Faith Without Works is Dead

James 2:14–17

Introduction

Last week we began our series A Church That Works by looking at Titus 3:14. We saw that grace grows goodness: God saves us not because of what we do, but because of what Christ has done, and that same grace works itself out in our lives.

Today, James takes on a question that naturally flows from that truth, How do we recognize whether that grace is alive in us? And his answer is simple: faith without works is dead.

Faith and Works: Understanding the Question

Some are quick to point out a seeming inconsistency between James and Paul. Paul explicitly says that we are saved by grace alone through faith and not by works. James clearly teaching that faith without works is dead.

It is important to understand that Paul and James are not contradicting one another, they are merely answering different questions.

Paul’s Focus: How is a sinner declared righteous before God?

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. We cannot earn salvation.

Imagine a courtroom. You stand before the judge, guilty of countless charges. The verdict does not depend on your efforts or your ability to pay a fine, it depends entirely on the declaration of the judge. Paul tells us that God’s verdict is “not guilty” because of Christ. Works do not earn salvation; faith receives it.

James’s focus: What does that saving faith look like?

Faith is never alone; it expresses itself in concrete acts of love and good works/righteousness.

Faith that claims Christ but produces no fruit is dead.

Think of a tree with roots but no fruit. It may appear alive in some ways, but in the end, it is not fulfilling its purpose.

That is what James is talking about, a faith that exists in name only, that does not change life or bear fruit for God’s glory.

Paul addresses the root, how we stand before God; 
James addresses the fruit, how faith is evidenced in our daily lives.

Faith Without Works Is Dead

What is a dead faith

A “Faith alone” that does not produce works is a false faith; it does not lead to salvation. It is mere intellectual assent, a claim that Christ is Lord without letting Him rule your heart and life.

True faith is never alone. It is faith that unites us to Christ, which necessarily produces obedience, good works, and righteousness.

When we say, “I believe in Jesus,” the question is not merely intellectual. Are our lives showing it? If not, James warns us that this kind of faith is “dead” and cannot save, not because works save, but because a dead faith was never saving faith at all. True faith always leads to good works.

James 2:14-16 a simple example of dead faith

“If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking daily food…” Faith is tested in ordinary need. James doesn’t point to heroic deeds or extraordinary situations; he points to real, everyday needs, providing food for the hungry, shelter for the cold, the friendship to those who are all alone.

Three key observations about dead faith

Dead faith does not respond to real need: It may sound religious but is silent in the face of suffering.

Dead faith may confess truth while ignoring the neighbor: it benefits no one.

Dead faith can appear godly while denying Christ’s power (2 Tim 3:5). Form without force; ritual without transformation. The heart may profess, but the life may contradict.

What a Living Faith Looks Like

Living faith is not measured by impressive acts, but by obedience to Jesus worked out in ordinary life.

Faith that works shows itself in:

Loving one another; sacrificially, patiently, and practically. This is not merely affection, but action: bearing burdens, forgiving offenses, seeking reconciliation, and serving one another (Jn 13:34-35; Gal 6:2).

Repentance and turning from sin; a faith that is alive is a faith that notices sin, confesses it, and pursues holiness in the power of the Spirit (1 Jn 1:9).

Willingness to suffer for the sake of others; turning the other cheek, going the extra mile, forgiving when wronged, sacrificing comfort or convenience to bless another, even when it is costly, all to make the gospel known (Matt 5:38-42; Phil 2:3-4).

Faithful obedience in daily life: the small, unseen acts of integrity and righteousness that reflect Christ’s lordship: keeping promises, speaking truth, acting justly, working diligently, loving neighbors even when it’s inconvenient (Matt 7:12; Prov 10:9).

Every act of love, every choice to obey Christ, even in small, ordinary ways, is evidence that faith is alive. Dead faith has no fruit because it is not rooted in Christ. Every act of obedience is a sign that Christ is alive in us.

James is not calling us to measure whether we have done enough good works to be saved. That would put us right back under the law. Instead, James is asking a different question altogether: Is your faith alive?

He is not asking whether works are present enough to save us. He is asking whether faith is alive enough to show itself. Dead faith talks; living faith walks. Dead faith talks about Christ, living faith walks with Christ.

Cultivating A Living Faith

Dead faith reveals a problem, not a hopeless state. God does not show us barren places in order to shame us, but to restore us. A dead tree feels nothing. A living tree responds to the gardener’s care. Through the Spirit God trains us to grow living, fruitful faith. God patiently cultivates our hearts, through His Word, His Spirit, and His people.

Just as the gardener in Lk 13:6-9 tended the fig tree, giving it extra care and nourishment, God patiently cultivates our hearts. He intends our lives to be fruitful, our faith alive.

How God Cultivates Living Faith

James does not end by handing us a checklist. He invites us to examine whether God is at work in us, tending the soil of our hearts so that living faith might bear fruit.

Don’t ask, “Where do I need to try harder?” Ask instead, “How is God cultivating my heart for service right now?”

If the Spirit has opened your eyes to a lack of fruitfulness, that itself is evidence of grace at work.

Where has God been gently revealing spiritual dryness? Where has conviction been present, but not yet acted upon? This is not condemnation. It is cultivation.

What are the weeds God is calling you to pull? Fruitlessness is often not caused by the absence of faith, but by competition in the soil.

Jesus warned that thorns choke the word cares of the world, deceitfulness of riches, the desire for other things. So ask practically: What habits or distractions are crowding out devotion to Christ? What has been consuming my attention more than obedience?

Repentance here is not dramatic, it is deliberate. Pulling weeds is slow, unglamorous work, but it makes room for life.

Where has God opened your eyes to real need? James’s example is simple: a brother or sister lacking food or clothing. God often directs our obedience by what He allows us to see.

If you are noticing someone’s loneliness, someone’s financial strain, someone’s spiritual weariness, tension that needs reconciliation, that is not accidental. It may be the very place God is inviting your faith to move from word to deed. Living faith does not wait for ideal conditions. It responds to ordinary need.

Follow the Spirit’s leading in small, faithful obedience

God rarely calls us to fix everything. He calls us to be faithful where we are. A meal prepared. A conversation initiated. A forgiveness offered. A sin confessed. A sacrifice made quietly. These are not heroic acts. They are signs of life.

The same grace that saves us is the grace that trains us, leads us, and sends us out.

God is not looking for instant fruit, but He is cultivating living faith.

If He is showing you barren ground, He is also offering His care. If you hear this sermon and feel your need of Christ, that very hunger is not death, it is life stirring.

If He is exposing weeds, He is ready to help you pull them.

If He is opening your eyes to need, He is already pointing you toward obedience.

Dead faith talks. Living faith walks: step by step, in the ordinary paths God has set before us.