Faith Works

And right after this happens, we read in Acts 2 that Peter preaches the first sermon about Jesus to a crowd of people in Jerusalem. And as Peter finishes this sermon, as he finishes the first presentation of the gospel, The crowds respond with that single most important question.

What shall we do to be saved? What shall we do?

Peter's response,

believe in the Lord Jesus. Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

This is the way of salvation. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Believe in his perfect life, his sacrificial death, and his victorious resurrection. Believe and you will be saved. Place your faith in Jesus to save you from your sin. Entrust your soul to Jesus. You cannot save yourself. Your sin runs too deep and your guilt is too great. Your works cannot save you. You cannot do enough good deeds to outweigh the sin that you have committed against God.

You can only place your faith in Jesus and trust him to be your savior. And if you do repent, if you do believe, you will receive the gift of eternal life. That's the message of Christianity. That is the gospel that we proclaim, that salvation is only made possible through faith in Jesus Christ. Salvation is sola fide, through faith alone. And yet, we just read in God's word that

a person is justified by works. and not by faith alone.

So then how can I so confidently say that we are saved by faith alone? Did I just commit heresy? Am I preaching a false gospel from this pulpit? Or maybe James is wrong.

I mean, after all, James 2.24 seems to contradict what Paul says in a number of places.

Romans 3.24, we read that

for by works of the law, no human being will be justified in his sight, and one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

So how can we both be justified by faith apart from works, and also justified by works and not faith alone? Who's right? Who's wrong? Faith works, which is it? What must I do to be saved?

Church, I'll admit, I am building up the tension here partially for dramatic effect, but also because these are real questions that have been asked all throughout church history. This relationship between faith and works and our salvation, it's been hotly debated. I mean, we see in our passage this morning that even the first Christians, they had questions about this. There was confusion on this very topic.

You travel throughout the years, you see that Martin Luther, for him, this seeming contradiction led him to call James an epistle of straw, and he relegated this book to a lesser category in the New Testament canon. Well, I've been sporadically preaching throughout the Book of James over the last couple years now, and when I first introduced James, I mentioned that we're probably missing the mark if we think of James as the straw epistle, like Martin Luther did. No, instead, James is best to be understood as the proverbs of the New Testament. When read in context with the entire canon, the Book of James provides us with rich, gospel-centered wisdom for the Christian life. So no, no, there is not a contradiction in scripture when it comes to faith and works and salvation.

Let me make that abundantly clear. Instead, God's word provides us with a multi-viewed, multi-layered, multi-faceted description of the power of the gospel as it relates to us. So when we read about justification by faith alone in places like Romans, we learn about what's called our positional righteousness. This is our righteousness from the perspective from God's courtroom. So when we stand before God in judgment, our faith in Jesus Christ is our only hope in life and death. We will not be justified on the basis of our works, but only on the basis of our trust in Christ's work. In that sense, We are absolutely and only justified by faith alone.

James, however, he speaks from a different perspective. The perspective of what's called practical righteousness. What does true saving faith look like right here, right now? Practically, what does my righteousness look like? How is this gonna play out in my life?

Back in chapter one, we read that James is intent on helping us understand what religion that is pure and undefiled looks like. And our passage here this morning, it's a purity test. In the same way that a jewelry appraiser tests the authenticity of gold or a diamond, James 2, 14 to 26, our passage this morning is meant to help us test the authenticity of our faith. James teaches us about two kinds of faith. Alive faith and dead faith. True faith and false faith. Real faith and fake faith. Faith that can be wisely affirmed and faith that is utterly foolish.

As we walk through our passage this morning, we're going to see that authentic, alive, true, saving faith is working faith. It's a faith that moves us to grow in Christ-likeness and in holiness. It's a faith that produces sanctification. My hope this morning is that we will be stirred up by this passage, stirred up to do the good works that God has called us to do, and to do them not because they save us, but because we truly believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord.

