I don't know how many of you still have a landline phone in your house.
A few years ago, it would have been a really strange thing for someone not to,
but now it's not quite so common.
I have one that is rarely used.
When it rings, I know there are two possibilities.
One, that it's my mum.
Or two, that it's someone trying to sell me something.
But many of those calls are questionable.
They make a claim about who they are.
They say that they are from HMRC, from Microsoft, from my bank, without naming it.
They tell me about the problems that apparently I'm having with my broadband,
about the warranties about to expire on my 20-year-old fridge,
or about the fraudulent activity on my account.
But it only takes a few seconds of hearing them talk,
to know that they are not who they claim to be.
Who they say they are, and what they say does not match up.
As we look at tonight's passage, we'll see that James presents a question
about how to recognise genuine saving faith.
Then he gives four illustrations to try and help us understand the issues,
and ultimately to demonstrate the fundamental misunderstanding behind the original question.
So for those of you who like headings, we'll first be looking at a fundamental question in verse 14.
And then we'll look at the four illustrations.
The futility of meaningless words in verses 15 and 16.
The faith of demons in verses 18 and 19.
The faith of Abraham in verses 20 to 24.
And the faith of Rahab in verse 25.
And finally we'll conclude with James' two summary statements,
verses 17 and 26.
Which I guess if you want more alliteration you could call a frank answer.
And so let's start off with that fundamental question.
In verse 14.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds?
Can such faith save them?
This question is what this passage is all about.
And it's an important question.
But for many of you, this question will already be setting off a klaxon in your heads.
For some it will be a theological klaxon.
Are you questioning salvation by faith alone?
Surely this goes against everything we believe.
Everything that Paul teaches us.
Everything the great reformers stood for.
But for others it will be a more personal klaxon.
Are you questioning my salvation?
Are you questioning if I'm really saved?
But this is the question that's central to the whole argument
of James' letter.
Because it's a letter filled with instruction to action.
To do this and not to do that.
It talks a lot about how we speak.
About how we treat others.
And it's full of warnings against hypocrisy.
Against saying one thing
and living in a completely different way.
Back in chapter 1 verse 22 we read the warning
Do not merely listen to the word
and deceive yourselves.
Do what it says.
And we see that this passage continues with that theme.
This letter is primarily written to an audience
that have probably come to Christianity
from a Jewish background.
They have grown up with the Pharisees
teaching them on all the many rules
that they must follow to be right with God.
And then they have heard
this message of salvation
by grace
through the finished work of Christ.
And it seems that they may have thought
great.
That's me off the hook.
I can now just sit back and relax.
I can do whatever I want.
I don't need to worry about those sacrifices and rituals.
I also don't need to worry about
helping the poor
or loving my neighbour either.
And James wants to make it crystal clear
that that is not the gospel.
And so we come
in verses 15 and 16
to the first of these four illustrations
the futility
of meaningless words
where James writes
suppose
a brother or sister
is without clothes
and daily food
if one of you says to them
go in peace
keep warm
and well fed
but
does nothing
about their physical needs
what good is it?
While throughout the letter
James frequently
refers to the care of the poor
I don't think
that is actually
primarily
what his focus
in these verses
is about.
Instead
this scenario
is given
to illustrate
the futility
of meaningless words
how it's possible
to say things
that sound great
but have nothing more
behind them
than vague sentiment.
what good is it
to tell the person
you need
to be warm
and well fed
and then
do nothing to help
despite the fact
that you could?
It's pointless.
It is just
meaningless words.
You would have been better
saying nothing.
And I think
this is key
to understanding
that question
at the heart
of the passage
because James
asks
what good is it
if someone
claims
to have faith?
If someone
makes a claim
to have faith
but it goes
no further
than mere words
then it's pointless.
It's just
meaningless words.
They say
that they are
a Christian
but there is
no evidence
of the reality
of it.
They may
have confessed
with their mouth
but they have
not believed
in their heart.
