Faith & Deeds

As we continue our study of James, let’s remind ourselves of what we’ve learned so far. God calls us to live according to the law of love—to love God and love neighbours. We remember that God created us to bear his image, to demonstrate his moral character in how we live, how we think, how we speak, but we fail all the time. We are looking at progression, not perfection. The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, soberly, that even the most holy among us make only a slight beginning of obedience.

As we continue our study of James, let’s remind ourselves of what we’ve learned so far. God calls us to live according to the law of love—to love God and love neighbours. We remember that God created us to bear his image, to demonstrate his moral character in how we live, how we think, how we speak, but we fail all the time. We are looking at progression, not perfection. The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us, soberly, that even the most holy among us make only a slight beginning of obedience.

We saw last week, that we need to be honest. We have to honestly look at our motivations. Are we connected to Christ, wanting to submit to him? Or are we just faking it, doing things to look good?

We continue in that vein as we look at faith and deeds.

Now, we need to up front and honest here. This is where Martin Luther became frustrated with James, calling it the straw letter. Living in a religious system that was all about works righteousness, he believed that James was advocating just that. But he is not. To begin, we must first define faith, and then second, deeds.

Faith is trusting God. Faith is believing, trusting, in Christ’s finished, fully complete, all done, never to be repeated, work on the cross once and for all. What Jesus did, was perfect, necessary, and true. We cannot add anything to it, nor does it need anything added to it. Faith is trusting God, trusting Christ’s work, which, sets us free from sin, and imparts righteousness to us, so that God the Father, when he looks upon us sees Christ’s righteousness covering us, covering Pastor Paul, etc.

Faith trusts God, and faith obeys God. We’ll study more about that in just a bit. If faith doesn’t trust, if it doesn’t obey, it’s dead. It’s as useless as a screen door on a submarine.

Deeds, then, defined by James in chapter one, is God’s law of love. Deeds are loving God, and loving others.

Now, let’s be clear, we’re not adding deeds to faith, to prove our faith. Rather, true faith leads to loving God more and more and loving others, no matter how well or poorly we accomplish that.

Read v. 14-16

Faith without deeds is dead. It can’t save; it’s useless. You say you have faith, but if you don’t do anything, that’s not faith. If I say, “I have faith that I can walk on water, but never ever go near the water, never ever try to walk on water, it’s dead, it’s useless.

James uses the example of a brother or sister in Christ who has fallen on tough times. They can’t make the payments they used to, they’ve had to sell everything, move from their big fancy house to a trailer park, they’re about to lose everything.

The poor person depends totally on God. God shows his love to the poor through the wealth he’s given to his saints, to you and me. God uses us in profound ways to bless those who are hurting among us.

What is God’s primary purpose in blessing us? It is to be a blessing to others. As God has blessed us, we bless. If we don’t have this attitude, we’ll be a slave to the things, instead of being thankful for them.

Faith that sits, that does nothing, results in spiritual constipation. You are a means for God to bless others. But if you don’t actually do anything with your faith, if you don’t actually trust God to continue to provide for you, if you don’t actually trust God by obeying his command to give to others, you’ll be stagnant, useless.

Remember, a few Sundays ago, we saw that James’ letter tracks with Jesus’ teaching, it does in this passage also. Let me read , where he’s describing Judgement Day, separating sheep on his right, from the goats on his left.

“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

As we experience God’s grace, as we rest in Christ’s grace alone, God transforms us, so that our hearts become softer, more like God’s heart, and we start to love God more, and people more. We start to, imperfectly, love people.

People are hard to love. We all have people we don’t like. How do you deal with that? You have to love Jesus more. Loving Jesus more, turns into loving others more. Faith without deeds can’t save us.

Read v. 17-25

Now, James introduces a person, hypothetically speaking, who wants to argue that faith and deeds are two separate things, that it is possible to have works, and it is possible to have deeds. Some have faith, some have works, I just trust God will save me.

James replies by saying, you say you have faith? Show me your faith.

I know I’ve used this analogy before. All of you are exercising faith right now. You’re trusting and you’re doing. You are trusting that the pews will hold you. You’re exercising that trust, by sitting on the pews.

Now, suppose the antagonist from James’ letter was standing right here with me. Suppose I asked him to sit on one of these chairs?

“Do you believe this chair will hold you?”

“Yes I do.”

“Then sit!”

“Well, maybe not right now.”

But if you’re sure the seat will hold you, have a seat.”

“I believe it is, but I don’t want to sit down, ect.”

Show you’ll trust the chair by sitting down. Show me your faith without works, you can’t. You can try to be clever, you can say, “I believe all kinds of things about Jesus.” Okay, like the chair, you can believe all kinds of things about it, that the wood is strong, the frame is strong, the cushion is soft. I don’t need to sit on it, because I can see that it is okay.

