WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.639 Well, the passage we have before us today is one of those that you kind of cringe when 00:00:05.639 --> 00:00:11.120 ! you finally get to teach on it because if you mess it up, it could have some bad effects. 00:00:11.120 --> 00:00:17.519 but if you do it well, it could have some really good effects. And I remember when I was in college 00:00:17.519 --> 00:00:23.679 up here in North Georgia just a couple years ago, when me and Nathan and Sam and Wes and 00:00:23.679 --> 00:00:28.240 Lesburn were in school together up here, I got invited to speak at the Corps of Cadet Bible 00:00:28.239 --> 00:00:34.719 study on campus and I knew the chaplain and he was like, we're studying James. And he said, can you 00:00:34.719 --> 00:00:40.920 come do it this week? And I volunteered like, yeah, sure. Well, what's the passage? And he was like, 00:00:41.479 --> 00:00:46.840 faith and works. I'm like, thanks, buddy. I appreciate that. I remember I was so nervous. 00:00:46.980 --> 00:00:52.780 I just actually memorized some of John MacArthur's notes and just like said it and was like, there 00:00:52.780 --> 00:00:59.600 you go. But to show you how much I've grown in my faith, I did not consort John MacArthur one time 00:00:59.600 --> 00:01:06.240 in my study during this time, but I consorted several other Johns. But here we go. We're going 00:01:06.240 --> 00:01:11.859 to be in chapter two. Zach did a really awesome job last week of talking about the beginning of chapter 00:01:11.859 --> 00:01:22.019 two up to verse 13 about not showing partiality. So we'll, we'll get into that. The next part of this 00:01:22.019 --> 00:01:28.960 now about faith and works, but just in case you're new, some people are kind of returning from breaks 00:01:28.960 --> 00:01:38.000 and vacations. James was the brother of Jesus. He was a leader of the Jerusalem church. And he's often 00:01:38.000 --> 00:01:44.879 given kind of a hard time because he was a little slower to come to faith, like in his brother as 00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:51.159 the Messiah. And you can just imagine though, the pressure he had growing up as a younger brother 00:01:51.159 --> 00:01:57.120 with Jesus being his older brother and how often he probably didn't measure up to that and how he heard 00:01:57.120 --> 00:02:07.140 all the time, like, Jesus is your big brother? Or why can't you be more like Jesus? Those sort of 00:02:07.140 --> 00:02:13.259 things probably just resonated around him. And whenever, you know, he went to his parents for 00:02:13.259 --> 00:02:17.020 advice and they would just say, well, I don't know, James, what would Jesus do? And that would just drive 00:02:17.020 --> 00:02:23.900 him crazy. So you can go on and on with the jokes though, but he like, you know, Jesus has a lot more 00:02:23.900 --> 00:02:29.659 scripture memorized than you, James. And he lives it out, like get with the program. So it really is a miracle 00:02:29.659 --> 00:02:36.360 that at some point he really did come to faith in his older brother as the Messiah. So, so this is his 00:02:36.360 --> 00:02:43.680 letter, this is his contribution to the scripture. And James' focus mainly is not so much how one becomes 00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:52.200 a genuine believer, but rather what does real authentic faith look like in holy conduct. So a 00:02:52.200 --> 00:02:57.420 little bit different angle than Paul has in a lot of his letters. So this is more like how to live out 00:02:57.420 --> 00:03:03.980 one's faith, doing it, being a doer of the word rather than just a hearer of the word. So his audience 00:03:03.979 --> 00:03:11.120 is definitely a Jewish audience, Jewish Christians. And so let's get in with our passage in verse 14, 00:03:11.239 --> 00:03:20.439 chapter two, he says, what good is it? My brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have 00:03:20.439 --> 00:03:28.859 works, can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking daily food, 00:03:28.860 --> 00:03:36.300 and one of you says, says to them, go in peace, be warmed and filled without giving them the things 00:03:36.300 --> 00:03:45.820 needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works is dead. 00:03:47.340 --> 00:03:53.260 But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works, 00:03:53.259 --> 00:04:02.000 and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons 00:04:02.000 --> 00:04:10.379 believe and shudder. Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 00:04:11.500 --> 00:04:17.519 Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 00:04:17.519 --> 00:04:26.779 You see, faith was active along with his works. And faith was completed by his works. And the 00:04:26.779 --> 00:04:33.240 scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. 