Active Faith (Part Eleven): A Diagnosis of Dead Faith

Transcript

JRNT 11
01/29/2023
Active Faith (Part Eleven): A Diagnosis of Dead Faith
James 2:14-19
Jesse Randolph

Well, since the Lord saved us, my wife and I have the great privilege, obviously as many of you have, of being part of churches that teach the bible and that strive to live out what the bible teaches. And with that great privilege, of course, has come many rewards as we’ve sat under godly and gifted men who sought to faithfully exposit the word, as we’ve been convicted of sin as we strive with the Spirit’s help for holiness, as we’ve served and fellowshipped in communities of believers who were consistently and earnestly striving to live out God’s word, as we’ve grown in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. So, being a part of a healthy body of believers, a healthy bible-teaching church, has been amazing, it’s been an incredible experience, and so edifying. But being part of a healthy and faithful bible-teaching church, also has its costs, doesn’t it? When you’re out in the community, when you’re around your unsaved family members, when you’re around co-workers, when you’re around friends who might be loosely affiliated with other churches or those friends who always seem to be “in between” churches, or those friends who are on the perpetual quest to find what they call “the perfect church.” It’s those folks who, when they hear the name of the church that you’re a part of, or the name of the pastor of your church, or the type of Christian that you are, they are quick to toss out a term, which has been quite easy to throw around. But which so often is incorrectly defined.

The term I’m referring to is legalism. “Oh, you’re a part of that church that practices church discipline? That’s legalism.” “You’re a part of that church that says only men can be pastors and elders? How legalistic.” “You’re a part of that church that says the primary sphere of influence of women is in their homes? Wow, that’s legalistic.” “You’re a part of a church that encourages people to attend church each Sunday? Not only that, you have a first hour and an evening service? Legalist.” “You’re a part of that church that tells people they need to give to the church? Legalism.” “You’re a part of that church that tells people they ought to prioritize involvement in their local church over kid’s sports, or NFL football on Sunday, or other personal hobbies? Legalism.” “You’re a part of a church that tells people they should regularly be involved and engaged in God’s word, taking in the bible? Legalism.” “You’re a part of that church that says that people need to obey what the bible teaches? That’s legalistic.”

Now, of course, nothing I’ve mentioned so far is actually legalism. So, while there are many out there not only in the culture but in certain churches, who like to tag conservative bible-teaching churches as being legalistic, the reality is their accusations and their definitions are far off. Because a lot of what they brand as legalism is actually just plain, old obedience. Obedience to Christ. And obedience to scripture. And what they’re really getting at often, and they’ll never say this or admit this, is that when they throw out accusations of legalism, what they’re really saying is that the obedience to Christ that they see in you, it makes them very uncomfortable. And it stifles and it cramps the libertine form of so-called Christianity, the carnal Christianity, which they prefer for themselves and which they think suits them best. The Christianity they’d prefer to embrace is that Christianity that allows them to stroke their pet sin. That they can be that Christian who routinely gets drunk. Or is habitually enslaved to various lustful passions. Or so that they can be that Christian who’s a walking powder keg of pent-up anger. The Christianity they’d prefer to embrace is that Christianity that will allow them to embrace the wayward theological and political ideas of our day. So that they can be a “Black Lives Matter” type of Christian. Or an “LGBT-affirming” type of Christian. Or to be a “woke” Christian. The Christianity they’d prefer to embrace is a Christianity that allows them to be passive and disengaged. The Christmas and Easter type of Christian. The “taking a walk-in nature is my church” kind of Christian. Or the “I’ll start attending church once they get rid of all those sinners” kind of Christian. In other words, a lot of mud gets slung, even in broader Christian circles, at what certain individuals believe wrongly is legalism. And the mud gets slung, because those who are slinging the mud want to live a more libertine lifestyle. After all, the bible does teach us that the Son set us free. So we are free indeed. Free to let our hair down. Free to let our guard down. Free to live however we want. We took out the fire insurance policy. We made that profession of faith in Jesus. Our ticket has been punched to heaven. So, we can now live like the devil.

Which brings us this morning to the book of James. See, James knew something of this tension that I’ve just described. This tension that hovers over much of what passes these days as Christianity. Where there are some who are bent toward a truly legalistic, stifling, never-satisfying form of faith. But there are others bent toward a libertine, do-as-you-please, you do you and I’ll do me sort of faith. James, you’ll recall, was writing to this group of early Jewish converts. Those who were culturally Jewish, but had since come to faith in a Jewish Messiah, who of course, was not just the Savior of the Jews, but the Savior of the world. And as we saw last Sunday, there were some in James’ audience who apparently believed that they still needed to keep the Law, that is, the old Mosaic Law which had been laid down for the Israelites, even after they came to faith in Christ. And to them, James said, we saw this last Sunday, he essentially said, ok, give it your best shot,” but be warned, James 2:10, “whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.” And at that point, if you become guilty of all, James 2:11 says, you are now “a transgressor of the law.” And it was to that group, that James had to explain that our law as Christians is not the Old Testament Mosaic Law. Our law as Christians is royal coming from the King of Kings, the Lord Jesus Christ. And our law as Christians, James 2:12, is the “law of liberty”, which is revealed to us and set forth for us in the word of God. And which stems from our status as those who have been freed from the shackles of sin through the blood of Jesus Christ.

