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A Study of James - Lesson 8 - James 2:14-26

A Lone Faith – is a Dead, Useless Faith (2:14-20)
What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that? Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself. But someone may well say, "You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works." You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

James has many things to say about a "faith" that is devoid of works…
 

It cannot save. Can that faith save him?
It is dead. Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
It is invisible. show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works
It is demonic. the demons also believe, and shudder
It is useless. faith without works is useless

someone says he has faith Such a "faith" is merely a "say-so" faith, a "said" faith or a profession of faith. It is merely a spurious claim to faith, and not an actual possession of faith.

has no worksNot meritorious works, but vindicating works—deeds of mercy that provide evidence that the faith is real—that it issues forth from a changed heart.

Can that faith save him?We are saved through faith, not by works. However, the faith that saves us is a works-producing faith. Any other so-called "faith" is unable to save us. Neither the faith nor the works it produces are meritorious. Rather, saving faith looks to Christ and to His cross—the true source and substance of our salvation. Those who are united with Christ by faith will, by God's grace, produce good works. Yet, even these God-wrought works are not meritorious. The righteousness that saves us from the wrath of God is found in Christ alone, and not in ourselves.

If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food James is not teaching Communism, as if merely to equalize the wealth people have. Instead, he is considering those who lack basic necessities—food and clothing—people whose lives are at risk because of their severe poverty. Also, he is speaking here of fellow-Christians in need, calling them "brother" and "sister".

"Go in peace, be warmed and be filled" A "say-so" faith produces a "say-so" love. The mouth may speak pleasant words, but that is no substitute for merciful actions that meet actual needs. It is an insult to a needy person simply to say to them "Be warmed and be filled" when you have the means to help them. Indeed, such a trial is a litmus test of your faith.

faith, if it has no works, is deadIf a body is lying motionless on the ground for a long time, it is safe to assume that it is dead. A "faith" that never bears fruit in good works is similarly dead. Where there is life there is activity.

show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works Works are to faith what rustling leaves are to the wind. You cannot see the wind, but you can see its effects—rustling leaves provide visible evidence of the presence of the wind. Those who claim to have faith without works need to remember that motionless leaves are good evidence that the wind is not blowing.

You believe that God is one.This is probably a reference to the "Shema"—the great confession of the Jews…

Deuteronomy 6:4 – Hear, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD is one!
This was a confession that Yahweh was the God of Israel, and a renunciation of idolatry. But even a demon could confess that "God is one"—this is no proof that you are a recipient of God's grace, and a member of His household.

you foolish fellow James does not use the word "fool" (moros), but the word "empty" (kenos). Anyone with a "said" faith is an empty person—whose heart and actions do not conform to his profession—and his faith is useless (lit. "dead", nekros).



A Living Faith – is Justified by the Works it Produces (2:21-26)
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

James provides two Old Testament examples to show that genuine faith produces godly works: Abraham, the godly Jewish man and Rahab, the sinful Gentile woman. In faith, Abraham obediently went to Mount Moriah and offered up Isaac as a sacrifice, confident that God would keep His promise to provide a posterity through Isaac. In faith, Rahab protected the Jewish spies, recognizing that their God was the true God.

Was not Abraham our father justified by works… —compare this with

Romans 4:2 – For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
Abraham was just one man. James says he was justified by works, and Paul says he wasn't! Is this a contradiction in Scripture?

Justification comes in two kinds:

 
Constitutive Justification – Whereby a righteous person is proven to be righteous. 
Romans 3:4May it never be! Rather, let God be found true, though every man be found a liar, as it is written, "THAT YOU MAY BE JUSTIFIED IN YOUR WORDS, AND PREVAIL WHEN YOU ARE JUDGED." 
Exodus 23:7 –  … I will not acquit the guilty.
Declarative Justification – Whereby a sinner is declared righteous. 
Romans 4:2… Him who justifies the ungodly
God will not acquit the guilty—unless, of course, their penalty has been paid by a suitable substitute. The cross is the means whereby God justifies the ungodly
Romans 4:25 – He who was delivered over because of our transgressions, and was raised because of our justification.
Scripture says that we are justified in three distinct ways…
 
  The Audience The Instrument The Scripture
1.  God The blood of Christ 
Constitutive
Romans 3:24 - being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus
2.  Ourselves The faith God gives us 
Declarative
Romans 4:1-3 - What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? … "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 
3.  Others The works that flow from faith 
Declarative
James 2:18 - … show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

We need to understand that faith has no merit—it is the sacrifice of Christ alone that has justifying merit. When Christ died for His elect people, He bore our punishment—all of it. God cannot justly punish us twice—once in Christ, and again in those for whom He died. Thus, we are eternally justified in God's sight by the propitiatory work of Christ—alone!