00:04:34.159 --> 00:04:42.219 And he was called a friend of God. You see, that person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 00:04:42.220 --> 00:04:51.280 And in the same way, not also Rahab, the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers 00:04:51.280 --> 00:04:58.560 and sent them out by one or another, by another way. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, 00:04:59.140 --> 00:05:06.080 so also faith apart from works is dead. Just pray with me real quickly. Lord, we're just so thankful 00:05:06.079 --> 00:05:12.060 thankful for your grace. We're thankful for your word, for your people and your love for us. Just help me to 00:05:12.060 --> 00:05:18.680 be faithful with this text you've given us. Apply it to our hearts by your Holy Spirit. Let it not just 00:05:18.680 --> 00:05:29.240 fall on death ears, but may it have the desired effect. In Jesus' name, amen. So this is definitely 00:05:29.240 --> 00:05:37.819 a section where James, the personality of James comes out. His tone in this letter is just blunt, 00:05:38.740 --> 00:05:48.460 straightforward, matter of fact, also pastoral and instructive. He's more like a marine or army 00:05:48.460 --> 00:05:54.100 drill instructor who cares more about training you and getting you ready to survive and not die rather 00:05:54.100 --> 00:06:00.379 than your personal feelings. That's sort of how a lot of it is. It's not a lot of coddling or pampering. 00:06:00.520 --> 00:06:08.900 He just really wants you to hear the truth and like wake up to it. Today's section we're dealing with 00:06:08.900 --> 00:06:14.300 not a lot in our own day where there was a lot of people who claimed to be born again Christians, 00:06:15.340 --> 00:06:22.160 saved followers of Christ, yet did not actually possess true faith and salvation. Something we would all do 00:06:22.160 --> 00:06:27.320 well just to heed today, but I have, I have three points to kind of walk through the passage. 00:06:28.060 --> 00:06:31.439 I'll give them to you now, but the first one will be faith that is dead. 00:06:33.220 --> 00:06:41.760 Faith that is dead. Number two will be faith that is demonic. And then thirdly, faith that is dynamic. 00:06:42.840 --> 00:06:51.520 So first faith that is, that is dead. And we see that verses 14 through 17. He says, 00:06:51.519 --> 00:06:57.319 what good is it, my brother, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can that faith 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:04.719 save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed, lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:12.240 go in peace, be warm and filled without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 00:07:12.240 --> 00:07:22.019 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. So three times in this section of the letter, 00:07:22.139 --> 00:07:30.439 James warns that faith apart or without works is dead. And guess what the Greek means? It means dead. 00:07:31.139 --> 00:07:37.340 It means lifeless, inactive, not breathing or moving. It's the same word used of Lazarus before he was 00:07:37.339 --> 00:07:42.319 raised from the dead. Same Greek word that Paul used to say that we were dead in our trespasses 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:50.799 and sin. So metaphorically, a kind of faith that is lifeless, a lifeless corpse laying in a tomb, 00:07:51.739 --> 00:08:00.199 a kind of faith that falls short of true saving faith, barren, false, inactive. So James expresses 00:08:00.199 --> 00:08:04.319 this by making his first argument by way of illustration, if you see the illustration. 00:08:04.319 --> 00:08:14.879 So, but to help us understand the entire passage, I'm going to kind of break a little rule of preaching 00:08:14.879 --> 00:08:22.219 and kind of jump ahead. But I also know that some of you are maybe stuck on a couple of verses. 00:08:22.800 --> 00:08:27.480 If we don't deal with that now, like you're just going to go, that's going to drive me crazy until 00:08:27.480 --> 00:08:35.039 he gets to that part. So, but just a clarification on what James is saying and what he isn't saying. 