So, there were some in James’ day, who were bent in this more legalistic direction. But they didn’t represent everyone in the crowd. Because there were also some in James’ audience, who had no problem embracing that word “liberty.” And as some do in our day, misinterpreting it, and misconstruing it, and misapplying it. There were some in James’ day, who had swung completely from one side on the pendulum scale to the other. From extreme, legalistic, soul-crushing Judaism, to the opposite extreme of an antinomian Christianity. This group of early Jewish converts had replaced the old works-righteousness system with one that required no works at all. They believed that this new religion called The Way, the religion of Jesus, what we now know as Christianity, gave everything but demanded nothing. They believed that because works are not necessary for one’s salvation that works were therefore not necessary for anything.

Now, as we consider these two groups, the legalists and the libertines, I think it’s important that we approach James’ audience here as we engage with the text (we’re going to be in James 2) with a healthy dose of humble empathy. See, with the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, albeit blurred and obscured by the logs that we have in our own eyes, we can get to these points in our studies of God’s word where we can be harsh and dismissive of the folly of our forefathers of our faith. And as if we might not have ended up in the same predicaments that they found themselves in. As though we may not have made many of the foolish decisions they made in their day. That’s why when we read about Abraham and Sarah, we say, how foolish, Abraham, that you would call her your sister as opposed to your wife. You’re a coward. How foolish, Jonah, that you would flee to Tarshish. Or look at those foolish Galatians. Or can you believe Peter is speaking up again? I never would have been so foolish. I never would have been so ignorant. I never would have been so prideful. And, if we’re not careful we run the same risk of doing the same thing here with James, as we encounter the Jewish Christian context that he is addressing. We can read these words with an unhealthy skepticism and puffed-up pride. Which is not the attitude God wants us to have as we approach this book. See, the word of God is not some lifeless specimen that we’re called to dissect and pick apart and carve up, in the way the liberal theologians and the critical theorists of our day do. No, the word of God is living and active and God-breathed, and it is supposed to dissect us, and pick us apart, and carve us up. That’s Hebrews 4:12, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thought and intentions of the heart.”

The point is, as we consider James’ audience and as we’re going to take in our text for today, we need to do so with humility. And with an eagerness to learn what God has revealed to us through this text. And what we’re going to witness in our text today (which I’ll read out for you momentarily) is this group of early Jewish converts who had lived under this old system of works and deeds and self-willed righteousness, who had lived under a law they couldn’t keep, who had previously believed that their salvation had something to do with something they did or didn’t do -- but then they heard the gospel. Then they heard about being set free in Christ. Then they heard about Christ having come to fulfill the Law and that they no longer had to keep the Law. And that all they needed to do was believe that He had died for them. And that their sin dept would then be forgiven. And that their hope of eternal life would then be secured. And there were some, as we saw last week, for which all of this, the gospel, sounded too good to be true. And so, they ran back to the Law in some way. And in doing so, sought to add something to Jesus’ already completed and finished work on the cross. But there were others, as we’re going to see today, who were all about that free and gracious gift of salvation, and receiving that from God through Christ. They were eager to take that gift. Eager to throw off the weights of the Law. But in doing so they over-corrected, and threw out any notion of obedience to the Christ who had saved them. And threw off any notion of a changed life, a fruitful life, a life of works, a life of good deeds which match up with their new identity in Christ Jesus.

It's to that group, the libertines, that James addresses the next part of his letter. And we’re going to be, by the way, in James 2 starting in verse 14. Let’s read God’s word. “What use is it, my brethren,” says James, “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.”

Now, the verses I’ve just read for you, these are the verses we’ll be covering today. They make up about one half of an entire paragraph of thought which runs through the end of chapter 2 all the way to verse 26. We’ll get the second half next week. But in this paragraph, as a whole, from verses 14 through 26, James is developing and centering in on this concept of faith. That’s really the entire theme or thesis of this section of James’ letter, where he is teasing out what it means to have true faith. Saving faith. Active faith. And in contrast, what it means to have false faith. Deceived faith. Dead faith. James leaves no doubt as to what he is driving at in this section. His central point is that genuine biblical faith will always be accompanied by, and will inevitably be characterized by, works. We just read one of the verses, James 2:17, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead.” James 2:20 is similar, “faith without works is useless.” James 2:26 drives the nail in even deeper, “faith without works is dead.” In other words, if one’s faith is not characterized by works, then it’s not true faith. It’s false faith. It’s fake faith. It’s deceived faith. It’s dead faith.

