Faith That Works (Part 2)

Tommy Wong

Practical Christianity • Sermon • Submitted 6 years ago

James 2:21–26

Saving Faith

Works

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Discussion Questions

What are some ways to tell if someone has a genuine faith? Try to think of at least one specific example.

Do you personally find it difficult to apply what you’ve learned from church to your life? If so, then what makes it difficult?

Explain your answer for #2.

Introduction

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Two weeks ago, I have spoken about faith that is dead. I mentioned that dead faith is only a verbal claim. It is the kind of faith where someone simply professes to believe, but does not live out what he/she believes. Because this kind of faith does not lead to action, works and obedience, it cannot save you. Just because you claim to believe in God does not always guarantee that you’re truly saved because demons also believe in God, but they are in rebellion against God and refused to obey Him. Faith without works is workless. In other words, faith without works does not work. It is inactive. It is dead and useless.

If you truly have faith in Jesus, then your life should demonstrate that you truly follow Him because true and living faith always results in wholehearted commitment and obedience to Jesus as Lord and King. True faith would always lead towards being a hearer and doer of the word. Genuine faith calls us to show compassion and mercy towards the helpless. Living faith guides us and empowers us to live a holy and godly lives.

Big Idea: Living Faith Results In Works; Dead Faith Does Not.

Today, we will explore the meaning of living faith. If we are to live out our Christian lives, then we need a kind of faith that works and is alive.

READ and we will focus on verses 21-26.

James introduces us to two characters from the Old Testament as examples of people who demonstrate living faith by their works: Abraham and Rahab. Perhaps some of you may not be familiar with those two, but I hope that this lesson would encourage and inspire you to read the Bible and learn who they are.

Abraham was introduced back in . Abraham is one of most famous and important characters in the Bible. Abraham is known to be the father or ancestor of the Jews. God called him out of his own country and go into the land that Abraham doesn’t know. And God made many promises to Abraham, but one of the important promises was that Abraham would have a descendant, a son. And through Isaac, Abraham would have many descendants who would come after him.

Abraham and his wife Sarah were very old and they did not have children. When God promised Abraham that he would have a son through Sarah, he thought that was a crazy idea because they were already too old to have children! Nonetheless, God promised Abraham that he would have a son, and Abraham had faith and believed in God.

Abraham was not a perfect man, and he has made sinful decisions. Nonetheless, he walked by faith and trusted in God’s promise.

Hebrews 11:8–12 ESV

8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city that has foundations, whose designer and builder is God. 11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

In my Tuesday evening Bible study, I have been leading a study on the life of Abraham, and it has been richly rewarding.

Hebrews 11:11–12 ESV

11 By faith Sarah herself received power to conceive, even when she was past the age, since she considered him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore from one man, and him as good as dead, were born descendants as many as the stars of heaven and as many as the innumerable grains of sand by the seashore.

So, Abraham received a son through Sarah, and his name was Isaac. After around 30-33 years of having Isaac, God told Abraham to do something radical, and that is to sacrifice Isaac to God.

You would have to read on your own if you want to understand the story more deeply. In summary, Abraham would have to give up something that is deeply precious to him for the sake of obeying God. So, Abraham showed his willingness to obey God and to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. But, just before Abraham slaughters Isaac, the angel of the LORD, God Himself, stops Abraham.

This would have been something that

Genesis 22:11–12 ESV

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Therefore, James picks this particular example of Abraham’s life to demonstrate what living faith looks like. Take a look at verse 21-24

1. Living Faith is obeying God completely no matter the cost.

I want to draw your attention to verse 21 and 24 and specifically the way James uses the phrase “justified by works and not by faith alone.”

Living Faith is learning to

That phrase has stirred up a lot of controversy regarding how a person is saved. Martin Luther - from the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s - had issues with the letter of James because of that phrase.

When you read , Paul says:

Romans 3:28 ESV

28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

Paul says that we are justified by faith and not by works of the law while James says that we are justified by works and not by faith alone.

So, who’s correct here? Is Paul correct? Is James correct? If they are both true, then isn’t that a contradiction?

The first thing we need to address is the definition:

Justified - For Paul, justified means being declared guiltless and righteous before God by faith in Christ. For James, justified means proving yourself to be righteous by obedience.

Second, since James wrote the letter earlier than Paul, his definition and meaning for justified would be different than Paul’s.

