The Proof of Allegiance

Welcome

Well, good morning friends! Good to be with you this morning. If we haven’t met yet, my name is Dan and I serve here as the Teaching pastor for Lifepoint Worthington.

If this is your first time here…

New Guest Language

Halloween on the Green

Add link to sermon notes

Alright, we are continuing in our teaching series today through the New Testament book of James - so if you have a bible with you, why don’t you open to to James chapter 2. James 2 — and we’ll be in verses 14-26. Today.

James 2:14-26.

Introduction

And while you’re turning there.

Series Set-Up

Over the last few weeks, we have been working through this letter, written by James, one of the first pastors to his church in and around Jerusalem.

We’ve seen how he’s writing in a moment of cultural upheaval - with multiple sides offering very different visions of what it means to live under the Roman empire.

One side is saying it’s time to fight the culture and the other is saying it’s time to join.

In this letter, James offers followers of Jesus a third way forward…and it looks like faith.

The thing is, when James talks about faith, he’s not using it in the modern sense of the word - personal belief or intellectual agreement - he’s using it the ancient sense - meaning something far more like “loyalty.”

Remember, in the first century when James wrote this letter, “faith” is what Caesar demanded from anyone under his authority.

And so we’ve not been talking so much about “faith” each week, but “allegiance.” And that the whole point of this letter is about calling followers of Jesus to practice their allegiance to Jesus!

Message Set-Up

Today, we’re looking at the spot where James gets the most direct in talking about allegiance…importantly, what true allegiance actually looks like…as opposed to what he calls, “Dead allegiance.”

And let me name why this matters so much right now.

We live in a moment when “faith” is often treated like a private hobby—something we keep tucked away for Sundays or for the moments life gets hard. But outside the church walls, the louder messages of our culture—achievement, image, comfort, control—are constantly demanding our allegiance too.

Every commercial, every political slogan, every social-media feed is saying, “Trust me, follow me, give me your loyalty.” So when James starts talking about the kind of allegiance that actually works, he’s not just talking about an ancient issue. He’s naming one of the great tensions of our modern world: whose kingdom are we really serving on Monday morning?

And I think this is a crucial section for us. Because, I think what we will find is that dead allegiance is far more pervasive and normal than we realize…it’s maybe far more common than we think - it might even be the norm in American Christianity.

My goal today is not that we walk away with a sense that “Those other people are doing it wrong.” But actually that we leave here with a nagging question about our own allegiance. Is true and living? Stale and dead? Or somewhere in between?

So if you’re not there yet, open with me to James 2:14 -26. I’ll pray, and then we’ll get started.

PRAY

True Allegiance Works

Let’s go ahead and get started. Look with me starting in v. 14. And I’m going to read this with the word allegiance in the place of faith.

James 2:14–17 ESV

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has allegiance but does not have works? Can that allegiance save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 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? 17 So also allegiance by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

The general idea is pretty simple.

Allegiance and “works” necessarily go together. But, it’s not so much an equation like “allegiance + works”…it’s more like allegiance is works. That without works, you don’t actually have allegiance.

Good Works

Now, the obvious question is, “What does he mean mean by works?” I’m going to be really brief here so that we don’t get too bogged down.

The idea of “works” shows up in two sense in the Bible. There is a technical sense and a general sense.

The technical sense of “works” means “works of obedience to the Old Testament commandments.” This is often how Paul, one of the other writers in the New Testament, uses it. The technical sense has to do with our status before God - righteous or unrighteous.

Now, James isn’t contradicting Paul.

When Paul warns against “works of the law,” he’s talking about trying to earn God’s approval through religious performance. James is describing the kind of actions that flow out of genuine allegiance to Jesus.

The general sense of works is not nearly as specific - it means something more like “good deeds in everyday life.” It’s our actions that are honoring to God. Actually James has already spent quite a bit of time talking about our “works” in this letter and often connects it to how we are to engage with the most vulnerable in our communities.

We spent A LOT more time on this a few months ago in our series, “I Have Questions” and I have link in the sermon notes to that message if you want some more context.

But for today, the best way to understand James here is to see that he’s talking about “works” as our everyday lives - or what we sometimes call the “real world.”

Works as the Proof of Allegiance

So let’s put the pieces together.

James is saying that the proof of our allegiance is found in the way we live — that true allegiance can’t be separated from everyday life. Following Jesus isn’t about having a spiritual side and a real-life side; it’s about a single, integrated life shaped by Him.

Now let’s be honest — in our cultural moment, that’s not obvious.

And it’s not obvious because so many of us — even inside the church — have been formed to believe that our allegiance, our faith and our work, can run on parallel tracks.

Maybe those tracks don’t always collide. Maybe they even seem to move in the same direction. But that’s exactly the problem — they were never meant to be parallel. They were meant to be the same track.

And I think this shows up in a million subtle ways in our lives.

