Let us turn in our Bibles this
morning to James chapter 2. James chapter 2. Beginning with verse 14. What doth it profit, my brethren,
though a man say he hath faith and have not works? Can faith
save him? If a brother or sister be naked
and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,
depart in peace, be you warmed and filled, notwithstanding you
give them not those things which are needful to the body, what
doth it profit? Even so, faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, thou hast
faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy
works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest
that there is one God, thou doest well. The devils also believe
and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man,
that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified
by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Sayest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works
was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled
which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto
him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see then how that by works
a man is justified and not by faith only. Likewise also was
not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had received
the messengers and had sent them out another way? For as the body
without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. I pointed out to us last time
that there are three subjects in this second chapter of James. We looked at two of them last
time, the sin of God's children having the respective persons,
and secondly, the law of God. Now, this morning we're going
to look at the third subject, and it concerns saving faith
versus worthless faith. Saving faith versus worthless
faith. Satan has his ministers, messengers. The Apostle Paul tells us in
2 Corinthians that they have transformed themselves into ministers
of light. In other words, Satan has his
men preaching And there are two snares that they have used successfully
over the years to damn many people in this matter concerning salvation. The first era is to teach that
men are saved by the combination of faith in Christ, work, and
their own. In other words, there are those
who preach, it is Christ plus. And there are a number of things
that these ministers of Satan have put forth. It's Christ plus
baptism. It's Christ plus knowing the
catechism. It's Christ plus in the New Testament,
it was Christ plus the right of circumcision, unless of person
be circumcised, he cannot be saved. So it's that era has ensnared
many people and taken many people down to hell, believing with
a lie in their hand, a lie in their hand, believing with all
their heart, if you please, that I'm saved by the work of Christ
and what I've done or what I'm doing. That's one era. The second era is to teach that
men may be saved by faith without works. That is a faith that is
more like just a mental ascent to the truth. They believe certain
things about Christ. They've heard, they've learned
certain doctrines about Christ. but it's never been in their
heart. It has never percolated, as one of my preacher friends
used to say, it never has percolated down into their heart. And there's
no evidence that their faith works because of love, a changed
life, and out of love for Christ, manifesting works, those good
works that the scripture speaks about. So I start off this morning
reminding us and cautioning us there are two eras that Satan
has successfully used in deceiving men down through the years about
faith and works. There are some churches, their
whole dogma, their whole doctrine is based on faith plus, faith
in Christ plus. what you do to earn your salvation. And then there's those who believe,
yes, I know, I believe something about Christ, and their faith
is more of an historical faith. You know, I believe in the person
named George Washington. I really do. I believe there
was a man at the beginning of our country's history by the
name of George Washington. I have that historical faith
and knowledge in that person, and many people, they have a
faith like that. They believe in Christ. In fact,
probably over most of the world today, there would be a consensus
of people who believe, yes, there was a man one day a little over
2,000 years ago, who was named Jesus of Nazareth, and he was
a good man, and he did good works. But it doesn't affect their life
in any way, no more than they believe in any other historical
figure. Those are two soul-damning eras. Now in looking at this passage
this morning, I'm going to take verse 14 as my text. This is my text, verse 14, and
here are three things that I want to call our attention to in this
verse. Number one, James addresses those
to whom he asks his questions as his brethren. You notice that
in verse 14, my brethren. He addresses those to whom he
asks these two questions as his brethren. Now what does that
tell us? And why do I make a point of
that? It tells us, and I make a point of this, it tells us
that these words are directed to men and women who professed
faith in Christ. They professed to believe in
the Lord Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Now, if James,
the Apostle James, if he had been asked the same question
by the Philippian jailer under the same circumstances that Paul
and Silas were asked, remember that Philippian jailer, he came
before Paul and Silas and fell down on his knees and he said,
sirs, what must I do to be saved? Now, if James had been asked
that same question, I have no doubt he would have answered
in the same way that Paul answered. Do you ask what you must do? Man, it's already been done. The work's been done. Christ
from the cross cried, it is finished. Do what you must do in order
to be saved. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ
and thou shalt be saved and thy house. In other words, everyone
in your house who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ, they shall
be saved likewise. In the same way, Christ is the
Savior. Christ is the Savior, I have
no doubt. that James would have answered
that question under the same circumstances and the very same
way that Paul answered it. And the reason I point this out
is because, you know, men have pitted Paul against James and
James against Paul. And they say, well, there's a
contradiction here, that the apostle Paul It's very clear
that men are justified by faith in Christ alone, but here comes
James and he's teaching something opposite. He's teaching that
men are justified by works. There is no contradiction. If
you look in the 15th chapter of Acts, now I'm not gonna go
there, but I'm gonna remind us of some things. They were meeting, that is, the
apostles, Paul, Barnabas, and Peter, and James, and no doubt
others of the apostles, they were meeting there in Jerusalem,
and they were meeting to decide this issue. There were men who
had gone from Jerusalem, professed believers, they'd gone to the
churches of the Gentiles, And they had taught them, yes, what
you've heard is good, faith in Christ, that's good, but you
also must be circumcised. You also must come under the
law of Moses in order to be saved. So that's the discussion they're
having here. Is that true? Is that true? that a man, in order to be saved,
he must believe in Christ plus recognize the law of Moses and
practice the law of Moses. You know, the dietary laws, the
Sabbaths, all of those things that were included in that covenant
that God made with the nation of Israel at Mount Sinai. That's what they were telling.
