James 2:14-17 “Dead Faith”

Read James 2:14-17.

Pray— God may we live unto you.

Dismiss children

Introduction

(Context) Just some quick context; James, who is the overseer of the church in Jerusalem, is the author of this letter. This letter is sent out to the church at large who is in that day suffering. This letter is dealing with sanctification; Being set apart, how a believer is to order their lives.

(Disclaimer)-We are saved by Grace alone through Faith alone in Christ alone.

(recap) Last week we discussed how vile all sin is before the Lord and how much in desperate need we are for the Mercy of the Lord. We narrowed into the sin of Partiality and how we are to look at the those who are the lowest and the least of us, and serve them as if they were Christ. This is the behavior of a person who is transformed by the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit. James is giving very clear application to the meaning of having the implanted word inside of us. Meaning that there is a difference between a vain, non-substantial, superficial type of confession of faith compared to the transformed heart who confessed true saving and living faith in the Lord of their salvation.

If someone is really saved and really does have true faith in Jesus, we should suspect that they, a person who has been redeemed by Christ, lives a life full of repentance , lives a life counting all things as joy, lives a life that doesn't chase the things that perish, that lives a life that is quick to hear; slow to anger; and slow to speak, we should suspect them to live a life they seeks to mortify the flesh, lives a life that doesn’t show partiality, and that lives a life that reflects the mercy that they have been shown in God.

The reason I say this, is because we have before us today and next week, a text that is most misused by cults and false religions a means to justify a works based religion. They look at this text and conclude that we are salvifically made right in the eyes of the Lord by faith and by works. This church is blasphemy- to think that Christ and His righteous life is not enough to be reckon to the peron who has faith but that we need according to the Catholics; indulgences where we pay our way to heave, or like the Mormons who teach that it is our enduring to the end that makes his grace sufficient. To think that Righteousness comes through any other means outside of Christ would mean that Christ died needlessly .

(Illustration)—Imagine fore a moment you are on a barren desert with no water or shade nearby, and in the distance you see an oasis. You walk miles upon miles to find out this was just a marriage and that you were tricked by an illusion. Though you swear you saw it, you came to find out that it really had no water or fruit to be found but just more sand and emptiness of the desert. This is the type of faith that James is discussing here. a faith that claims to have something, but when saught out, fruit is non-existent. I know that our previous pastor Errol has undoubtly had long sleepless night, like myself over this sad truth. But how many times have we seen some claim to have faith in Christ, to only then have a week go on to find out that they never really had faith. I am so heartbroken by this sad reality of men who claim to know Christ, but never have had a transformation in their hearts. One week they claim Christ, but the next week they are visibly dead in their sins and the world.

With that in our mind, let’s go to the text

Exegetical Introduction

(Read) Verse 14

“What good is it”— James presents us with is a rhetorical kind of question about a certain type of faith. a faith that does not produce works. I think it would be best if we first define this kind of faith. James gives us some clues about this faith in verse 15 and 16

(Read) verse 15-16

James defines this type of faith, as a faith that is superficial. A type of faith that could look at someone in need and instead of helping that person you say that you would just prayer for them.

(Objection) Now do not try to use this text as a proof text as to neglect prayer. James is not teaching us a doctrine of the importance of prayer. One of the sweetest things we can do is pray for one another. In fact if you are looking for something to be praying about, pray for me, for for my family, pray for our church, there is nothing sweeter than knowing that you are praying to our all powerful loving God for our behalf. James actually teaches a lot on the power of prayer and the reason of prayer. James tells us, if we lack wisdom, let them man ask. In chapter 5 he tells us that is we are suffering to pray. James is not stripping the reason or power of prayer. Instead he is speaking about the person who see his brother in need, in whom he could help, he instead turns his back to him and excuses his inaction for prayer.

I can not help but go back to Matthew 25. Let turn to Matthew 25:31-46. (Read)

Brothers and sisters, what Jesus says here, and what James is teaching us in principle is that the sheep of God will act as sheep and not as Goats. When we see someone suffering in our body, especially in our local body, we do not turn our back on them, but instead we serve them as if we are serving Christ.

(Illustration) “What good is it?”— With four different perspectives:

First, put yourself in the shoes of the person who lacking food. You come into this church and someone in here has the means to bless you with a meal, or what ever need you have. And instead of helping you, they turn their back and say “I am praying that you will find food”— what might you think to yourself?: maybe you would think— you can feed me, you can answer this prayer, why won’t you help me. (Question) — When you are in the shoes of the one who is needy, what good is that kind of faith from the person who will not help you? It isn’t a good faith.

Second, put yourself in the shoes of a person watching the interaction between the the needy person and the rich person. You know that the rich person professes faith in God, but then you watch them turn their back on the poor with no regard to actually helping them. What good is it my brothers?— what would you think to yourselves about this supposed person who professes faith in Christ?; You shall know them from their fruits and you just witnessed a faith that is not good or fitting with their profession.

Third, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of the rich person. You have the ability to feed this poor person before you. You have the ability to aid them in their distress. What would you do today? Brothers and Sisters if this is you today, do not turn you back on the poor, but be a people who so speak and then so act.

(Illustration before the fourth example) Could you imagine, if you were ER doctor, and a person came into your emergency room bleeding out from an injury that you could stop. But instead of assisting him you simply said “I hope you get feeling better” then to walk out of the room. I beg with you, do not be this person today, have a living Faith in Christ that produce good works unto Him.

Exegetical Conclusion

But fourthly, I want you to put yourself in the shoes of God, not in a blasphemous way but in a way that considers if this is a good kind of pleasing faith. Is God appeased with a faith that is fruitless? A faith that demons posses (Verse 17)? a Faith that is paralyzed? No, God is not pleased with this kind of faith, because it is not the type of faith that He grants.

So what kind of faith is James calling this inactive, fruitless, paralytic faith? (Read) James 2:17– “Dead faith”. He says that this faith is dead. So when he asks the rhetorical question of “Can that faith save him?” The answer to this question is a simple: No; dead faith can not save anyone. Dead faith is the same type of faith that demons have. It is the same faith that demons have and is that a faith that is pleasing unto the Lord? No! The Faith that is pleasing unto the Lord is the faith that rest in Christ, lives in the Christ, that works in the Christ, that produces in the Christ, that loves Christ, and that displays Christ.

(Question) Is James teaching here that our works merit us salvation? No, he simply isn’t. If he was then Paul would be a liar in his epsistles. Kistemaker, in his commentary of this text correctly notes, that James and Paul does not have differing opinions about true living faith, but Instead is speaking of two sides of the same coin. Turn with me to Romans 4, Gal. 2:6-21, Eph 2:8-10.

even consider the Words of Christ, John 15.

Conclude

We must conlude by asking ourselves; Is James teaching a contradictive doctrine or something that is novel? No, He is actually teaching the same things that everyone else is saying, which if you have been saved by Grace alone, through Faith alone, in Christ alone, the faith that is alone resting in Christ, is a faith that is testifies, demonstrated, and showed to be a faith that is living by producing fruit that stems directly from being made alive from the Spirit. James present a reason that we are to reject easy beleivism, that say you say this sinners prayer, then go on living your live with no actual heart change.

This is the danger of modern cultural Christianity. People think they are saved because they said the sinners prayer, they attended church once, or that they live in Texas. But in reality, It is the transformed heart that places living faith in Christ unto whom we then out of gratitude serve daily.

Make no mistake about you faith today. God is not pleased by a dead superficial faith.

Pray