00:08:36.039 --> 00:08:41.560 And so that we can just see the whole passage in this. But to illustrate, I want you to imagine 00:08:41.560 --> 00:08:48.120 that you're, you're speaking to a Roman Catholic friend. I have, I have many friends who are Roman 00:08:48.120 --> 00:08:56.779 Catholics. And he says to you, so do you Protestants really believe what the reformers taught when 00:08:56.779 --> 00:09:04.580 someone is saved by faith alone and not by works? And you would probably be like, yes, 00:09:04.759 --> 00:09:14.840 we believe in faith alone, not by works. And then he would say, well, I see. So how does that 00:09:14.840 --> 00:09:22.320 actually square with James 2, 24? You see the verse? You see that a person is justified by 00:09:22.320 --> 00:09:30.800 works and not by faith alone. So you'd be like, what? You know what? What's, I've been lied 00:09:30.800 --> 00:09:34.920 to this all the time and the five solos is not a real thing. You would kind of have those 00:09:34.920 --> 00:09:40.700 sort of questions. You'd be kind of second guessing. This is the verse that drove Martin Luther 00:09:40.700 --> 00:09:48.080 Bonkers. Like he did not like this verse. So being caught off guard by the question by 00:09:48.080 --> 00:09:53.100 your friend, your Roman Catholic friend, you're now kind of in a panic to sort of flee and run 00:09:53.100 --> 00:09:58.180 directly, kind of slide in safely to Paul's words in Romans where he, he just says, you 00:09:58.180 --> 00:10:04.900 know, um, you see, uh, um, for by works for the law, no one will be justified in his sight 00:10:04.900 --> 00:10:09.320 for a rehold that one is justified by faith, apart from works of the law. And then you would 00:10:09.320 --> 00:10:16.360 kind of like run away and say, just read Galatians and just, so when you do that though, two things, 00:10:16.780 --> 00:10:22.600 not only have you failed to like directly answer his question or her question, but you've kind 00:10:22.600 --> 00:10:25.920 of given the impression that new Testament writers have contradicted themselves, that 00:10:25.920 --> 00:10:32.420 Paul is opposing Jesus or opposing James, the heart of opposed Jesus, but Paul opposing James. 00:10:32.419 --> 00:10:40.240 So, however, if you had just kind of slowed down and just asked some really good hermeneutical 00:10:40.240 --> 00:10:45.079 questions on the passage, okay, well, let's just look at it. You would ask, what's the big picture? 00:10:45.179 --> 00:10:49.459 What is James and Paul trying to get out? What question are they trying to answer? What 00:10:49.459 --> 00:10:56.039 problem are they trying to solve? And thankfully that's not hidden. Like we just read it clearly 00:10:56.039 --> 00:11:01.839 in our passage. James isn't being obscure. It's not hidden. We don't have to guess at what he means, 00:11:01.879 --> 00:11:10.819 but look at verse 24. He basically says, can, can, he doesn't say, can faith save you? He doesn't 00:11:10.819 --> 00:11:18.719 even ask in real faith, save you. Look at what he says. Can that faith save him? What's the, that 00:11:18.720 --> 00:11:26.620 therefore? So the whole verse, what good or what profit is it? My brothers, if someone says, 00:11:26.740 --> 00:11:35.340 or professes or claims, he has faith, but does not have works. Can that faith save him? Meaning can 00:11:35.340 --> 00:11:43.360 that kind of faith, that sort of faith, that type of faith, he's singling out someone who has an outward 00:11:43.360 --> 00:11:51.399 profession of faith, acclaimed faith, and not asking, can faith apart from work save somebody, 00:11:51.519 --> 00:11:58.580 but can just a mere profession of faith alone save somebody? And he's making a clear distinction 00:11:58.580 --> 00:12:05.720 and catch this between a possession of faith and a profession of faith. There's, they can be two 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:11.440 different things. You can profess something you don't actually possess. So that's what he's focused on. 00:12:11.440 --> 00:12:19.680 And he's aware of Jesus's words, Matthew 15, where he says, these people honor me with their lips, 00:12:20.480 --> 00:12:28.780 but their hearts are far from me. And perhaps the most dreadful, sobering passage to me personally, 00:12:28.960 --> 00:12:35.320 one that the Lord used to scare the junk out of me when I was, when I was probably not a believer in 00:12:35.320 --> 00:12:43.840 the early 2000s, which is right out of the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 7. Whew, I'm thankful now, 00:12:44.140 --> 00:12:50.740 but man, this really woke me up. I was just never told to question whether or not I was a Christian, 00:12:50.980 --> 00:12:58.260 et cetera. But Jesus said on the judgment day, not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, 00:12:58.259 --> 00:13:06.299 will enter the kingdom of heaven. But the one who does the will of my father, who is in heaven on that 00:13:06.299 --> 00:13:14.779 day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, cast out demons in your name 00:13:14.779 --> 00:13:23.279 and do many mighty works in your name? And I will declare to them, I never knew you depart from me, 00:13:23.279 --> 00:13:32.039 you