Authentic faith works beyond mere words

So simply put, the main point of James 14 to 26, James 2, 14 to 26, the main point of our sermon this morning, it can be summarized in three words. Big idea, James 2, 14 to 26, authentic faith works. Authentic faith works. And as we work through this text, we're gonna see four ways that authentic faith works in the life of a Christian. These four ways, they're gonna serve as our four points for this morning. Authentic faith works. Point one, authentic faith works beyond mere words. Authentic faith works beyond mere words.

James 2.14, our passage starts with a question.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

Now, words do matter when it comes to our faith.

The gospel message is words, and salvation is only granted to those who profess with their mouth that Jesus is Lord. But our text, and the entire thrust of scripture, it makes it clear that authentic saving faith is expressed in something more than just a verbal affirmation.

Historically, biblical faith has been defined as containing three essential elements. That first element is knowledge. Faith requires knowledge. So in contrast to some of our cultural definitions of faith, authentic faith is not blind. There is an invisible aspect to faith, but it's not unknown. It's not empty. Faith is objective.

So we don't just have faith, we have faith in something or someone. In this regard, we all have faith. The question is ultimately not do you have a faith, the question is what are you putting your faith in? We can only truly place our faith in something that we know. Faith requires knowledge. The second element of faith is assent or agreement, affirmation.

Do you agree and affirm that this knowledge, this something, this someone is right and true and good and beneficial for you? So, for example, I know that Buddha talks about an eightfold path to enlightenment. And I know that Muhammad teaches about the five pillars of Islam. But I don't have faith in Buddha or Muhammad because I reject those claims. I don't think they're right. I don't think they're true. I don't think they're beneficial.

Knowledge, assent. And the third essential element of faith is trust. Knowledge, assent, trust. When it comes to the gospel, The ultimate question is a question of trust. It's not just a question about what you know or about what you affirm, it's a question of trust. And that's the element of faith that seems to be missing in James' audience. There is assent, but there is no trust.

Authentic faith, it requires trust, it requires dependence and a complete giving yourself over It requires submission. Faith means trusting in God's character, his ways, his commands, his promises, his warnings. And authentic faith is not just going to be expressed through our mouths, but through our entire lives. What we do, what we don't do, what we pursue, what we avoid, what we desire, what we reject, what we say, how we work.

When I'm talking about faith with UVA students over on Grounds, I almost always talk about chairs. I think chairs, some of you might think, I have heard this illustration a million times, please do not talk about this again. I'm gonna over-recycle it, forgive me. If you think about a chair, the pews that you're sitting in right now, your couch at home, your desk, you are constantly putting your faith in chairs. those three elements of faith that I just described, they're also constantly being employed as you relate to chairs. What do I mean by that?

Well, first, you have a knowledge about what a chair is and what a chair does. And you can identify something with four legs, a seat, a back, you know that that's a chair. And you have knowledge, somebody has told you or you've learned that if you sit in this chair, it will hold you up. It will support you. Second, you agree and affirm that the chair in front of you will, in fact, keep you up when you sit in it. Otherwise, you'd buy another chair or you'd stay standing.

But you don't truly have faith in the chair until you sit in the chair. So just me standing and saying, that's a great chair. You guys should all sit in that chair. Everybody should sit in that chair. That's a really comfy chair. While I'm standing up, you shouldn't trust me.

It's when I sit in the chair, that's when I reveal that my faith is truly placed in that chair, when my weight is on that chair, when my feet are off the ground and I am fully dependent on that chair to keep me from falling and bruising my tailbone. Same goes for our faith in God. Right, James tells us that if our faith is authentic, we are going to put our weight behind it. we're gonna lean in, we're gonna sit down, and we're gonna rely solely upon Him for everything. A faith that only gives lip service to God and the gospel? Well, James tells us that that kind of faith is not actually faith.

It's dead. It's useless. It's unjustifiable. It's foolish, and it does not save you. Now, as we read on, James says that in verse 19, even the demons don't just give lip service to God's character and work. Now, demons don't bow down to God. They don't worship God. They're not enjoying the benefits and the blessings of the gospel. But the demons know and affirm God's character and work. And even demons respond accordingly. They shudder. Belief, it causes a visceral reaction. You're gonna do something. Whether it's a terrible fear of judgment like the demons, or wholehearted trust in the saving grace and lordship of Jesus Christ. Nobody truly encounters God and is unmoved.