It means
nothing
to them.
I think
probably
this is most
likely
to happen
in cultures
where
some form
of Christianity
is expected
of you.
At one point
that would have
been the case
here.
It still is
the case
in some parts
of the USA
where not
being a Christian
is seen
as a hindrance
in society.
We saw
in Acts
recently
how at first
many people
wanted to be
associated
with the early
church
until things
started getting
serious
and then
they began
to keep
their distance.
Then the only
people that
chose to associate
with them
in the temple
courts
were those
who had made
the decision
to follow
Christ
and to become
one of them.
In our society
in 21st century
Edinburgh
there is
nothing
really to be
gained
by claiming
to be a Christian.
In fact
it may well
be a hindrance.
In some
countries
it would be
a literal
death sentence.
But I think
we have to be
careful.
while there
may be
no pressure
in our
culture
at large
we all
live within
our own
microcultures
our own
bubbles of
people that
we associate
with.
And in our
social circles
it might be
the done thing
to say that
you're a Christian.
In particular
the children
in our church
grow up
in a culture
where being
a Christian
is the
norm.
We need
to be careful
that we
don't encourage
them to say
all the right
things just
to make us
happy without
it going any
further than
being mere
words.
I remember
one of the
guys I grew
up with in
church
recounted how
one of the
old ladies
in the church
would encourage
him to get
baptised.
it was
completely
well-meaning
but what
she didn't
realise was
that he
wasn't a
Christian at
the time.
He only
came to
church
under
duress
because his
parents forced
him to.
He later
came to a
real saving
faith
but until
then
it would
have been
easy for
him to
say and
do all
the right
things and
to fit in
but it
would have
been pointless.
It would
just be
meaningless
words and
James makes
it clear that
meaningless words
do not
save.
They are
futile.
And so we
come on to
our second
illustration in
verses 18 and
19 where we
see the faith
of demons.
Here James
challenges those
who say that
they have
faith to
show it.
I think it's
helpful here if
we remember
that there's
nothing special
about the
word translated
here as
works,
deeds or
acts.
This is not
some deep
theological term
with huge
amounts of
theological
baggage.
It's just a
normal everyday
word which
means what it
says.
Things that
people do.
And so James
challenges them
to show their
faith without
doing anything.
And he will
show his
faith by what
he does.
The faith that
they claim to
have cannot be
seen.
But their
actions can.
And how they
live betrays the
reality beneath
the surface.
then we see
that James
anticipates their
response.
Their response
but I
believe.
Surely,
surely that's
all that
matters.
And he
comes back
with a
stinging
retort.
You believe
that there is
one God?
Good.
Even the
demons believe
that.
Well done.
Your faith
is as good
as the
demons.
We're told
very little
about demons
but we can
expect that
they have a
far greater
knowledge of
spiritual realities
than we do.
And they
hate it.
As James
says, they
believe and
they shudder.
I think this
is a very
important distinction
that has to be
made.
And we're
perhaps not
always very
good at
expressing it.
believing in
God is
not what
matters.
Trusting
him is.
It's not a
matter of
intellectual
assent to
an idea
like believing
in extraterrestrial
life or
something like
that.
Rather,
it's about
trusting in
that God
and relying
on his
goodness
and in
particular
his mercy
shown to
us through
the death
and resurrection
of Christ.
Recently, we
had a talk
from Ash
Cunningham
on atheism.
And he
told a story
of someone
that he had
met at a
student outreach
who at the
beginning of the
week was an
atheist.
It only took
him until
Tuesday to
be convinced
that there was
a God
God and
even to be
convinced
that the
biblical
claims about
God were
true.
It took
him the
rest of the
week to
decide that
this God
was good
and that he
wanted to
trust him.
To quote
Ash, he
said,
his atheism
was not built
primarily on
the idea that
God could not
exist.
It was built
on the
supposition that
God was not
worth following.
And James
wants his
readers to
know that
they have
to make
that step.