James and Paul are not contradicting each other; rather, they have a different definition. Remember, James is not teaching that works saves a person. He already mentioned back in that it is the God’s will to cause us to be born again by the word of truth:

James 1:18 ESV

18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James point in this passage that we are studying is this:

2. Living Faith Proves That We Already Have Salvation

If you are genuinely a follower of Jesus, then you will demonstrate your faith by your actions.

Jesus makes this point clear in

Matthew 7:24–27 ESV

24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

Look at verse 22. Abraham did not simply have faith by verbal statement. His faith went much further than that. James explains that Abraham’s faith in God is the active force for his obedience and works.

NOT: Faith + Works = Salvation

THIS: Faith = Salvation + Works

Look at verse 22. Abraham did not have faith by verbal statement. His faith went much further than that. James explains that Abraham’s faith is the active force for his obedience and works.

His faith went much further than that. James explains that Abraham’s faith is the active force for his obedience and works.

Just before Abraham sacrificed Isaac, he told the young men who followed them:

Genesis 22:5 ESV

5 Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.”

Abraham and Isaac would go to the mountain to worship God - which includes sacrificing Isaac, AND both of them will come back to the young men together.

What’s the motivator of Abraham’s obedience to God? It is his faith in God’s character. God made promises to Abraham, and he believed that God will never break His promises.

Numv

Numbers 23:19 ESV

19 God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?

In other words, even though Abraham will sacrifice Isaac, he trusted and believed that God will ultimately fulfill His promises that Abraham’s descendants will be many.

Even though Abraham will sacrifice Isaac, he trusted and believed that God will ultimately fulfill His promises that Abraham’s descendants will be many.

Hebrews 11:17–19 ESV

17 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was in the act of offering up his only son, 18 of whom it was said, “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 19 He considered that God was able even to raise him from the dead, from which, figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.

Back to : “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.”

In other words, even though Abraham will sacrifice Isaac, he trusted and believed that God will ultimately fulfill His promises that Abraham’s descendants will be many.

It means that Abraham’s faith was carried out to the end by his obedience, even to the point of almost landing his knife to Isaac’s throat. This event shows that Abraham’s faith was true, genuine and alive.

Therefore, verse 23 says…READ

Abraham’s living faith demonstrated that he’s already righteous. And, God calls Abraham His friend. This is crucial to understand. God gives Abraham the privilege and honour to be His friend. How? It is because of his faith and practical obedience.

We may know sports figures, their statistics, even their personal likes and dislikes, but we don’t really know them. How well do you know God? You likely know all about Him, you likely have studied His book, the Bible, but do you actually know Him?

Abraham’s friendship with God demonstrates his understanding of God. Abraham did not just know about God, but he knows God like he knows a friend. He knows that God is a friend whom he can trust and rely on. Therefore, he will trust and obey whatever his Friend tells him to do.

Isaac was Abraham’s greatest possession and treasure, but he was willing to give that up for the sake of His obedience and love for God.

Investigators determined that the crash was likely caused by disorientation from flying over open water at night without any landmarks or visible horizon. Kennedy’s lack of experience may well have led him to trust what he thought he was seeing more than what his instrument panel was telling him.

What about you? What are the greatest possessions and treasures that you hold dearly in your heart?

All of us face the temptation to walk according to sight instead of faith. Faith in God will keep us from crashing. Human reason will fail us at times, but God never fails. His Word keeps us on the right course as long as we obey it.

QUESTIONS?

James introduces us to Rahab in verse 25. Notice the phrase, “in the same way.” So, James is still continuing his discussion on living faith.

Rahab may be a character whom many of you may not be familiar with. She’s mentioned back in . Again, we won’t read the story, but let me summarize it for you.

After Israel was released from Egypt, they were traveling to the promised land. They spent years wandering in the wilderness because of their disobedience - aka. read the book of Numbers. Joshua is the book where Israel is finally reaching the promised land to conquer it.

But before they conquered it, Joshua sent out two spies to spy out the city of Jericho. They came upon the house of Rahab, and she gladly received them into her home. She then hid them and protected them from the king of Jericho and the pursuers who were looking for the spies. She intentionally misled them by sending them off to a different direction while she continued to hide the spies. Later on, she guided the spies in their escape. This would have been a dangerous and risky action made by Rahab because if residents of Jericho knew about her disloyalty, they would likely have put her and her family to death.