Lots of people believe in God. Even demons believe in God. Saying that a doctrine is good and sound is not salvation. Saying you subscribe to the truth is not salvation.

We all know people who are Bible smart, but they’re mean and ugly to others. You can have knowledge, but at the same time, not have any true love for God, or for people.

The demons have better theology than everyone. They know God. They believe God. But their knowledge is not saving knowledge.

Show your faith with more than mere intellectual agreement. Show your faith by sitting in the chair.

James uses two biblical illustrations to prove his point, that saving faith requires action. First, no surprise, Abraham. Abraham showed he trusted God by sitting in the chair. That’s the argument! Abraham had faith. God gave him an heir, at true heir. That through Isaac, all the nations would be blessed. That was God’s promise. Then God said, “I want you to sacrifice that promise on an altar.” Abraham showed his faith by loading the donkey, taking his son, and heading up the mountain. “Hey Dad, where’s the lamb?” “Don’t worry, Son, The Lord will provide him.”

Abraham strapped his son on the altar and was about to slay him. Abraham trusted God, that somehow, even in this, even in the crazy commanded death of his own son, the promise would still be kept. He demonstrated his faith, by acting. But then, God stepped in. “Don’t do it, Abraham.” And from that moment on, Abraham’s faith was stronger, more real. He didn’t try to hide the truth, like saying his wife was his sister.

No surprise to have Abraham here. Now Rahab.

Rahab was a prostitute in Jericho. No girl grows up wanting to become one. You become one because of evil, wicked, terrible things happening to you. You are used, abused, treated like property, and sold as a recreational vehicle.

Women were treated poorly back then, prostitutes, even worse. You can imagine the kind of abuse she lived with. God directed the two spies in her direction. They told her what was going to happen. She believed them. She’d heard about the Israelites. She saw salvation was coming. She helped the spies.

But then, the city found out about the spies, and heard they were with her. She put her faith in them, in God, by directing the searchers away. Rahab trusted that this was her opportunity to have a new life. What did she have to do? She had to hide them. Then she asked them to remember her when they came to conquer the city.

Faith without deeds can’t save you. What do I mean? I mean, if you say, “I’m a Christian, but you have no love for God that leads to loving others, no matter how imperfectly, then you need to stop identifying yourself as a Christian.

It is easy to grow up in a Christian home, pick up the language, pick up some of the doings, you know what to say and when, but have no love for Jesus, have no love for other people.

If you don’t desire to love God, if you don’t desire to show love to others, you’re not a Christian.

What God is offering is awesomeness. You have to jump in. It’s like a parent coaxing a kid into a pool. They’re afraid, but the joy of being in a pool is awesome. At some point, you have to jump.

God is inviting you, inviting me to jump in. Every commandment, every teaching is an invitation to awesome living. We can’t start with, “Quit doing this, or start doing that.” It starts with “Look at me, chase me, follow me, love me.” Look up, look at Christ, follow Christ, and stop looking at yourself.

Faith without deeds is dead. Faith without deeds isn’t really faith.

Pastor Charles Spurgeon explained James point in this way. Suppose an apple tree is planted in the ground. It grows. One year, spring comes, and there are no buds. There are no leaves. The next year, the same; what would you conclude about the tree? It is dead! The leaves, the buds, the fruit, they are proof that the tree is alive. Deeds are proof that faith is alive!

So, what drives deeds? In a marriage, a husband will do all kinds of things for his wife, he’ll schedule date nights, he’ll do things around the house, like taking out the garbage and the recycling, because he knows his wife likes them. But he doesn’t do them to make him love her, he does them because he loves her. Do you see what I’m saying?

A delight, a desire, a love drives doing things! Doing things does not, cannot drive delight. So if a person has deeds without faith, there’ll be no delight.

SO what are we to do? Know the Lord and love the Lord! Live under God’s amazing grace. Experience God’s grace in the gathering of God’s people. Pray, study God’s word. These things fuel a love for God.

The amazing thing about being a spouse to someone is that as you get to know them, you see how they grow, they change, they’re amazing and wonderful. There’s always something new to learn about other people. It’s the same with God. Getting to know God will take forever. There’s always something more to marvel and wonder at!

If you’re here and there’s just no joy, no love for God, you’re not a Christian.

But if you’re here, and you’re trying to trust, you’re trying to love. You know, you remember there was a time, but you’re just banged up and beaten down, but you’re still trying, keep going. Keep repenting and believing. You might be going through a desert period. You might have some sin that needs confessing. Work it out with faith; bring it before God.

Now, it is necessary to question our salvation. It is necessary to wonder, “Do I really believe all these things? Am I going to go out there and put them into practise by loving God and loving others? You see, if you question, then you’ll realise again, God’s amazing love in choosing to save you. Trust, believe, love. Amen.