They have
to move
from believing
truth about
God to
trusting in
him,
acknowledging
his goodness
and acknowledging
their need
for him.
And so
then we
come in
verses 20
to 24 to
the third
illustration where
we see the
faith of
Abraham.
James
writes,
you foolish
person,
do you
want evidence
that faith
without deeds
is useless?
Was not
our father
Abraham
considered
righteous for
what he did
when he offered
his son Isaac
on the altar?
You see
that his faith
and his actions
were working
together and
his faith was
made complete
by what he
did.
And the
scripture was
fulfilled that
says,
Abraham
believed God
and it was
credited to
him as
righteousness
and he was
called God's
friend.
You see that
a person is
considered
righteous by
what they do
and not by
faith alone.
God
said,
this illustration
at first
seems the
most problematic
part of the
passage,
but actually
it's the
most helpful,
particularly
because there
are several
other passages
that deal
with the
exact same
events.
Because in
particular,
Paul writes
about Abraham's
faith in
Romans 4,
where he
says,
what shall
we say
that Abraham,
our forefather
according to
the flesh,
discovered in
this matter?
If in fact
Abraham was
justified by
works,
he had
something to
boast about,
but not
before God.
What does
scripture say?
Abraham
believed God
and it was
credited to
him as
righteousness.
Now to the
one who
works,
wages are
not credited
as a gift,
but as an
obligation.
However,
to the
one who
does not
work,
but trusts
God who
justifies the
ungodly,
their faith
is credited
as righteousness.
Paul takes
the exact
same quote
from Genesis,
that Abraham
believed God
that was
credited to
him as
righteousness,
to show
that Abraham
was not
made righteous
because of
his works,
but that his
righteousness
was through
his trust
in the
God who
justifies
the ungodly.
Paul makes
it explicitly
clear in the
surrounding
chapters that
living a
good enough
life is
impossible,
and also
that no
number of
religious rituals
of sacrifice,
penance,
or dedication
could ever
compensate for
our failure.
people.
But Paul
continues
further down
the chapter
to say,
the words
I was
credited to
him were
written not
for him
alone,
but also
for us,
to whom
God will
credit
righteousness,
for us who
believe in
him who
raised Jesus
our Lord
from the
dead.
He was
delivered over
to death
for our
sins,
and was
raised to
life for
our
justification.
faith is
not some
sort of
vague,
fuzzy,
religious
feeling,
but is a
life-changing
belief in
and reliance
on the
completed work
of Jesus
for our
salvation
through his
death and
resurrection.
So what
does James
mean when
he takes
the same
verse to
show that
faith without
deeds is
useless?
I think
the passage
that was
read to
us in
Hebrews
11 may
help our
understanding,
because almost
every sentence
in it begins
by faith.
It is by
faith that
Abraham left
his home.
It is by
faith he
made his
home in
the promised
land.
It is by
faith that
he offered
Isaac on
the altar.
All of
these actions
were a result
of his
faith.
His actions
demonstrated
what he
believed.
His actions
showed that
his faith
was real,
that his
trust in
God was
not just
academic,
but that it
was what he
was basing
his life
upon.
Now,
that does
not mean
that Abraham
lived a
perfect life.
Far from
it.
That's the
great thing
about the
Bible.
It gives
us a
warts and
all view
of these
heroes of
the faith.
We see
that their
lives are
a mess.
We see
that at
times they
doubted
God,
that they
thought that
they knew
better,
but his
life gives
evidence that
his faith
is real.
We see
that James
said that
Abraham was
considered
righteous when
he offered
his son
Isaac on
the altar.
In the
context,
it's clear
that James
is not saying
he was
made
righteous
before God
by these
actions,
but that
he was
shown to
be
righteous.
James makes
it clear
that his
righteousness
was credited
to him
when he
believed.
And if we
look back at
Genesis,
where that
quotation comes
from,
we see that
there are
decades between
these events.
That
Abraham's
actions when
his faith
was tested
showed the
reality of
his faith
that he
has lived
with over
decades.