Now, of course, it is true that it is by grace through faith that we are saved. Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Indeed, faith is at the very root of our Christian identity. But on the other hand, it is not enough simply to say, I have faith. It is not enough to say, I just believe, as so many unwitting Christians camp counselors, and tent revivalists, and ill-advised parents, and Christian clothing lines, and Chip and Joanna, think it to be. No. True saving faith will always, not sometimes, always be marked by a transformed life. Which is the fruit of a transformed heart. No one who has truly been given the gift of eternal life by the grace of God will take that gift and put it on the shelf like a lame Christmas present, that never sees the light of day, after December 25th. No one who has been given a new heart and now has the Spirit of God living in them will go on living life as usual just as they used to live before they were saved. No formerly rebellious and hard-hearted criminal will go on to live a fruitless life devoid of any works or deeds or good fruit. Once they’ve received their pardon from the high court of heaven, no Christian as the recipient of God’s unfathomable grace and mercy will sit on the sidelines, will be resigned to passivity, will be scared off by the accusations of legalism, or will live out the kind of libertine, ignorant, devil-may-care kind of Christianity, which masquerades as Christian in our day. No. As we’ve seen throughout this series as we’ve worked our way verse by verse to what James has revealed to us thus far, true faith is an active faith. Genuine faith is not caused by works. Meaning we don’t bring about our salvation through our works or through our deeds. But genuine faith will always produce good works. And those works will serve as visible evidence, tangible evidence, that we do, in fact, possess saving faith. That we are, in fact, Christians. That the hope of heaven, is in fact, secured for us.

With that, we’ll work through this text, line upon line and verse upon verse. And here’s how I’ve outlined the text for this morning. We have “The Probe,” “The Picture,” “The Prognosis,” “The Pushback,” “The Problem.” You got that? I’ll go through them one by one.

Here’s heading number one, “The Probe,” verse 14, “What use is it, my brethren,” James says, “if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” Now, James here, is not floating out some new or random ideas here. Rather, what he’s writing here in its immediate context is a continuation of what he’s already said earlier in chapter 2 about personal favoritism and distinctions drawn between rich and poor. And the demonstration of mercy to those who are most in need. But at the same time there’s no doubt that James here, in the section of this letter that we’ll be in today, is making statements of broader, more general application to a variety of different settings. And to a variety of different centuries, including ours. And as we’re going to see, James’ begins by making these statement in verse 14. They’re not really statements, they are questions, two probing questions (hence the title here) two rhetorical questions, the answers to which are implied. For the first question, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?” The implied answer, the expected answer is that kind of faith is of no use at all. And then there’s the second question, “Can that faith,” meaning a worthless faith, a deedless faith, “save him?” And the implied answer is most certainly not.”

Now, there’s much to be said here, as we work through James’ implied and expected answers to these rhetorical questions. There’s much to say about how what he’s saying fits in here with the rest of scripture. And we’re going to narrow it down to three areas, (1.) how James fits in with James, (2.) how James fits in with Jesus’ teaching, (3.) how James fits in with Paul.

Now, starting with how James fits in with the rest of the book of James. The reality is, even when James doesn’t use the word “works” as he does here (the word is “ergon” by the way), he refers throughout his letter to the idea, the concept of doing works, it’s all throughout. In fact, go ahead and turn with me to James 1, we’re going to go through a sort of a jet tour of James, as we pull out or mine these references to Christianity, true Christianity being a works-producing faith. And as I read these to you, I want you to note the tone. I want you to note the verbal action that’s being stressed, even if the word “works” is not used. And I want you to pick up on the action that’s implied. Some of these, we’ve already studied, some we’ll study in the weeks ahead.

James 1:22, “prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” James 1:26, “If anyone thinks himself to be religious, and yet does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this man’s religion is worthless.” James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 2:12, “So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.” James 3:13, “Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deed in the gentleness of wisdom.” James 4:8, “Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.” James 4:17, “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” James 5:13-14, “Is anyone among you suffering? Then he must pray. Is anyone cheerful? He is to sing praises. Is anyone among you sick? Then he must call for the elders of the church and they are to pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.” James 5:16, last one, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed.”

So back to James 2:14, when he’s asking these rhetorical questions, “what use is it. . . if someone says he has faith but he has no works?” and “Can that faith save him?” These questions, my point is, are not coming out of left field. They have a context. That context being what the rest of this letter has to say about saving faith being an active faith. Saving faith being a faith which produces works. These questions, in other words, are consistent with what we see elsewhere in the letter of James.

Now, these two questions are also consistent with the words of our Savior, James’ half-brother, the Lord Jesus Christ. James is in no way deviating from the teachings of our Lord. He’s not going off the rails, he’s not going rogue, in what he’s saying here. Instead, he is doubling down and affirming what the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said, during His earthly ministry. In the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 7:16-20, the Lord said, “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. So then, you will know them by their fruits.” James, then, is not refuting or contradicting the words or the ministry of the Messiah. Quite the contrary. He’s carrying those precepts, those principles forward, as he tells this early Jewish audience, that true faith, saving faith, will always be accompanied by, and indeed will produce, good works.