workers of lawlessness. I've never shown that, that verse, you know, and it, it scared me 00:13:32.039 --> 00:13:39.100 in a good way. I think it kind of helped scare me into the kingdom. So as a professed believer, 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:46.399 right, I was deceived and misled because my lifestyle did not at all reflect what I claimed to believe 00:13:46.399 --> 00:13:55.539 on a Sunday and on Wednesday nights. So the Bible is full of such warnings. Hebrews 3, 12, 00:13:55.639 --> 00:14:02.819 take care, brothers, let, let there be not in you any evil, unbelieving heart leading you to fall away 00:14:02.819 --> 00:14:10.100 from the living God. So that's a very like real and scary thing for us, for a lot of people to walk 00:14:10.100 --> 00:14:16.379 around professing something they don't actually possess. And that's what James is after that kind, 00:14:16.399 --> 00:14:25.480 of faith, a professed faith, just a claim. Can that kind of faith save someone? So the illustration 00:14:25.480 --> 00:14:33.159 James gives in verse 15 and 16, very simple, right? Food and clothing are basic needs. You have to have 00:14:33.159 --> 00:14:39.179 them to live. You don't, you're going to, you're going to perish. And true believers have an obligation 00:14:39.179 --> 00:14:45.759 to meet those kinds of needs of people. They have to, to help people have food and clothing. 00:14:46.559 --> 00:14:52.459 Paul says in Galatians 6, so then as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone 00:14:52.459 --> 00:14:59.120 and especially to those who are of the household of faith. So this is an image of a fellow believer 00:14:59.120 --> 00:15:05.519 coming in among them, clothed and tattered very poorly. And it's cold weather. You can see that in the 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:10.860 passage, like he means like someone coming in from the cold is not have really good winter clothes. 00:15:11.539 --> 00:15:20.600 And they also look skinny, weak, and malnourished, hungry. A person who has dead faith would notice 00:15:20.600 --> 00:15:27.539 that visitor, see the need they have, but instead of doing anything to meet that need, they offer a simple 00:15:27.539 --> 00:15:38.339 pious words, go in peace, be warm, be filled. In Hebrew, shalom. Be filled, all is well, and just walk away 00:15:38.339 --> 00:15:47.379 and not actually meet that person's need. People that have dead feet, dead faith, substitute naked words 00:15:47.379 --> 00:15:55.199 for deeds. They have words of compassion, but no acts of compassion. They claim, the faith they claim 00:15:55.200 --> 00:16:02.900 without tangible love for their brethren, James says, is useless. And just because we can offer somebody 00:16:02.900 --> 00:16:12.800 correct vocab, correct theological definitions, to fail to meet their need is evidence of a dead faith. 00:16:13.680 --> 00:16:22.000 So James is saying, if your faith looks like that, shameful, disgraceful, it's worthless. 00:16:22.000 --> 00:16:31.779 The faith I just described, can such a naked profession save someone? John wrote very similarly, 00:16:32.840 --> 00:16:40.940 but if anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need, yet clothes his heart against him, 00:16:41.700 --> 00:16:49.480 how does God's love abide in him? Little children, let us not love in word or talk, but in deed 00:16:49.480 --> 00:16:56.800 and in truth. He's concerned, James is concerned about dead faith masquerading around as real faith. 00:16:57.120 --> 00:17:04.980 It's not accompanied by works. Faith claimed in verse 14 then is inevitably just a profession of 00:17:04.980 --> 00:17:13.120 something they do not have. That's what he's going after. Faith by itself, who does not have works, 00:17:13.119 --> 00:17:22.319 is dead. And so we all know that Luther just drove him crazy, right? He thought that James should be 00:17:22.319 --> 00:17:26.039 just removed from the canon of scripture because he just didn't think it reckoned with all the other 00:17:26.039 --> 00:17:36.739 New Testament teachings. But if you could go back to the 1500s and John Calvin, who knew Luther just 00:17:36.739 --> 00:17:41.559 through letter, they never met in person. And Luther just said, this guy knows what he's talking about. 00:17:41.559 --> 00:17:48.899 Pretty much all he said. But if Luther could travel, or excuse me, if Calvin could travel to Germany 00:17:48.899 --> 00:17:55.399 to hang out with Luther, maybe he could help his older brother in the faith, have some peace with 00:17:55.399 --> 00:18:03.619 James. No. He would say, you know, rest easy, my German brother. Let's just have a little cup of wine, 00:18:03.700 --> 00:18:08.980 just a small cup of wine. And let's talk about James and how that squares with the rest of scripture. 