But I
think what
James is
saying is
that if
Abraham had
believed
God,
went back
in Haran,
but had
decided just
to stay
there because
he was quite
comfortable
there.
If Abraham
had believed
God and
never acted
on it,
if nothing
about his
life had
changed,
he would
have to
start asking
serious
questions about
the reality
of Abraham's
faith.
And so it
is with
us.
If we are
striving to
work our
way to
God by
our good
deeds,
by going
to church
as often
as we
can,
having
non-stop
worship
music playing
in our
headphones,
helping out
with the
food bank,
giving to
everyone we
can,
opening our
homes,
sharing
amazing
hospitality,
giving a
listening ear
and a
shoulder to
cry on,
and just
hoping that
it might
be enough,
we need to
give up now.
You can't.
It's a
hopeless task,
and it's not
what James is
teaching.
You need to
run to
Jesus.
You need to
run to him
with your
failure,
your inadequacy,
your guilt,
and then,
trusting in
him,
you can go
out and
act in his
strength.
by his
spirit,
and live a
life of
service,
out of
love and
gratitude,
instead of
out of
guilt and
fear.
But if
instead you're
thinking,
yeah,
I'm fine.
I said a
prayer at an
SU camp 20
years ago,
but,
you know,
since I
left that
camp all
those years
ago,
I've not
really given
another thought.
my faith
doesn't really
feature anywhere
in how I
live my
life.
Nothing
changed,
and to be
honest,
you're quite
happy that
way.
If that's
you,
then I
think that
is exactly
who James
is addressing.
And he's
saying that
the faith
you claim
to have
is useless.
If your
faith is
in no way
affecting your
actions,
then you
need to
really start
questioning
the reality
of your
faith.
And
likewise,
you need
to run
to Jesus.
You need
to run
to him
with your
hypocrisy,
your pride,
your laziness,
and your
fear.
You need
to ask him
to change
you from
within,
to give
you new
life,
to put his
spirit within
you,
and to
give you
the power
to live
for him.
But for
many of
us,
we will
know that
our faith
is real.
We know
that God
has really
moved in
our lives,
and that
we are not
the person
that we
once were,
and certainly
not the
person that
we were
headed to
become.
We know
his spirit
is at work
within us,
and yet
we see
so little
change.
We see
that our
actions
are barely
distinguishable
from those
around us.
We see
that we
have become
complacent,
that the
sins we
used to
struggle
with,
we no
longer
struggle
with,
not because
they're not
there any
longer,
but because
we've just
accepted them
as part of
our lives.
we know
that we
are walking
contradictions,
that what
we declare
on Sunday
and what
we live
on Monday
are far
too far
apart.
And
firstly,
we need
to have
confidence
in our
salvation.
We should
rest secure
in the
saving work
of Christ,
that he
who begun
a good
work in
us will
be faithful
to complete
it,
and that
no one
will snatch
us out of
his hand.
But we
too must
run to
Christ.
We must
repent of
our sin,
our apathy,
our hypocrisy,
and we
must ask
for his
strength
to live
for him
each day
as he
slowly
transforms
us into
his likeness.
We will
fail
again
and again,
but he
is faithful.
He will
pick us
up,
dust us
down,
set us
on our
feet again
and help
us take
one more
step.
And then
in the
final
illustration
in verse
25,
we see
the faith
of Rahab.
James
writes,
in the
same way
was not
even
Rahab
the
prostitute
considered
righteous
for what
she did
when she
gave
lodging
to the
spies
and sent
them
off
in a
different
direction.
We have
lengthy
accounts
about
Abraham's
long
journey
of
faith,
but we
know very
little
about
Rahab.
We have
an account
of this
one event
in her
life in
the book
of Joshua.
Then she's
mentioned
briefly here
and in
Hebrews 11
and she
also
probably
gets a
name
call
in the
genealogy
in
Matthew's
Gospel.
