Episode 155 - "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead" James 2:20-26

20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 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. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 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? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

This entire chapter of this small letter has been dedicated to James’ argument that “works” are an intrinsic and vital element of “faith.” One cannot have real Christian faith that exists only in ideas or words. Real faith has real evidence. James is going to finish this argument with a couple of illustrations from Jewish history. The point is real faith has always looked like this, and we can see it in the lives of Abraham, the patriarch of the Jewish people, and Rahab, a prostitute from a pagan society that responds to the working of the God of the Israelites.

The story of Abraham (originally Abram) began in Genesis 12 when God told Abram to leave his home and go to a place He would show Abram and promised Abram that He would bless him. Abram obeyed God. 

The story continues with God making a covenant promise to Abram in Genesis 15 that God would make Abram the father of many nations. When Abram was 90 years old, God changed Abram’s name to Abraham (Genesis 17), gave Abraham the sign of the covenant, and specified that He would give Abraham and Sarah, his wife, a son through whom He would bring about these many nations.

It’s in Genesis 22 that we find that God commands Abraham to take this one son that he loves and sacrifice him to God. From a human perspective, this makes no sense. How could Isaac be a progenitor to many nations if he’s dead? Yet Abraham appears to immediately respond in obedience by taking Isaac to the place God would show him three days journey away. It’s only at the last moment that God stops Abraham from going through with it. 

The point of James is that real faith is demonstrated by real obedience to God’s specific word. This was not some plan of Abraham thinking in his own mind, “If I sacrifice my son, God will be pleased with me.” Nope. Abraham most certainly did not want to do this since God specified Isaac, “the one you love,” rather than Ishmael, to be sacrificed. Ishmael was a son Hagar, Sarah’s Egyptian servant, bore by Abraham. It was only at the last moment that God stopped Abraham from slaying his son. (Gen. 22:12, 15-18) It was God’s test for Abraham, and Abraham passed. 

James adds that Abraham “was called a friend of God.” This can be found in 2 Chronicles 20:7 and again in Isaiah 41:8. Why do you think James adds this detail? I think it’s because, as a friend, one has the good of the other in mind as well as a strong element of trust. Perhaps James shares this to challenge his readers, “Don’t you want to be a friend of God?” If so, you need to trust God, not only in your head but also in your actions. 

James then mentions that this kind of faith was found in someone other than Abraham. We might expect him to mention Abraham’s son Isaac or even Jacob or possibly even David. Instead, James speaks of a non-Jewish prostitute. Rahab was among the people of Jericho, the city that God would destroy when the Israelites marched around its walls for seven days and blew their horns in obedience to God’s instructions. The people of Jericho had heard stories of what the God of Israel had been doing in delivering the Israelites out of Egypt, including parting the Red Sea. It’s obvious from the account in Joshua 2 the King of Jericho is paranoid about the Israelites. Yet, it’s Rahab who hides the Jewish spies and confesses to them, “for the LORD your God, he is God in the heavens above and on the earth beneath.” (Joshua 2:11) The Israelites spared the lives of Rahab and her family because they acted in obedience to what the LORD was revealing. What she does is no different from what Abraham did.

James completes this argument by saying “the body apart from the spirit is dead” and likens that to faith apart from works. 

I think we’ve established that James is not arguing that one can earn their way to heaven and a friendship with God on their own efforts and merit. The works we are to do are the ones that God has prepared for us that originate from the faith He gives us. We are simply obeying the Lord by following His word. 

James is also not “playing God.” James is not the divine judge of our faith-works, and neither are we. James is challenging us to reflect upon our own profession of faith in the gospel and asking us “Are just saying you believe, or are you following the Lord?”

Prayer: Lord! Lead us into the obedience of the works you have prepared for us this week.

Episode 154 - "Even the demons believe--and shudder!" James 2:18-19

James 2:18   But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 

Chapter two of this letter is about the nature of true Christian faith. It has been interpreted by some as a message that is not consistent with the apostle Paul’s view on faith or other passages in the Bible. Those that interpret it this way believe that James is teaching “faith plus works” for salvation and pursuing the Christian faith in their life. 

I am advocating a “faith that works” interpretation. I would assert that this view is in perfect harmony with Paul’s teaching and that of Scripture as a whole. What is the difference? First of all, I believe the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, are a divine revelation from God and that God’s revelation is consistent and harmonious throughout time. This means that when Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest anyone should boast,” Paul is not saying something different than what James is saying in chapter two of his letter. Paul is emphasizing something different than James. Paul is saying that it’s not your own efforts that save you and that even your “faith” is a “gift of God.” Do you see that? Faith itself has a divine source. Paul is focusing on the fact that our salvation comes from God and not from within ourselves and our own effort. 