Well, a person might say, “Well, ok, James may not be contradicting himself here. And James may not be contradicting Jesus. But my college professor says that James is definitely contradicting Paul. Because Paul said we are saved by grace through faith. And James is saying, somehow, we’re saved through works. And those two ideas are clearly different.” Well, James is not contradicting Paul here. Paul very clearly did say that it is by grace through faith, that we have been saved. We already cited Ephesians 2:8-9, but you could also write down Titus 3:4-7. Here’s Paul, when he says, “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy.” And Paul also said very clearly that we are not justified through our works. Galatians 2:16, “a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:20, “by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight.” Romans 3:28, “A man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” We’re going to spend a lot more time on that subject next week, namely, how Paul and James are approaching the same topic from different angles. And we’ll especially need to drill down on James 2:24, where James says, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” The very verse that caused Martin Luther to call James a right straw letter that doesn’t believe in the cannon of Scripture.

We’ll get there next week. We’ll try to untie that knot next week. But for now, it’s sufficient to note, that even though Paul is so clear that Christians are saved by grace through faith, and though as Christians it is not our works or our deeds which in any way contribute to our salvation, it’s also abundantly clear from Paul’s writings that he did not see salvation as some mere verbal affirmation, or some statement of intellectual assent, to the reality of the death and the burial and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Rather, to Paul, like James, our modern cultural conceptions of our conversion and our so-called salvation being linked to some one-time experience -- like walking an aisle, or praying a prayer, or throwing a pinecone into a fire at church camp, or asking Jesus into our heart, or writing for the umpteenth time on the inside of our bible the date we got saved, again -- that would have been totally foreign to Paul, and James.

And because Paul, like James, recognized that practice matches profession, works follow words, deeds follow the declaration, consider just these words from Paul (and I could cite many more) and you all wrestle with whether you see a contradiction here between what Paul is saying about the importance of works, post-conversion, with what James is saying. 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.”
2 Timothy 2:21, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things,” impurities is what he’s referring to there, “he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.” Titus 2:11-14, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

See, there’s not conflict at all between James and Paul. Or even consider what Paul says in 2 Corinthians 13:5, where he says, “Test yourselves to see,” or examine yourselves to see, “if you are in the faith.”
Well, what are we to test? Our profession? I’m a Christian now. No, you test your life. You test your actions. You test the pattern of your life overall. You test your works. You test the deeds. To see if you really are of the faith. So, to summarize, is Paul saying, “no works” while James is saying “yes works”? No. Is James saying that Christianity is rooted in works while Paul is saying Christianity is rooted in faith? Again, no. Both are saying that faith, if it’s real faith, if it’s true faith, will produce good works.

So, back to James’ first question here in verse 14, where he says, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works?” And by the way, that little insertion here, “my brethren,” right in the middle of his question, that indicates his tenderness. And his compassion in dealing with this very important matter. He clearly is hoping that they are going to get this. And show themselves to truly be of the faith. So “What use is it?” Answer, it is of no use at all. Workless faith, deedless faith, is of no use at all. And his second question, “Can that faith save him?” Can that sort of faith, workless faith, deedless faith, fruitless faith, save him? Again, answer, no.

If a person’s so-called faith is not shown through, demonstrated by, their works, all they have is a habitual, empty boast, a profession without performance. They are all talk and no walk. And such faith, James is saying, is worthless. Real faith will always produce real fruit. That’s not legalism, that’s obedience. That’s biblical truth.

James continues on, after issuing his probing questions in verse 14, he now illustrates the point that he’s made in verses 15, 16. And our second heading for this morning is “The Picture.” So, we have “The Probe” in chapter 2:14, we have “The Picture” in verses 15-16. He’s illustrating the point he’s trying to make. Look at verses 15-16. “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 it that?” You recall that James used a similar literary device at the beginning of chapter 2. In James 2:1, he gives this direct propositional statement: “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.” And he goes on after verse 1, to drive that point home through illustration of the rich man and the poor man entering into the assembly in verses 2 and 3. In today’s passage, James is doing something similar. He’s just made his point there in verse 14 through those questions, that faith without works cannot save. And now in verses 15 and 16, he underscores his point with this illustration, which is to highlight the shallowness, and ultimately the deadness of a workless faith.

James’ illustration begins there in verse 15, he says, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food.” Now, a few things already that are worth pointing out here. Notice that James mentions “a brother or sister.” I have to say to those who would say that Christianity is a sexist faith, a misogynistic faith, a faith that suppresses women, I want you to know and understand how counter-culturally inclusive these word, “a brother or sister,” would have been during James’ time. You know, in the prevailing Greco-Roman culture of the day, women were regularly taken advantage of, and severely marginalized, and viewed very much in economic and proprietary terms. So, when Paul says in Galatians 3:28, that “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” And when Peter says that wives, along with their husbands, are “heir[s] of the grace of life” [1 Peter 3:7], these are revolutionary ideas, revolutionary concepts. So, would be for James here, as he illustrates his major point, to put males and females on equal footing within the body of Christ.