Care for God's people

Authentic faith works, and it works beyond our mere words. And as we read on, we see that James proves this to us with three different examples. The first being our own relationship with other Christians. We see this in verses 15 and 16. We see that authentic faith works to care for God's people. So this is gonna be our second point for this morning. Point two, authentic faith works to care for God's people.

James asks in verses 15 and 16,

If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, go in peace and be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?

Previously at the beginning of chapter two, James exhorts us to show no partiality as we hold to the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. He tells us that a poor brother in Christ is no different than a rich brother in Christ, and we have no right to judge based on outward appearances. Instead, we are called to fulfill the royal law, the law that is summarized as love your neighbor as yourself.

And as James begins to illustrate to us what a working faith looks like, he first shows us that a working faith, an authentic faith, will look like love for our neighbor. Christian love. It's not just a feeling. It's not just a sentiment. It's not just a profession, I love you. Christian love always involves action, specifically the act of sacrifice.

I remember teaching this idea of loving your neighbor as yourself to a youth group a while back and one of the students raises their hand and they ask,

well, what if I don't love myself? What if I've got like really low self-esteem? Well, then do I get to treat other people badly? Do I get to treat other people poorly?

And I appreciate the question. Yeah, he was a snarky 14-year-old, but I genuinely do appreciate his question because it reveals just how easily we can misunderstand this idea, this idea of loving our neighbor as ourselves. No, it does not mean that we project our own value, our own self-worth, our own self-view onto other people. No, loving your neighbor as yourself, it's ultimately, it's a call to self-sacrifice. It's a call to consider the great lengths that you will go to to keep a roof over your head and food in your stomach and clothes on your body. It's a call to take all of that take that same measure for those around us as we would for ourselves.

And if we're being honest, that takes faith to do, right? It takes faith to forego your own needs for the sake of your neighbors. It takes faith to go without so that someone else will be safe and secure and filled. What if they abuse my generosity? Well, what if they come back for more? Well, what about my needs? What about me? In places like Matthew 6, it gives us a clear answer to these kind of questions.

God clothes the lilies of the field. He feeds the birds of the air. Are you not more valuable than them? Will God not also much more care for you? Your heavenly Father knows what you need. Seek first his kingdom and righteousness and these things will be added to you.

It's not a question of if God will provide.

It's a question of if we trust these promises enough to actually sacrifice our own wants and needs for the sake of our neighbors. And notice, James isn't necessarily saying we need to clothe and feed everyone. He's specifically calling us to care for those inside the church, those we call our brothers and our sisters. We're called to love our brothers and sisters in that same self-sacrificing way that God has loved them, the same self-sacrificing way that he has loved us, not just in words, not just in verbal affirmations, God chose his love for us, and that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. He went to the cross, he bore the penalty for our sins, and suffered a death that each one of us deserved. Our brothers and sisters, as we look around, our brothers and sisters should be worth the cost of food, they should be worth the cost of clothing, because they are worth an infinitely greater cost to Jesus. And as we think about our church, there are some who have financial needs. And there are also some who have relational needs. There are some who have emotional needs, some who have deep spiritual needs.

If you find out that someone is struggling financially, please do not just tell them to go in peace, be warmed and filled without giving them the things needed for the body. If you find out someone is lonely, Don't just tell them go in peace and be warmed and filled with friendship. If you find out someone is depressed or anxious, don't just tell them to go in peace with a positive outlook. If you find someone that's entangled in sin, don't just tell them to go in peace and sin no more.

Don't be like Cain, who flippantly asked God,

am I my brother's keeper?

The answer is yes. We are our brothers and sisters keepers. Our church family, they're not competition, they're not a burden, they're not a problem for someone else to solve. No, work. Work to love your brothers and sisters. And as you do, have faith that God will use your self-sacrificial love for great good in the life of your brothers and sisters.

