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Rotten Fruit, Rotten Faith (James 2:14-26 February 26, 2017)

Imagine that you are walking along with a friend and you come to this tree. It looks brittle and dry. It has no leaves and no fruit. You just happen to comment and say – poor dead tree. And your friend arcs up and says – what do you mean dead? That tree looks a fine healthy specimen to me! What would you think? Later, on your walk you encounter this tree: It looks brittle and dry. It has no leaves but it seems to have fruit – rotten fruit. You sarcastically comment – I suppose you are going to tell me this tree is healthy too? He says – sure it is – it’s got fruit – it has to be healthy. You scratch your head and keep walking until another tree pops up. This one also looks brittle and dry. It has no leaves but it seems to have fruit – and the fruit looks OK. Dead looking tree – good looking fruit – it doesn’t make sense. You comment – there is something strange about that tree. Your friend says – what’s wrong with you? – Looks fine to me. You get a bit closer and you notice that each apple has actually been nailed to the tree. The apples didn’t come from that tree – they were nailed onto that tree. Your friend still thinks that is fine.

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You walk on a bit further and then you see this tree: It is green and supple. It has leaves and fruit and looks healthy. And you say – look man – this is a healthy tree. Your friend says – yes it is – but they are all healthy. These trees illustrate the different views many hold concerning faith and works. The tree represents our faith and the apples are our works. The Bible is clear – a living active faith is needed to bear the good fruit of works. Jesus, Paul, James – rightly understood – all are clear on this. But, there are some who argue that it doesn’t matter that the tree of faith looks dead as long as there seems to be some fruit of works. It was this type of argument that Paul spoke against when he said – you are saved by faith alone – not as a result of works. Paul would argue – whatever this fruit is – if it was not born from the tree of true faith – then it must have come from another tree – the tree of human effort and been stuck on a tree of dead faith. And that won’t save you. But, there were also some who argued that it doesn’t matter that the tree of faith looks dead and the fruit of works is rotten – or even that there was no fruit of works – if it is any type of tree – dead or alive – with any kind of fruit – or none at all – they say it is fine. This is the false view James argues so forcefully against in this morning’s passage. He addresses this topic head on. This is one of the most confronting and difficult passages in the Bible. This morning, James will tell us this:

A faith without works is a dead faith that cannot save your soul.

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A faith without works is a dead faith that cannot save your soul. Basically: Rotten fruit, rotten faith. Allowing this teaching to exist in the church is a problem because it permits professing Christians to remain in a lifestyle that is indistinguishable from the unregenerate world while remaining confident of their salvation. James writes to counter this. Let me remind you of where we are in the book of James. In chapter 1 verses 2-18, James talks about the effect trials and temptations have on us.

He told us that when we encounter trials our response will lead us down one of two paths. Either to sin and death or to fruit and life. Then, from chapter 1 verse 19 to the end of the book – James gives us a picture of what true firstfruits will look like. When trials have led us to maturity – our lives will look like this:

1:19-27 The fruit of obedience 2:1-13 The fruit of impartiality 2:14-26 The fruit of works

Trial EvilDesires+

Entice

Sin

Fruit

Life

Endure

Death

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3:1-12 The fruit of words 3:13-4:3 The fruit of peacemaking 4:4-12 The fruit of humility 4:13-5:12 The fruit of submission 5:13-18 The fruit of prayer

This morning we are looking at the third fruit – the fruit of works. Remember that James is writing to Christians struggling under intense trials. So, what is the relationship between trials and works? James knows that the normal reaction to trials is to become defensive and introspective. To withdraw. To say – I need help rather than how can I help? For example, these were poor Christians under duress – their natural tendency when trials come is to hoard every penny they had – not to help others with the little they had. But, James knows the work of the Spirit is so powerful – that in a Christian the response to such trials will be to look to help others – even at great personal cost. This is the works – this is the fruit – that James says a Christian must have. Before we look at this passage, I do need to address the elephant in the room associated with this passage. When the Reformers articulated the five solas – the five alones that were foundational to the Bible – one of them was sola fide – we are saved by faith alone. And they found plenty of ammunition for this teaching in the writings of Paul. For example. Ephesians 2:8-9:

For by grace you have been saved by faith … not a result of works. Or: Romans 3:28:

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

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However, then we come to James and in particular today’s passage. And we find verses such as: James 2:24:

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And they scratched their heads. It didn’t seem to make sense. James seems to contradict Paul. It is verses like this that caused Martin Luther to declare that James was a – right strawy epistle. It isn’t a strawy epistle. When we are done with today – I trust that you will see that when rightly understood – when put in the context of the passages they are in – there is absolutely no discrepancy between James and Paul. In fact, even Luther finally came to terms with James. The Reformers taught this:

Justification is by faith alone but not by a faith that is alone. It had to be a faith attested by works. However, because this is such an issue I am going to address it before we get to our text – because I want to be able to look at what James says without too much distraction. I want you to be able to hear James – without the filter of Paul. But, I want to issue this disclaimer. No matter how you cut it – this is a hard passage. It is hard in terms of hard on the heart. It is like a dagger to the heart. But it is also hard because most of us are weaned on Paul. We read words like justify – and all the Pauline passages come to mind. We have to work hard to hear James the way James meant us to hear him. So strap in – but it is worth it to let this awesome passage speak into our lives. I want to start by emphasising that James and Paul – both address the relationship between:

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Faith – salvation – and works I want to argue as forcefully as I can that both James and Paul – have exactly the same understanding of this relationship:

Works prove our salvation – they don’t provide our salvation. It is our faith that is the ground of our salvation – it is faith that leads to salvation. And then true salvation always produces works – spiritual fruit. Works are the fruit of our salvation – not the root of our salvation. Works are a necessary evidence and a natural outflow of a living faith. You change any of these relationships and you change the gospel. Perhaps I can illustrate these relationships this way. You are at the beach and you see two young children swept out to sea. You ignore the danger – jump in, swim out and just barely manage to drag them to shore – saving their lives. Prime Minister Turnbull thinks this is wonderful and invites you to Parliament House where he awards you a whopping great Medal of Valour. The medal did not save those children – you did. But the medal is tangible evidence to the world that you saved those children.

SALVATIONFAITH WORKS

SALVATION

FAITH WORKS

Works prove our salvation – they don’t provide our salvation

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In the same way – the world looks at Christians – they can’t see our faith – what they can see is what true faith produces – works. Works do not save us – but they are proof of our salvation. So, if James and Paul are on the same page – why do Ephesians 2 and James 2 seem to read quite differently? One reason is they use similar words that have very different meanings. We will look at this later. But perhaps the main reason is that James and Paul had different burdens, different false teachings they were opposing.

One author described them as gunslingers back to back – shooting at different enemies – but absolutely united in the cause. James is taking aim at the false teaching of easy-believism – while Paul is fighting against the false teaching of self-righteousness. These different enemies meant their emphases were different. James’ burden was to declare that the proper place of works is that:

Works prove our salvation. Works don’t save us – but they do authenticate our faith.

JAMES PAUL

Easy-believism

Self-righteousness

SALVATION

WORKS

JAMES

FAITH

Works proveour salvation

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He knows faith is the ground of our salvation – but you can’t see faith. What you can see is the fruit of true faith – works. If you have good works – then it authenticates your salvation. But:

This also means that if you have no works – or if your fruit is rotten – then your faith is rotten. If you have a problem with your fruit, you have a problem with your faith. However, James’ opponents were teaching something different. They taught that:

Works don’t always follow salvation. They taught that you can have a faith that saves which may or may not produce good works. You can have rotten fruit, a life that is indistinguishable from the world – but if you have some kind of faith – that is all you need. So, James hammered the basic truth – good works do always follow genuine salvation. If there is a problem with your fruit – there is a problem with your faith. And, as we will see, this is not a minor problem – it is a matter of eternal life and death.

SALVATION

WORKS

JAMES

FAITH

Rotten FruitRotten Faith

SALVATION

WORKS

JAMES’ OPPONENTS

FAITH

Works don’t alwaysfollow our salvation

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But, Paul found himself taking aim at a different problem.

Paul knew – works don’t provide our salvation. He knew that the true ground of our salvation was faith. But, he faced opponents who had reversed the place of works and were teaching that:

Works are a ground of our salvation. Get your works right and then with (or perhaps even without) faith – these works will save you. They taught that if you do enough good works – you will be saved. Pretty much what the Pharisees taught. So, Paul hammered another basic truth – works are not the ground of our salvation – faith alone is. So, let me summarise this: Both James and Paul would absolutely agree on the proper relationship of faith – salvation and works. But James wrote to counter the false teaching that said: works don’t always follow our salvation.

