Dead Faith (James 2:14-20)

Introduction

Read Passage:

(James 2:14–20))

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? (2:14–20)

Take a moment to pray for Israel

Context

A truth that James emphasizes in this text and that the Word of God teaches throughout is that what we do reveals who we are.

The genuineness of a profession of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord is evidenced more by what a person does than by what he claims. A person who professes Christ but who does not live a Christ-honoring, Christ-obeying life is a fraud. In chapter 2, James twice describes such faith as being dead (2:17, 26). A person with dead faith does not and cannot produce works that are truly good and righteous, and the absence of such works is evidence of the absence of saving faith.

The New Testament is full of examples of this kind of dead faith.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 5:16).

The inner light that the Lord gives His people will always shine outwardly in the form of good deeds. - John McArthur

Later in the message, Jesus expanded on that truth, explaining that “not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter” (7:21).

Jesus repeatedly emphasized the basic gospel truth that mere intellectual acceptance of divine truth does not bring salvation. “Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?” He asked rhetorically. “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits” (Matt. 7:16–20). Using a similar figure, He said,

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.… By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:5–6, 8)

On the tuesday morning Bible study recently Uncle Nelson worked through the parable of the sower, and as I often spoke to him and in preparation it came back to mind that: Jesus ended the parable of the sower/soils by saying, “The one on whom seed was sown on the good soil, this is the man who hears the word and understands it; who indeed bears fruit and brings forth, some a hundredfold, some sixty, and some thirty” (Matt. 13:23).

John MacArthur writes in his commentary:

James: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary

As in many other times in its history, the church today desperately needs to recognize and deal with the soul-damning idea that mere acknowledgment of the gospel facts as being true is sufficient for salvation. We must clearly and forcefully counter the deception and delusion that knowing and accepting the truth about Jesus Christ is equivalent to having saving faith in Him

It’s heartbreaking to even think that in some churches it is enough to simply say a sinners prayer, and you ask for that ‘date’ and that ‘statement’ is enought! In some churches they think that even if you simply acknowledge there might be a God is enough to trusting Him. The modern worl has made Christianity ‘CHEAP’!

James: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Chapter 10: Dead Faith (James 2:14–20)

James will not permit such falsehood to go unchallenged. As noted numerous times in previous chapters of this commentary, the epistle of James presents a series of tests by which professed Christians can evaluate the genuineness of their faith. All of the tests are based on the foundational truth that people who make no irrevocable commitment to renounce sin and obey and serve the Lord Jesus Christ have no claim on Him and should be confronted with the reality of their lostness. How we live proves who we are—or are not—in God’s sight. As James declared in the previous chapter, genuine believers are “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (1:22).

The Warning

It cannot be stressed too often that no one can be saved by works.

Salvation is entirely “by grace … through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8–9). If works could have any part in salvation, it would no longer be by God’s grace. But neither can it be stressed too often that, as James declares in the present passage, “faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (James 2:17).

Genuine, transforming faith not only should, but will, produce genuine good works, notably repentance and obedient submission to Christ’s lordship. This is how the new birth, new nature, and new creation functions (2 Cor. 5:17). It will not be perfect obedience and repentance, but good works will be present.

We might say that it costs us nothing to become a Christian but everything to live fully as one.

We will bear fruit and should bear much fruit.

Just like how the James reader, the jews scattered abroad, might have become ‘christians’ because the extreme legalistic pressions that was crushing them in hopelessness. Might have made a ‘confession’ to share in the unity, and support and comforts the church had to offer. So also do we find people today that for the fear of ‘hell’ the promise of prosperity, the lonelyness of an evil world, might drive them to a ‘faith’ by words along.

James calls this ‘Dead Faith’ - I call it USELESS FAITH

In James 2:14–20, James provides three characteristics of such false, dead, and useless faith. It is marked by:

Useless Confession (v. 14);

Useless ‘Atittude’ (vv. 15–17);

and a Useless Faith (vv. 18–20).

Useless Confession (v14)

What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? (2:14)

My brethren

perhaps refers especially to James’s fellow Jews, but he is also addressing the church at large.

If someone says

Is the phrase that controlls the interpretation of the entire passage. - Also important to understand so that you don’t fall for the false doctrine of Works Salvation. - The following verses and passages are also often times used in defence of ‘the Armenian’ view of salvation where we have responsibility in our salvation. This is NOT what James is saying here...

James does not say that this person actually has saving faith, but that he claims to have it. --- IF - <Make a knot in your ear on words like these>

Also - no particular kind of faith is mentioned, but the context indicates that it refers to acknowledgment that one believes the basic truths of the gospel.

A person making such a claim would believe in such things as the existence of God, Scripture as the Word of God, and, presumably, in the messiahship of Christ and in His atoning death, resurrection, and ascension. What he is placing his faith in is not at question here, the issue is that he has no works.

The verb form in that phrase describes someone who continually lacks evidence to support the claim of faith he routinely makes.

