Faith Works

Text: James 2:14–26 ESV

I'm particularly excited to preach this passage, and I want to tell you why. I got to share it with Luke and Andrew last week. Last week and this week's passage and the book of James in general has a special place in my life and in my heart. 

Many of you know, I didn't grow up going to church. I went to Mass occasionally, but by the time I was in high school, I didn’t have anything to do with God or the church. I had no faith. But I had faithful friends who pursued me with the gospel. One of them was named was Jeff. One day Jeff hands me this Bible. This first Bible I remember ever getting. Jeff said to me, go home and read the book of James. At the time, I didn't know why I did go home and read it. I didn't know God was working in my heart. 

I went home, and I read it. I was so struck by the passage about favoritism that I memorized it. I walked, strutted, the next day because I was stoked. Not only have I read it. I've memorized it. This is going to impress Jeff. I walk in, I know where he is every morning, I walk in and rattle off from memory the passage about favoritism. He responds, “Good. What does James say about faith and works?” “I don't know,” I responded. “Go read it again,” replies Jeff. I was bummed. I thought I was going to impress this guy, but I didn’t. 

Well, at that time, I didn't know what James said about faith in works. But here I am this morning, standing before you, opening the word to preach on what James says about faith and works. Years after those moments when God was beginning to work on my heart, when I had no idea what I had to say about what James has to say about faith and works, now here I get to proclaim before you the good news from James about what he says concerning faith and works. I'm excited to preach this.

So here is where we are going this morning. I'm going to borrow our one sentence summary of the book of James, and slap it on our passage: Faith works. I think that's a good summary of what James is saying here, and here's what we mean by that we mean two things. 

First, faith is sufficient in and of itself. You don't have to go look for faith plus something else — the gospel plus nothing equals everything. You don't have to have faith plus the ability to read biblical greek. Or faith plus some heady philosophy. Or faith plus keeping the Mosaic law. Faith is sufficient. 

Second, when you have sufficient faith, it results in faith in action. It produces fruit. Faith isn't a couch potato. Faith works.

James is going to build that case in a very logical manner. What I actually picture is this kind of courtroom scene: 

• Opening Statement | False faith fails (14–17)

• Cross Examination | Faith and works belong together (18–19)

• Calling his witnesses | Abraham and Rahab (20–25)

• Closing Statement | False faith is dead (26)

Before we look at verses 14–17, let me remind you where we just came from. Luke Miller just preached last week on favoritism. James has in his mind a very particular example that he's seen of a grievous offense in this church. The rich are treating the poor horribly — speaking down to them and not helping them when they could be helping them. James is calling out favoritism. But Luke rightly said that it's not just the rich and the poor favoritism James that cares about. James rightly says that any kind of favoritism does not belong in the kingdom of God. With that in mind, we now get to this famous passage, or infamous passage on faith and works.

You got to keep this in mind, and I think you will see that as we turn right now to verses 14–17, so here's his opening statement. And what he's going to try to prove in his opening statement: false faith fails:

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have work? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 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? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14–17 ESV)

I think you can see the connection between where we just came from in James. What he's done is he has a thesis statement in verse 14, he repeats it in verse 16 and then he summarizes it in verse 17. In between, he's got a principal example to try to hit home. 

His principal example, in the middle of this oreo-sandwich is the rich not caring for the poor. What he says is that you can say certain things with your lips, but if it's not followed up with action, it's meaningless. It doesn't do anything. Let’s see James’s opening statement, in his own words: 

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have work?” (James 2:14 ESV)

Then he asks a rhetorical question:

“Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14 ESV)

The answer is no. Then you see him repeat the same question in verse 16 after he has given his example: “what good is that?” (James 2:16 ESV). 

You said these things, but you didn't actually feed them or cloth them, what good is it? It’s worth nothing. Then, finally in verse 17, here is his summary of his opening statement: “Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, what I intend to prove to you today is:

“Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17 ESV)

Here’s a summary: talk is cheap. Actions speak louder than words. 

You can say all day long that you have faith. But you are doing yourself no good. Because what you're talking about doesn't exist. There is no such thing as faith without work. There are two things in this world concerning faith: 1) there is faith that is rooted in God, and therefore it produces fruit, and 2) there's someone who says they have faith, no roots, not grounded, no fruit — false faith. You either have saving faith, or you don't. There's not two types. There's saving faith, and false faith. Now, he's going to get into his cross examining a witness. Look at verses 18–19:

“But someone will say, “You have faith and I have work.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:18–19 ESV)

James is cross examining the person on the stand, and James says, “Oh, well you. You just said you have faith, and this person has work. Well I'm going to show you my faith by works, and I'm going to give an example to show your logic doesn’t make any sense.” Here's the logic of the opponent: “Well, James, hold your horses. I see it this way,” says the opponent.” “This guy over here has faith. He believes deeply, he's really emotional and articulate about what he thinks. But this guy over here, he is not as articulate about faith, per se. But he does good things. He does good work. He's caring for the orphan and the poor and caring for the needs of the widow. The first guy, you see, has faith and that guy has work. They are just two different giftings. 