I mean, he has promised this, and he has proven over and over again that he does this. I can testify to that. As somebody who is regularly receiving the generosity of you all from this church, I can testify to this, that it is such a blessing. Three years ago, we launched Campus Outreach, and one of our biggest obstacles was the financial need. One of my biggest encouragements over the last three years has come from the financial support that I receive from this church and from the members of this church.

I mean, for me, whenever I take a student out to lunch, whenever I give away a Bible, whenever I share the gospel, whenever I even pay the mortgage on my home, I do so with extreme gratitude because many people have sacrificed their money for me to work full-time in college ministry at UVA. And whether it's a college ministry or a church or missions or providing for your neighbor, whatever it may be, there is always going to be a need for God's people to care for one another. And an authentic faith will work to care for God's people, to care lovingly, to care self-sacrificially, and to care faithfully.

Unconditionally obey God

And as we read on, we see that authentic faith, it impacts so much more than just our church relationships. James shows us that there is no limit as to what should be entrusted to God. Absolutely no limit. And we see this in verses 20 to 24 in the life of Abraham. So our next point, point three, authentic faith works to unconditionally obey God. Authentic faith works to unconditionally obey God. Verses 20 to 24 say this.

Do you want it to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works. And the scripture was fulfilled that says Abraham believed God and it was counted to him as righteousness. And he was called a friend of God. You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

So Abraham is the father of faith. Genesis 12 to 22 we read about Abraham's life. We read about his faith. We read about his essential role in God's plan for salvation here. James specifically points to Genesis 22 to teach us about authentic faith.

The story of Abraham sacrificing his son, Isaac. To summarize the story, Abraham was blessed with a son at an incredibly old age, and there was tremendous plans and promises that were wrapped up in the birth of Isaac, his son. plans and promises that eventually resulted in the nation of Israel, and plans and promises that eventually resulted in the coming of Jesus. But in Genesis 22, God tests Abraham and tells him to sacrifice Isaac. And Abraham does not know that this is a test. He is simply told,

take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.

" It's a confusing command, and it is a massive plot twist in God's redemptive plan. But what does Abraham do?

He rose early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him and his son Isaac, and he cut the wood for the burnt offering and arose and went to the place of which God had told him.

He did not question God like he did when Isaac's birth was originally promised. He did not argue with God like he did when God revealed his plans to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah. He did not lie to protect Isaac like he did for Sarah in Egypt.

He rose early in the morning and went. Unconditional obedience. Why? What would cause Abraham to take his only son who he loved and waited years for? This son who existed solely because of God's sovereign grace. What would cause Abraham to then turn around and offer him up as a sacrifice? Faith. Abraham believed God.

In James 2.23, he points back to Genesis 15.6. The moment that Abraham's righteousness was declared.

The moment that God promised Abraham that he would give him as many offspring as the stars in the sky. Before God performed the covenant ritual, before Isaac was born, God spoke a promise to Abraham, and Abraham believed God. He trusted God to be true to his word, and he trusted that promise and held fast to that promise for the rest of his life. And when God called on Abraham to sacrifice Isaac, Abraham was fully dependent on God's promise as he went to that mountain.

Practically speaking, it is abundantly clear that Abraham has saving faith, is it not? Like, nobody questions the authenticity of Abraham's faith. And that's why James looks to Abraham as this key example to show us that authentic faith produces works. You know, James in multiple places proclaims that Abraham was justified by his works. And as we mentioned before, James is not saying this in a way that contradicts other teachings of the Bible about justification. No, the word justified, it simply means to have a good reason or to be right. And in this context of James' argument here, he's saying that Abraham's works, they simply give us good reason to affirm his faith.

We see what Abraham did and we can say, that is what faith looks like. That is saving faith. It's not that Abraham had faith in Genesis, or Genesis 15, and then had works in Genesis 22, and then both of those things got taken into account, and those were the two ingredients necessary for salvation. No, if you read in Hebrews 11, 17, we read that Abraham offered up Isaac, he did this work by faith. The natural consequence of an authentic faith is works. It's works that are done by faith. Will these works be automatic the moment we profess?