00:18:08.980 --> 00:18:16.059 Luther would just roll his eyes and be like, wine? You're such a Frenchman. Let's get a mug of beer 00:18:16.059 --> 00:18:21.460 and let's have a conversation about this. This is their personality, if you don't know anything about 00:18:21.460 --> 00:18:27.480 them. But Calvin would have agreed. And he, Luther would have said, you know, John, like, 00:18:28.480 --> 00:18:35.079 I wrote a whole entire commentary on Galatians. I just don't see how that fits with James. 00:18:35.079 --> 00:18:43.000 It seems like they're contradicting one another. So clearly, we are saved through faith in Christ 00:18:43.000 --> 00:18:47.960 alone, or not by works of the law. That's what it clearly is taught. And Calvin would have said 00:18:47.960 --> 00:18:55.119 humbly and gently, and this is the only real quote of this whole conversation, but Calvin said, 00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:03.519 it is faith alone that justifies. But faith that justifies can never be alone. Pretty deep. 00:19:04.519 --> 00:19:10.679 And if that wasn't enough to convince Luther, if he disagreed, Calvin could trump him like, well, 00:19:10.839 --> 00:19:21.199 I wrote 27, 24 New Testament commentaries, including Galatians and James. So just do what I'm saying. 00:19:21.200 --> 00:19:27.000 And Luther would have liked the snappy comeback. He'd be like, I like you. So really, just 00:19:27.000 --> 00:19:32.980 understanding that we are justified by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. It's not 00:19:32.980 --> 00:19:42.080 adorned with good works that prove that the faith is real. So the conclusion in this part is Paul and 00:19:42.080 --> 00:19:47.640 James are not contradicting. They just have a different starting point. Not contrasting between 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:54.540 faith and deeds as the basis of salvation, rather a contrast between true saving faith and a false 00:19:54.540 --> 00:20:02.860 faith. Any declaration of faith that we make, apart from works, James says, cannot save. It's having 00:20:02.860 --> 00:20:15.020 creed without conduct. So through faith, right, we are justified alone before God. But works justify 00:20:15.019 --> 00:20:21.879 our faith. James is dealing a healthy blow to anybody who would suggest that your faith can be 00:20:21.879 --> 00:20:28.099 separated from godly conduct. It can't. Because it always produces godliness in us. They go hand in 00:20:28.099 --> 00:20:36.299 hand. So justification is by faith alone, but not by a faith that is alone. So some application, 00:20:36.500 --> 00:20:44.579 like does your lifestyle overall contradict the faith that you claim to have? What good is it if you say, 00:20:44.579 --> 00:20:50.159 or you claim you have faith, but don't have anything to really show that that faith is real? 00:20:51.740 --> 00:20:59.099 What kind of, can that kind of faith save you? If there's anyone that you've seen in help or need 00:20:59.099 --> 00:21:05.179 that you've sort of passed over now, there are people who have issues getting food and clothing, 00:21:05.439 --> 00:21:11.740 even in our own county here. But for the most part, those needs can be met, but there's a lot of 00:21:11.740 --> 00:21:17.740 other needs. Have you bypassed someone and just given them simple words and not really 00:21:17.740 --> 00:21:25.099 help meet their need? On the other hand, don't confuse this. There's a lot of groups out there 00:21:25.099 --> 00:21:29.319 that say, hey, just help feed them and then don't share truth with them. We're not saying that at all. 00:21:29.660 --> 00:21:34.579 We're saying they should go hand in hand. You're, I think Spurgeon said, if you're going to give someone 00:21:34.579 --> 00:21:43.179 the gospel, wrap it in a sandwich, give them a gospel track wrapped in a sandwich. So like just 00:21:43.179 --> 00:21:53.960 accompany with good deeds. So number two is a faith that is demonic. You see that in verse 18 through 19. 00:21:54.839 --> 00:22:00.759 So James anticipates an objection from the critic, right? But someone will say, you have faith and 00:22:00.759 --> 00:22:06.440 I have works arguing basically that faith and works can be separate. They don't have to go hand in hand. 00:22:07.039 --> 00:22:12.059 And he answered that challenge by saying, oh yeah, well, show me your faith apart from your works. 