Faith and Works: the Two Go Together

I. Introduction

“O it is a living, busy, active mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good things incessantly.” Martin Luther

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

“O it is a living, busy, active mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good things incessantly.”

1.

Read James 2:14-26

James picks up in verse 14, right where we left off last week.

Mere verbal faith cannot serve other.

We saw at the end of chapter 2:12–13 James saying that when you receive the mercy of God in your heart, then you reflect the mercy of God in your life.

And that picture, particularly as it pertains to favoritism/prejudice and helping the poor and not showing preference, he carries over into this passage three truths that I want us to walk very deliberately through.

And they really reiterate the same reality. What we’ll see in this whole passage is James repeating the same thing over and over and over again, saying it in different ways.

II. Faith in Our Hearts is Evident in the Fruit of Our Lives.

Mere verbal faith cannot save us.

He is saying here...It is possible to claim to have faith, to claim to have a faith that saves, and the reality is, you don’t have faith, don’t have a faith that saves at all.

The question should be then....Well how do you know then? How do you know if you have faith? Faith that saves? How do you know if you have the saving faith?

James says: Look at the fruit! “I’ll show you my faith by what I do.”

Jesus says the exact same thing:

Matthew 7:16–20 ESV

16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.

Mere verbal faith cannot serve others.

There is no fruit, there is no faith. Faith always produces fruit.

Now James is not saying you need to add deeds to faith in order to be saved.

James is saying faith produces deeds—flows from faith. It’s the overflow.

So this is the picture from the very beginning. Faith in our hearts is evident in the fruit in our lives.

Now that truth sets the stage for the second truth that is jaw-dropping that James illustrates.

III. People Who Claim to be Christians but Fail to Help Fellow Believers are in Fact not Saved.

However, acts of mercy are necessary evidence of salvation.

Read verse 15-17 again

“You can do cartwheels all around this text to try to find a way out of that, but it is the glaring truth. Someone who responds to a brother or sister like this in need clearly does not have faith.” David Platt

It is the same with

David Platt

1 John 3:17 ESV

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?

The implication is there’s no way the love of God can be in him, because if the love of God was in him it would bear fruit.

But because there is no fruit it’s exactly what we saw in the previous truth.

Because there is no fruit—the fruit is mercy toward the poor—because there is no fruit then it’s clear evidence there is no faith.

Now I want to be very careful here; There are 2 sub-truths here that are crucial, vital for our understanding this.

Acts of mercy and kindness are not means to salvation.

However, acts of mercy are necessary evidence of salvation.

“Mercy to the full range of human needs is such an essential mark of a Christian that it can be used as a test of true faith. Mercy is not an optional addition to being a Christian. Rather, a life poured out in deeds of mercy is the sign of genuine faith. If there is no mercy toward the needy, then there is no faith. Acts of mercy are evidence of salvation.” Tim Keller

IV. Ultimately, Deedless Faith is Useless Faith.

Faith is not mere intellectual assent. (v19)

“You believe there is one God?” And every good Jewish man or woman knew the Shema (transliteration, the Hebrew Imperative, command to “hear”)—: “Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.” He said, “Good! The demons believe that.”

Good for you! You know that God is one. So do the demons and they tremble.

To go further James says.... Do you need to be shown

Faith is not simply an emotional response. (v.20)

The demons tremble. They are emotionally affected by the reality of God.

No on in their right mind would argue that the Demons have saving faith.

Faith is not merely an emotional response. We are so often fooled by someone who has an emotional response.

Faith involves willful obedience.

Examples Abraham and Rahab

You know faith, you show faith, not just by what you think or feel, but by what you do.

James argues that faith acts.

V. Conclusion

Holman New Testament Commentary: Hebrews & James Principles

PRINCIPLES

• God demands obedience to his entire teachings, not just acceptance of a part of them.

• Those who hope to receive mercy from God must in turn show mercy to others.

• Saving faith produces works of compassion and obedience.

• Works of unselfishness and sacrifice for others prove the reality of our faith before a watching world.

Principles from James 2

* God demands obedience to his entire teachings, not just the acceptable parts of it.

* Those who hope to receive mercy from God must in turn show mercy to others.

* Saving faith produces works of compassion and obedience.

* Works of unselfishness and sacrifice for others prove the reality of our faith before a watching world.