False Faith
False Faith?
James 2:14-26
29 Aug
This evening I want us to seriously contemplate what James is saying to us. James addresses a very serious issue in this section of his letter. This a very debated issue with some people. Some religions base their salvation on these passages. What some people make a very cloudy issue we are going t look at it with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
Listen to what James is saying, the issue he addresses here is just as pertinent today as it was when the letter was written.
I. False Profession of Faith v.14
A. James doesn’t hesitate to make the issue known. He starts this section of with two rhetorical questions that in the GK demand negative answers. NOTHING and NO! James is emphatic about this issue. When we first read this section of verses it looks like what he is saying is in direct contradiction to what Paul has said in virtually all the epistles. Eph. 2:8-9 says that salvation is by grace through faith not of works. The whole book of Galatians talks about how it faith and grace not works. Martin Luther not the king the guy who started the reformation, who challenged the Catholic Church on this very issue did not believe that the book of James should even be in the Bible.
So how do we understand what is being said here. First we need to understand who James is writing to. The people James was writing to were people who professed faith in Jesus Christ as their person Savior. The problem in the church then was that people said one thing and did another.
Let’s look at the verse again: James 2:14 (NKJV) “14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” James is talking about someone with a false profession of faith. He is warning the readers that this kind of faith is dead. It has no life, it doesn’t have the power to save, it is worthless. Mat. 7:21-23 gives us an illustration of what this faith looks like when we get to eternity. Turn with me to Mat. 7:21-23. Religious words and works are not a saving faith. Being charitable, nice, quoting Bible verses, Jesus even says that there will people who do things in His name, preaching and teaching that will be turned away! If you read farther in Mat. 7 Jesus uses an example about two men building a house, all of us in here are more or less building a house; there is probably no one in here that openly denies the Bible, God and Jesus Christ. However, some of us might be building a foundation that will not stand the test of time. The lasting foundation is built on the rock, meaning the word of God and obedience to it. Turn with me to I Jhn. 3:7-10! A false profession does not have anything to show for.
B. We must not look at what James is saying as a contradiction to what Paul is saying. Both writers were under the guidance of the Holy Spirit when they wrote what they did. To many people have looked them like they are fighting each other face to face, when in all actuality they are fighting back to back. Paul was discouraging people from believing the lie that works can save, and James is fighting the battle that goes to the other extreme, that of easy believism! James will give us an example of one kind of work in the next verse. However, there are no specific works mentioned. Again some people misapply this passage and say that the charity that they do is evidence of their faith. This is only part of it. If we look at what we have studied so far then we will see some more examples of the works that are a worthy proof of true faith in Jesus Christ. Endurance 1:3, perseverance under trails 1:12, purity in life 1:21, obedience to God’s word 1:22-23, compassion for those in need 1:27, impartiality which we looked at last week, and as we continue on in our study we will see even more things. The passage we looked at if 1 John gives us insight as does Gal. 5:22-26 where we find the “Fruit of the Spirit.”
Trans: In verses 15, 16 James warns those who have false compassion along with their false profession!
II. False Compassion v.15-16
A. As you look at vv.15-16 I am going to read to you I John 3:17-18 (But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? 18 My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.) How can we show the love of God, without action. James and John both warn against false compassion. James gives us a hypothetical situation. He talks about a man possibly even a Christian who is in need of life’s most basic things: food and clothes. John says that our love doesn’t need to be shown in what we say as in much as what we do. If you talk the talk you had better walk the walk.
What James is saying here is that someone in need as come for help. This guy is probably not dressed for the weather, in other words he is standing on the porch in shorts and a t-shirt in the middle of winter. Not that this guy is dying of starvation he just needs a more consistent meal to be healthy. The self righteous person says to him “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled.” This can be taken two ways, one it might be a prayer… or that he rudely ignores what is going on and tells him to feed and clothe himself. Either way the attitude is wrong.