SALVATION

WORKS

PAUL

Works don’t provideour salvation

FAITH

SALVATION

WORKS

PAUL’S OPPONENTS

Works are a groundof our salvation

FAITH

+/-

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Paul wrote to counter the false teaching that said: works are a ground of our salvation. I thought about not covering any of this at all because of the risk of totally confusing you. So, let me just suggest:

Keep this picture in your mind of James and Paul – back to back – on the same team – but facing different enemies. Now we are ready to look at James’ argument as to why easy-believism – faith without works – is so dangerous. Remember, James main point is this: A faith without works is a dead faith that cannot save your soul. Now, finally, we are ready to look at our passage. Here is how this section breaks down: • A faith without works cannot save v. 14 Illustration of faith without works vv. 15-16 Conclusion – Faith without works is dead v. 17 • Works will always follow true faith vv. 18-19

SALVATION

WORKSFAITH

JAMES’ OPPONENTS

Works don’t always follow our salvation

PAUL’S OPPONENTS

Works are a ground of our salvation

SALVATION

WORKSFAITH

SALVATION

WORKSFAITH

+/-?

JAMES PAUL

Easy-believism

Self-righteousness

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• A faith without works cannot save v. 20 Illustration of faith with works vv. 21-25 Conclusion – Faith without works is dead v. 26 The first thing to note is how repetitive James’ argument is. He keeps hammering the same thing – a faith without works cannot save. He has two main sections. Both say the same thing. Both end with the same statement – Faith without works is dead. The only difference is the first section has a negative illustration of faith without works and the second has a positive illustration of faith with works. And separating these two sections James tells us – works will always follow true faith. You read these sections and you cannot escape the fact that James is just hammering the grave danger to our souls of a dead faith. We begin with his first statement: • A faith without works cannot save v. 14 James 2:14:

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

This is not a hypothetical question – there were people in the church arguing – a faith that has no works can save. It is not just James’ who fought this. Jesus kept saying – you will know them by their fruits. Paul said it. In Romans 6:1–2 he cried:

What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

You can’t have a life filled with sin – that you never fight – that you don’t hate – and just hope grace will cover it. Today, in this city – there are churches who have raised grace to the point that they would say – works are good – but certainly not necessary because God’s grace is so encompassing He will save us anyway.

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James will have none of that. Remember, James would absolutely agree with Paul that faith is the ground of salvation. So, notice – James does not say – can faith save him? James agrees faith saves. He says – can that faith – a faith without works – can that type of faith save? No it can’t!

James knows that – if you have no works, then your faith is false and then you have no salvation. A faith that does not result in works is no good – it cannot save you. Then James gives us an: Illustration of faith without works vv. 15-16 Verses 15-16:

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

This is one illustration of faith without works. He could have chosen many other things. I want to define these works like this:

The fruit of true faith are actions that cost us to reflect the love and character of Christ.

Remember last week? True Christians fulfil the royal law – the law given by the King to love our neighbour as ourselves. James is most certainly not saying:

If a brother or sister is unable to pay for Netflix and is lacking in their daily skinny latte, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the luxuries they want, what good is that?

SALVATION

FAITH WORKS

James 2:14–16:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith (i.e. a faith without works) save him?

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Nor is he merely saying:

If a brother or sister is struggling to pay the rent and struggling to put more than noodles on the table, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed, what good is that?

I think we do need to help such brothers – but my point is that these verses do not immediately resonate with us because we don’t meet people in the kind of absolute poverty James describes in Australia. The World Bank puts the poverty line at $825US a year. No one – or perhaps a few people in Australia slip between the cracks – but few here live below this poverty line. Conversely, the World Bank says that if your income is over $34,000US a year after tax – you are in the top 1% of the world’s income. Brothers and sisters, most of us are 1%ers. However, 37% of the world’s population live below US$825 a year – it is just that they just don’t live near us. If we were in churches in many African and Asian countries – then these verses get real. In James’ day – it was as real as it gets. Persecution, dislocation, prejudice – all left the church filled with men and women literally struggling to survive. Death by starvation and deprivation was not uncommon. If the church did not help – they may die. This would not have been hypothetical. The regular assemblies of the church would have been filled with men and women in rags who had not eaten for days. Those churches may have had a few wealthier people – but most of the rest were struggling to make ends meet themselves. If you are barely making ends meet – and a person in dire need walks in – the natural response is to say – you know actually I could really do with some help myself – so somebody further up the food chain should help that starving wretched brother. James would say – no. If the Spirit of God is in you – you won’t think that. You will have a different attitude and it will lead to action. Give them your cloak and your shirt. Share your last meal. James had seen this first hand. Acts 2:44–45:

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And all who believed were together and had all things in common. And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.

That is what true faith looks like. So, what does it look like in the Australian church – in Grace Bible Church? That is a tougher question. James picked on wealth – one of the areas we all struggle to hand over to the Lord. If you don’t think you struggle here – lets talk. For us – we need to ask the Lord how these verses should manifest in our lives. We might not have any brothers below the true poverty line in Holland Park – but there are hundreds of millions of brothers and sisters below the poverty line in the world. 26,000 children die every day in our world from malnutrition and preventable illness such as gastroenteritis. How many of them come from believing families? For us – maybe faith means finding a child, or two, or ten – to sponsor through Compassion or a similar group. It costs about $1.50 a day. I spoke to Dena this week about doing this – we can afford it. But even affording it is not the standard. It has to cost. It has to represent some sacrifice. Truth is – $1.50 a day – I am pretty sure I wouldn’t even miss it. This would just have to be the start. What about closer to home? Yes – we have no one here in rags and starving – but some are doing it tough – even while many are not. There are brothers and sisters here who have less – who have real needs – who can be blessed by you. I think it does apply in this way. Now this is important. James gave this example as an illustration. Works, spiritual fruit – it is not just what we do with our money. We are going to see James speak of Abraham and Rahab in a moment. Their actions had nothing to do with money. Imagine the faith cost to pick up a knife to kill your only son?

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Imagine the faith cost to hide enemies from your King and follow a foreign God? I defined works like this:

The fruit of true faith are actions that cost us to reflect the love and character of Christ.

Works are not just doing something good – it is also not doing something sinful. Works are turning from sin and turning to Christ. Faith has to cost. It costs to cut off a besetting sin. It can cost in terms of finances, career, family, ambitions. It might be sharing Christ at work. It might be letting your spouse train to be a pastor or a missionary. It might be choosing to remain single for the kingdom. It might be turning down a promotion to spend time with the family. It might be alienating family for Christ. I can’t tell you specifically what it will be for you. I can tell you that true faith leads to actions that cost. James says – if you have a faith that doesn’t cost. If your faith lets you live a selfish, me-orientated life. If your faith lets you turn a blind eye to sin. If your faith only lets you give what really doesn’t cost – what good is that? What good is that type of faith to save you? Jesus said the same thing. He said it in so many places. Counting the cost. The upside down kingdom. But one of the clearest is in the judgment of the sheep and the goats. Listen to Matthew 25:41–43:

Then [the King] will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’

If we don’t help the needy – we do not help Christ.

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James knows this isn’t academic. It is the fire of hell or the glory of heaven. Brothers and sisters – what works that cost you deeply declare to your soul – to a lost world and to the church – this one has true faith? That is why James can conclude: Faith without works is dead v. 17. James 2:17:

So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. This kind of faith – a faith that does not result in works is dead. Dead in the sense that it cannot save you. James then makes a very important point: Works will always follow true faith vv. 18-19 James imagines someone having an objection to his argument. However, because Greek didn’t have punctuation marks it is hard to know which comments belong to the objector and which belong to James. I think the ESV gets it right.

James 2:18–19:

But someone – the interjector – will say, “You have faith and I have works.” James responds: “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

Basically, someone says – what is the big deal? Faith, works – does it really matter? All this theology and arguing. It is nit-picking. Let’s just focus on love and Jesus.

James 2:18–19:

Someone: “You have faith and I have works.”

James: “Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!”

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I have heard every variation on this. Does it really matter if Jesus is God or a god or not God? Surely it is His teachings that matter? Does it matter if the Catholics say works are a ground of salvation as well as faith? Does it matter if the Bible really is without error? You bet these things matter. Here the interjector wants to know – if you have either faith or works or both – surely that is enough? James’ point is this.