Likewise, no particular type of works is specified;

but the obvious meaning is that of righteous behavior conforming to God’s revealed Word that is pleasing and acceptable to Him. Some of the righteous and godly works James has already mentioned are endurance (1:3), perseverance under trial (1:12), purity of life (1:21), obedience to Scripture (1:22–23), compassion for the needy (1:27), and impartiality (2:1–9). Later he mentions such things as acts of compassion (2:15), control of the tongue (3:2–12), humility (4:6, 10), truthfulness (4:11), and patience (5:8).

The question

Can that faith save him?

This is not offered to dispute the importance of faith, but to oppose the idea that just any kind of faith can save (cf. Matt. 7:16–18).

Similar to previous ‘Rhetorical questions James asked - that assumed YES you are guilty of partialitiy- The grammatical form of the question calls for a negative answer—“No, it cannot save.”

A profession of faith that is devoid of righteous works cannot save a person, no matter how strongly it may be proclaimed. As already noted, it is not that some amount of good works added to true faith can save a person, but rather that faith that is genuine and saving will inevitably produce good works.

No New Testament writer is more adamant that salvation is solely by God’s grace working through man’s faith than Paul, and no writing of Paul makes that clearer than does his letter to the church at Rome. Yet in that letter he unequivocally asserts that God

will render to each person according to his deeds: to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.… It is not the hearers of the Law who are just before God, but the doers of the Law will be justified. For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves, in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience bearing witness and their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them, on the day when, according to my gospel, God will judge the secrets of men through Christ Jesus. (Rom. 2:6–10, 13–16)

MacArthur Notes again:

James is therefore obviously not in conflict with Paul about the basis of salvation, as some people think. They are not standing face-to-face confronting each other, but are standing back-to-back fighting two common enemies. Paul opposes works-righteous legalism; James opposes easy-believism. But both men make clear that we are going to be judged on the basis of what we have done, for that is a sure indicator of genuine salvation.

“Do not marvel at this,” Jesus said; “for an hour is coming, in which all who are in the tombs will hear His voice, and will come forth; those who did the good deeds to a resurrection of life, those who committed the evil deeds to a resurrection of judgment” (John 5:28–29).

No one is saved without becoming a new creation, and, by the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, the new creation produces such righteous works as repentance, submission, obedience, and love of God and fellow believers. Salvation does not produce immediate perfection, but a new direction. The new disposition that hates sin, loves the Lord, and seeks to know Him and obey His will begins to manifest itself in behavior.

Application

Ask yourself this: Am i the same I was before ‘salvation’? Am i the same today as i was a month ago?

Is there a desire to live a life that pleases God?

No amount of words and confession will save you. There must be EVIDENT change in your life. A constant desire to do that which is right. Despite failure you WANT to obey. IF that want is not there. Question the legitimacy of your confession. It might just be USELESS!

Useless Attitue (v15 - 17)

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. (2:15–17)

Second, James Illustrates his point by comparing faith without works to words of compassion and care without the corresponding ACTION of Compassion. Basically saying you love but never showing it! You have a Useless Attitude. Thinking and saying all the ‘right things’ with no intention of actually doing anything about it.

This is such a fitting analogy. Because dead faith can really be clearly seen by false compassion and love. The Love of God is not really working in you. You have ‘verbal concern’ for those in need (Specially following James earlier rebukes and imperatives) but it’s no more than a hypocritical sham!

Saying “Oo I care for the Lost so much” Yet never evangelise. or “Oh how my heart goes out the those struggelling both in and outside the church” Yet never help them. How willing are you to really have ‘All things in common” when someone in the church has need? If an old goko can’t take care of the house anymore, where are you, and what do you say. If somone in church has emotional need and upliftment, what do you do vs what you say? Are you a hypocrite or willing to DO what you say?

This is Jame’s attitude to the jews.

James: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary (False Compassion)

The Greek construction indicates a need on the part of such believers that is long-standing, not temporary. Without clothing does not mean stark naked but rather poorly and insufficiently clothed, suggesting they were cold and miserable due to lack of proper clothes. Similarly, in need of daily food does not necessarily indicate starvation but rather insufficient nourishment for normal, healthy living. The reference is to those who are deprived of the necessities of life. Proclaiming the same truth, John asks rhetorically, “Whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?” (1 John 3:17).

“Go in peace, be warmed and be filled” is a remarkably heartless and foolish statement, by which James indicates an attitude of total disregard for the welfare of others to the point of absurdity. People do not actually say such words, but they often imply that sentiment by a selfish disinterest that does not give those in need what is necessary for their body. Go in peace is equivalent to a perfunctory, “God bless you”; and be warmed and be filled is tantamount to saying, “God take care of you”—while having no intention of being a channel for that care.

The middle/passive voice of the Greek verbs rendered be warmed and be filled suggests an even more indifferent, cruel, and sarcastic attitude, which says, in effect, “warm and feed yourself,” as if such a needy person would not already have done so if able.

The question What use is that? implies the answer. The fatuous and outrageous comment, Go in peace, be warmed and be filled, is of no use at all, being totally worthless.