Why did Rahab risk her life to save the spies?

It is because she heard about the story of God’s mighty acts and miracles on behalf of Israel, such as the parting of the Red Sea and the victories against the kings. She became convinced that God - the true living God - was on their side.

Joshua 2:11 ESV

11 And as soon as we heard it, our hearts melted, and there was no spirit left in any man because of you, for the Lord your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.

Why did James choose to use Rahab as an example of living faith?

I think the main reason is that Abraham and Rahab stand in complete contrast with each other.

Why did James choose to use Rahab?

Abraham was the ancestor of the Jews; Rahab was a Gentile (non-Jews)

Abraham was well-known; Rahab was a nobody.

Abraham had strong moral character; Rahab had a low moral character - James mentions that Rahab was a prostitute. In fact, Rahab belonged in a society filled with evil and wickedness.

Abraham was a man; Rahab was a woman.

Rahab lived in a society that was filled with evil and wickedness

Abraham

James wants variety. Whether if you’re a male or female, Asian or not Asian, young or old, popular or unpopular, rich or poor, it does not matter who you are because anyone who follows Jesus are capable by God’s grace to have living faith.

Rahab was no exception. She had faith in the God of Israel. And because of her faith, she demonstrated her living faith by her works and actions by doing something risky to save the Israelites. As a result, God did not destroy her and her family.

Some of you may struggle to follow Christ wholeheartedly. Some of you are not Christians yet because you want to learn more and understand more first before truly committing to follow Jesus and believing.

The thing about Rahab is that she did the complete opposite. She did not understand everything about God before believing. No, she first believes in God and in what she had heard about Him before trying to understand everything about the God of Israel. She risked everything in faith, even her life and her family, before trying to understand everything about God. All she needed to know was a couple of news about God’s sovereign rule over earthly kings and that was enough to convince her to believe.

3. Living Faith is taking risks for God.

Hebrews 11:31 ESV

31 By faith Rahab the prostitute did not perish with those who were disobedient, because she had given a friendly welcome to the spies.

Hebrews 11:

By God’s grace, God has chosen to use Rahab the prostitute as a person to prepare the coming of Christ who will save the sinners by dying on the cross. Did you know that Rahab was Jesus’ great, great, great grandma? (You can read )

Matthew 1:5 ESV

5 and Salmon the father of Boaz by Rahab, and Boaz the father of Obed by Ruth, and Obed the father of Jesse,

Matthew

Finally, verse 26. James summarizes the fact that faith without works is dead.

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 2:26

The conclusion is most clear. Faith and deeds are as essential to each other as the body and the spirit. Apart from (chōris) the spirit, or the “breath” (pneumatos) of life, the body is dead. Apart from (chōris) the evidence of works, faith may be deemed dead. It is not the real thing. True faith continually contributes to spiritual growth and development.

4. Living Faith contributes to spiritual growth

4. Living Faith Contributes To Spiritual Growth

Questions

Conclusion

I come back to the discussion question: What are some ways to tell if someone has a genuine faith? Try to think of at least one specific example.

I want to challenge you to consider these questions: What are some ways to tell if YOU have living faith? Starting today, how can you begin demonstrating that you have true living faith?

Time will tell if you truly have living faith. If you have trusted in Christ as your Lord and Saviour, then you will love and obey Him no matter the cost.

Let me encourage with this. If you are a follower of Jesus, then can I encourage you to consider getting baptized? Baptism is commanded by our Lord Jesus Christ, and if we are to follow Him, then you are to obey Him. Baptism does not save you, but it is also not an option. It does not matter how old you are or what cultural upbringing you have. The main point is: have you repented of your sins and trusted in Christ in what He has done for you through His death and resurrection for your salvation? If you have, then go and be baptized. If you have further questions on baptism, then please speak to me. If you want me to baptize you, then please let me know.

THIS: Faith = Salvation + Works

Living Faith Works

Living Faith Proves That We Already Have Salvation

Living Faith Is Complete Obedience

Living Faith Is Persevering Through Trials

Living Faith Contributes To Spiritual Growth (v.26)

Living Faith Is Taking Risks

In The Case Of Rahab

Living Faith Is Taking Risks

For Abraham:

Living Faith is complete obedience no matter the cost.

For Rahab:

1. Living Faith is risking yourself to help others.

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