If this is how God decreed salvation to be related to faith and works – then no one can decide otherwise. You are not God. Maybe faith leading to salvation leading to works seems too rigid to you. Maybe faith or works seems fine to you. But you are not God. God has decreed – true faith results in good works. James cries:

You show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

When a Christian moves from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of God’s beloved Son – nothing changes externally. They don’t glow, they don’t get a big E for I’m one of the Elect on their forehead. You can’t see salvation.

SALVATION

FAITH WORKS

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What you can see are works. A profane man who becomes holy. A greedy man who becomes generous. A self-centred man who now lives for Christ. James says – that is how you prove your salvation – to yourself and to others. He continues:

You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!

James is writing to Jews who became Christians. They grew up repeating the Shema – twice a day – Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is One. They believed it. They said it. That is a good thing. But the implications of the Kingship of God never changed their heart. Faith alone is not enough. You believe God is one – even demons believe God is one. In fact, they have so much knowledge about God and His Kingship that they shudder. They know this means a Day of Judgment is coming. But, this is not enough to change their actions. James’ point is the one he made in chapter 1 verses 19-27 – the child of God is to be a doer of the Word – not just a hearer of the Word. I asked myself a couple of questions this week. First – How much of my knowledge of the Bible do I actually put into practice? Second question – do my works prove the reality of my faith? First – How much of my knowledge of the Bible do I actually put into practice? If you come to my office you will see diplomas on the wall. I have a Masters in Divinity. I am ordained as a Minister of the Gospel. I have papers that say I know a lot of Bible. But … has it radically changed me? How much of the Sermon on the Mount do I truly practice?

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Do I love my wife like Christ loves the church? Do I treat wealth biblically? Truth is my knowledge has changed me. I’m not what I was – but there are still some gaping holes where I rely on grace – I am certainly not what I should be. I don’t apply enough of what I know. Second question – do my works prove the reality of my faith? Most of the time I look in the mirror and I find myself saying – by the grace of God and only by the grace of God – I think so. But then there are times when I think there is not enough Christ in me? Too much sin – not enough good works. These words of Jesus have haunted me over the years. Matthew 7:21–23:

Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’

These words haunt us all. So, how do you know if you are one who does the will of the Father? Here is my understanding. Jesus, Paul, James – they know full well no one does it perfectly in this life. He also knows that some do it better than others. But, there has to be some change. There has to be some fruit. You can’t look the same or worse than before salvation. You can’t look the same as your unsaved neighbour. You can’t just continue in sin. You have to have some savour of Jesus, some glimpse of godliness, some transformation. You have to hate your sin. You have to be striving and longing to live like Jesus. Brothers and sisters – preaching this is so hard. I feel hypocritical telling you – do better.

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Not only do I feel a dagger of conviction in my heart – but I have to not preach in such a way to crush those with sensitive hearts. I have to remind myself that Paul was writing to those who struggle with assurance of salvation. While James was writing to those who struggle with false assurance of salvation. James is not a great book for those who are saved – but struggle to know they are saved. Some of you have such tender consciences – you read James and you hear – show me your works – and your mind races to think of a failure – a sin – and in seconds you have yourself roasting in hell. Yes – there are some sitting here who need to hear this and realise – I am not a Christian. My faith is demon faith – knowledge without action. I need to repent. But – truth is – I know you – as your Pastor I think that is relatively few of you. I have seen your lives – but if you do think that is you – please talk to one of us please. And yes, I certainly think there are many of us – me very much so – who need to conform our lives to the Word better. We need to pray more, we need accountability, we need action. We need a greater flavour of godly works flowing from our faith. But this does not mean you are unsaved. Also, I think there are some here who just radiate Christ – but you are so humble you wouldn’t know this – and I wish there were more – and so does James. In fact, he is so strong on this – he repeats his argument again but with a slight twist. A faith without works cannot save v. 20 James 2:20:

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

Faith without works is useless – useless to save. And he provides an: Illustration of faith with works vv. 21-25 In fact two illustrations and this time the illustrations are positive.