00:22:12.140 --> 00:22:19.339 I will show you my faith by my works. The vitality of someone's faith is evidence through holy living 00:22:19.339 --> 00:22:25.640 and good deeds. He challenges that person like, okay, well you show me. Then he goes on and says 00:22:25.640 --> 00:22:31.560 something really strong. He's like, you believe in God is one. You do well. He's saying to this Jewish 00:22:31.560 --> 00:22:37.580 audience, you know, you know, the, you know, the Shema, hero Israel, the Lord, your God, the Lord is one. 00:22:38.759 --> 00:22:46.040 And he's saying, you can say that and you know it, but he shocks them by saying even the demons believe 00:22:46.039 --> 00:22:53.920 that and they shudder. Someone who has dead faith is only touched by truth in the intellect, but the 00:22:53.920 --> 00:22:57.619 demons are not just touched in the intellect. They're touching the emotions. They're, they're 00:22:57.619 --> 00:23:06.700 terrified. They're afraid. They know well who God is. So he's saying basically, so you believe in God, 00:23:07.180 --> 00:23:13.940 you have correct theology, you can close scripture. Good for you. So what? No different than the demons. 00:23:13.940 --> 00:23:24.000 That's all you have. So the characteristics of demonic faith really quickly, right? One is they 00:23:24.000 --> 00:23:30.200 clearly believe in the existence of God. They're neither atheists or agnostics. They believe in the 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:39.500 divinity of Christ as the son of God. In Mark three, it talks about how he threw out the unclean spirits 00:23:39.500 --> 00:23:47.220 and they cried out. The demons cried out, you are the son of God. And he strictly ordered them not to make 00:23:47.220 --> 00:23:57.279 him known. The son of God, Jesus could exercise power over them. Thirdly, the demons believe in a real 00:23:57.279 --> 00:24:04.940 existence of hell. They know that there's a place of judgment and torment. When Jesus delivered that man 00:24:04.940 --> 00:24:14.720 who was possessed by demons, he said, what is your name? He said that to the demons. He said, 00:24:14.799 --> 00:24:25.180 legion, for we are many. And they begged him and he, they begged him not to destroy them. So tell us to 00:24:25.180 --> 00:24:31.580 depart into the abyss. That's what Jesus did. So they even are aware of hell. They're aware of the 00:24:31.579 --> 00:24:35.879 divinity of Christ. They know that something's going to happen. But what makes us different than 00:24:35.879 --> 00:24:41.839 that? That's kind of like his point. Like what makes us any different? Even the demons have that 00:24:41.839 --> 00:24:47.859 kind of faith. They are well aware of who Jesus is and they're terrified of him. So what's different 00:24:47.859 --> 00:24:53.139 about the faith that you claim? So that's a shock, right? But like demons have really good theology. 00:24:53.279 --> 00:25:01.439 They just don't love God. They don't obey him. They don't reverence him. So that's the scary thought. 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:08.380 But thirdly and lastly, a faith that is dynamic. And we see that in verses 20 through 26. For a 00:25:08.380 --> 00:25:15.799 second time, I won't read it again, but a faith that is dynamic. And by dynamic, we mean a faith marked 00:25:15.799 --> 00:25:24.680 by steady and continuous productive growth, right? Faith that is marked by a steady, continuous, 00:25:24.680 --> 00:25:32.220 productive growth and activity. Something's happening. There's life in there. This, we would say, 00:25:32.299 --> 00:25:37.400 someone who is being sanctified, someone who's growing. So when a sinner is saved, when they're 00:25:37.400 --> 00:25:43.240 born again by the Holy Spirit, when I, that happened to me and happened to many of you. And I, I remember 00:25:43.240 --> 00:25:49.340 an old preacher saying this when I was young in the faith, but it just stuck with me for over a decade now. 00:25:49.339 --> 00:25:55.599 But he said, when someone is saved, when someone is born again, there's an inward transformation. 00:25:56.859 --> 00:26:02.059 The inward transformation leads to an outward demonstration, which leads to an upward destination 00:26:02.059 --> 00:26:05.679 kind of through that. But that's kind of like what he said. And that just stuck with me. Like 00:26:05.679 --> 00:26:10.199 something happens that leads to an outward demonstration of what's going on in here. 00:26:11.139 --> 00:26:14.659 The Westminster Confession of Faith talks about good works in this way. 00:26:14.660 --> 00:26:22.900 These good works done in obedience to God's commands are the fruits and evidences of a true 00:26:22.900 --> 00:26:30.320 and lively faith. And by them, believers manifest their thankfulness to God, strengthen their assurance, 00:26:30.500 --> 00:26:36.860 edify their brethren, and listen to this, and adorn the profession of the gospel. That's like what good 00:26:36.860 --> 00:26:44.540 works do. They just make the gospel beautiful. And Jesus