Just as professed compassion without kindness and care is phony, so is that faith which is nothing but an empty claim. This is a well-chosen analogy, because compassion is one of the evidences of true regeneration.

Many times in scripture do we see the seriousness of the right attitude followed by ACTION.

• Acts 4 People sold and distributed their goods so that now one had need - SHOWING that their claim of being ‘One in Christ’ is real - Would you?

• Luke 10 The Good Samaritan - Jesus made it clear that those of us who belong to Him MUST help ANYONE in need! Would you? Are you? Or do you grind your teeth, thinking of how inconvenient it will be?

• Matt 25 - Caring Directly for Christ - Jesus said if we do good to one of these brothers of Christ, even the LEAST of them, we did unto Christ - If you were to be rewarded with a point each time you sacrificially, one way or another selflessly did something to/for another simply because you want to! How high will you score?

But when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. All the nations will be gathered before Him; and He will separate them from one another, as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and He will put the sheep on His right, and the goats on the left.

Then the King will say to those on His right, “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 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, “Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?” The King will answer and say to them, “Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

Then He will also say to those on His left, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.… Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.” (Matt. 25:31–41, 45)

Useless Conviction (v18 - 20)

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? (2:18–20)

The third characteristic of Dead Faith is a Useless Conviction - Having only a recognition of certain facts about God and His Word without submission to either.

It seems most likely that someone refers to James himself, speaking of himself using the third person out of humility. He was not boasting, trying to prove that his own Christian life was more exemplary than another’s. He was not speaking primarily about faithfulness in the faith but about faith itself. He was saying, in effect, to anyone opposing the truth he was declaring about true salvation, “You claim to have faith and that nothing else is necessary, that your faith can stand by itself before God and bring salvation. But the truth is, you cannot show me your faith without the works, without any practical evidence or outworking of it, because true faith always gives practical evidence. You cannot demonstrate your kind of faith because you have nothing to demonstrate it with.” As just stated in the previous verse, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” Such faith is not really faith at all, certainly not saving faith. Living faith produces good fruit, for that is its nature and its purpose. Dead faith does not because it cannot.

It is for that reason that a remembered experience of giving one’s life to Jesus Christ, even with a specific date and place, is not in itself proof of salvation. The only certain proof is the life lived after such a profession was made.

In one of his debates - Which I couldn’t find to get the direct quote - John Lennox said, as a brilliant mind in mathematics and science, when asked: “How do you know you are saved” Simply Responded - I’m paraphrasing “Because God changed me!”

True faith WILL result in true change!

Jesus repeatedly warned against false confidence of salvation. “Why do you call Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” He asked.

Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words and acts on them, I will show you whom he is like: he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. But the one who has heard and has not acted accordingly, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great. (Luke 6:46–49)

You do well to believe:

You believe that God is one, James goes on to say. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.

You do well carries a touch of sarcasm, cast against an imaginary, but universally common, orthodoxy that is devoid of saving faith. Orthodox doctrine is no guarantee of salvation, James insists. Even the demons are orthodox in the sense of knowing and acknowledging truth about God.

James’s point is that belief in the truth of Deuteronomy 6:4–5 ““Hear, O Israel! Yahweh is our God, Yahweh is one! without obedience to 6:5 v5“You shall love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” is a useless kind of belief like that possessed by demons.

Demons belief the facts that God is One, that Salvation is by grace through faith inChrist alone, and that Jesus Died, Was Burried, raised from the dead to atone for sins, and that He ascended to heaven, no longer dead sitting a His Father’s right hand. That h will return again. They even believe in a literal heaven and hell - probably why James mention that they SHUDDER - Tremble in fear - They know all these truths, yet they HATE God and do NOT live according to the word!

Shudder:

Phrissō (shudder) means to bristle and tremble and was commonly used of the trembling associated with great fear. Demons at least have the sense to shudder at God’s truth in a state of fear, for they know that eternal torment awaits them in hell (Matt. 8:29–31; Mark 5:7; Luke 4:41; Acts 19:15). In that regard, they are much more realistic and sensible than those with false faith who think they will escape God’s judgment by their shallow and superficial faith.

Are you Foolish?

Further, James asks, But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

Foolish has the idea of “empty” or “defective” and identifies anyone who opposes the truth that true saving faith produces works of righteousness.

Argos (useless) carries the idea of fruitlessness, lack of productivity.

“Every tree that does not bear good fruit,” Jesus said, “is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matt. 7:19). A fruitless life is certain proof that it does not belong to God and is unacceptable to God, because it does not have His divine life within.

Conclusion

As we prepare for the Lord Table take a look at your life. Is there visible evidence of your faith by your works?

I want to conclude with this illustration:

Though we still sin, do we want to live a Godly life?

If you take a pig and throw it into mud what do you see? A happy animal - And even if you wash it clean it will return to the mud time habitually.

But if you take a cat and throw it into mud. You see an animal that tries to get out and then take ACTION to clean itself and avoid the same mistake again.

Which are you? Do you want to obey and do what God commands? Or are you a fool with a useless confession and dead faith?

Amen