James, on the other hand, is describing the nature of what that divine gift of faith looks like. Just like a plant or a tree produces a distinctive leaf, flower, or fruit, the Christian faith has a distinctive kind of fruit. That “fruit” is obedience to the Lord’s word. Paul supports this in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” The faith kind of works is God’s works that He intends to work through us. Both in Paul’s theology and James’ theology, all the credit goes to God. We might ask ourselves, “Why would God give us a faith that would only serve as some kind of fact that we hold in our heads and has no power to affect any change or good in our life?” This is James’ argument. 

Look at verse 18, where James uses a hypothetical argument, “You have faith, and I have works.” If I’m understanding this correctly, there is a shallow and cavalier attitude behind this statement. Depending upon the perspective of the person, either side could be grossly wrong. Why? Because a person who makes a claim to have faith, yet their life reveals values and beliefs entirely inconsistent with that claim has absolutely nothing to show for it. There is no substance whatsoever to the claim “I have faith.” On the other hand, the other person may work hard, thinking they are a good person and that God will accept them because of all the “good things” they do. The problem with that is they have no trust in the Lord. They are only trusting in themselves and their own efforts. They have made themselves their own God, deciding what is good. They are not working God’s works. They are working their own works. The point is, as wrong as they may be, at least there is something to show for their belief system. 

James is saying, “What I do will be an outworking and consistent with what I say I believe.” Ideally, the Holy Spirit is leading us in working the works God has prepared for us.

Now James gives us another statement that is interesting but serves to communicate his point. “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (James 2:19) The first sentence, “You believe that God is one; you do well,” is truthful. To believe this is good. The author of Hebrews speaks about faith and asserts that one “must believe that He (God) exists.” (Hebrews 11:6) 

The problem is that it’s not “good enough.” It’s only a good start. James reveals this by reminding his audience, “Even the demons believe–and shudder!” What does he mean by this? The understanding regarding demons is that they were angels in the presence of God. They did not need faith because they saw God. They experienced his glory. Yet, they followed Satan in rebellion against God and were cast out. In spite of what they knew and believed in their mind, their actions said something different. These demons “shudder” because they know who God is, and they know the ultimate judgment they will receive for their rebellion which continues to this day.

Prayer: Lord, let the faith you have given me lead me to do the works that you have prepared for me to do. 

Episode 149 - "Be doers of the word!" James 1:22-25

James 1:22   But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.

In our last episode, we learned that we are to be “quick to hear.” (v. 19) I suggested that means we should be actively listening to God’s word as well as to our brothers and sisters in the faith. However, James says it’s not good enough just to listen or hear when God is speaking to us. In verse 22, he says that if we just hear the word but don’t act upon it, we deceive ourselves. That seems self-explanatory, doesn’t it? But, let’s not rush on without reflecting upon the implications of this.

Wouldn’t you agree that to “deceive ourselves” would be a foolish thing to do? Why would we want to do that? Foolishness is the opposite of wisdom, and we learned in verse 5 that wisdom is something God wants to give us. It is an essential component of the completeness for which God has intended for us. Therefore, if we genuinely want what God wants for us, we will listen to God’s word so that we will know what to do. How do we do that? How do we listen to God?

There are many people who will say, “God told me . . . “ Perhaps that’s true. The problem is how does one know? The Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments offer frequent warnings about false prophets and people who are inclined to follow people who say what they want to hear. Moses writes that God commanded that false prophets should be put to death. (Deut. 18:20) The point is that we should understand the serious nature of speaking for God. 

The Apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:1-6 that an essential first test of a teacher of God’s truth is that they confess (teach and affirm) that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and is from God. If someone denies this, they are not to be heard. If God is true, then His word is true. Whatever message someone says is from God must come true. If it bears out to be not true, we should not listen to that person. 

The Church has held that the Scriptures from Genesis through Revelation are God’s inspired special revelation to humanity. We believe the Scriptures are God’s word. Therefore, the most reliable source to follow and act upon is our Bible. It is wise and commended that we don’t just read the Bible and interpret it from our own perspective. We should read how Christians throughout the generations have interpreted the Scriptures and pray for wisdom in understanding.

