James 2:14-26; Living Faith

Introduction

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All three synoptic gospels recount a story for us. (Matthew 9, Mark 2, Luke 5) . Jesus was teaching in the synagogue and healing the sick. He has gathered such a crowd that there is no way to get to Jesus. So four men take their paralyzed friend on his mat and take him to the roof of the building Jesus is teaching in. They beginning taking the roof apart so they can lower their friend into the house so that Jesus can heal him. All three of the gospel writers take time to mention the same fact. They all tell us that Jesus saw the faith of not the young man, NO! Jesus saw the faith of the friends. Based upon their faith, Jesus healed this man.

Saints, none of the gospel writers mention faith on the part of the friends. None of the writes mention that the friends had a prayer session or a Bible study before they brought their friend to Jesus. How do we know that they had faith? Because they demonstrated their faith by their actions. You could say they didn’t just talk the talke, they walked the walk. They really lived out their faith that Jesus can fix what is broken.

Need

Saints, like these four friends, we need a faith that is visible. We need a living faith!

Referent

James 2:14-26

Organization

Faith Doesn’t (vs. 14-20)

2. Faith Does (vs. 21-26)

a1- Neighbor

b1- God

c - James 2:20 “20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?”

b2 - God

a2 - Neighbor

Sermon in a sentence:

I will show my faith towards God and others.

Faith Doesn’t (vs. 14-20)

(vs. 14) - Notice that James is not saying it is faith or works. It is dead faith or living faith.

J. Alec Motyer

The Message of James (The Primary Works) The life of faith is more than a private (long past) transaction of the heart with God. It is the life of active consecration seen in the obedience which holds nothing back from God, and the concern which holds nothing back from human need.

(vs. 14-17) Neglect our brothers and sisters in Christ.

James once again uses the illustration of clothing to make his point, like he did regarding partiality between the rich and poor (2:1-5)

1 John 3:16–18 ESV

16 By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. 17 But if anyone has the world’s goods and sees his brother in need, yet closes his heart against him, how does God’s love abide in him? 18 Little children, let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth.

Craig Blomberg

James Explanation of Text

“Works” here are not the Pauline “works of the law,”s such as circumcision, but rather the works of love, such as caring for those who are in need, not showing favoritism, being humble, or being slow to speak. In essence, works are the sum total of a changed life brought about by faith. Where “Paul denies the need for ‘pre-conversion works,’  James emphasizes the absolute necessity of post-conversion works.

2. (vs. 18-20) Neglect worshipping God.

Worship must contain true doctrine of God! (vs. 19) - God is one.

Its amazing that James uses the Shalom and Shema in this first section. Both are theological rich and wonderful sayings. However, our orthodoxy must lead to orthopraxy.

You can go to seminary, you can read all the Puritans you want, you can go to all the conferences but if you do not tremble before God, your faith is not alive.

1 Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Were you there when they crucified my Lord? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

2 Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Were you there when they nailed him to the tree? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they nailed him to the tree?

3 Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Were you there when they laid him in the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when they laid him in the tomb?

4 Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Were you there when God raised him from the tomb? Oh, sometimes it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble. Were you there when God raised him from the tomb?

Let it not be that God would receive more appropriate worship from Satan than from his saints.

Faith Does (vs. 21-26)

(vs. 21-24) Make us obey God, even in the most difficult circumstances.

Readers of the Bible can say there is a contradiction between Paul and James here.

(vs. 21 & 23) James alludes to Genesis 22 (Abraham and Isaac) and quotes Genesis 15:6. Paul also quotes Genesis 15:6 in Romans 4.

Romans 3:28 “28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.”

Romans 4:3 “3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.””

There is no contradiction.

Evangelical Commentary on the Bible D. True Christian Faith Seen in Its Works (2:14–26)

What is vital, then, is to see that Paul and James are using the key word justify with different meanings. When Paul uses the word justify, he designates the initial acceptance of the sinner before God—the solely gracious act whereby God, the Judge of all the world, considers us “right” before him because of our identification with Christ (see

Since there is no contradiction, let us not loose James’ voice!

Faith causes us to obey God. Which deepens our relationship with him and grows our faith! (vs. 22 “was completed” and vs. 23 “he was called a friend of God”

2. (vs. 25-26) Makes us love our neighbors, even in difficult circumstances.

Once again, James uses an example of some one who would be shunned or not well accepted in society, a prostitute.

Remember, James has repeatedly used examples to condemn partiality and favoritism. Here, James shows us that faith can come from Abraham the Father of the Jews and even a prostitute like Rahab.

Rahab heard about the God that wooped the Egyptians. She believed and becasue of her faith, she put herself and her family in danger by helping those Hebrew spies. (Joshua 2)

Here faith and actions led her to physical salvation and her inclusion in the covenant community of God.

Hannah Estep

Conclusion

Mark 9 tells us of a father who brings his son. This son has been suffering from some form of a spirit that caused him to convulse, fall to the ground, and foam at the mouth. The father tells Jesus this has been happening from childhood. The father tells Jesus,

Mark 9:22–24 “22 And it has often cast him into fire and into water, to destroy him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” 23 And Jesus said to him, “ ‘If you can’! All things are possible for one who believes.” 24 Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!””

Saints, just like the friends that brought their friend to Jesus and the father that brought his boy to Jesus, our faith doesn’t have to be perfect. We don’t have to know every theological formulation. We don’t need to know every creed or confession from church history. No, saints. We need a faith, even in the midst of great pain and doubt, that draws us and those around us closer to Jesus. We need a living faith that demonstrates itself by how we are walking with Jesus and bringing others to him.

Application

Maybe today you realize you need true faith. Not a mere hope for the best kind of spirituality. Maybe you realize that that pray one time long ago really was nothing more than words. Maybe, you need to put your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ today. A real living faith that works, not for salvation, but because of salvation.

If you have been walking with the Lord, how can you apply James 2:14-26 to your life? Let me remind you, this text teaches us that our faith cannot pit our relationship with the Lord against or love for neighbor. NO. Let me encourage you to examine yourselves.

Have you become partial or imbalanced?

Are we willing to spend an entire morning in the prayer closet and just nothing more than a minute speaking with and encouraging your neighbor?

Are you willing to bend over backwards for your neighbor but not bow to your knees in prayer?

Let us ask the Lord Jesus to enable us to draw closer to himself and give sacrificially to those around us.