What part, then, does faith play in our justification? Faith is the God-given evidence that Christ has died for our sins. Our faith is one of the precious gifts that Christ purchased for us when He died at Calvary…

Philippians 1:29 – For to you it has been granted for Christ's sake … to believe in Him, …

2 Peter 1:1 – Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ:

… and so faith is the evidence that you are one of God's elect—a person who has been eternally forgiven by the sacrifice of Christ…
Acts 13:48 – When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.

2 Thessalonians 2:13 – But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.

John 6:65 – And He was saying, "For this reason I have said to you, that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted him from the Father."

It is the death of Christ that constitutes you, a sinner, as being righteous in the sight of God. Our sins were imputed to Christ, and His righteousness was imputed to us. This great transaction was planned in eternity past, and accomplished nearly 2000 years ago, when our Lord suffered and died on the cross.

However, until God changes your heart, you have no way of knowing whether you are one of those whom God has chosen unto salvation—one whose sins have been paid by Christ on the cross. It is the faith that God gives you at regeneration that declares to you that your sins have been paid at Calvary and that you will never perish. Faith justifies us in the sense that it is God's declaration to us that He has forgiven our sins for Christ's sake. Faith proves that we belong to Christ, since it looks to Christ alone for our righteousness.

But how can others tell whether or not we are Christians? They cannot look into our hearts to see whether faith is there, and they certainly cannot gaze into the eternal counsels of God to see whether He has chosen us unto salvation. Anyone can profess to be a Christian, but their profession may be false…

Matthew 7:22-23 – Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
Scripture is clear that true faith produces godly fruit, in the form of godly works…
Galatians 5:22-23 – But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.

Ephesians 2:10 – For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Matthew 7:16 – You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?

Note: Even though Mt 7:16 is discussing how to recognize false teachers, its point is that there is a difference between the kind of fruits produced by the unsaved versus the fruit produced by believers. Believers produce godly fruit, whereas unbelievers produce ungodliness.

This is why James challenges the say-so Christian to "show me your faith without the works". We are justified in the sight of others by the good works that God brings forth in our lives. This proves to them that we are His people and that our salvation (and our God!) is real! This is the very reason why they persecute us…
 
Matthew 5:10 – Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2 Timothy 3:12 – Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.
Here are some other concepts related to Justification
 
Impute – (Grk: logizomai) To credit to one's account. There are three important imputations in Scripture… 
1.  Adam's sin was imputed to all men. (Rom 5:19a)
2. Our sin (i.e. the sin of God's elect people) was imputed to Christ. (2 Cor 5:21) 
3. Christ's righteousness was imputed to us (i.e. to God's elect people). (Rom 5:19b)
Propitiate – (Grk: hilaskomai) To satisfy God's wrath against us. Christ propitiated God's wrath against our sins when He suffered and died for our sins at Calvary. The death He died fully satisfied the righteous demands of God's holiness. (Heb 2:17)
Redeem – (Grk: lutroo) To rescue; to pay the ransom-price for a captive; to purchase a slave and set him free. Christ paid the ransom-price and redeemed us from the slavery of sin and condemnation. (Titus 2:14; 1 Pet 1:18)
Reconcile – (Grk: katallasso) To make peace between two enemies. Christ reconciled us to God by propitiating God's wrath and by giving us faith and repentance. (2 Cor 5:18)

The Reformers expressed the relation of faith and works like this:

"We are saved through faith alone, but the faith that saves is not alone."

 
 
Application
1.  Remember that it is a dead, useless faith that does not produce good works.
2.  Examine your heart and life to see whether you have a living faith. If the evidence is lacking, pray to God for mercy, confessing your own corruption and hopelessness and look in faith to Christ.
3.  Be zealous for good works. Be motivated by loving compassion for those in need, and by loving obedience toward your heavenly Father.
4.  Never fall into the trap of thinking that your good works have merit in God's sight—we are justified before God by Christ's righteousness and sacrifice alone.
5.  Never suppose that your faith has merit. Recognize that genuine saving faith is God-given, not self-manufactured, and that true faith trusts in Christ, not in itself. Rejoice that your faith is evidence of your election by God and of your eternal salvation in Christ.
6.  Be aware that your deeds provide evidence to those around you of your relationship to Christ. Strive to live in a manner worthy of your calling, that men might see your good deeds and that this would glorify God.
7.  Live a godly life and expect persecution. Remember that our Lord and His apostles and prophets were persecuted for their faith. Remember the courageous martyrs who died for Christ. Rejoice that you are numbered with those who have been persecuted for Christ.

 
  
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