Faith in Action

James: Faith in Action

Thesis: Faith without works is dead.

· “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (v. 17)

· faith without deeds is useless (v. 20)

· faith without deeds is dead (v. 26)”[1]

· “…genuine biblical faith will inevitably be characterized by works”[2]

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Sermon Outline for “Faith in Action”

James 2:14-26

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1. Prayer:

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2. Introduction:

2.1. Q: What is Faith?

2.2. Following someone instructions while in the dark/ blindfolded.

2.3. Transition:

James 2:14–26 ESV

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? 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. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” 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! 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 works and not by faith alone. 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? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

3. Context:

3.1. The book of James is asking how do we put our faith into action.

3.2. Transition:

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4. Vv. 14-17

4.1. V.14 “my brothers” introduces a new topic

4.2. James asks 2 questions

4.2.1. What good is faith without works?

4.2.1.1. As we will see in the rest of this passage, the answer is, it isn’t.

4.2.1.2. “works” might also be translated actions or deeds

4.2.1.3. But this is not to suggest that faith or works saves us

4.2.2. Can that faith save him?

4.2.2.1. James does believe that faith in Christ will save us from damnation, but he is intertwining the “both-and” reality of faith and action. He is questioning what some call faith but does not lead to action

4.3. Vv. 15-16 He gives an interesting situation in which a brother or sister in Christ, a fellow Christian, does not have enough clothing or food and they are told, go in peace, be warm and filled. BUT they do nothing to help their fellow Christian brother or sister.

4.3.1. The person tries to use religious working as a smoke screen for their inaction.

4.4. V. 17 we see that faith is lifeless by itself, without action. It does not bring the

4.4.1. James shows words without action mean little.

4.4.2. Just as a profession of faith in Jesus that is not lived out can be worthless

4.4.3. “James is not really contrasting faith and works, as if these were two alternative options in one’s approach to God. He is, rather, contrasting a faith that, because it is inherently defective, produces no works and a faith that, because it is genuine, does result in action.”[3]

4.5. Transition: James knows that this is controversial and starts responding to some of their objections.

5. Vv. 18-26

5.1. V. 18 Someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.”

5.1.1. James responds…You show me faith without action and I will show you my faith by my action

5.1.2. Some believe that faith does not require action, but that it is not what Scripture teaches. But our work does not save us, it is the outflowing of being saved.

5.2. V. 19

5.2.1. Good theology without faith in action is lifeless

5.2.2. The demons have knowledge and good tell you some of the truest things but they do not have real faith!

5.2.3. Saying the right things about God does not mean you have true faith

5.2.4. “It is a good thing to possess an accurate theology, but it is unsatisfactory unless that good theology also possesses us.”[4]

5.2.5. True faith must cause us to act

5.3. V. 20 James then address the person he is debating as a fool and begins to show through 2 examples that faith without action is useless

5.4. V. 21

5.4.1. Abraham’s faith was shown by his action and in some way justifies him before God

5.5. V. 22

5.5.1. Along the way Abraham’s faith was active through his words and the purpose of his faith was completed thorugh his action

5.5.2. Faith does not need to be added to. Rather, it needs to be lived.

5.6. V. 23 Abraham was made righteous in the sight of God when he had faith, being called a friend of God, but it had an end goal.

5.7. V. 24

5.7.1. “If a sinner can get into relationship with God only by faith (Paul), the ultimate validation of that relationship takes into account the works that true faith must inevitably produce (James).”[5]

5.8. V. 25 Rahab is another example of one whose faith in God led to action that honored God and ultimately saved her when the city of Jericho fell

5.9. V. 26 The body – spirit = dead | faith – action = dead (not true faith)

5.10. Transition: So how do we put this in to action in our lives?

6. Application

6.1. Have faith! Faith matters. It is integral that we trust God in His word and act on it. But faith goes beyond our words and outward talk.

6.2. Let your faith take action (Eph. 2:10)

6.3. Believe that faith and action go hand in hand.

7. Conclusion – Story, Illustration, Example, etc.

7.1.

[1] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 119. [2] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 120. [3] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 126. [4] (Mitton, 110) Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 130. [5] Douglas J. Moo, The Letter of James, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos, 2000), 141.