said that, right? Let all men see, 00:26:44.660 --> 00:26:51.200 let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father 00:26:51.200 --> 00:26:58.720 who is in heaven. But in verse 20, just blunt honesty, here we go, direct matter of fact, 00:26:59.519 --> 00:27:06.259 do you want to be shown, you foolish person, you vain, empty-headed person? That's like what he 00:27:06.259 --> 00:27:16.319 says. He says by itself, this kind of faith without works is useless. So you still don't believe me? You 00:27:16.319 --> 00:27:24.400 fool? Do you not see it? That there's still not registered that you can't have this claim that you 00:27:24.400 --> 00:27:28.980 love God and belong to him and have been saved by him and then have nothing to back it up? Like you 00:27:28.980 --> 00:27:36.599 completely walk in the darkness. That's what he's saying. So they're not contradicting one another, James 00:27:36.599 --> 00:27:42.980 and Paul. They're just coming at different starting points. And to prove that, he calls two witnesses. 00:27:44.279 --> 00:27:49.259 He says, okay, I'll give you two examples. Two people that you will be familiar with, Jewish audience, 00:27:49.380 --> 00:27:55.420 and in people today. But he gives you the example of Abraham and Rahab to prove that. 00:27:55.420 --> 00:28:02.660 So Abraham was the father of their nation, the father of the faith. God made that covenant with 00:28:02.660 --> 00:28:09.700 him. The story of Abraham reveals what real faith looks like. He made that promise that through him, 00:28:10.320 --> 00:28:14.759 he was going to have descendants of many of the stars in the sky, and that through him, all the 00:28:14.759 --> 00:28:21.920 nations of the world would be blessed through Isaac. Abraham really believed that. Like he really 00:28:21.920 --> 00:28:27.860 believed God when he said that. It was reckoned to him as righteousness. That's what it says in Genesis 00:28:27.860 --> 00:28:36.420 15, 6. But there came a day when that was tested. He had that profession. I believe I'm there. But that 00:28:36.420 --> 00:28:43.580 was tested when God, it says God tested him when he told him to take Isaac and offer him up as a burnt 00:28:43.579 --> 00:28:54.079 offering. And so the author of Hebrews tells us that Abraham believed God so much that he even knew that 00:28:54.079 --> 00:28:59.000 God would raise Isaac from the dead if he had to. That's pretty crazy. Like, I'm going to do this, but 00:28:59.000 --> 00:29:03.039 God's going to fulfill his promise. I'm not exactly sure how, but even if you have to raise 00:29:03.039 --> 00:29:10.019 Isaac from the dead, this will happen. So his actions flowed from the realness of his faith. 00:29:10.019 --> 00:29:17.859 And that's what he said. Our father Abraham's faith in God was vindicated by his loving obedience to God 00:29:17.859 --> 00:29:25.680 when he offered up Isaac. That story demonstrates what real faith looks like. Not how someone's made 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:33.119 righteous, right? Not by works, but what proves that that profession of faith was real. All right, 00:29:33.139 --> 00:29:39.339 so that was Abraham. It was counted to him as righteousness, reckoned to be his by faith alone. 00:29:40.019 --> 00:29:47.740 And then he gives the example of Rahab, who was out of Joshua chapter 2. Go ahead and read that story. Great story. 00:29:48.379 --> 00:29:53.200 But she was a Gentile woman, not from the people of God, but from the enemies of God. 00:29:53.900 --> 00:30:00.900 And she believed the news about the Hebrew God who was destroying all the enemies, destroying all his false gods. 00:30:00.900 --> 00:30:07.100 And she helped hide the Jewish spies in Jericho and helped them escape. 00:30:07.880 --> 00:30:08.580 And she says, 00:30:08.579 --> 00:30:38.559 So at great personal risk, she acted on what she claimed to be. 00:30:38.559 --> 00:30:48.619 She was a real sin. She was a real sin. She was a real sin. She wasn't just trying to save her own skin. 00:30:50.059 --> 00:30:55.359 Amazingly, Rahab even appears in the lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1, verse 5. 00:30:55.359 --> 00:31:02.000 And also as an example of real faith, this beloved Gentile woman in Hebrews 11, 31. 00:31:02.799 --> 00:31:05.619 That's what real faith looks like, James is saying. 00:31:06.359 --> 00:31:08.939 She believed in what God had said. 00:31:09.179 --> 00:31:10.500 They believed in what God had said. 00:31:11.159 --> 00:31:15.099 Counted them as righteousness and proven by how they lived and how they responded. 00:31:15.099 --> 00:31:24.259 So, lastly, in verse 26, he closes this by getting sort of a negative illustration of a body. 00:31:25.159 --> 00:31:26.539 So you look around the room this morning. 