A Faith that Works

Intro: What does it mean to be a Christian?

In essence, a Christian is someone who has faith in Jesus and has given themselves over to Him

James 2:14–26 NASB95

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? 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? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 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. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Real Faith is Effective Faith

This passage talks about two types of faith: a real faith and a dead faith

The line between a real faith and a dead one is works

What does “works” mean?

It’s actions, following God with more than just words

We have an example of this in v. 15-16

Those people needed help, and people gave them words, and that’s it. They couldn’t back up their words with actions!

A true faith moves beyond words into actions

If you believe in God, but it hasn’t changed you, it’s not faith.

Even demons have a knowledge of God.

Demons even respond to God (v. 19)

Just having an emotional response to God, or having an intellectual knowledge of Him is not faith

Real Faith Looks Radical

Now that we know that faith without works is useless, we get 2 examples of radical faith from the Old Testament

Abraham and Rahab

Abraham (Gen. 15)

Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son because he had faith that God would provide for him.

His faith came with works

Rahab (Josh. 2)

Rahab saved spies from Israel because she had faith in God, that He would provide.

What does faith with works look like to you?

Talking to your friends about Jesus

Serving with the youth group

Mission trip

Put legs on your faith!

A Faith that Saves

V. 24 is one of the hardest verses in the Bible

It seems like it says that you are saved by doing stuff.

Fortunately, that’s not what is happening.

You can only come to faith through Jesus

He is Who saves you, not anything that you do!

But, if a body doesn’t do anything, if nothing in it works, that person is dead.

In the same way, a faith without any works is dead.

Don’t have a dead faith, give yourself fully to God.