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He turns to two Old Testament figures. If you were going to pick two Old Testament figures to illustrate works flowing from faith – who would you pick? Abraham is a no-brainer. Abraham – Father of the faithful, Father of the nation. Number two – probably Joseph or Noah or Daniel or one of the Prophets. But Rahab – the prostitute? Probably not on many people’s list. But she is in fact an awesome picture of works. The first illustration is Abraham. Verse 21:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

This is one of the great pictures of works. God says – Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love – and offer him up as a burnt offering. They travel to Mount Moriah. They build the altar, put the wood on it, he binds Isaac and he takes his knife and raises it. He would have sacrificed his son. Hebrews tells us how he could do this. He had faith that if God said your descendants will come through Isaac – God will raise him from the dead. But God stopped him. The Lord said – now I know that you fear me. Abraham’s faith led him to the costliest most difficult act imaginable – obedience to the point to the life of his beloved son. That is fruit. Now that is the easy part of the verse. Here is the hard part. I would have expected James to say something like:

Did not Abraham our father show the works that flow from a true faith when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

Here is what James actually said:

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Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

Justified by works! Many of us cringe at this. Arghh! Now compare this with Paul – Romans 4:2–3:

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”

Paul says Abraham was not justified by works. James says – he was justified by works. And you want to scream – can’t you Apostles and leaders get your act together and say the same thing? What is going on? If you are dozing off – here is where you need to listen up or this passage will forever confuse you. I want to tell you something that will help you every time you come to this passage. James does not use the term justify with the same meaning as Paul. Here is what Doug Moo says in his commentary on James:

So “justify” in Paul refers to how a person gets into relationship with God, while in James it connotes what that relationship must ultimately look like to receive God’s final approval.1

Paul uses justify in terms of salvation. James uses justify in terms of proof. Remember, James is probably the first book written in the New Testament. Paul’s writings were not in circulation. In fact before Paul came along – the way James used this term – vindicate, prove – that was the more common usage.

1 Moo, D. J. (2000). The letter of James (p. 135). Grand Rapids, MI; Leicester, England: Eerdmans; Apollos.

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So, I imagine James would want to say – I used the word first – I used it the way most people do – so read my letter the way I intended it – then let Paul define it the way he wants when you read him. So, I am going to give you a paraphrase of verse 21 that might help. Here is the Lloyd Standard Paraphrase:

Was not Abraham our father’s faith vindicated by his works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

His works vindicated his faith – they proved his faith. Understanding that James uses this word differently resolves many of the tensions in this passage. For example in verse 24 we read:

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And every person who loves the doctrine of salvation by faith alone squirms because Paul says this in Romans 3:28:

For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. But, when we remember that James uses the word justified differently to Paul the tensions vanish. Here is how we read this passage:

James 2:22–25:

Was not Abraham our father’s faith vindicated (or proved) by his works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? … You see that a person’s faith is vindicated (or proved) by works and not by faith without works. And in the same

James 2:21 - ESV:

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?

James 2:21 - Paraphrase:

Was not Abraham our father’s faith vindicated by his works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? as righteousness.”

James 2:22–25:

Was not Abraham our father’s faith vindicated (or proved) by his works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? … You see that a person’s faith is vindicated (or proved) by works and not by faith without works. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute vindicated (or proved) by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

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way was not also Rahab the prostitute vindicated (or proved) by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Now James’ burden becomes clear. So, verse 22:

You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works.

It is Abraham’s faith that activated or energized his works. And his faith completed or led to the intended goal of his works. Faith provides the power for works and faith must result in works for faith to be complete. True faith always results in good works – you can’t have one without the other. Verses 23 and 24:

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.

Again at first glance these two verses seem at odds. Verse 23 says – Abraham was saved by his faith. Verse 24 seems to say that – Abraham was saved by his works. But again – remember that James uses justification in a way that means vindicated. So, all he is saying is faith saved Abraham – but true faith always leads to works – and these works vindicate or prove our faith. If you have faith alone – faith by itself – faith without works – it is not a faith that saves. And because one example is not enough. Verse 25:

And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

Rahab was vindicated by her works. What works? She had awesome works. Here is a woman – a pagan woman, a prostitute. About as far from God as you can get.