00:31:27.439 --> 00:31:30.000 There's a lot of living, moving bodies around you, hopefully. 00:31:31.679 --> 00:31:35.179 Like, that's pretty much what he's saying. 00:31:35.180 --> 00:31:41.799 But a body without a soul, that life force, the body would be dead, lifeless, a corpse. 00:31:42.640 --> 00:31:45.759 So, worthless faith is like that. 00:31:45.840 --> 00:31:50.180 A dead body just sits there, has no activity and no life. 00:31:50.820 --> 00:31:55.340 So, let's wrap this time up. 00:31:55.500 --> 00:31:56.720 Now we're tight on time. 00:31:56.720 --> 00:32:00.900 And conclusion, I mean, this is clearly a passage of warning. 00:32:01.039 --> 00:32:02.120 It's a warning passage. 00:32:02.240 --> 00:32:04.819 There's nothing upbeat about this passage. 00:32:04.960 --> 00:32:07.240 It's a kick, right? 00:32:08.259 --> 00:32:10.240 But, and see it as love. 00:32:10.299 --> 00:32:11.380 He's trying to warn us. 00:32:11.380 --> 00:32:16.940 Like, there are people out there who think that they belong to God and don't. 00:32:16.940 --> 00:32:28.039 And if they're, what they claim to believe is not followed by a demonstration of that faith they claim to profess like they have, then that faith is worthless. 00:32:28.799 --> 00:32:30.059 Don't, don't overthink it. 00:32:30.759 --> 00:32:31.660 Don't overthink it. 00:32:31.680 --> 00:32:32.220 That's just it. 00:32:32.360 --> 00:32:33.200 That's just what it says. 00:32:35.019 --> 00:32:38.940 Claiming to have the appearance of godliness but denying its power, right? 00:32:39.039 --> 00:32:40.380 2 Timothy 3, 5. 00:32:41.279 --> 00:32:42.400 Just write this down. 00:32:42.400 --> 00:32:55.120 If you want to see a huge illustration of this, Matthew 25, 31 through 46, where Jesus gives that idea that there are sheep and goats. 00:32:55.600 --> 00:32:56.400 This is what they do. 00:32:56.860 --> 00:32:59.259 And this is what it's going to look like one day on the judgment day. 00:33:00.080 --> 00:33:06.400 And clearly it's the ones who don't only claim to believe but the ones who actually obey and do what the Lord has commanded. 00:33:07.700 --> 00:33:10.580 So, but let's end on an encouraging note. 00:33:10.579 --> 00:33:12.460 Let's just be thankful. 00:33:12.639 --> 00:33:17.019 This isn't just implied directly in the passage, but let's be thankful that we are not saved by works. 00:33:17.639 --> 00:33:20.119 Who wants to take up that mantle? 00:33:21.139 --> 00:33:21.539 Nobody. 00:33:22.259 --> 00:33:23.159 It would crush us. 00:33:23.699 --> 00:33:25.379 You cannot be good enough. 00:33:26.159 --> 00:33:27.879 You can never do enough. 00:33:28.019 --> 00:33:32.159 So I'm thankful that we are saved by faith alone in Christ. 00:33:32.160 --> 00:33:44.340 For our sake, God made him, Jesus, who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 00:33:44.900 --> 00:33:47.440 And if we really believe that, it's going to show in our lifestyle. 00:33:47.540 --> 00:33:49.460 Not perfectly, but it's going to be moving forward. 00:33:49.540 --> 00:33:50.279 It's going to be growing. 00:33:51.140 --> 00:33:52.740 It's going to be active and not dead. 00:33:52.740 --> 00:33:55.259 So let's help one another. 00:33:55.380 --> 00:33:57.180 There's conversations you need to have with people. 00:33:58.319 --> 00:34:00.460 Just be careful. 00:34:00.660 --> 00:34:01.539 Do it out of love. 00:34:01.640 --> 00:34:02.359 Do it out of concern. 00:34:02.579 --> 00:34:03.120 Do it gently. 00:34:03.339 --> 00:34:03.980 Do it humbly. 00:34:05.480 --> 00:34:10.059 One of my really good friends, well, several of my really good friends, some are even here today. 00:34:10.199 --> 00:34:10.699 No names. 00:34:10.699 --> 00:34:18.919 But they came to faith because someone said, hey, I love you, but what you're saying does not square with how you're living. 00:34:19.000 --> 00:34:20.739 And they were like, what? 00:34:21.179 --> 00:34:25.739 And the Lord used that encounter to bring them to genuine faith. 00:34:25.839 --> 00:34:28.419 That's a part of several of our stories in here, including mine. 00:34:29.119 --> 00:34:31.239 So don't be afraid to have that conversation. 00:34:31.379 --> 00:34:35.480 But don't do people the injustice of going around being like, he's not saved. 00:34:35.639 --> 00:34:36.279 She's not saved. 00:34:36.319 --> 00:34:37.139 I don't think she's saved. 00:34:37.139 --> 00:34:42.139 Go and talk to them and actually show compassion and say, hey, I'm concerned. 00:34:42.279 --> 00:34:44.199 I don't know, but I'm just concerned. 00:34:45.139 --> 00:34:48.480 Because often other people see it and we don't. 00:34:48.920 --> 00:34:53.299 So if there's things that we need to do, ask God to give us the faith to do that.