Now, James goes on to describe this “brother or sister” as being “without clothing.” Now, this doesn’t mean necessarily that they had no clothing at all. We’re not talking about a state of being totally naked. It could mean that in these days, but it doesn’t necessarily have to mean that. The word can also be described as people in less extreme cases. Like people who didn’t have the customary outer garment that people would wear. Or people that were otherwise poorly clothed or ill-prepared. Like when I was shoveling snow in my driveway, a month or so ago, and it was thirteen-below, and I didn’t have gloves. I learned really quickly, how under-gloved and under prepared I was, for the process of shoveling snow. Because I only lasted two or three minutes, and I couldn’t feel anything anymore. That’s the idea here. This “brother or sister” is without the clothes that they need. They are unable to stay warm, because it’s cold. They are exposed to the elements. What’s clear here, from the context of verse 15, is that they’re lack of proper clothing is on account of their poor economic situation. And we know that from what is said in the remainder of the verse, it says that they are “in need of daily food.” That’s not speaking so much of like daily rations, as it’s saying they literally don’t have food for the day. We’re only used to living in context, in which we ask questions like what am I going to eat and when am I going to eat and where am I going to eat. This person here is portrayed as asking, if I’m going to eat. They don’t know if they’re going to eat that day.

So, what James is describing here, is this person who is ill-clothed or underfed. They’re cold and they’re hungry. The situation is dire and its desperate. And they are in great need. You can picture the teeth chattering. And the stomachs growling. And what do they get? They get a cloak, right? To warm them up? A nice warm bowl of something to fill their gnawing stomachs? No. They get the response in verse 16, “and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled.’ ” Again, we have to remember James, this letter from James, would have been written in some sort of open congregation setting like this. They would have heard these words verbally, audibly, for the first time. And as they heard this story, they would have been shocked. They would have found this whole situation entirely unbelievable and unconscionable as they heard with their own ears this hard-to-believe account of empty piety and hollow religiosity at its worst. The fellow believer, this “brother or sister,” that’s what that’s referring to, has a need. They are cold and they are hungry and they are lacking. And the response from someone there in the body is “Go in peace.” Now, those words, “Go in peace” were actually a common form of farewell greeting in these days. In fact, we have recorded, in Mark 5 [verse 34], Jesus using those words, after He heals the woman with the hemorrhage of blood. He says, “go in peace” to her as she goes on her way.

But here in James, after being told to “Go in peace”, the words that follow, the cold and hungry person hears, are “be warmed and be filled.” Be warmed and be filled with what? Be warmed with what? They don’t have any clothes. Be filled with what? They don’t have any food. That’s why they came to you, Christian. So, what’s going on here? I mean, it’s possible that the person who is saying “be warmed and be filled”, is misunderstanding or misapplying the words of Jesus, in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 6, where He tells His followers not to be anxious about anything. Even being anxious about what we eat, or the kind of clothes that we’ll wear, because the Father will provide for each one of our needs. Of course, that’s true. It’s a theological truth about God’s goodness and His provision.

But Jesus also said, in the Sermon on the Mount, in Matthew 5:42, that we are to “Give to him who asks of you.” So, where’s that heart here? Where’s that spirit here? And in the earliest days of the church we see that continue on. That heart of caring for others in the body who are in need. Acts 6, 1 Timothy 5:3-16, where we see the needs of the neediest, widows in the church, being taken care of in a very intentional and deliberate way. And we can’t forget the words of the Apostle John, in 1 John 3:17-18, where he drives this matter of our heart level concern for other members of the body, when he says, “But whoever has the world’s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him? Little children, let us not love with word or with tongue, but in deed and truth.” See, the person that James describes here as being in need, they didn’t need religious platitudes. They needed relief. They didn’t need trite words and meaningless advice. They needed practical and palpable forms of help. They didn’t need a sermon. They needed shelter. To James’ point here, words without actions are useless. And faith without works is useless.

I’d like us to all envision a scenario. You leave church here this morning and you pull onto 84th Street. You turn right or you turn left, its immaterial to the scenario, and you’re immediately sideswiped, T-boned in a high-speed collision. And the impact of the collision is great. It causes your car to roll over, you roll a couple of times. And now you’re sitting out here on 84th Street, upside down in your car, dazed and confused. The deployed airbag is in your face. You can feel the burn of potentially a couple of broken limbs. You see all around you broken glass and chards of metal. And as you’re coming out of your state of shock and you’re starting to groan a little bit, and you’re wincing and you’re writhing in pain, another member of our church pulls out of the parking lot onto that same part of 84th Street. They see you, and you see them. You lock eyes. But rather than stopping they just pass you by. But they’re not cold and heartless. As they pass you by, even if it’s five degrees outside, they roll down their window and they wave to you, and say, “Blessing! Greetings! Be well! Good luck! Praying for you!” as they zoom on down 84th Street on their way to lunch. What would you think of that person in that situation that’s zooming on their way to lunch as you have that real need of yours. What would the watching world, what would all the passersby, think of that situation, as they see the member of Indian Hills leave this church, as their brother or sister is in great need, waving and screaming “blessings” and taking off? The answer is, not very highly.