Will they be fully mature and developed? Day one of our life with Christ? No. I mean, if you look at the timeline between Genesis 15 and Genesis 22, and I mean, all of those things that I had mentioned earlier about Abraham's life, no, there were years in between those two chapters. But as James says in verse 22, faith will be completed. It will mature, it will come to full fruition by our works. It won't be perfect in this life, but it will mature. We will see a completing process take place. I really appreciate the way one commentator puts it.

He says that

Abraham's works matured his faith, brought his faith to its finished goal. James is saying that when we obey God, i.e., when we work, our faith grows up, matures, and is brought to completion. To apply James' point practically, we might say that the more you obey God, the more your faith grows. Faith leads you to obedience, and obedience matures faith,

end quote. So do you see the symbiotic relationship between faith and works? Faith leads us to obedience, And then obedience in turn matures our faith.

Now, what God commanded Abraham to do with Isaac, let's be clear, this was a unique and personal command that has a very specific purpose in salvation history. It is not universally commanded that we sacrifice our children. Thank you. But, I mean, does God not have commands for us to obey? the Ten Commandments, the Sermon on the Mount, I mean, God's law for God's people.

There are commands for us to obey, and in view of Abraham, we have to ask ourselves, where are we hesitant to obey God? Where do we make excuses? Where do we put conditions upon our obedience to the Lord? Do we trust God enough to obey him, no matter the cost?

As you're thinking about that for yourself, maybe something's coming to mind. Whatever that may be, I would encourage you, first and foremost, bring that to the Lord and confess that to other people. Pray and confess. Focus on that area of life Because that's an area that God can do an incredible faith-building work in you. Obey the Lord by faith and have faith that the Lord is at work in your obedience. The final way we see faith working in our text this morning is found in verse 25. And this can be our last point for this morning, that authentic faith works to advance God's kingdom. Authentic faith works to advance God's kingdom.

Advance God's kingdom

Verse 25, James points out another important Old Testament saint, Rahab the prostitute. Which, side note, praise God for his amazing grace that a woman all throughout history who has been defined by sexual immorality and sin is in the hall of faith. is an example to us about what it looks like to have authentic saving faith. By God's grace alone, amen? We're introduced to Rahab in Joshua chapter two.

Joshua sends spies into Jericho to scout out the land. The spies ended up lodging at Rahab's house, a house that was built into the wall of the city of Jericho. The kings find out about the spies. The king brings Rahab in for questioning and demands that she turns over the spies. And Rahab instead hides the men in her roof and tells the king that the spies had already left the city. Rahab then told the man that she heard all about the Lord and the promised land and the exodus and the victories over the kings of the Amorites. And then she asks the spies to save her family when Israel came to conquer Jericho. And then Rahab helped these spies escape. And she put a rope out her window and the spies escaped through her window down the wall of Jericho by rope.

James points to this story as another example of faith at work. Specifically, he talks about her reception of the messengers and her aid in their escape. And again, like Abraham, this is not just a story of someone doing a good work and then earning salvation because of that good work.

No, if you read through Joshua 2, when Rahab and her family heard about the Lord's work to save Israel from Egypt, when she heard that the Lord had defeated Sihon and Og, and she heard about God's promise to give Israel the land of Jericho and Canaan, she believed it. She says that her and her family, their hearts melted, that there was no spirit left in any man. She and her family, they were overwhelmed by this fear of the Lord. She proclaimed the Lord to be God in the heavens above and on earth beneath, and in doing all of this, she expressed her faith in what she heard.

Rahab and Abraham, they are two vastly different people, but they both believed God. They both took him at his word. Abraham, the specific command that he heard, Rahab, what she heard from other people. Rahab, she wasn't given this specific command like Abraham was, but she took the first opportunity that she saw.