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She begins to hear stories about God and is deeply convicted. Then one day two Israelites end up staying at her inn when word comes – spies are in the land. It is one thing to have an academic faith. Now this woman’s very fledging faith has an opportunity to express itself in works. She finds these men and hides them. The King himself turns up and says – we have reports the spies stayed here. She tells him – they have already gone. Her life, the life of her family are in grave danger. She is turning her back on her people, her life, her King, her gods – why? – because she has a growing faith that the God of Israel is the true God who alone saves. This woman became an Israelite and an ancestor of Jesus. Her works vindicated her faith. James then concludes: Faith without works is dead v. 26. Verse 26:

For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

As a doctor I have seen a number of dead bodies. Once the spirit has gone – they are inanimate flesh. They can’t do anything. In the same way – a faith that does not result in works is a dead faith – it cannot save – it is useless for salvation. Brothers and sisters – I feel in some ways I have laboured through this passage instead of just letting it sing to your souls. Maybe I should have just let James speak without showing you why it is not in conflict with Paul. Maybe I shouldn’t have put the technical stuff in. But, I want to see if I can cut through it all now. James says – if you claim to be a Christian – your works should prove it.

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If you meet someone and they claim to be a professional triathlete – but they have a BMI of 40 and puff climbing stairs – you have to ask the question. If you meet someone who claims to be a professional after dinner speaker – but they can’t put two coherent words together – you have to ask the question. If you meet someone who claims to be a Christian – but their life is as worldly and messed up as any non-Christian – you have to ask the question. Every one of us here this morning knows that person. This person made a profession of faith at some point. They attend church – but it is not a priority. They give – but not cheerfully. They watch things they shouldn’t, they treat their family in ways they shouldn't. It has been many years since they attended a homegroup or discipleship group regularly. Work, sport, holidays, money – these occupy too important a place in their lives. They rarely, if ever, talk about Christ and the kingdom. They don’t get why many Christians seem such fanatics. No they are normal for Christians. And you have looked at them and wondered – are they really a Christian – because their life does not look like one? And perhaps you have felt a little voice piping up – who are you to judge – I mean your life has few inconsistencies yourself? James would say this. Ask yourself some hard questions. If you don’t hate your sin – if you don’t long for righteousness – if you have no power for holiness – then your faith is dead. You need to repent. Ask Jesus to revive your dead soul and make it live. And the key to this is faith. Faith that Jesus is God. Faith that He died for your sins. Faith that He will fill your heart and give you true life. And God will delight to save you.

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If you have trusted Him – but you question your fruit and that leads you to question your faith. Ask a few people you trust if they see Christ in you. Ask them where you don’t reflect Christ. Then – pray, read the Word, find accountability. Ask God to make Christ live ever more powerfully in your life – to bear such fruit that even those who struggle with assurance of their faith will know – this has to be Christ in me. And the church and the world will know – this one is Christ’s. James’ desire is to affirm true faith – not destroy weak faith. He wants to encourage us to call on God so that when you see your fruit – then you will know – by the grace of God – I have a faith that saves – all glory to the Lord.

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Rotten Fruit, Rotten Faith (James 2:14-26 February 26, 2017)

Main Point: A faith without works is a dead faith that cannot save your soul. General Questions: 1. Why is this passage so difficult to harmonise with the writings of Paul? 2. How would you describe the proper relationship between faith, salvation and

works? 3. What were the false teachings Paul wrote against? 4. What were the points this teaching made him emphasise? 5. What were the false teachings James wrote against? 6. What were the points this teaching made him emphasise? 7. How would you define the good works that flow from a true faith? 8. How would you define the way Paul uses the term ‘justify’? 9. How would you define the way James uses the term ‘justify’? 10. Is it a problem that they use the same word in different ways? 11. Do you have to works as spectacular as Abraham’s and Rahab’s to be saved? If

not – what level of fruit does affirm salvation? Application Questions: 1. How does the illustration in verses 15-16 apply in the context of 21st century

Brisbane? 2. In what ways can we show love to the poorest of our neighbours and brothers? 3. What is the fruit in your life that actually costs you? 4. How much of your knowledge of the Bible do you actually put into practice? 5. Do your works prove the reality of your faith? 6. Do you struggle with assurance of your salvation? If so does James hurt or help

you? Why?

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7. When you look at your life – are you concerned with your fruit or not? What concrete steps can you take to see your fruit grow and blossom?

8. Are there other ways this passage leads to application in your life?