First of all, Peter spoke. And this is important, what Peter
said. Now listen. He stood up and he
said this. The Holy Spirit, God the Holy
Spirit, he put no difference between us, that is us Jews,
and them, Gentiles. He put the Holy Spirit but no
difference between us and them, now listen, purifying their hearts
by faith. That's what salvation is, isn't
it? That's what salvation is, it's receiving a new heart, a
pure heart. A heart that God promised to
give, a new heart. He'll take out that heart of
stone, that's that old nature, that we all come into this world
with, and he gives us a new heart and a new spirit, purifying their
hearts by faith. In Romans chapter 10, Paul said,
with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation. with the heart. So Peter, he said this, he said
that God purified their hearts, he purified our hearts, us who
are Jews, those who are Gentiles. Our hearts have been purified
by faith, that is by faith in Jesus Christ alone. Well James,
he seems at least to have been the pastor there. The same James
that wrote this epistle. He seems to have been the pastor
at Jerusalem very highly respected of the apostles, among the apostles,
I should say. And this is what he said. He
wrote this letter and he said, my sentence, my sentence, here's
my opinion. Here's my opinion. My sentence
is that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles
are turned to God. In other words, we trouble not
them with that yoke of bondage, that law of Moses. Men are saved
by grace through faith, and that alone. That was James' opinion. Look with me, but here's the
thing about this faith. I want you to see that Those
who teach that there's a difference between these two apostles, I
don't know why they don't look, if you look here in James chapter
two and verse 23, what he says of how Abraham, our father, was
justified. The scripture was fulfilled which
saith, here it is, Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him
for righteousness. Now James says, this is the way
that our father Abraham was justified. You know, Abraham is the father
of all believers. He's your father today. If you're
one of his, of God's children, he's the father of all who believe.
How was he justified? He believed God and it was imputed. That is the righteousness of
Christ was imputed unto him counted to be his righteousness. And
thereby God was able to say, he's just, he's just, just as
if he had never sinned before God, before the law of God, he's
just. No one can bring an accusation
against him. He cannot be condemned. Why? Because he's been justified by
the imputed righteousness of Christ. Now Paul said the same
thing. Look in Romans chapter four.
Paul, he wrote the very same thing. Romans chapter four beginning
with verse one. What shall we say then that Abraham
our father as pertaining to the flesh hath found? Now notice,
for if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to
glory, but not before God. For what saith the scripture?
Now he cites the very same scripture. It's Genesis chapter 15 and verse
six. He cites the very same scripture
that James cited. Abraham believed God. and it
was counted unto him for righteousness. They both declare the same thing
as concerning Abraham, how he was justified. Now, when we say we're justified by
faith, we recognize that Christ is the one who obeyed God's law. Christ is the one who suffered
the penalty of that law for our sins. We're justified, faith,
it justifies us only in the sense that by faith we lay hold of
Christ. We believe in Christ. Faith didn't
die for us. No, Christ did, Christ did. But
men are justified by grace through faith, saved by grace through
faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. But I want you to look in Galatians
chapter 5 just a moment in verse 6. The Apostle Paul tells us something
about this faith. And this is where I think many
people are deceived. Galatians chapter 5 and verse
6. For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision
availeth anything nor uncircumcision, but Faith which worketh by love. You see that? What kind of faith
are we talking about? Faith which worketh by love. Look over in chapter six of Galatians, verse 15. For in Christ Jesus
neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision,
but a new creature." Being born of the Spirit of God, new creature,
new creation in Christ Jesus. So that's the first thing I point
out in our text this morning is to whom is James writing?
He's writing to those that he addresses as his brethren, those
who profess faith in Christ. And then notice his first question.
His first question back here in James chapter two and verse
14. What doth it profit a man? For what doth it profit my brethren
though a man say he hath faith and hath not works? So we see
what kind of faith he's talking about here. He's not talking
about faith that works by love, is he? He's talking about a faith
that doesn't work. He's talking about a faith that
doesn't make any difference in a person's life. Oh yeah, I believe
in Jesus. It sure doesn't look like it.