Which is why James says what he says here in verse 16, and we’ll read it again here in full, “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?” There’s that rhetorical question again, “what use is that?” He asks a rhetorical question at the beginning of verse 14, he says, “What use is it?” And now at the end of verse 16 he says, “What use is that?” And the answer is both implied and it’s obvious when we are unwilling to put the faith that we say we have into practice, when we are unwilling to translate our faith into action, when the best that we can muster in the face of someone who has a real need is “be warmed and be filled,” or “blessings.” Or let’s just be real, “I’ll pray for you,” when in reality you have no intention of praying for the person you’re saying you’ll pray for.

Well, the faith that you have, the faith that you say that you have, is ultimately of no use to the person in need. And it may be of no use to you ultimately, because what that may indicate is that what you have is not active faith, not living faith, not true faith, not even saving faith. But instead, your empty words may betray the fact that you have an empty faith, or what James calls in verse 17 a dead faith.
Look at verse 17. And here’s our third heading for this morning, “The Prognosis.” He says, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.” We won’t spend too much time here on this text. Because it’s just so clear, you know, in classic James’s fashion, straight to the point. “Faith, if it has no works, is dead.” James here is not describing immature faith, or weak faith or nominal faith, or insincere faith. James is describing faith that’s not faith at all. It’s dead faith.

My heart breaks when I think of the millions of deceived people all over this world who talk about being religious and having some sort of relationship with Jesus. Or even being Christian. But they have absolutely nothing to show for it. They’re basing their so-called relationship with God on something they did in the past. As though there’s nothing they need to do now in the present. And it’s always so man-centered. “I prayed that prayer.” “I asked Jesus into my heart.” “I have decided to follow Jesus.” “I gave my life to Christ.” Ok, that’s great. But what are you giving Him today? Now that you call yourself His follower, how are you showing it?

What do you weep over more? You know, the predictable plotlines of the latest romantic comedy that you binge-watched a couple of weeks ago? Or the fact that there are hurting and grieving and dying people here in our body? What grabs your attention more? Fantasy football scores? Or the performance of your retirement portfolio? Or Instagram reels? Or Facebook stories? Or the detail and the intricacies of God’s word? What do you give your time and attention to? The needs of others? Or to the needs of yourself?

There are so many people who call themselves Christians. Who say that they have faith. Who take on the label. Who wear the jersey. Who appreciate the connotations of conservatism and living a good moral life that Christianity brings. But there is a total absence of works, of deeds, any fruit, to support their claim. And that completely undermines and, indeed, destroys their profession. Faith by itself, faith with no evidence of action, faith without works, is dead.

You know, you can dress up a corpse. You can put nice clothes on a corpse. You can strap that corpse into your car and get it here to church. You can (and I won’t try to visually demonstrate this for you) you can try to cause a corpse to mouth the words to the songs that we sing here. You can cause a corpse to bow its head in prayer. You can even tape a corpse’s eyes open so it looks like that corpse is paying attention to whatever’s being said up here. But that corpse isn’t coming to life simply by being in a physical church building. If it doesn’t show any vital signs, if it doesn’t have a heartbeat, if it doesn’t have a perceptible pulse, if it has no pulse -- if it has no heartbeat, if it has no vital signs, it’s dead. So it is with a faith without works. On first glance, it may appear to be the real thing. But when you poke at it a little bit, like you poke at a corpse (I don’t poke a corpse, it’s just for the record) it shows no signs of life, it’s dead.

Well, what if you’re that corpse here this morning? If you’re that spiritually dead, unregenerate person who happened to make your way to church today what do you do? Do you just start doing works, doing deeds, doing good things, becoming a better person, striving to become a better version of your old self? Absolutely not. That would be like spritzing perfume or cologne on a corpse. That’s what the Catholic church teaches. That’s what the Mormon church teaches. That’s what countless works-based religions of the world teach. That somehow, your works will merit you favor before an infinitely-holy God. But that’s not how that works. The holy God of scripture, the high king of heaven, will not accept your good deeds or your good works as a means of gaining access to Him or currying His favor.

Those deeds are called “filthy rags” [Isaiah 64:6] in the bible, literally, if we want to get adult here, menstrual cloths. It doesn’t matter if you’re a Muslim making a pilgrimage to Mecca, or a Catholic praying the rosary, or a good Samaritan helping a little old lady across the street. If your deeds are not the fruit of, and the result of, your having repented of your sin and trusted in the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross as the solution for your sins and as the instrument by which you might secure eternal life -- then those deeds you’re doing or those deeds that you think you can do, are worthless, and vain, and futile. They are a stench in God’s nostrils. Charity walks and canned food drives won’t cut it, with the holy God you’ve sinned against. If I’m describing you this morning, your greatest need is not simply to do better or to get better. Instead, if I’m describing you, it’s important that you recognize that it’s actually a miracle that you haven’t done worse. That you come to a humble and repentant faith in the world’s one and only Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

But getting back to our text. Which is addressed to Christians. What James says here in verse 17, is that a so-called faith that’s not evidenced by works is worthless, it’s vain. Merely claiming to have faith is not enough. Genuine faith is always evidenced by works. Fruit in our lives is evidence of the faith that’s in our hearts. And if there’s no fruit then there’s no faith. Like a body that’s not breathing, faith without works is dead. It’s not sick, it’s not unhealthy, it’s not in danger of dying. It’s dead.