Rahab
is a
prostitute
in the
city of
Jericho
when the
people of
Israel are
approaching
under the
leadership of
Joshua,
following their
years of
wandering
in the
wilderness.
And the
people of
Jericho
have heard
that they
are approaching.
As Rahab
explains,
I know
that the
Lord has
given you
this land
and a
great fear
of you
has fallen
on us
so that
all who
live in
this country
are melting
in fear
because of
you.
We have
heard how
the Lord
dried up
the water
of the
Red Sea
for you
when you
came out
of Egypt
and what
you did
to Sihon
and Og,
the two
kings of
the Amorites
east of
the Jordan,
whom you
completely
destroyed.
When we
heard of
it,
our hearts
melted in
fear and
everyone's
courage
failed because
of you.
For the
Lord,
your God,
is God
in heaven
above and
on the
earth below.
So we
see that the
people know
that the
Israelites are
approaching
and are
terrified.
They've
heard how
their neighbours
across the
Jordan,
the Amorites,
were unable
to stand up
against them.
But as
well as
what happened
recently,
they know
of what
happened
about 40
years ago
when the
Israelites
left Egypt.
But what's
really terrifying
them,
what's causing
them to melt
in fear,
is they've
also heard
that they're
coming with
the protection
of a powerful
God who's
working miracles
for them.
and it's
into this
context that
Joshua has
sent two
spies into
the city
to see the
lie of the
land and
they've sought
shelter in
Rahab's house.
In that
situation,
when the
authorities came
looking for
them,
she decided
to hide the
spies and
let them
later escape
in secret.
In return,
the spies
promised that
she and her
family would
be saved
when they
come and
destroy the
city.
She had the
exact same
evidence as
everyone else
in the city.
She even
had the same
belief that
their success
was because
the Lord,
their God,
was with them.
And based
on that
information,
based on what
she believed
she had a
choice to
make,
would she
stand with
her people
in defiance
of the
Lord and
put her
faith in
the strength
of their
walls and
their armies,
which would
be quite
reasonable.
It was one
of the
greatest
fortified
cities of
the time.
Or would
she put
her faith
in the
Lord?
Would she
acknowledge
him as
God in
heaven and
on earth
below and
side with
him?
and put
her life
into his
hands?
She was
putting her
life in
danger if
she had
been caught,
and yet
she saw
where real
security lay.
Faced with
that choice,
she had to
make a
decision about
whose side
was she
on.
And it
couldn't just
be an
academic
decision.
She had
to act
on it.
Whatever
she chose
would
determine
the
trajectory
of the
rest of
her life.
Faith
was not
to believe
that the
Israelites
were coming
with the
power of
God behind
them.
Faith
was not
even to
believe that
on balance,
all things
considered,
she would
be better
off siding
with the
Lord instead
of against
him.
Faith was
to step
out and
make that
decision
reality.
She
couldn't
do
nothing.
That
wasn't
an
option.
She
couldn't
remain
passive.
Either
she would
hide the
spies or
she would
hand them
over.
Either she
would trust
God or
she would
trust the
armies of
Jericho.
And like
Rahab,
we have a
decision to
make.
As Peter
reminded us
this morning,
we can't
choose two
contradictory
options at
the same
time.
We're
called to
choose this
day who
we will
serve.
And like
Rahab,
such a
decision is
a life-changing
decision.
Like Rahab,
it can't
remain an
academic
question.
It's going
to affect
our lives.
It's going
to affect
our choices,
our words,
our actions.
It may
affect our
career choices,
what we
do with
our
weekends,
what we
do with
our
money.
It could
completely
mess up
our
plans.
In his
autobiography,
A Better
Ambition,
Tim
Farron,
the former
leader of
the Liberal
Democrats,
recounts his
struggles to
be a
faithful follower
of Christ
within the
world of
national
politics.
when he
finally
decided that
he could
no longer
continue in
that role,
he finished
his resignation
speech like
this.
I want to
say one
more thing.
