FAITH THAT DOES SOMETHING
What does it mean to have faith in God?
The proverbial farmer in a time of drought may pray for rain and then stand outside with an umbrella. There is a sort of hopefulness in that version of faith. The farmer has an expectation that when he genuinely prays, God will answer.
We often place faith in that category; we connect faith to prayer. You pray and then trust that God will answer your request. James talks about the prayer of faith in the last chapter, so you are not wrong if you have linked your faith with the practice of prayer. When we pray, we need to believe that God answers; we need faith. James will talk of that later.
What James addresses in 2:14-26 are two opposing kinds of faith. There is a faith which is purely intellectual. I believe that astronauts have traveled into space and that men have walked on the moon. There is enough evidence to support this belief and I could research it and prove it if I wanted to. But in reality, it makes no difference to how I live my life. I accept it, but it has no effect on me.
James counters intellectual faith with another kind of faith. I believe that the Bank of Canada has empowered small pieces of plastic to be of some worth so that I can purchase 80 dollars of fuel. I take that belief and I act on it. It affects how I live my life and choose my actions.
James argues against intellectual faith; faith that accepts a fact as true without allowing it to have any effect on my life. He argues for a genuine faith that directs the path of my life. Genuine faith is a faith that does something. It is a faith that acts on belief. Real faith in God is demonstrated not just by praying and waiting, but by acting in accordance with who God is and the life he has shown us in Christ.
Last week we ended with the theme of mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment. Even though “faith” is the dominant theme of this passage, James will show us how faith that does something is closely linked to mercy.
Faith is more than what we say (2:14-17)
James begins with a question that forms the thesis of this section. Notice the emphasis of this question as we read it. “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (14).
Some translations read, “What is the profit” or what value is there in the faith that is going to be described. This phrase shows up again in verse 16. The question is meant to make you think, but it also expects a negative answer. What is it worth? Nothing.
What kind of faith is being evaluated? It is a faith where someone says they believe in Jesus but their works or actions do not reflect their faith. This person says the right things and may even be passionate about biblical truths. They could talk about being led by the Spirit; they may even profess to a full-on assurance of salvation through Christ on the cross via the forgiveness of sins. What’s lacking? Works! Their doctrine may be perfect, but they do not act on their faith.
Our evangelical faith is based on the true premise that you and I are saved by faith, not by works. No good work is good enough to save us from sin (Ro. 3:20). However, even Paul who railed against “works of the law” as a means of salvation spoke of good works in relation to grace (read Eph. 2:8-10). We are not saved by good works, but we are saved to do good works.
James offers us a real-life scenario from his churches. Those churches were made up of rich and poor. Some of those poor people were having a tough time finding the basic necessities of life. How does this play out? One person says the right things – he offers a blessing “Go in peace, be warmed and filled.” It’s like saying, “I’ll pray for you,” or “Good-bye and good luck.” It’s a religious cover for doing nothing. Oh, you’re having a hard time? I wish you better times.
What good is that? What profit is there in that faith? Saying the right thing is not good enough. We can say the right thing, praying for the person is a good thing, but unless there is evidence that what we say (professing faith) changes how we act, we are fooling ourselves. “So also, faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead,” (17).
Faith is more than what we believe (18-20)
As a scholar, I believe and advocate for good doctrine in the church. I will always turn to the Scriptures for correct teaching. Yet doctrine is not enough. I could not help but think of the church in Ephesus in Revelation 2:1-7 and remembered how Jesus rebuked them. Their works were earnest in rooting out false teachers and maintaining a good doctrine (2). But Jesus says they forgot their first love and needed to return to the works they did at first (4-5). Those works were works based on love, not only on doctrine.
Faith is more than what we believe. An imaginary opponent is introduced into the discussion. “But someone will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart form your works and I will show you my faith by my works,” (18). The arguer says that faith is enough. A good grasp of the Christian teaching, an ability to debate theology, and an extensive library.
James responds, “I know what you know about God, but I’ll show you what I know by how I love others.” If our faith in God does not change our perspective towards other people (like the poor), our worldview, our lifestyles – has our faith really transformed us?
