Behavior Matters

Introduction

FaithWorks Series

Written to the Church

Behavior Matters

Review of last week: Checklist faith

Jewish audience converted to Christ

Listening/study/knowledge culture

What do I need to know to pass the test; be right

Reproducing what they’ve seen practiced their entire lives.

Do the message

Movement, not perfection

Things Christians Argue About

Human nature to argue about what’s better:

Ford, Chevy, Chrysler

John Deere, International?

Michael Jordan, LeBron James

Coke or Pepsi

PC or Mac

Why? Because we want to get it right?

At work, recreation, family, even church - what is better? What is right?

The faith and works split. An old debate. Today's generation not interested in it

Faith: what matters to God is what I think; my belief system.

Works: Legalistic interpretation - If I do X, my ticket is punched OR As long as I do good, I don't have to believe Jesus is the only way.

When this topic comes up, the checklist often comes out

If I do what the church, my religious culture tells me, I’m good with God.

Who is right?

Arguing with myself

In the ancient world, writers often used a sort of argumentative style to carry along their discussion.

James 2:14–26 ESV

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Faith or Hoops?

Paul: Faith Alone

James: Faith and works

What gives?

What if we’ve been debating the wrong things all this time? What if we’ve made this artificial separation between faith and works and missed the truth?

Paul

Paul’s opponents considered obedience as necessary to start a relationship with God be in good standing with God (right relationship).

Paul said nope. It's Christ.

James

Faith is what I say, my verbal profession; talk; knowledge

No commitment

No action

No connection with life - cheap faith; bogus

Faith is Active

22 - Abraham's faith and his actions were working together synergistically (synergei) all the time. They were partners.

A true partnership is where each party contributes to the other.

Abraham's faith fueled his obedient actions - and those actions completed his faith or better said, brought it to maturity in the same way enduring hard things does.

One step further - Abraham: made him righteous. How?

When Abraham put trust in the Lord, God gave him the status of a right relationship with him before the works.

But the faith of Abraham was filled up when he matured his faith with works. God knew then that Abraham feared (loved) him.

21 - Righteousness is declared (we are declared righteous) and then have to live into it to activate it. A faith that doesn't work = righteousness is not activated.

23 - Active partnership of faith and works in Abraham's life like his obedience in giving up his son brought God's approval and he received the righteousness that was declared on him.

The initial declaration of righteousness on the basis of faith is validated in the final declaration of righteousness on the basis of a faith that works.

Called God's friend.

Why Rahab as an example alongside Abraham? A hero and father of Israel with a pagan woman with a bad reputation.

What they had in common: works that flowed from their faith.

The contrast is not between faith and works (which is how we talk about it) but rather faith that has works and faith that does not have it.

Why it Matters

15 - What good is it when...

-Words, however well intentioned, have not done these people any good.

I’ll pray for you. Be blessed, have a blessed day, God bless you. When confronted with a need, when we do nothing but express good wishes?

Words—sermons, prayers, confessions of faith, wise advice, encouragement—are indispensable to true Christianity. But they are shown to have real meaning, James reminds us, when people can see actions that correspond to those words.

Because...

Separation of faith and obedient action is foolish - morally perverse.

Good that you believe there is one God and recognize who that God is BUT the demonic realm acknowledges the same thing but with a different response.

They shudder in the way a magician makes an audience respond to a magic trick.

The reality doesn't bring them to worship.

Having solid theology is good but that theology must possess us.

Our relationship with God doesn't hinge on what we do but it's not alive without them.

You're entire life need's to be God's

Can't just say my mind and my belief system is God's. Doesn’t bring us into or cultivate a relationship with God.

Obedience to a list of rules doesn't bring us into or cultivate a relationship with God.

The nature of faith is The synergistic partnership between trust in Christ and obedient actions to bring alive our relationship with God and mature us.

It’s what Jesus is looking for and will receive when the day comes we meet him face to face.