Abraham's faith in the promises of God sight-unseen, so that he left out on his journey in dependence upon the Lord. James joins the crowd at this point, offering no disagreement with the other biblical writers.

 

1. Keeps good company

 

He begins with the scene of Abraham offering Isaac on the altar. "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?" If you apply a Pauline definition of justification at this point, you will run into all sorts of problems! Curtis Vaughan explains: "By "justified" Paul means acquitted, declared to be righteous, treated as righteous. As used by James the word means having a just claim to one's profession, shown to be righteous, vindicated. Paul means the initial justification (acquittal) before God that brings one into a saving relationship with God. James means justification (vindication) of one's profession at any after-moment in the Christian life, and finally before the throne of judgment" [Bible Study Commentary: James, 56].

 

What does he mean by works? Again, as we have noted earlier, Paul often (not in every case) uses works to refer specifically to a dependency upon the works of the Law or circumcision or the ceremonial law as the means to justification. The illustrations that James uses help us to see that he is thinking of another matter. He has in mind right or appropriate actions befitting those who belong to God through Christ. If some brother or sister lacks food or clothing, the appropriate response of the fellow believer is to meet that need. In the case of Abraham, the appropriate response of the Christian to the commands of God is obedience and commitment.

 

Paul explains this same truth in Titus 2:11-14. He posits the work of salvation with the consequent change in behavior and actions.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

Notice how he sets forth the reality of salvation, followed by denying "ungodliness and worldly desires," while at the same time living "sensibly, righteously and godly." He adds that the redemptive work of Christ sets us free "from every lawless deed," purifying us for the Lord, so that we might be "zealous for good deeds."

 

Have Paul and James contradicted each other? By no means! They are complementing one another's arguments. Faith loves the company of good works; and faith always keeps good company: "faith was working with his works." It was not a lonely faith that had no evidence of good works, for in the final analysis, though a man is justified by faith alone, it is not by a faith that is alone, as the Reformers put it. That is the implication of verse 24, "You see that a man is justified [here used in the sense of 'vindicated' at the end of life] by works and not by faith alone." It was not Abraham's mere claim to faith that proved he was indeed a believer. It was the fact that he took action upon that faith. His profession some 30 to 40 years earlier was proved to be true by his actions in offering up Isaac in obedience to God. Faith and works kept company in Abraham's life. Do they keep company in your life?

 

2. Grows in evident maturity

 

James continues, "You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected." He describes a synergism between works and faith. They go hand in hand. The works of a Christian gives evidence of real faith. And real faith will give evidence of a Christian. James is not in the least implying that the works produces faith. Rather good works provide the grounds for the Christian's faith to be brought into maturity (eteleiothe-to bring to completion or maturity). Mayor writes, "As the tree is perfected by its fruits, so faith by its works" [quoted by Rienecker in Linguistic Key to the Greek NT, 731].

 

The problem we encounter is with those who would toss aside the massive biblical evidence for faith as the starting point of salvation. This is the argument in such key texts as John 3, John 6, Romans 1-4, Ephesians 2, as well as the entire epistle of First John. But how do you know if your faith is real? You will see it in the works that will certainly follow. Thus your faith is perfected or brought to maturity.

 

The perfecting of Abraham's faith had a starting point: "And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God." Paul quotes this same Old Testament text from Genesis 15:6 in Romans four. He first makes the statement to verify that his works did not save Abraham, "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Paul's concern is to demonstrate that some adherence to the Law or circumcision cannot justify us before God. "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom. 4:2-5). Does this mean that Abraham did not "work" after being declared righteous? Absolutely not; but this was not Paul's concern in this context, though it was James' concern in his argument. James goes on to show that Abraham's faith matured even to the point of the willing, sacrificial obedience he offered to God in the offering up of Isaac. Works vindicate a man's faith in Christ.

 

III.  Demonstrating faith

 

As James' epistle has the concern of putting feet to faith, this text is no exception. He demonstrates that faith enjoys company; never going the way of the Christian life alone, but always in the company of good works. James captures these demonstrations of faith in two categories, merciful actions toward others in the body of Christ and obedient response toward the Lord.

 

1. Merciful actions toward the body

 

The first illustration of the destitute brother or sister shows that underlying true faith is a desire to help and serve others in the body of Christ. A sense of compassion and love inevitably overflows into the meeting of one another's needs.

 

The last illustration of Rahab the harlot, who stands in contrast to the righteous Abraham, shows that her faith was evident in her actions. "In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works (again, read as "vindicated") when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?" Rahab was accustomed to strangers in the city visiting her home; but not in the way the two spies of Israel visited. They had no impure motives in their visit, but came seeking refuge from the authorities in Jericho. Rahab had surely heard before of the works of the Lord in Israel. Something happened to her during the visit by the spies. Rahab believed in the Lord. The evidence of her faith was her willingness to risk her life by hiding the spies among the flax on her rooftop, then sending them into a safe haven, away from the Jericho Gestapo's search.

 

We see this same kind of faith illustrated for us in the ten Boom family of the Netherlands during World War II. Most of us have either read the book or seen the movie of The Hiding Place, which chronicles the ten Boom family's willingness to risk their lives for the Jews of Holland. Their whole rationale for taking such risks was due to their faith in Christ. No doubt a number of Jews came to a saving knowledge of Christ as a result of seeing faith demonstrated in merciful actions.

 

I have witnessed this over and over as a pastor. During times of distress or loss or need or tragedy, fellow believers have come to the aid of the one under affliction. It might be with meals or times of prayer or a tender embrace or financial assistance or a thousand other deeds; all of them demonstrate faith in acts of mercy toward the body. I have heard it said dozens of times, "I do not know what I would do without a church family."

 

Why are there such actions toward the body? There is a mysterious knitting together of one believer with another and another within the church, so that this deep unity gives way to loving action. Paul's use of "body" and James' use of "a brother or sister" are not casual terms. They express the organic unity found in the church. Faith is always at home in the body.

 

2. Obedient response toward the Lord

 

Faith takes seriously the commands of God. The demons believe, but do not obey. Contrasted with them is the obedient faith of Abraham who "offered up Isaac his son on the altar." He was over a hundred years old and had waited decades for this child. Now God told him to offer Isaac on an altar. He obeyed, trusting the Lord to raise up his son from the dead, as he followed the Lord's command. Abraham did not just claim to have faith; he demonstrated it through his obedience to the Lord.

 

There is plenty of talk when it comes to faith in our day. But obedience is another story. James explains, "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." The truth set forth is clear: the shell of a lifeless body cannot animate itself toward goodness and righteousness, toward worship and obedience. When the spirit leaves the body, it is dead. Faith without works is just as dead. You can shout from the mountaintop that you have faith; but without works your claim is silenced before God and man.

 

Conclusion

 

Do you have real faith in Jesus Christ and his sufficient work at the cross and empty tomb? Then the evidence of good works will inevitably reveal that your faith is real.

 

Are you trying to masquerade as a believer? Your works expose the deadness of your soul before God, and likely before others.

 

The silver lining in this text is that it warns those who are pretending to be believers of their error and offers them hope and mercy in Christ. Throw aside the pretense. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Turn from your sin. Embrace the saving work of Christ as your own.

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