The Completion of Faith
The Completion of Faith 6/10/06 a.m.
James 2:14-26
James 2:22 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made 9perfect? (complete)
He is talking about works done in obedience to the gospel, the proper and necessary effects and fruits of sound believing in Christ Jesus.
James is confirming what Paul, in other places, says of his faith,
that it is a laborious faith, and a faith working by love, Gal. 5:6; 1 Th. 1:3; Titus 3:8; [1]
A bare profession, opinion, or speculation, or assent, without works, is not faith;
"Show me thy faith by thy works,’’ speaks of our faith being justified before men:
Faith w/o works is foolish and unacceptable before God the Father.
14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?
Mt. 7:21-23 21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
V 26-27
26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:
Mere profession is useless as well as worthless
15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?
To say I love you w/o filling the need is empty talk;
To say God bless you w/o doing what we can to help is hypocritical;
These words w/o any actions are like clouds that bring no rain.
Not to act according to our faith is disobedience.
Mt. 25:41-46 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
We are to have actions that perform what we profess.
Faith w/o works is cold, barren, powerless, inactive, and dead
17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
1dead \ˈded\ adj
[ME deed, fr. OE dēad; akin to ON dauthr dead, deyja to die, OHG tōt dead — more at die] bef. 12c
1 : deprived of life : no longer alive
2 a (1) : having the appearance of death : deathly 〈in a dead faint〉
(2) : lacking power to move, feel, or respond : numb
b : very tired
c (1) : incapable of being stirred emotionally or intellectually : unresponsive 〈dead to pity〉
(2) : grown cold : extinguished 〈dead coals〉
3 a : inanimate, inert 〈dead matter〉
b : barren, infertile 〈dead soil〉
c : no longer producing or functioning : exhausted 〈a dead battery〉
4 a (1) : lacking power or effect 〈a dead law〉
(2) : no longer having interest, relevance, or significance 〈a dead issue〉
b : no longer in use : obsolete 〈a dead language〉
c : no longer active : extinct 〈a dead volcano〉
d : lacking in gaiety or animation 〈a dead party〉
e (1) : lacking in commercial activity : quiet
(2) : commercially idle or unproductive 〈dead capital〉
f : lacking elasticity 〈a dead tennis ball〉
g : being out of action or out of use 〈the phone went dead〉 specif : free from any connection to a source of voltage and free from electric charges
h (1) : being out of play 〈a dead ball〉
(2) : temporarily forbidden to play or to make a certain play in croquet
5 a : not running or circulating : stagnant 〈dead water〉
b : not turning 〈the dead center of a lathe〉
c : not imparting motion or power although otherwise functioning 〈a dead rear axle〉
d : lacking warmth, vigor, or taste
6 a : absolutely uniform 〈a dead level〉
b (1) : unerring
(2) : exact 〈dead center of the target〉
(3) : certain to be doomed 〈he’s dead if he’s late for curfew〉
(4) : irrevocable 〈a dead loss〉
c : abrupt 〈brought to a dead stop〉
d (1) : complete, absolute 〈a dead silence〉
(2) : all-out 〈caught it on the dead run〉
7 : devoid of former occupants 〈dead villages〉 — dead•ness n —dead in the water
1 : incapable of being effective : stalled 〈peace talks were dead in the water〉
2 : as good as dead : doomed 〈most books are dead in the water long before their publication —Phillip Lopate〉 —dead to rights : with no chance of escape or excuse : red-handed 〈had him dead to rights for the robbery〉 —over one’s dead body : only by overcoming one’s utter and determined resistance 〈vows that they’ll raise his taxes over his dead body〉
syn dead, defunct, deceased, departed, late mean devoid of life. dead applies literally to what is deprived of vital force but is used figuratively of anything that has lost any attribute (as energy, activity, radiance) suggesting life 〈a dead, listless performance〉. defunct stresses cessation of active existence or operation 〈a defunct television series〉. deceased, departed, and late apply to persons who have died recently. deceased is the preferred term in legal use 〈the estate of the deceased〉. departed is used usu. as a euphemism 〈our departed sister〉. late is used esp. with reference to a person in a specific relation or status 〈the company’s late president〉.[2]
Gal. 5:6 6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.
Ones faith is seen in the works of the believer, not his words only
18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
James 3:13 13 Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good
conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom.
Gal. 6:4 4 let each one examine his own work,
Titus 3:8 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works.
We are judged, regarded, or treated as righteous WHEN we have works that correlate to our professed faith
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is 8dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
jus•ti•fy \ˈjəs-tə-ˌfī\ vb
-fied; -fy•ing [ME justifien, fr. AF or LL; AF justifier, fr. LL justificare, fr. L justus] vt 14c
1 a : to prove or show to be just, right, or reasonable
b (1) : to show to have had a sufficient legal reason
(2) : to qualify (oneself) as a surety by taking oath to the ownership of sufficient property
2 a archaic : to administer justice to
b archaic : absolve
c : to judge, regard, or treat as righteous and worthy of salvation
3 a : to space (as lines of text) so that the lines come out even at the margin
b : to make even by justifying 〈justified margins〉 vi
1 a : to show a sufficient lawful reason for an act done
b : to qualify as bail or surety
2 : to justify lines of text syn see maintain — jus•ti•fi•er \-ˌfī(-ə)r\ n[3]
It wasn’t Abrahams’ profession of faith that justified him in the eyes of God but his actions that were in accordance to his profession faith
Mt. 21:28 28 “But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, ‘Son, go, work today in my vineyard.’ 29 He answered and said, ‘I will not,’ but afterward he regretted it and went. 30 Then he came to the second and said likewise. And he answered and said, ‘I go, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 Which of the two did the will of his father?” They said to Him, “The first.”