Well, his case in not quite closed yet, James’ that is. Because in verse 18 we see him bring in a hypothetical objector, a theoretical sparring partner, who pushes back on the points that James has been making. And if you’re taking notes, here’s our fourth heading, “The Pushback.” “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’.” James here, is introducing an ancient literary form of argument called the diatribe. And what he’s doing is he’s introducing this imaginary interlocutor or objector with whom he’s carrying on this imaginary conversation. And we’re all just in the audience taking it in, witnessing, learning, as they dialogue. And this imaginary respondent, “someone” he’s called here by James, is introduced in verse 18. And the “someone” James says, “may well say.” And then the quote here, is given.

Now, in your NASB translations and in the recently released LSB translation, the quote from this anonymous respondent, you’ll see, extends throughout the entirety of the rest of verse 18. I’m sure that’s what you see if you have NASB especially. You have this one man quoted as saying in this long, run-on, almost schizophrenic sentence: “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Other translations, like the ESV and the NKJV, start this quote in the same place. They’ll start it with “You have faith,” but they’ll close the quote after “and I have works.” So, they’ll say, “You have faith and I have works.” That’s the respondent. And then James replies in a new set of quotes, which starts with, “Show me your faith without the works”, and ends with “and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Now, it’s important to note, that in James’ day in the Koine Greek language in which he wrote there was no such thing as quotation marks. If you look at a Greek New Testament you will see nothing resembling or mirroring what we think of as quotation marks. Quotation marks were invented and introduced later. So, when we see quotation marks here in our English bibles we have to understand that these quotation marks where given to us by later translators of the original Greek text. In other words, while James’ words were inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit, where quotation marks were placed later, in later centuries, is not inspired. Meaning that preachers like me who labor all week in the study obsessing with texts like these, get to weigh in, in situations like this, as to where we think the quote ought to be.

Well, as I’ve studied this text and read it over and over, both in isolation and against the backdrop of this section and also the whole letter, I’ve come to the conclusion that the translators of the ESV and the NKJV actually got it right. I think their placement of the quotation marks, so that you have really two conversations happening here, two sets of quotes in verse 18, more accurately encapsulates what’s going on here. See, in true diatribe fashion there’s a verbal tennis match that’s happening here. The respondent starts by asserting his brief objection here at the beginning of verse 18 where he says, “You have faith and I have works.” He’s talking to James there. In other words, he’s trying to separate this respondent’s faith from works. He’s trying to say, “Ok, James, you have a belief-based faith. I have more of a works-based faith. Isn’t it great how we’re both in the family of God? I’m more of a works guy, you’re more of a faith guy. But praise the Lord, we’re on the same team!” To which James says, as we start the new quote where it says, “Show me your faith,” not so fast. And now, he’s sending his verbal volley over the net back to the respondent, and saying to the respondent, “Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith,” says James, “by my works.”

In other words, while this respondent wants to separate faith from works, James here is showing him, consistent with the theme and the purpose of this entire section, and this entire letter, that faith and works are inseparable. They always go together. So, when James here says “show me your faith without the works,” he’s challenging the responder. He’s saying, in effect, “Go ahead and try it. Give it your best shot. Demonstrate for me how you can separate faith and works. Exhibit for me how, as you say, I can have faith but you can have works, and yet, we’re rowing in the same direction, and worshiping the same God. Show me how that works.” But as it turns out, as we’ve seen in this section of James 2, and from the teachings of Jesus, and the teachings of Paul, and elsewhere in James’ letter, you can’t. You can’t separate faith from works. The two are inextricably intertwined. Which is why James says at the end of verse 18, “I will show you my faith by my works.” Not separate from my works, but what? “By my works.”

In other words, James here is saying it’s impossible to divorce faith from works. Which is why you’ll see my faith James is saying through my deeds.” “You’ll know that my faith is the real thing because of how I live.” “You’ll know that I’m a Christian not because I’m one, but because I live like one as I demonstrate good works, and good deeds, and as I bear good fruit.” James is in no way discounting or demeaning the centrality and importance of faith. But he is stressing and emphasizing here what true saving faith entails. Faith accompanied by works is genuine, it’s true, it’s alive. But faith without works is dead.

Now, as we get ready to close our time here this morning, we’ll come to verse 19, which is the final part of the argument for today. We’ll have to take on the rest next week. And our fifth heading, our fifth point, for this morning, is “The Problem.” “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” What we have here is James addressing sort of a last-ditch effort to justify a profession of faith which is not supported by any evidence of salvation and not supported by any evidence of works. Which is otherwise a deedless and dead faith. There’s this attempt to prop up a profession of faith that rests on the statement that believing that God is one. Or put another way, of believing that there is one God. And this, of course, is a statement that borrows directly from Deuteronomy 6:4, the Shema of Old Testament Israel, “Hear O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one.”