I joined
our party
when I was
16.
It is in
my blood.
I love our
history,
our people.
I thoroughly
love my
party.
Imagine how
proud I am to
lead this
party,
and then
imagine what
would lead
me to
voluntarily
relinquish
that honour.
In the
words of
Isaac Watts,
it would
have to be
something so
amazing,
so divine,
it demands
my heart,
my life,
my all.
Whatever you
think of his
politics,
or of how he
dealt with
some of the
challenges that
he faced,
that is what
we are called
to, to a
life that gives
everything,
as the
only reasonable
response.
And so,
having looked at
these four
illustrations,
what is
James'
conclusion?
What is
his frank
answer?
What is
his answer
to the
question,
can faith
without works
save?
In verse
17, he's
pretty blunt.
Faith by
itself,
if it is
not accompanied
by action,
is dead.
And just
in case you
had a
different meaning
of dead
in mind,
he's even
more explicit
in verse 26.
As the
body without
the spirit
is dead,
so faith
without deeds
is dead.
James makes
it clear here
that when he
says dead,
he does not
mean resting,
inactive,
not ideal,
but still
faith.
He means
dead.
He means
it is not
faith at
all.
And so,
what's his
answer?
Can such
faith save?
I think we've
seen through
the examples
that his
answer is a
big no.
Such so-called
faith
cannot save.
But we
have to be
clear,
this is not
because we
need something
extra,
something
additional,
as well as
faith.
He's not
saying,
yeah,
faith is all
very well,
but for
salvation you
need works
as well as
that.
He's saying,
if it doesn't
change your
life,
it's not
faith at
all.
Because he's
shown us in
the first
example that
mere words
will not do
us any
good.
He's shown
us through
the example
of the
demons that
intellectual
belief on
its own
will not
save.
He's shown
us through
the example
of Abraham
that we are
saved by
faith,
not by our
works,
but that
how we
will live
will show
the reality
of our
faith.
It has
shown us
through the
example of
Rahab that
we have a
choice to
make.
We have to
decide who
we will
follow,
and that
decision will
change our
lives.
James goes
on in the
rest of the
book to
detail some
aspects of
what a life
lived for
Christ will
look like,
a life of
humility,
careful speech,
of helping the
needy.
But as I
come to an
end, I'm
very conscious
that dealing
with this
passage, that
some things I've
said may be
troubling to
some of you.
If anything I've
said has not
accurately
communicated what's
in the passage,
then I'm sorry,
forget what I've
said.
But if what is
troubling you was
not my words,
but the words of
scripture that
we have read
together, then
you should take
it seriously.
It's not for
me to question
your salvation,
that's between
you and God.
But if anything
I've said has
caused you to
question the
reality of your
faith, then
as I said
before, run to
Jesus.
And for all
of us, there's
a real challenge
here.
are we happy
to compromise,
to live lives
that don't make
it clear where
our allegiances
lie?
Or are we
willing to
step out and
live lives that
are transformed
by the power of
the Spirit at
work within us?
A life that
demonstrates that
our faith is the
real, genuine
thing and not a
fake.
Let's pray
together.
Father, we
thank you for
your word.
We thank you
that our
salvation is
only through
faith in you.
We thank you
for the work of
Jesus on the
cross, that he
bore all our
sin.
and that he
was raised to
give us new
life.
But Father, we
confess that
too often our
lives don't show
this reality.
Too often we
see great
things.
we think great
things.
And then we
live lives
that look just
like anyone
else.
Father, we
pray that you
will forgive
our hypocrisy
and that you
will give us
strength,
that you
will give us
a desire
to become
more and
more like
you and
that you
will work
in us each
day to
bring about
this
transformation.
And for
any whose
faith is not
in you,
Father, we
pray that
they will see
that there is
no hope
anywhere else,
but that
you are
there waiting
to welcome
them.
And we
pray that
they might
turn to
you tonight.
We ask
this in
Jesus'
name.
Amen.