She took that opportunity and she served the Lord and she played a part in bringing about God's kingdom on earth. And that part that she played, it was risky. I mean, she committed treason for these spies. She put her life on the line. And that risk was perfectly right. It was perfectly reasonable for her It was perfectly justified. Rahab's story is similar to so many in church history. Men and women who hear the gospel, believe it, and then risk everything for the sake of God's kingdom. Men like Paul, who went from imprisoning Christians to being put in prison himself for the sake of Christ.

Men like William Carey, who fathered the modern missions movement and spent his life pioneering missions work in India. Women like Lottie Moon, who was born and raised right here in Albemarle County, who then left her job, her home, her family, to be one of the first female missionaries in China, where she would spend the final 39 years of her life sharing the gospel. Men like C.T. Studd, C.T. Studd was known to be England's most gifted cricket player. He gave up a life of wealth, he gave up a life of fame, he packed his bags, went to the mission field. China, India, Africa.

Now what would cause someone to do something like that? It's faith. C.T. Studd once said that

if Jesus Christ be God and died for me, Will then no sacrifice be too great for me to make for him?

Someone with authentic faith understands just how precious and valuable and worthwhile the gospel is and is willing to risk for the advancement and the glory of King Jesus. Does your faith have a category for kingdom risk? Is it right and reasonable and justified for you to give up something or maybe even everything for the sake of the gospel?

Now, there's no clear command that you need to quit your job in scripture and then go become a missionary. There's no two-tiered class of saints in the kingdom of heaven. The clergy are not better than the lay people. God's not gonna maybe, God will not require everyone to become a vocational minister of the gospel.

But King Jesus does promise that

everyone who has left houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or children, or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.

So for us, what might we need to leave for the name of Jesus? for the advancement of the kingdom? What might we need to leave by faith? Church, the need for gospel workers is continually increasing in our country.

I'm not talking about going overseas. I'm talking about right here in our own neighborhoods. Pulpits are being vacant. Churches are shutting down. The number of professing Christians is declining year after year. And yet, even in the midst of this, Jesus promises that

the harvest is plentiful. It's the laborers that are few.

What would you need to risk to faithfully labor for God's kingdom? What might you need to sacrifice to see the gospel advance? Rahab promoted what she believed in. She worked to advance God's kingdom by faith and she was willing to risk everything to do it. What about us? What do we say about God's kingdom by the way we work to advance it here on earth? In other words, what kingdom are we promoting by our works?

Pursue that good work by faith

Church, as we conclude this morning, my hope is not that you would become hypersensitive. My hope is that you would not over-examine yourself and go home and freak out and doubt whether or not you're saved. That's not why God wrote this in Scripture. That's not my hope for you this morning. But with that, I do hope that we walk away from this morning convicted. In some way or another, I hope that we leave here this morning convicted. I hope that we see where there might be a disconnect between our faith that we profess and our works and how we live our lives.

Wherever that disconnect may be for you, I would encourage you to pursue that good work by faith. Whether it's love for others, whether it's obedience to God in some way, shape, or form, whether it's advancing the kingdom, whether it's something else. Pursue that good work by faith.

Learn. Build knowledge about it. Learn about how that work reflects God's character and promises. Learn about how the gospel speaks to it. Learn about how it touches that exact spot in your life. And then agree with it. preach it to yourself, ascend to it, affirm it, make the case to yourself and convince yourself that this is a good thing to pursue. And then do it.

And trust the Lord as you do it. Lean into God as you pursue that good work. Trust that God is gonna use that good work for his glory and trust that he will work out his good purposes through your faithfulness. And ultimately, trust that God is not judging you based on how well you perform these works.

You're judged solely on the perfect work of Jesus, who loved you and gave himself up for you. Finally, if you're here this morning and you're not a Christian, please know that you do not just need to be a better person. You need a Savior. You need to place your faith in Jesus and entrust him for your eternal life and him alone for your salvation.

Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.

Let's pray. Father God, you have done such a tremendous work for us. Lord, by your grace, it is no longer us who live, but you who lives through us. And Lord, we pray now that the life that we would live would be a life lived by faith. Faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself up for us. Lord, may many see our good works, and may it cause them to glorify you, our Father in heaven. It's in Jesus' name we pray, amen.