Faith and Works

Click here for the audio message of James 2:14-26

James provides us with practical tests of our Christianity. We have seen how a true believer responds to trials and temptations. We have learned about the reaction of a true believer to the Word of God. And last week we saw that Christians should be impartial because God is impartial.

This morning we continue our look at these tests of James. In particular we look at the test of works or the behavior of the Christian. We do need to keep in mind, however, that a person is not saved by their works. Christ has done all the work necessary for our salvation. But our works, or what we do, really shows who we are.

The genuineness of a believer’s claim that Christ is their Lord and Master is shown more by what they do than by what they claim.

James provides several examples of actions proving our beliefs. He gives one example that everyone would understand and that is of the physical needs of the body. The other two examples are from the Old Testament, Abraham and Rahab.

James starts to illustrate his point by comparing faith without works to words of compassion without acts of compassion. You can tell someone to warm up if they are cold, but unless you give them a coat or a blanket they will not warm up.

You may mean well and speak well, but if you do not do well then it doesn’t really help that person who is freezing. So professed compassion without action is fake, therefore, the kind of faith that is without works is simply an empty profession, not the genuine saving faith in Jesus Christ.

Abraham was willing to offer Isaac as a sacrifice to God. He didn’t just say he would do it, but he literally held the knife ready to perform the sacrifice when God stopped him. As we have talked about before when we were studying the book of 1 Peter, God didn’t give this test to Abraham so that God would know Abraham’s heart. Rather, God gave this test to Abraham to prove his faith to himself.

Abraham’s faith was made complete by his actions. He obeyed God and acted according to His will. I am sure he didn’t understand why God wanted him to do this, but he believed and he acted upon his faith.

This was not simply a one time act of faith either. Abraham lived a lifetime of faith. Sure, he wasn’t perfect. In fact, we are still seeing some of the ramifications of his actions today through his son Ishmael. He wasn’t perfect, but he was faithful to God.



The other example is from the book of Joshua, Rahab protected God’s messengers from harm even though it was at great risk to her own life. She could have listened to their story and simply said, “Good luck getting out alive.” But she didn’t. She was demonstrating her faith in God, even though she didn’t really know much about this God. She knew He was the God though and she placed her faith and trust into Him.

We have opportunities everyday to act on our faith. I do not believe any of us will be asked by God to sacrifice our son, but there are certainly many poor and needy people around the area that we can minister too.

Maybe you can’t get out much anymore. That doesn’t mean you are useless to God. We are blessed with many well run local agencies that will use your donation of money, food or clothing to help those in need.

Don’t have much money, food, or clothing yourself? That is okay too. You can pray for those organizations. You can pray for the poor. You can pray for the sick. You can pray that God will send someone to minister to those people since you cannot.

The idea here is that our faith is just not a simple intellectual agreement with God, but the idea is that you genuinely want to obey Him and do what He wants. James tells us that even the demons know God. They know who He is and what He can do, but that have no interest in believing in Him, following Christ, or obeying Him. They reject Him even though they know who He is.

James closes this section by writing in verse 26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

Our spirit is what makes us go. It is what makes us alive. When we die our spirits are no longer in our body. For a Christian our spirit goes to be in Heaven with the Lord. Our body lies lifeless here on earth.

In the same way, faith without works is dead. Our works show our heart. Our works show our faith. Again, our works do not save us, they simply show that we are saved. They show that we have received Jesus Christ into our life to be our Lord and Savior.

Think about your actions. How do they demonstrate the reality of your faith? Both Abraham and Rahab trusted God and demonstrated this with their actions. They passed the test! Do you?

We also need to respond in love when we see a fellow Christian not acting like one. We need to remember not to judge them or condemn them. Rather we need to support them and remind them of their faith.

There is always room for improvement in each of our lives. None of us is perfect. This week make a conscious effort to align you faith and your actions. For some of us, it may be a challenge, but it is guaranteed to bring you great joy and peace with your Maker.

All Christians sin, we are still human and imperfect creatures in this fallen world. But all Christians also obey the Word of God. While sin may be present in our lives, it is never the main character of the true believer. That is what we need to remember.

God will accept us when we humbly return to Him. He is waiting with open arms for each of us when we fail.

Closing Prayer

Lord we thank you for our time in your word this morning. We thank you for always being there for us, even when we are not worthy to come into your presence. You are there waiting for us. Waiting to offer your forgiveness when we ask for it.

We ask this morning that you will open our eyes to our actions this week. Help us to see what others see. Help us to see what you see. Help us to act upon our faith in tangible ways.

We do this not so that we can impress others or to even impress you. Rather we do it because we want to be obedient to you each and every day of our life. Give us the wisdom and the strength to do so.

In Jesus Name,

AMEN