Sermon Tone Analysis
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Introduction
We are in a study of the book of James
Sometimes as I read James, think he may have been a little ADHD.
He changes subjects often and it appears that there is no rhyme or reason to his letter.
Yet if you look closer you will see that he has a line of thought.
In Chapter 2, he is describing what displaying pure religion looks like.
He began this chapter focusing on not showing favoritism toward one group over the other.
He did this by rebuking partiality.
They showed that the results of discrimination toward others
Lastly, he reminded us to live according to God’s royal law of loving your neighbor as yourself.
Now, it seems he quickly changes subjects.
This new section has caused a lot of controversy over the years.
It appears that Paul and James contradict each other, when actually they complement one other.
Paul is focusing on the fact salvation comes from faith in Christ and not works.
A causal reading of James seems to say the opposite, but it doesn’t.
James is writing to church people who are making Christianity a creed instead of a lifestyle.
These folks were asserting orthodoxy as the basis for their assurance of salvation.
The book of James asserts that daily love in action is not an option for Christians, but is the evidence of their being Christians.
For James, “works” are not Jewish rules, but love in action.
Paul and James are not giving two ways of salvation, but two aspects of one salvation.
Paul speaks of the beginning of Abraham’s walk of faith (cf.
Gen. 15), and
James speaks of its ongoing characteristics (birth of Isaac versus offering of Isaac.
It is not “faith or works” but “faith and works.”
What this section does is encourage us to an active Christian lifestyle.
We are saved to serve.
Service is the evidence of salvation.
It is not the means, but the goal, the fruit.
Three Main Truths Verses 14-19
There are three main truths in the first half of our passage this morning.
The main message of the three is simply: faith without works is dead.
What does that mean?
It doesn’t save, it doesn’t justify us before God.
It is not alive, it’s dead.
Which means it doesn’t really exist.
It is interesting that the noun faith is used 16 times in the book of James.
11 are found in today passage.
Eight of times it is used are in connection with this imaginary person who claims to have faith but has no deeds.
The point of the passage is that this person doesn’t really have faith.
He claims to have it, but he doesn’t.
His so-called faith is dead and worthless.
It does not save; quite literally, it does not work.
James is not contrasting someone who has immature faith with someone who has mature faith, or someone who has nominal faith with someone who has authentic faith.
He’s telling us that you either have faith that saves or you don’t—there’s no in-between.
Faith Equals Fruit Verse 14
Talk is cheap these days and so are unsubstantiated claims are worthless.
When claiming to have faith, back it up.
Otherwise, you are just fooling yourself.
Two rhetorical questions here expect negative answers.
Three features of the questions are important.
First, they accept the reader’s claim to faith, but do not assume that the claim without works represents saving faith.
Have you known people who claim to be a Christian, but you don’t see any actions that back up their claim.
They say, “Oh, I’m a Christian.”
while they are getting drunk, cussing, committing sexual sin and on and on.
Marijuana man accepting Christ while high, never followed through.
The absence of deeds of obedience in this person’s life makes the claim highly suspicious, if not outright wrong!
Second, the topic of the questions are not faith in general but a specific kind of faith, one which has no deeds.
“Such” in text implies this focus.
The question is not, “Can faith save the lost?”
Of course, faith saves the lost.
The question is, “Can a faith without deeds save the lost?”
The answer to that question is “no.”
A verbal testimony alone is not an adequate evidence that true saving faith is present.
Only works of obedience can prove the presence of genuine faith.
Verse 15 provides an example of such deeds.
Third aspect to these questions, “save” refers to acquittal at the final judgment.
The question is, “What type of faith can guarantee a favorable verdict in the final judgment?”
Only a faith that produces works can provide security in the final judgment.
Lack of Compassion Equal Dead Faith Verses 15-17
Earlier in this chapter, James told us to obey the royal law, Love your neighbor, but now he’s focusing on believers.
He turns to an illustration to make his point.
If a person claiming to be a Christian can’t help their own, fellow believers or church members, why would they even help out those on the outside.
That type of faith cannot save.
We see a picture of people in need of clothes and food.
Cold and hungry, these believers desperately needed help.
It may be hard to comprehend the large need of clothing and food and that could make one feel overwhelming.
But there are people in the church who have needs that we can meet.
The only way to solve this problem is one person at a time.
I’ve always thought that a church should take of its own.
If someone is in need then we have an obligation to help them.
1 John 3:17-18 says, ““If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?
Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth”
In verse 16 shows how the person who claims to have faith approaches these type of people.
They just offer them good wishes, but no practical help.
In other words they say, “I’ll pray for you.”
Then don’t.
Sympathy is valuable when this is all a person can give to the suffering.
Though the one James is referring to had the ability to feed and clothe the one in need.
James wonders, “What good is a faith which only gives pious wishes and not practical help.
Verse 17 seems to be a conclusion of the matter at hand.
Good wishes or offering prayers consisting of mere talk are empty of all reality and lifeless.
Offering only good wishes to the cold and the hungry serves to depress further those who are starving and chilled.
They need more than good wishes.
They need practical help.
A faith not accompanied by action, that is faith alone, having no works to distinguish it, is dead.
Anything with life produces fruit.
The living are the acting, creating things that reveal their nature and character.
Faith in Jesus produces actions revealing the nature and character of Jesus.
The dead lie still doing nothing.
So faith that lies still, inactive, proves it is dead.
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