Faith is made complete, entire, valid, and satisfactory by actions
22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made 9perfect?
1per•fect \ˈpər-fikt\ adj
[ME parfit, fr. AF, fr. L perfectus, fr. pp. of perficere to carry out, perfect, fr. per- thoroughly + facere to make, do — more at do] 14c
1 a : being entirely without fault or defect : flawless 〈a perfect diamond〉
b : satisfying all requirements : accurate
c : corresponding to an ideal standard or abstract concept 〈a perfect gentleman〉
d : faithfully reproducing the original specif : letter-perfect
e : legally valid
2 : expert, proficient 〈practice makes perfect〉
3 a : pure, total
b : lacking in no essential detail : complete
c obs : sane
d : absolute, unequivocal 〈enjoys perfect happiness〉
e : of an extreme kind : unmitigated 〈a perfect brat〉 〈an act of perfect foolishness〉
4 obs : mature
5 : of, relating to, or constituting a verb form or verbal that expresses an action or state completed at the time of speaking or at a time spoken of
6 obs
a : certain, sure
b : contented, satisfied
7 of a musical interval : belonging to the consonances unison, fourth, fifth, and octave which retain their character when inverted and when raised or lowered by a half step become augmented or diminished
8 a : sexually mature and fully differentiated 〈a perfect insect〉
b : having both stamens and pistils in the same flower 〈a perfect flower〉 — per•fect•ness \-fik(t)-nəs\ n
syn perfect, whole, entire, intact mean not lacking or faulty in any particular. perfect implies the soundness and the excellence of every part, element, or quality of a thing frequently as an unattainable or theoretical state 〈a perfect set of teeth〉. whole suggests a completeness or perfection that can be sought, gained, or regained 〈felt like a whole person again after vacation〉. entire implies perfection deriving from integrity, soundness, or completeness of a thing 〈the entire Beethoven corpus〉. intact implies retention of perfection of a thing in its natural or original state 〈the boat survived the storm intact〉.[4]
His faith and his actions were working together or were in agreement, his actions completed his faith
They didn’t just profess their faith but professed their faith and acted according to that profession of faith
23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
What if Abraham had not offered Isaac?
What if Noah hadn’t built the ark?
What if Moses’ mother hadn’t feared God more than Pharaoh?
What if Moses hadn’t gone back to Egypt?
What if Christ hadn’t put actions to His profession of love for us & the Father?
What if the disciples hadn’t preached the gospel?
What are the consequences of us not having works in accordance to our faith?
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9 complete
[1]Henry, Matthew: Matthew Henry's Commentary on the Whole Bible : Complete and Unabridged in One Volume. Peabody : Hendrickson, 1996, c1991, S. Jas 2:14
\
\ə\ abut \ə\ kitten, F table \ər\ further \a\ ash \ā\ ace \ä\ mop, mar
\au̇\ out \ch\ chin \e\ bet \ē\ easy \g\ go \i\ hit \ī\ ice \j\ job
\ŋ\ sing \ō\ go \ȯ\ law \ȯi\ boy \th\ thin \ṯẖ\ the \ü\ loot \u̇\ foot
\y\ yet \zh\ vision, beige \ḵ, n, œ, ue, y\ see Guide to Pronunciation
adj adjective
ME Middle English
fr from
OE Old English
ON Old Norse
OHG Old High German
bef before
c century
n northern, noun
long longitude
[2]Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003
8 NU useless
\
\ə\ abut \ə\ kitten, F table \ər\ further \a\ ash \ā\ ace \ä\ mop, mar
\au̇\ out \ch\ chin \e\ bet \ē\ easy \g\ go \i\ hit \ī\ ice \j\ job
\ŋ\ sing \ō\ go \ȯ\ law \ȯi\ boy \th\ thin \ṯẖ\ the \ü\ loot \u̇\ foot
\y\ yet \zh\ vision, beige \ḵ, n, œ, ue, y\ see Guide to Pronunciation
vb verb
ME Middle English
fr from
AF Anglo-French
LL Late Latin
L Latin
c century
act active
n northern, noun
[3]Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003
9 complete
\
\ə\ abut \ə\ kitten, F table \ər\ further \a\ ash \ā\ ace \ä\ mop, mar
\au̇\ out \ch\ chin \e\ bet \ē\ easy \g\ go \i\ hit \ī\ ice \j\ job
\ŋ\ sing \ō\ go \ȯ\ law \ȯi\ boy \th\ thin \ṯẖ\ the \ü\ loot \u̇\ foot
\y\ yet \zh\ vision, beige \ḵ, n, œ, ue, y\ see Guide to Pronunciation
adj adjective
ME Middle English
fr from
AF Anglo-French
L Latin
pp past participle
c century
act active
n northern, noun
[4]Merriam-Webster, Inc: Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. Eleventh ed. Springfield, Mass. : Merriam-Webster, Inc., 2003