James's response: No, not buying it. That's not the reality. Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, don't believe this lie. And he says, “Let me just make it clear why this doesn't work. Let me give you example number one: The demons. Well, they believe. And they even shutter, but they don't have work. What do we conclude about them? Well, we don't say, ‘Oh well, they have faith, they're good.’ No, we look at their works, which are evil, and we say, you're not saved. You're not righteous. You're not holy. You're not of God.

What James does here is really crafty. In his courtroom appeal, he says this, “You believe that God is one.” He's writing of course to at least some Jewish audience. The Jews had this famous statement of faith that began like this: “The Lord your God, the Lord is one.” We call it the Shema.

James says, “Well, the demons, confess the Shema, and they shutter.” What's he proving? He is proving that faith and works belong together. It makes me think of this: there used to be this Supermario Smash Brothers commercial that had this song in the background. You all might know the song.

“Me and you and you and me
No matter how they toss the dice, it had to be
The only one for me is you, and you for me
So happy together”

James is saying, no matter how you want to toss this dice, there's only one formula — it's faith and works together. They're not separate. Look at how Jesus talks about the same thing in Matthew 25:33 

“And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you as a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” (Matthew 25:33–41 ESV)

Notice how Jesus is not talking about how this faith saves these people, but it is the evidence that they are saved. Faith and works go so hand and hand that Jesus says that he can point to the works to show that the faith is genuine. 

James wants to warn us that just talking about faith is not faith. Someone, just like the demons, can confess true things about God, and even shutter at their reality, but if they don’t have works that is dead faith. 

One way it may be helpful to apply this warning to us today is to pause and remember that emotions, vulnerability, and authenticity, does not automatically mean genuine faith. It's possible to say the right things, it's possible for someone to feel emotions like the demons who shudder when they think about who God is. It's entirely possible to have emotions and feelings that seem to be rooted in faith. And yet, it's actually a dead faith. There's no working it out in love. There's no fruit. It's all talk. 

We live in a world today where authenticity is king. And let me be clear, James, just like me, has no problem with authenticity with emotion with genuine feelings. The problem is when that is alone. When it's not accompanied by faith working itself out in fruit. I want you to just ask, do you see your faith working? Do you see your faith producing fruit? Now, I'm not trying to say, and James is not trying to say, that your fruit tree is perfect. He is saying though that something needs to be coming out of the tree. Also, use this too as a caution to remember we will know them by their fruit. Don’t be deceived by someone who says the right words, and you look at their life and their ministry, and see no fruit. 

Now, if you haven’t yet trusted in the Lord Jesus and wonder what that is all about. You wonder what this faith and this fruit really means, I would love to talk to you more. I would love for you to know this life transforming faith and to see its fruit in your life. 

James has given his opening statement. He's gone through the cross examination, and now it's time for him to call his witnesses to prove his case. Let's begin in verse 20:

“Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by work and not by faith alone.” (James 2:20–24 ESV)

Now it's here in this passage that makes this an infamous passage between James and Paul. Paul uses Abraham, and this exact example, to show that Abraham was not justified by works of the law. Abraham believed in God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. It may appear that James might be saying the opposite: “Well here's Abraham, and he was justified by his works.” The tension you can feel is that Paul is over here saying, “You're saved by faith, not by works,” and over here, James is saying, “You're justified by works, and not by faith alone.” 

Let me give you a verse to help clarify the perceived tension. Here is Ephesians 2:8–9:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Ephesians 2:8–9 ESV)

Okay, so Paul is over here saying, “Not a result of works,” and James over here is talking a lot about faith and works. The question that comes to mind is, are these men saying opposite things, or are they actually complementing each other. I don’t think they are saying the opposite. I think they're complementing each other. Let me see if I can show you why. 

First, you need to understand that Paul and James are coming from different starting points. What do you mean by that? Well, what I mean is that Paul is talking about how it is before we become a Christian. He is focusing on the new birth. James is talking about life after a new birth. What is life like as a Christian? I think you can see that in the way that James is talking about Abraham. Listen to this verse 21:

“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?” (James 2:21 ESV)

Now, you have to just remember, at this point, Abraham has trusted God. He believed in God. This is the first time that Abraham ever came to know the Lord. In fact, that is one of the reasons that this is such a significant moment in Abraham's life. 