You sure don't live like it. Oh yeah, I have faith. James
is talking about in this passage of scripture, a faith that does
not work by love. Does it profit? Does it profit
those who say they have faith and have not works? In Hebrews
chapter six, the scripture says, but beloved, we are persuaded
better things of you and things that accompany salvation. Now
when God saves a sinner, there's just certain things that accompany
salvation. Three of those things we see
over and over in these New Testament epistles. Faith, that accompanies
salvation. When God saves someone, he's
given faith. He believes in Christ. Hope,
that accompanies salvation. We're begotten again unto a living
hope. We know that when we leave this
world, we're going to be with Christ. We have a living hope,
and not only faith and hope, but love. God's people love Him,
and they love one another. John said, hereby we know that
we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren. There are things that accompany
salvation. But a faith that doesn't work,
doesn't have works, it's just an empty, worthless faith. Notice his second question, can
faith save him? Can faith save him? What kind
of faith is he talking about when he asks that question? What kind of a faith? He's talking
about a faith that has not works. Can that kind of faith save a
person? And of course the answer is implied,
clearly no, no. Now I have two points I want
to make. I want you to notice four things that James declares
about faith without works. First of all, faith without works
is like very kind but empty words helping a person, a brother or
sister in need. Verses 15 through 17. This is
what this worthless faith is like. If a brother or sister
be naked and destitute of daily food. Now before I go on, let
me mention this. In God's providence, sometimes
God's children become poor and have needs like these that James
mentions here. if a brother or sister, a believer,
a child of God. Now, if a man, if a Christian
becomes poverty stricken because he won't work or by laziness,
slothfulness, wastefulness, that's one thing. And we know that in
the early church, there were some people like that. There
were some people like that in the church at Thessalonica. And
you remember what Paul wrote, he said that if any would not
work, neither should he eat. For we hear that there are some
which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies. So that's one thing, if a person
brings poverty upon himself, he's lazy, he's slothful, that's one thing. But I'm saying
this morning that we see here, if a brother or sister be naked
or need food, there are times when God's children, yes, they
are God's children, and God loves them, and Christ died for them,
and yet in the providence of God, they are brought down to
have need. Now you say, preacher, why would
God allow that? Why would God do that? Well,
two answers occur to me. Could it be to give opportunity
to those who have saving faith to help and to show our love
for that brother and sister? Could that be the reason God
allows some to be poor, some to have need, so that those who
have true saving faith out of the vows of compassion and love
for Christ and for God's people will help them? Look with me
in Matthew 25. Matthew chapter 25. And you know when I'm turning here,
I want to just mention the fact over the years we've had people
in our church, brothers or sisters who've needed help, and God's
people here have always been so generous to help. And I believe that's probably
true of every true church, where God's people are, don't you?
God's people, when they see a brother or sister in need, they're not
going to just say, well, be warmed and filled. Not if they need
clothes for the cold, if they need food for their stomach,
they're not gonna just say, well, be warmed and filled. Those are
kind words, but they're empty words. And they do not help the
person who has need. And that's the same thing about
faith, it does not have works. It's just empty, vain. Here in Matthew chapter 25, in
verse 34, we know this is at the judgment. Then shall the
king say unto them on his right hand, come, you blessed of my
father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of
the world. For I was an hungred. you gave
me meat. I was thirsty, and you gave me
drink. I was a stranger, and you took
me in. Naked, and you clothed me. I
was sick, and you visited me. I was in prison, and you came
unto me. Then shall the righteous answer
him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee in hunger? and fed thee,
or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger,
and took thee in, or naked, and clothed thee? You know, one thing
you see right off the bat here is God's people don't brag about
their works of charity, their works of love. I mean, they're
surprised. Here the Lord is commending them
for feeding him, and clothing him, and visiting him, When? When? When did we ever do that? Notice what the Lord says, The
king shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,
Inasmuch as you have done it unto one of the least of these
my brethren, you've done it unto me. You've done it unto me. So why would God allow and His
providence bring some of His children into poverty, into need,
so that His children may show their love, have an opportunity
to be a blessing to them? And a second thing that occurred
to me is to show that person in poverty God's faithfulness. God's faithfulness. You'd be
surprised, maybe you wouldn't, how many times over the years
some of the people that I've known who've been in need have
told me how God has supplied their needs above and beyond
what they could have ever thought. They learned more about God and
God's faithfulness in need than they ever would have learned
if they'd never had need. But the point that James is making
here, if you just tell someone who's hungry, well, be fed. Someone
who's cold, well, be warm. The Lord bless you. The Lord
bless you. And you don't give that person,
you have it. Now, if you don't have it, that's
one thing. You should always have a desire, even if you don't
have it, right? But if you have it by you, and
you just close up your vows of compassion and say, well, God
bless you. Be warmed and filled. How does
that help that person? It doesn't. And the same thing
James says is true about faith that does not have works. Read
on. If a brother or sister be naked
and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them,
depart in peace, be you warmed and filled, notwithstanding You
give them not those things which are needful to the body, what
doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not
works, is dead, being alone. The second thing he says about
this worthless faith, he tells us that faith without works cannot
be seen. It cannot be seen in verse 18. Yea, a man may say, thou hast
faith and I have works, show me thy faith without thy works,
and I will show thee my faith by my works. Now faith, faith
is a grace, but it's a grace, it's a hidden grace. It's a hidden
grace. It's manifested by works. It's manifested, it's like being
underwater, you know. Faith is underwater, but then
it's manifested by coming up above water and doing something. It's shown by doing. You can't
show a person your faith without works, and that's what James
says about this worthless faith. No one can see it. Number three,
faith without works is like the faith that devils have. You believe,
notice in verse 19, thou believest that there is one God? Well,
that's great. That's great. There is only one
God. Well, the devils believe that.