Several years ago, I was sitting at my desk after a really hard conversation with a friend — and honestly, I was embarrassed at how I’d acted and talked to this person.

I was angry and arrogant, and it showed.

Sitting there afterward, I started praying about the conversation — and as I did, I began to see a bigger pattern in my life. I felt deeply convicted, not in a shameful way, but in that honest recognition that I’d hurt someone and dishonored God in the process.

There were tears. It felt heavy, but sacred — like one of those quiet, holy moments of repentance.

And then… my clock beeped. I looked up, realized the bank was about to close, and thought, “Oh, I need to get to Chase before five.”

So I got up, left, and went about my errand.

It wasn’t until I got back to my desk that it hit me — what had just happened.

It was such a small, ordinary moment. But it captured something much bigger — that tendency in me (and maybe in all of us) to keep my “allegiance” and my “work,” my “faith” and my “everyday life,” on separate tracks…to treat them as if they are two different worlds…different realities that I can bounce in and out of at a moments notice.

And I don’t think I’m alone in that. This shows up everywhere — in big ways and small ways — in how we live, how we work, how we love, how we spend.

We say Jesus is Lord of our lives…and then let our careers set the pace.

We say everything we have belongs to God…but our budgets tell another story.

We say we love our neighbors…but which neighbors are we talking about…and who really IS my neighbor?

We say we trust God with our future…but how often do we make decisions out of fear over that future?

We say the church is a family…but we treat it like a product to consume.

It’s not that those things are in open conflict with our faith — they just run on parallel tracks.

And that’s what James is warning us about — a divided life. Allegiance…faith…that never makes contact with the real world isn’t allegiance at all!

Just look at the example he gives in v. 15.

James 2:15–17 ESV

15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 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? 17 So also allegiance by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

One of the greatest challenges for modern followers of Jesus isn’t unbelief — it’s bifurcation, the splitting of life into sacred and secular.

The problem isn’t that “real life” keeps interrupting our “spiritual life.” It’s that tend to function as if they’re different things.

So the first thing James wants us to know about True Allegiance is that True Allegiance works.

True Allegiance is Visible

Here’s the second: True Allegiance is visible.

He says it this way in v. 18.

James 2:18 ESV

18 But someone will say, “You have allegiance and I have works.” Show me your allegiance apart from your works, and I will show you my allegiance by my works.

So…not only is James warning against our tendency to segment out allegiance and works…he saying that true allegiance will be visible…it will demonstrate itself in the real world.

And he gives two examples from the Old Testament: Abraham and Rahab.

Both of whom, James says, prove their allegiance in the real world…that their “faith” took on flesh and blood…it was tangible and informed their actions.

Just look at the stories.

James 2:21 ESV

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

Abraham was demonstrating his allegiance to God - by his willingness to offer up his first born son - Isaac. Now, importantly, God never intends for Abraham to go through with this - and had always intended to provide a sacrifice in Isaac’s place - but through his willingness to take Isaac and offer him up, Abraham is showing that his allegiance is not just theory…it is costly…

The same was true with Rahab.

Look at v. 25.

James 2:25 ESV

25 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?

This still is a bit less familiar - but it goes back to the Old Testament book of Joshua.

God’s people have spent years wandering through the Wilderness after their time in Egypt…God brings them to the cusp of the land He had promised them…and for the most part, they are terrified! So they send several spies into a major city - Jericho.

Well in the ancient world, one in which people groups were deeply suspicious of one another, these spied would have been perceived as an immediate threat…and if caught, would have been executed.

And yet a woman named Rahab, demonstrates her allegiance to God…not by offering her thoughts and prayers…or a quick blessing as they go on their way!

No, her allegiance is demonstrated by taking in these spies…into her own home…hiding them when the authorities start looking for them…risking her own life and lives of her family.

And James looks at this story - and says if you want to know what true allegiance looks like…look at Rahab! You can see it…it’s costly…it’s risky…it’s real.

And that’s the part that pushes on us, isn’t it?

Because real allegiance always costs something. For Abraham, it was the risk of losing what he treasured most. For Rahab, it was the risk of her reputation, her safety, even her life. And for us, it may not look as dramatic—but it’s still costly.

Allegiance may mean choosing integrity at work when cutting corners would be easier. It might mean speaking truth in love when silence would protect your comfort or just not rock the boat! It might mean forgiving someone who wounded you when bitterness feels safer.

Those moments feel small, but they’re where allegiance actually lives. It’s the small moments in life when we ask: Will I be loyal even here?

And all of that brings us to the question…maybe the question of the entire letter:

What does my allegiance look like?

PAUSE

Honestly?

PAUSE

Would someone be able to look at my life - and by virtue of the way I live be able to make any observation about my true loyalty?

Actually it’s probably not a matter of if they could make an observation about my loyalty, but what they’d observe about my loyalty.