Remember God one day called Abraham outside and he said Abraham, “Look at the stars, count them for me.” “I can't count them,” Abraham said. “You're right, you can't, and your offspring is going to outnumber those stars, and you know who's going to be the one who's going to carry that offspring forward, Isaac.” Abraham believed in God. That’s Genesis 15. Well, then a while later God calls Abraham to, out of obedience to him, be circumsized. This is Genesis 17. And then later in Genesis 22, we get to the moment when God calls Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac. That, of course, feels weird because God has promised that Isaac would be the one to give birth to all these kids.

Well, what James is trying to make a case for is that this trust in God displayed the faith in God that Abraham had. Abraham went all the way to pulling out the knife. What did it show? It showed that his faith was genuine because that faith produced works that accorded with God's righteousness. 

Now, how's that different from what Paul is trying to say? Well, Paul is trying to say, you don’t earn your faith before God. Paul uses this same story of Abraham to prove this point: 

“For the promise to Abraham and his offspring that he would be heir of the world did not come through the law but through the righteousness of faith.” (Romans 4:13 ESV)

Paul spends much of his discussion of Abraham on the belief that Abraham had before he was circumcised. 

Look at it this way, “Each of them is addressing different challenges to the Christian faith. Paul is addressing opponents who believe that obedience to the law of Moses is essential to starting the Christian life. James is addressing opponents who believe that works and faith are completely separate. For Paul, it is really important that Genesis 15 comes before Genesis 17. It’s really important that God justifies Abraham, accepts Abraham, approves Abraham prior to Abraham’s obedience to the circumcision command. God makes an unbelievable promise, and Abraham just believes it. For James, on the other hand, it is really important that Genesis 22 comes after Genesis 15. That’s why he says that Abraham’s actions in Genesis 22 are the fulfillment of God’s words in Genesis 15. Abraham demonstrated the sincerity of his faith by his obedience.” (link)

So, Paul focuses on what happens before you become a Christian, while James focuses on what happens after you have accepted Christ. Picture it this way, if your parents get you this incredible gift for Christmas — say that shiny red hot wheels car you always wanted. Paul is focusing on what happened before and when you received that gift. Did you earn that gift? No. Could you ever pay for that gift? No. That wouldn’t make it a gift. 

James, on the other hand, focuses on life after you are given the gift. If you truly accepted and valued this gift, then you would use it. You would be driving those hot wheels carelessly all the time. If that doesn’t happen, you either didn’t get the gift, or just said you liked it but do really.

Paul wants to say no one will be saved by keeping the law. You have to come to faith in Jesus. You can’t earn your right standing before God. But James adds, that though you don’t save yourself through works, your faith will result in works. What's going to happen? You're going to produce fruit, and if you don't. That's not faith. 

Here are some more of Paul’s own words to try and show that Paul and James are not saying different things, but instead are complimenting each other. Here is Galatians 5:5–6:

“For through the Spirit, by faith, we ourselves eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything [Paul here is talking about how following the Mosaic law won’t save you. You must come to Jesus. You can't circumcise yourself and just think that if it works, you're safe. No, you've got to trust and have faith in Jesus. But listen to how we continue, ], but only faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:5–6 ESV)

He ends though by talking about this faith. It came to you through no work on your own, but it will produce work. It will work itself out in love. That’s the same thing James is building a case that faith works itself out in love, Faith produces works — faith works.

Now look back where we started in painting this perceived tension. Look back at Ephesians 2:8–10:

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8–10 ESV)

Paul wants you to know what happened before you became a Christian. Paul says, “I need you to know very clearly it's not by work. You can't go out and earn it by following the Mosaic law. You have to trust God.” Paul goes on to say once that happens, you absolutely will produce works, but those works didn’t save you. What do they do? Oh, they just prove that you are in the Lord.”

Paul like James has this idea that God begins a work in you — that's born again faith, not by works — but then that works itself out, it's completed through works. Let me just go one more place. Philippians 1:6, this is Paul again:

“And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work for you will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6 ESV)

Now go back to James. Look at verse 22:

“You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works;” (James 2:22 ESV)

This is your next chance to tune back in if I lost you through those verses: let me see if this example from a theologian named Gench helps. Paul and James in their emphasis on just justification and faith have different starting points. Paul is talking about obstetrics, meaning it's the study of how life begins. There's a lot of men here because the women are at the retreat. Obstetrics, an OB, the doctors who deal with birthing babies, and other things. Paul's concern is about, what does it mean to be born again — unless you're born again you will not inherit the kingdom of God. That was said to a Pharisee by Jesus. You can’t earn this by working the law. You must be born again. Well, James, on the other hand, is burdened with pediatrics and geriatrics. By that it means he focuses on how the Christian life grows and matures in ages. 