Then, we are to do what the Scriptures say. We cannot say to ourselves, “Wow! That was great!” and then turn around and ignore it. James gives the illustration of looking in a mirror and immediately forgetting what we look like and likens that to those who listen to God’s word and understand what God wants them to do but ignore it. It seems that James is suggesting that we are not foolish for the things we don’t understand. That’s why he tells us that we can ask God for wisdom, who will grant it to whoever asks. It’s a matter of depending upon the Lord and allowing Him to help us grow in knowledge, wisdom, and faith. 

Verse 25 is the “icing on the cake.” James writes, “But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” What is the perfect law? Some of you might say, “We’re Christians, and we aren’t under the law.” Without going into great detail on this, look at how he qualifies this “perfect law.” He describes it as the “law of liberty.” The point here is that when we read God’s word and we are “listening” to the message, we are not to create a list of things to which we enslave ourselves. James understands that people can and do develop the mindset that if they just follow a list of dos and don’ts, they are pleasing God. In your spare time, read Romans 8. Paul explains that one of the roles of the Holy Spirit is to confront us about things in our life that need to change or to provoke us to what is good and righteous. The point here is we should not get caught up in keeping score by following a list but considering how we can honor the Lord in following Him. James says the one who does this will “be blessed.” (v. 25)

An example of doing this could be Jesus’ new commandment. “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:34-35) Jesus taught his disciples and made it clear that what he was telling them was to be obeyed by them. He also told them the good that would come out of them obeying his new command to love one another. He told them that all people would know they were disciples of Jesus if they loved one another. 

Jesus also told people the entire Law of Moses was represented by two things: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, and mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 22:37-44) It seems to me those teachings reflect a “law of liberty.” Rather than seeking to follow a list, we are pursuing a philosophy of loving God and mankind.

Prayer: Father in Heaven - Give us a hunger to listen to your word and for your Spirit to provoke and enable us to honor you by obeying your desires for us. Thank you for the blessing you are offering us through this. 

Episode 91 - "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them." John 13:16-20

16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But the Scripture will be fulfilled, ‘He who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I am telling you this now, before it takes place, that when it does take place you may believe that I am he. 20 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.”

This is another case of where do we begin and when do we stop. These few verses have so much to say to us. Allow me first to draw your attention to the fact that in these five verses, there are two “Truly, truly” statements. When Jesus says that, it means “Listen up!” The first is to make the point that “a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.” Jesus is not bragging. He’s calling attention to what they have acknowledged themselves. In this context, he reinforces the need for the disciples to be humble towards each other and serve each other. If Jesus can humbly serve others, then we have absolutely no excuse to think of ourselves as superior to others around us. In fact, Jesus doesn’t stop there with that exhortation. In verse 17, he recognizes the potential for them to understand this truth in their mind, but fail to act upon it. He encourages them to let what they know translate into what they do. If they know they should be humble and serve others, then they should do it. It is too easy for us to placate ourselves by acknowledging what is good and right. But, it can be harder to turn those beliefs into actions.

Once again, Jesus indicates that this will not apply to everyone; only to those who truly belong to him. He quotes Psalm 41:9 as a prophetic word regarding Judas Iscariot who would betray Jesus. Then, he explains that he is telling them this now, even though they don’t understand it, in order that they will put the pieces together later and realize that Jesus knows everything. They will ultimately understand that he has divine knowledge and they will truly understand and value that he is God.

In verse 20 we have the second of these “Truly, truly” statements: “whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.” On the surface, this may sound like Jesus is changing subjects. But, it is no coincidence that Jesus has just given his disciples a lesson on serving others, and information that will help them understand that he really is the unique Son of God and is now speaking of those he will send. Who could that be? His disciples of course. He will send them to serve others and to tell people who Jesus is. This statement is to encourage them that there will be people who will listen to their message about Jesus and believe them. Furthermore, they are not just believing the disciples, but also the Son who sent them and the Father who sent the Son. 

What would you think if someone told you that you could tell other people that a man named Jesus is the Son of God, that he willingly died on a cross to accept the punishment for our sin against God, that he conquered death and will someday return to raise us from the dead . . .  and that people would believe you? That would be hard to believe. It’s an amazing claim. 

In our society today there are many people who deny or at least question the existence of God. That’s not to mention the number of people who believe in a god or gods, but don’t know about or believe the God in the Bible is the only or true God. Yet, that is the mission for which Jesus will soon send his disciples and within a matter of a few hundred years, it would become a world religion. 

The only explanation that people would believe us is the power of the good news of Jesus. It is a divine message that has changed the hearts and minds of countless people regardless of how crazy it might seem on the surface.

The challenge to us is whether we will carry that torch and communicate the message of Jesus to others.