PAUSE

I want to go back to something I said a few moments ago: that perhaps one the greatest challenges for modern followers of Jesus isn’t unbelief — it’s bifurcation, the splitting of life into sacred and secular.

Why do we that?

PAUSE

It’s an interesting bifurcation, isn’t? To split between “allegiance” and “everyday life”… “faith” and “work”… “sacred” and “secular.”

Maybe…we want to separate them because we are think of those different tracks as different domains…different kingdoms…presumably with different Kings.

We’re fine with Jesus reining over the sacred as long as we can retain lordship over the secular…the everyday…the ordinary moments in our lives.

I think sometimes we split life like that because deep down, we’re afraid of what it would cost if Jesus really were Lord over all of it.

If His reign really extended into my work, my relationships, my politics, my habits — that would mean I’m not in control anymore.

And that’s terrifying.

So instead, we build these little compartments — sacred moments where we invite Jesus in, and everyday spaces where we quietly say, “I’ve got this part.”

But every time we do that, we’re reinforcing the illusion that life can be whole without Him.

Gospel

But this is why we need the Gospel — because the story of Jesus isn’t just about God forgiving our sin; it’s about freeing us from the deeper pattern beneath our sin — our need to stay in control.

Jesus doesn’t come to take from us; He comes to make us whole. The Gospel announces that the One we’re afraid to surrender to has already surrendered Himself for us. He’s not a harsh ruler demanding allegiance, but a loving Father who delights in His children and knows what we need before we ask.

Before we ever showed allegiance to Him, Jesus showed allegiance to us. He stepped into our fractured world and lived the same kind of ordinary days we do — working, resting, facing pressure and fatigue — yet His trust in the Father never wavered. His allegiance never broke, even when it led Him to the cross.

On that cross, Jesus carried the full weight of our divided lives — every moment we clung to control, every corner of the heart that said, “I’ll handle this part.” He took all that self-rule and bore it Himself, letting our rebellion die with Him so its power would be broken forever.

But the story didn’t end there. Three days later, Jesus rose from the dead — and in that moment, God declared once and for all that Jesus is the true and rightful King; the One worthy of our full allegiance.

See, When we give Him our allegiance, we’re not only forgiven; we’re re-formed.

The Gospel doesn’t just save us for eternity; it restores us for today. It invites us into a single, undivided life of allegiance — not fractured or compartmentalized, but whole and alive under the gracious rule of Jesus.

And maybe that’s where this message meets you today.

If you’re exploring faith and you’re tired of holding everything together on your own, Jesus invites you to trust Him.

Maybe you’ve followed Him for years but sense that gap between belief and practice, ask Him again to bring your life together by His grace.

Your prayer might be: “Jesus, I’m tired of holding control. I need You to lead all of my life. Make me whole again.”

That’s what it means to become — or to become again — a follower of Jesus. Pledging your allegiance to Him and Him alone!

And He stands ready to make you whole.

So What?

So what do we do with this?

Now, before we rush to action...

This kind of reflection can be uncomfortable.

When we start asking where our lives are divided, it’s easy to feel exposed or discouraged. But James isn’t trying to shame us, and neither is Jesus!

No, his goal isn’t condemnation; it’s healing.

If this stirs conviction in you, that’s grace at work. Conviction is the Spirit’s way of saying, “There’s more life available here.” So instead of shrinking back in guilt, lean in with hope—because the same Jesus who reveals our divided hearts is already at work mending them.

Okay...now, now what.

If James is right (and I think is)…that our “faith” and “works”…our “allegiance” and everyday life” cannot function on separate tracks, then maybe it starts with asking an honest question:

Where in my life am I still divided?

Where am I content to let Jesus reign in the “sacred” moments — but not in the ordinary ones?

Where have I kept my Sunday allegiance in one lane, and my Monday reality in another?

Maybe it’s at work — where ambition or fear shapes your choices more than allegiance to Jesus. Maybe it’s at home — in how you speak to your spouse, or how you treat your kids when no one’s watching. Maybe it’s how you think about money, or politics, or rest.

Maybe it’s simply in the way you carry your time — like there are some hours that belong to Him and some that belong to you.

Wherever the split lives, that’s the invitation.

Because the Gospel doesn’t come to shame us — it comes to make us whole.

It comes to bring the tracks together again.

And so maybe this week, the most faithful thing you can do is not something spectacular, but something small:

To take one part of your life that’s been running on its own, and quietly bring it back under His reign.

To say, “Jesus, I want you to be Lord here, too.”

That’s how wholeness begins — not in a single grand act, but in small, ordinary moments of re-alignment. When you do that, the gap between sacred and secular starts to close.

When you do that, your life begins to look like a single, steady “yes” to King Jesus — in your work, in your relationships, in your words, in your priorities.

That’s the beauty of allegiance: It’s not about adding a spiritual layer to your life. It’s about letting every part of your life belong to the One who gave His for you.

Let’s pray.