Paul is talking about before salvation. James talks about those who confess and believe, and now he's addressing those who have no evidence that we should believe them. Let me summarize it by this to see if this helps resolve the tension and then we’ll move on. This is from Augustine, “Paul said that a man is justified through faith without the works of the law, but not without those works of which James speaks.” Or famously, Martin Luther said, we are saved by faith alone, but faith is never alone. 

Remember, in the context of James, when he's talking about serving the rich and the poor, he's just saying this is a litmus test to see if what you're saying with your lips, “I believe in God” is true. If it's not true, if it's not followed by works, you can not believe it's false faith. Because faith is never alone. It produces fruit. His witness number one is Abraham, and now he's going to call a second witness—Rahab. Look at verse 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?” (James 2:25 ESV)

I heard a pastor talk about it this way. You know, Rahab is before the jury. 

“Miss, Rahab, what is your profession?
“Prostitute.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you.”
“And where are you from?”
“Well I'm a Canaanite. You call my people pagan because we don't believe in your God. We worship other gods.”
“Oh, yeah. Okay. What about you?”
“Well I, I believe in your God. He is the one true God. There's no other like him.”
“Tell me more.”
“Well, I remember, there's a night when messengers came to our city and our leaders wanted to kill him. But I knew which side I was on. I could lose my life, but I decided I'm going to hide these spies and send them out. Because I know who the true God is.”
“Very good. Thank you.” 

James's whole point is that Rahab’s faith was genuine. We know that it wasn't just words. Why? Because of her actions.

James has purposely called two opposite witnesses. On the one side you have Abraham—a prominent, important man. He is a Patriarch. He was a rich man, large, and in charge. You see his faith followed by works. And then you have a prostitute, a seeming nobody, a lowly person and she has faith that works. And the idea is that anywhere in between these two extremes, the patriarchs and Rahab is you. And you are called to the same reality — to have faith that produces works. So here is James’s concluding argument. Ladies and gentleman of the jury verse 26:

“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26 ESV)

That's his concluding argument. James is sounding a warning. And it sounds like a warning that says false faith is no faith at all. It's not true.

It’s October already, and I'm already driving around seeing Halloween decorations. And it reminded me of this analogy I heard. What do we do on Halloween? We all dress up. We put on a face mask, and we pretend to be someone else.

There are some kiddos out there that really believe it. But everyone whose eyes are open, who knows, they see right past the mask — that is not Superman; that is not really the m&m guy. I know this is a silly example. But what James is trying to warn is that there are people that are going around with a face mask of faith. 

They have this fake faith, thinking they're fooling everyone. They might even be trying to fool themselves. Outwardly, they look the part. They say the right things, but when you look at their life, no works. They are just as dead as every skeleton we hang up on Halloween. Dead. 

James questions, his warning is to say, take a pause, take a pulse— is your faith alive? Look at the fruit. It doesn't have to be perfect fruit, but it has to be fruit. For James, he's thinking of rich and poor, but he has all works in mind. 

I want you to zero in by asking about your life at home. Your life with your family. That's a place where there's a need. That's a place where you're called to serve. That's a place where the things that you say get lived out on a canvas that you can't cover up for too long. And we're not looking for perfect faith works. The question is if you look at your family life and you see nothing, no fruit, there's zero, hear this morning the warning that you may be confessing false faith. If you come here on Sundays and then go home and there is zero application in your life, no conviction, no change, I think you need to be asking, “Am I wearing the mask?”

Now, for most of us, Lord willing, that question just reveals some conviction in our hearts of places where we're falling short. And that's okay. James has a category for that. James is not pushing for perfection. His letter is full of grace. There is grace for your shortcomings. If you look at my whole life and think that it is kind of messy, but I think if I look hard enough, I do see fruit, even small fruit, that shows your faith is alive. If you hear this, and you feel some conviction, you need to know that is not of you, that is God working in you. 

For all those who go look at your life and see fruit but say I want more, well, we are going to the table. And the first thing you need to know is you have grace for all those times in mind when you think fall short. Grace. And I want you to know there's grace to go and produce the kind of fruit you are longing to see. ”The message of James for us is that before you can do, you must receive. And once you’ve received, you must do.”(link)

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:12–13 ESV)