The True Life of Faith Authentic faith is expressed by our loving actions toward others
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· 4 viewsShowing that the evidence of our doctrine of being saved by grace, through our faith in Jesus Christ, will change a persons life so, that they will do good and not evil. Our true faith in Christ is evident through our attitudes, words, and deeds.
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Intro:
Intro:
What is true faith? That is the question Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-10, “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
James with no contradiction shows that, the convincing evidence we are saved by grace through our faith in Jesus Christ is seen in the good works we do as believers in Christ.
Saving faith in Christ, will change a person’s life that he or she will do good works, not evil. True faith in Christ is borne out in our attitudes, words, and deeds.
James provides clear instructions about who God is and what He is like. God is generous
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
God is holy
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
God is unchanging in goodness
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.
God IS the one and only
You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
God is sovereign
Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”
God is forgiving
And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
James teaches that Christian living must be godly, and therefore, Christlike.
Partiality Condemned James Exposes Evil Motives
We are to be Christlike. James was condemning his fellow believers for their treatment of a man, that did not seem to fit their ideal of the right type.
Their preferential treatment of the rich man was motivated by their coveting the money and social status he could give to their synagogue. Their ill treatment of the poor man was motivated by the belief that he could add nothing of value or status to their synagogue.
The sin of these people was in judging the worth and dignity of these two men based on their material possessions and social status, while ignoring their equal standing before God.
And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
THE GROUND IS LEVEL AT THE CROSS NO BIG I’s AND LITTLE YOU’s
God Chose the Poor
Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts? Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?
In contrast to their mistreatment of the poor man who came into their midst , James said God had chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith, and heir of the kingdom....promised to those who love Him.
Those who mistreated the poor man, based on his appearance of being poor, completely overlooked the fact that he might be “rich in faith” which is a far greater treasure than all the money in the world.
The rich with money and worldly power, who were most often the persecutors of believers in Christ. And these, persecutors, also blasphemed (spoke irreverently), the holy names of God and Christ.
The point is, we must not judge people only by their outward appearance and use that judgement to determine whether we will treat them fairly or not.
Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,
The Royal Law of Scripture
Partiality Violates God’s Command
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors. For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law. So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
These verses explain that partiality is sinful because it violates God’d command:
You shall not take vengeance, nor bear any grudge against the children of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.
As James said we do well to obey God’s commandment to love others, but if we practice “respect to persons (we commit sin) because this is a violation to love others.
Sin is sin is sin.........
This is why James said..
For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.
Judgement Is Coming
So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
James concluded his rebuke of the sin of partiality by reminding his readers that, in all their speaking and doing, that they should have a consciousness that their words and deeds would be judged by the law of liberty, the Word of God.
To be judge by the Word is to be judged by God
And you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons: “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; For whom the Lord loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.” If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.
For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is. If anyone’s work which he has built on it endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire.
As believers in Christ, we are accountable to God and Christ for our attitudes, words, and deeds.
Correlation Between Faith and Works
What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!
Some believe that James was saying salvation by works, or a combination of faith and works, instead of salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
There is an essential relationship between saving faith in Jesus Christ and doing good works. James said that, saying we have faith, without doing the good works required by faith, cannot be saving grace.
Faith Without Works Is Dead
But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
James is saying, that a person who does not realize that faith without works is dead faith that person is vain.
The Message
Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?
Abraham’s example When faced with the most severe test of his faith, he obeyed God. By doing so, Abraham proved his faith in God, and he proved that he was justified by his faith in God, because his faith was true and saving faith.
Canaanite women Gentile Rahab Rahab a Canaanite, who were the hated enemies of Israel. Telling a lie, to protect two spies of Joshua. Hence, in the bible she is identified as a Harlot, a Canaanite, and a liar.
She saved their lives and cast her lot with the nation of Israel. Proving that her faith brought her into right relationship with God.
The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham
Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, Obed begot Jesse, and Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
CLOSING We are saved by grace through faith. Faith without works is dead. These two statements are not contradictory of one another. Both are true, and vitally related to the other. They complement each other revealing the breath and depth of what it means to have faith in Christ.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Heb 11:1
This is living active faith, that transforms every aspect of our living to commitment to doing what is right and good. True faith in God and Christ, produces in us practical Christianity.