Looking at the big picture James is saying just like these empty and dead words do nothing for the cold and hungry man neither does a profession of faith without faith to prove it. He can tell this man all he wants to hear about being warm and full but until he does something to meet that need then his is still going to be hungry and cold. We must recognize our need for the Jesus Christ. We must see that coming to church and memorizing some Bible verses, and reading our Bibles every day, and saying our prayers and even witnessing and all the other “spiritual” things don’t mean anything if they are not rutted in true faith in Jesus Christ. Just as in the same way saying your Christian does not mean you are a Christian. If your life has truly been transformed by the renewing power of Jesus Christ then you and people around you should see works that evidence this transformation.
B. Let’s turn to Mat. 25:31-45 and look at what Jesus says about things like hospitality. Hospitality and compassion are very basic evidences of faith. As we saw last week about treating people with impartiality. This principal applies here as well. Love should motivate us to these actions.
v. 17 says: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
III. False Conviction v.17-20
A. Lets look at Eph. 2:8-10. Works are a part of the Christian life, not salvation, but the Christian life. Let me read to John 15:1-6. Jesus uses the example of vine branch at the fruit that it bears is because it is connected to the vine. Fruit does not just magically appear in thin air, it is connected to the vine, it has to be connect to the vine, if it falls off it dies. Faith in Jesus Chirst is a connection to Him that should bear fruit that lasts, if we say we are connected to Jesus yet bare no fruit God will cast us into the fire. That “branch is dead.”
B. We talked about this a couple of weeks ago, but there is a real danger coming and sitting in church learning God’s word and taking into our heads. There is a real danger in memorizing God’s word, there is danger in acting like a Christ and thinking that you are if you really are not! This is where James takes it this whole thing to the bank! James 2:19 (NKJV)”19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” Think about it this way the demons would not disagree with anything we are saying. They agree with what the Bible says, Demons are not atheist, the believe in the deity of Christ (Mark 3:11), the believe in Hell and punishment (Lk. 8:31) and so on! One thing to consider is they way in which they react to God, they shudder, they know He is infinitely powerful, they recognize this and their action show it.
· But it is not a saving experience to believe and tremble. A person can be enlightened in his mind and even stirred in his heart and be lost forever. True saving faith involves something more, something that can be seen and recognized: a changed life. “Show me thy faith without thy works,” challenged James, “and I will show thee my faith by my works” (James 2:18).[1]
In verse 20 James says it point blank! “…O’ Foolish man, that faith without works is dead?” This can translate oh stupid man, or one that is empty or defective in thinking. In other words you are empty-minded to think that true saving faith does not produce works of righteousness and the desire for change in ones life.
IV. Illustration of Real Faith v.21-26
A. This is where Martin Luther had his problem “Was not Abraham… justified by works, when he offered Isaac his son on the altar.” The word Justify has two major meaning s that shed light on this subject for us. Glossing over this verse would lead someone to think they have found a contradiction in the Bible. Lets do a little word study here to end our lesson:
1. LN 34.46 put right with, justify, vindicate, declare righteous, i.e., cause one to be in a right relation (Ro 3:24);
2. LN 88.16 show to be right, demonstrate to something is morally just (Ro 3:4); [2]
B. Thus what James is saying Abraham demonstrated His faith by his works (Gen. 22:12), but he was declared righteous through His belief in God (Gen. 15:6).
CONCLUSION:
Tonight James’ words ring just as true as they did when the letter was originally written, the word of God is sharper than any two edged sword (Heb. 4:12). The word of God has the ability to penetrate the very hardest of hearts, it has the ability to convict the most religious person. James was not concerned with people who knew they were not Christians in this letter as much as he was concerned with people who called themselves Christian yet had no fruit, no change of lifestyle, nothing to evidence that faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Remember there will be those that say Lord, Lord… we did so much in you name and He will say depart from Me I never knew you.
Tonight, I want you to look at your life and examine it: 2 Peter 1:10 (ESV) “10 Therefore, brothers, be all the more diligent to make your calling and election sure, for if you practice these qualities you will never fall.” My prayer is that we will all take the words of James seriously and be serious about it. I am going to give you a couple of minutes to reflect on these words then I will close us in prayer.
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[1]Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, "An Exposition of the New Testament Comprising the Entire 'BE' Series"--Jkt. (Wheaton, Ill.: Victor Books, 1996, c1989), Jas 2:18.
[2]James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages With Semantic Domains : Greek (New Testament), electronic ed. (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), GGK1467.