But the same situation we’ll see applied in our day. I mean, how often do we hear some version of this type of this statement today in our evangelism, in our conversations, with folks? They’ll say things like
“I believe in God.” “I believe there is a god.” “I believe in a higher power.” “I believe that we’re not here alone.” “I don’t believe that we’re all cosmic accidents.” “I haven’t really figured out who God is, but I do believe there is a God.” That’s our modern-day equivalent of what these early Jewish Christians who James is addressing were doing. They were giving the correct Sunday school answer, or Sabbath school answer. And on that score, James halfway compliments them, and I say halfway because he’s really issuing a sarcastic dig at them, what the young one’s call “a burn.” That’s what he’s doing. “You know what I’m saying,” he says, “you do well. You believe in the monotheistic Jewish position that there is only one God. You believe in the unity of God. Wow! That’s impressive! Well done. You believe in God.” The point is there’s sarcasm, it’s dripping from James’ pen here.

And he’s got a right to be a little salty here. And he has a right to disapprove, because of the company that such a statement puts such a person in. Note, at the end of verse 19, he notes that even demons are capable of believing that there’s one God. He says, “The demons also believe,” and not only do they believe, they “shudder.” The demons’ response to the truths they know about God, about His unity, about His triunity, about His holiness, about His justice and His wrath and His mercy and His love and His grace, it causes the demons to “shudder,” to tremble in fear. Because they know they serve a master, Satan, who is already been defeated by this very God, with that victory ultimately being won on Christ’s cross at Calvary. And these demons know that just as his fate is sealed as an already-defeated devil, so too is their fate sealed. And so they “shudder.”

Now, for you to say that you believe in God -- here’s the point that James is driving at here -- the way that a lot of people around here will say things like, “I believe in God, family, and country,” or “God, guns and Nebraska football.” That’s a great starting point. You’re on your way, at least. But it’s not enough. All that does is put you in the same category, James is saying, as demons. That legion of Satan-controlled creatures who do the devil’s bidding as they work against the purposes of the very Lord that you claim to be aligned with.

The reality is, there are so many deceived people in this world. And there are so many deceived people, sadly, in the church. And they accept, at some degree, the biblical diagnosis of the human condition, as sinners. They understand the basics of Jesus’ life and death and His burial, His resurrection. They understand how that connects in some way to their sin and their separation from God. They go to church from time to time. They’ll be willing to read and talk about spiritual things. They know the basics of Christian faith. They’re nice folks. They’re pleasant folks. They’re seeming to live decent lives. And then when the conversation turns to Jesus or what happens after death, they sound like believers. Like they hold to orthodox, evangelical theology. But then we investigate, and we poke, and we examine. And they examine and they see there’s nothing distinctively Christian about their behavior. They may be decent neighbors and they may sit on charitable boards, and they may otherwise serve in the community. But there’s not giving away of themselves, no counting the cost, no eagerness to say goodbye to the sinking ship of this world. Nothing that challenges their comfortable and cushy and otherwise well-designed life. They say they’re Christians but they’re not Christians. Not because you and I don’t want them to be Christians or to believe they are Christians, but because God’s word clearly testifies to the reality that they’re not Christians.

See, it costs a person nothing to become a Christian. You simply need to “confess,” Romans 10:9, “with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, [and] you will be saved.” But it will cost you everything to live as a Christian. True faith in Jesus Christ will produce a changed life. It will produce good works. It will produce good fruit. And it will showcase an active faith. We are free indeed. But it’s a freedom that frees us up to serve the One who freed us. And to obey Him. And to do good works in His name.

Let’s pray. Our God and Father, we thank You, for the time that You’ve blessed us with this morning. The time in which we’ve been able to breathe Your air, and enjoy Your word, and to have life and breath and movement, which You provide to each and every one of us. We thank You for the truth and the sufficiency of Your word. We thank You, for a text, like today’s, which is familiar to so many of us. But I pray that it wouldn’t be so familiar that we would not be good students of the word, and good evaluators of our own hearts, and make sure that we are, as 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, of the faith. I pray for anyone here, who is doing that examination right now. And as they measure their life, and as they look at what they see is not fruit, but really failures and brokenness, and nothing that showcases ever having truly trusted in Jesus, that today would be the day that they would get real with You. That they would come to faith in Jesus Christ. Acknowledging Him as Savior and Lord. Realize that it is nothing they could do or say, or someway they could act or live, that saves them. But rather, what You have done, through Christ on the cross, already on their behalf. And I do pray, that today would be the day of salvation for someone, for many in this room. As they come to Christ. As they bow the knee to Him in repentance and faith. Trusting Him as Savior and as Lord. It’s in Jesus’ name we pray these things. Amen