Sermon 1

First Issue: Isn’t it faith that saves us?

If you have been reading this book from left to right you will have a lot of letters written by this guy named Paul who is saying faith is what saves us. Now this other guy, James, is saying that ‘faith without works is dead.’ Isn’t this a major contridiction?

We read passages like Romans 10:8-9 which says: “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart othat God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

Salvation comes by belief and confession! Seems pretty straightforward.

Then there are passages like in Galatians 3:1-6 : O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly aportrayed as crucified. 2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh? 4 Did you sufferso many things in vain—if indeed it was in vain? 5 Does he who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works of the law, or by hearing with faith— 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”?

You’re absolutely correct in your hesitation with this passage. It does seem contradictive to other parts of scripture if we aren’t keeping our eyes on what James is really addressing.

What is James really getting at?

In James’s letter to the Dispersed Jewish believers, he