And they even go a step further. They tremble. They tremble because
they know what awaits them. That kind of faith, just believing,
I know there's a God. I know there's a higher power.
I sure hate to hear that, don't you? A higher power. He's all
powerful. There's only one God. That may just be me, but I like
to talk about God, don't you? He's a great God, but He's a
personal God. Personal God. He has attributes of mercy, love,
and patience, and kindness, goodness, and wrath, and justice, and all
these things. He's a personal God. Not just
some great power up there somewhere, no. I can't relate to that. I can relate to God as my father,
can't you? And number four, faith without
works, as James said, it's like a body once the soul leaves.
That's what happens in death, isn't it? The soul is separated
from the body. Well, faith without works, James
said, is just like a body without a soul. It's dead. Notice that
in verse 26. For as the body without the spirit
is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Now, here's my
second point, my last point. James gives two examples of those
who had faith and their faith was manifested by their works. And all of the examples, as I
looked at this, I thought of all the examples James could
have chosen, especially just reading through the 11th chapter
of Hebrews, of all of the men and women who are named there
and what they did by faith. He could have named Noah. Noah
had faith. He believed God. How was his
faith manifested? He built an ark. He built an
ark, never had rain before. He didn't know anything about
a flood. He didn't have to know anything. God told him. He believed God. The same thing
could be true about Daniel. Put him in that lion's den. He
believed God. Same thing's true about Moses.
I mean, there's just one after the other in that 11th chapter.
who believed God, who had faith, and their faith was manifested
by their works. Moses, he's the adopted son of
Pharaoh's daughter. I mean, he's somebody in Egypt. He didn't have to walk. He had
a chariot to ride in. He's somebody. Turned his back
on all of it. to identify himself with God
and the people of God. Faith is manifested, but James
chose Abraham and Rahab. You've got one who is the father
of the nation of Israel, so I'd say one's a Jew, one's a Gentile. One's a man and one's a woman,
but they were both alike, like everyone else in this world.
They were both sinners. They were both sinners who needed
a savior. And God saved both of them. Both Abraham, we saw how he was
justified. He believed God and it, that
is the righteousness of Christ, was counted to be his righteousness. He was justified before God. And Rahab, the same thing is
true. She manifested her faith. She
said, we've heard. We've heard. You read that passage
over there in Joshua. And it just confirms what the
scriptures teach us. Faith cometh by hearing and hearing
by the word of God. Rahab received those spies. Why? Because she had heard. She had
heard what God did for the nation of Israel. He dried up the Red
Sea and let his people go through. We've heard. Your God is the
only God. And she showed her faith. She
received those spies into her house, protected them, kept them
so that they would not be destroyed. And let me close with this. Let
me close with this. For those who think that there's
some disagreement between Paul and James on this matter of justification
and good works, listen to these just few verses
that Paul wrote concerning good works. For by grace are you saved
through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of
God, not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his
workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which
God hath before ordained that we walk in them. How about this one? 1 Timothy. charge them that are rich, that
they be rich in good works. How about this one, in Titus,
in all things showing thyself a pattern in good works. And then this one, who Christ
gave himself for us that he might purify unto himself a peculiar
people, and what makes them peculiar is they're zealous of good works. These things I will that thou
affirm constantly, constantly. Titus, he wrote these words to
Titus, Paul did, the apostle, inspired of God. He said, I will
that thou affirm these things constantly, that they which have
believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. I pray that the Lord would bless
these words to all of us. We need to be reminded, don't
we? First of all, there's no contradiction between any of
the scripture. The scripture, our Lord said
the scripture cannot be broken. And I'm confident in these 66
books in the Bible, we have all we need, and I'm thankful for
it, aren't you? And I see no contradiction between
any of it. I thank God for you folks. You're
such a patient audience to preach to. My desire is that all of
us have faith in Christ and maintain good works. That's my prayer
for myself, that's my prayer for all of you as well. Let us
say