The arguer believes in one God. It looks like the Shema (Deut. 6:4-6) is trotted out – this was the morning ritual of every Jew – recite the Shema. It was fundamental to their faith. James exposes this recitation as lifeless orthodoxy, a mere memorized truth. You think this is enough?
James shocks his readers. He says, “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!” (19). First, demons believe what you believe. They are monotheists. They are Trinitarian. They know who God is and they shudder. To shudder is to shake violently and uncontrollably. They fear God. And yet that knowledge is not enough and they know it. They remain condemned – even with a right theology.
James then says, “Do you want to be shown you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” (20). Faith that lacks works is workless. Or, faith that lacks works does not work. It reflects a lack of understanding of what faith requires.
Faith will by nature produce good works (21-24)
Let’s move from hypothetical examples to historical ones. What do good works say about faith? Take Abraham as an example:
In Genesis 15:1-6, Abraham had no son to be his heir. God brought Abraham outside and had him look at the night sky. Then God said to count the stars if he was able. That’s how many offspring god promised to Abraham. Then it says, “And he believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.”
Paul will make this the foundation of how salvation works in Romans 4. He writes, “…to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,” (4:5). Believing God is first priority in terms of having faith in God.
But then James tells us that Abraham was justified by works. Does he contradict Paul in saying this? In Genesis 22, 30 years after the promise is made to Abraham, God tells him to take that one son, his only heir, the one through whom the promise of many offspring is to be fulfilled, and kill him on the altar – make a sacrifice of him. This is absurd. Yet Abraham did it and would have gone through with it if God had not stopped him.
Here’s how James interprets this event, “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works,” (22). This means that Abraham’s faith was active together with his works, or genuine faith worked itself out in action. The word “completed” carries the meaning of having come to maturity. So, Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son not only showed his faith to be real, but also through his obedience, his faith actually “grew up.” It was not mature until he acted upon it. By acting upon his faith, he came to know more about God’s character.
True faith is radical obedience, a faith that does something.
Faith acts in the interest of others (25-26)
A second example from history comes from the story of Rahab in Joshua 2 and 6. Rahab differs from Abraham in just about every way. Whereas Abraham was a wealthy, moral male, the father of the Israelites, and a major figure in the OT narratives, Rahab was likely poor, immoral (James notes her as “the prostitute”), a female, an outcast of the Canaanite nation, and a minor figure in her world.
What is her claim to fame? Israelite spies come to Jericho and have to hide out in her tavern or house of ill-repute to escape troops searching for them. James highlights her actions saying, “she received the messengers and sent them out by another way.” In other words, against all odds and with great risk to her and her family, she chose to act on her faith in God.
Abraham and Rahab are at opposite ends of the social and spiritual strata, but that’s by design. Everyone in between them is included as needing to show that their faith has made a difference in how they live. By doing this they demonstrate that love and faith in God is genuine.
As a woman of faith, Rahab stands out. She is constantly held up as an example in both Jewish and Christian traditions. She even appears in the lineage of Jesus in Matthew 1:5. That’s right, she is an ancestor of Jesus Christ despite her shady background.
Faith acts in the interest of others. Just as Rahab welcomed the spies at great risk, faith compels us to act on behalf of others.
James concludes with an answer to his own question: Is such a faith able to save a person? He’s talking about faith without works. Here’s his answer, “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead,”(26). His answer is “NO!” “Faith that does not reveal itself in works - in a changed lifestyle that glorifies God and seeks his heart for the world – is dead, lifeless, workless, and worthless. It is not faith at all” (Blomberg & Kamell 141).
If you are going to put your faith in Jesus, it is going to change you. The Spirit is going to move in your life and if you obey his impulses, you will find yourself acting in ways you had not expected. You will sacrifice. You will risk for others. You will want to show mercy to others knowing what great mercy has been shown to you through Jesus Christ. It will change the way you see people. It will change your heart for God. It will cause you to wrestle with sins you used to love.
Faith is more than praying and waiting upon God for an answer. It is that, but it is so much more. Read Hebrews 11, the hall of fame of faith, and you will see that “by faith” the heroes of faith did something. They acted on their faith.
Faith is more than what we say.
Faith is more than what we believe.
Faith works in us to produce good works (costly obedience).
Faith acts in the interest of others (costly service).
Faith does something because God does something in us.
AMEN
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