24.04.07
James (7): Faith that Flies (James 2:14-26)
If there is one phrase I want you all to take away from tonight’s study in James 2:14-26 it is this – True Faith Flies. A couple of weeks ago I took 5 flights within the space of 7 days. On each occasion, I looked carefully at the plane before I got onto it. Each plane looked good – looked clean and had all the bits which should have been there looking great. The engines started up and they sounded good – the plane looked great and made all the right noises. But you know, it could all have been a sham – those planes could have been cardboard cut-outs with carefully manicured passenger compartments replete with speakers blasting out the sound of roaring aircraft engines. I don’t know why anyone would have pulled off a hoax like that, but they could have. The only way you know that an airplane is a true airplane is that when it gets to the end of the runway it takes off and flies. Only in the flying is the airplane proved genuine. Faith can look good on the outside, and it can make all the right noises – but how do you know it is real, true, saving faith in Jesus Christ? It is because true faith flies – true faith shows itself genuine by the works it does.
That is the problem James is addressing here in James 2:14-26. He is not talking about how you contribute to your salvation through your good works, as if salvation equals faith and works; but what he is saying is that true faith shows itself in its actions. If there are no actions, then, de facto, James says, your profession of faith isn’t genuine. Another way of saying this is that faith makes a difference to the way you live your life – if there is no difference, then there is no faith. No, not if you are the most convincing speaker in the world; if your faith isn’t accompanied by works then it’s not justifying faith – it is the faith of demons and hypocrites.
James gives us four pictures of true flying faith, each of which reinforces what James is saying, and that is, to remind ourselves, that we are saved by faith alone, but that saving faith is never alone – it is always accompanied by works. Each picture also contains a message which furthers, reinforces and applies this central teaching regarding the connection between faith and works.
[A] Picture 1: Needy Christians (vs., 14-17) – the message embedded within these verses is that barren faith does not save; or to put it another way, faith that saves is never alone – and if it is alone, it isn’t saving faith. This message comes through clear by taking the second part of vs. 14 – “can such faith save him” together with the last few words of vs. 16 – “what good is it?” Here we have a needy Christian brother struggling because he or she lacks the daily necessities of life – food and clothes. But rather than helping them, the individual members of the Christian community pawn them off with fine sounding words. “Go, I wish you well”, or literally, “Go in peace” is an Old Testament religious blessing which wishes God’s best upon those to whom it is given. Here is a group of Christians covering up their negligence and sinfulness by using religious language – they sound good, but underneath it all, they don’t have saving, justifying faith. Their faith is dead. What about us in this church? Do we, do you and I, have good religious speak, but use it to cover over our lack of willingness to help our needy brothers and sisters in Christ? And James says that if you have faith like that – if your faith is not active, then you are not a Christian at all – your faith is dead – it is not of a type to save you. And let’s not blunt the impact of what James is here saying – he’s not just saying here that true faith expresses itself through works; he is saying that unless there are works present, you have no true faith. James is using the example of poverty and wealth here because that was a prevalent issue in his day, and to be sure there are still issues of poverty and wealth which need dealt with, but it doesn’t take much thought on any of our parts to think of areas where we can work out our faith in a local setting.
[B] Picture 2: Shuddering Demons (vs. 18-20) – the message embedded in these verses is that we show that we have true faith through our works. You can see this in the second part of vs. 18, where James says, “show me your faith without works and I will show you my faith by what I do”. Here we have a picture of the demons of hell – and you know the demons are extremely orthodox in what they believe. They believe the Old Testament Shema – the stock phrase of orthodoxy among believing Jews – “Hear O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One.” They believe all the right things, but it is their response which marks them out as demons – they believe and yet shudder. The demons have faith of a sort, but it’s not saving faith because it does not result in sanctified good works. Their faith doesn’t fly – it runs away. Be careful then about merely saying that you are a man or woman of faith. There are many kinds of faith, but only through the performance of good works is our faith shown to be true. Let’s take a contemporary example of this: we, in our denomination, are good at talking about evangelism, but are we going to do it? Are we going, are you going, to get your hands dirty in telling others the good news about Jesus? Being orally orthodox is one thing, but it is the person who engages in orthopraxis, and gets out there evangelising, who truly believes the message about Jesus.
[C] Picture 3: Faithful Abraham (vs. 21-24) – the message embedded in these verses, although it is one of many, is that true faith grows through works. You can see this from the last few words of vs. 22 where Abraham’s faith and works are working together and his faith was completed by what He did. His works grew His faith. The Jewish 1st Century theologian Philo used words like these to talk of how Jacob’s faith grew in maturity through all the challenges he faced. To truly understand what James is here saying would require us to go back to Genesis, to the story of Abraham. We don’t have time to do that in detail tonight, but I want you to think of two seminal events in Abraham’s life which drive home this point: the first is in Genesis 15 where God, on the basis of Abraham’s faith in Him, justifies him – as James says, “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.” God justified Abraham on the basis of faith. And yet, was the faith of Abraham alone? No it was not for 7 chapters later on Abraham, in response to God’s command, offers up his son Isaac upon the altar. And so what kind of faith did Abraham have – true faith, because it resulted in good works and obedience to God. His actions fulfilled or completed, in the language of vs. 22 and 23, his faith. Without works, his faith would have been meaningless; but through works, his faith grew and completed his faith. Many of the most immature Christians I know are also the oldest Christians I know. They have spent their whole lives listening to the message – and they can talk a good religious speak – but there are no good works – no Christian activity. At worst, they are maybe not Christians; at best, for all their years, they are extremely immature. James is not saying that we contribute our good works to our salvation, but He is saying that our salvation must contribute to our good works, or there is no salvation at all. Try this out and take God at His Word – work for the Kingdom and see how your faith grows! Work good works out of your faith and see how your faith in the greatness and goodness and love of God expands and fills hitherto unknown areas of your life.
[D] Picture 4: Courageous Rahab (vs. 25-26) – the message embedded in this last picture is that true faith is inextricably linked with works. You see that through the logic of vs. 26 – “just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” The example is given of Rahab, who we know from Joshua 2:8-11 had faith in the God of Israel, but her faith led to her works. One could not be separated from the other. Faith and works are like Siamese twins joined at the heart – you can’t separate them without killing them both. They are somatically inseparable. Faith without works isn’t genuine faith – it’s not like Rahab’s – it profits you nothing because it’s dead faith – it’s not saving faith at all.
In conclusion I want us to think of one other picture – a picture which is in implicit within the chapter if you take vs. 1 into consideration. The faith of Jesus Christ Himself, that infinite faith in His loving Father, was it alone? Did He just talk a good speak? No – it led to Him living a perfect life. So what will your faith result in? Relying upon God’s strengthening presence and grace, let your faith go hand in hand with good works. Brothers and sisters – don’t just look like an aeroplane, don’t just sound like an aeroplane – get up there in the sky and let your faith fly! AMEN