James 2 (vs 8-26)
Sermon preached at Gospel Light Christian Church, Singapore
by Pastor Dr Paul Choo
on 20 Feb 2005
REVISION:
Last week’s three lessons (James 2:1-7):
Last week’s Memory Verse: James 2:5
Today’s three lessons are:
Sin is Rebellion (vs.8-11) – James acknowledges that it is good to be nice to the rich (v.8). Those who show favor to the rich may claim that they are simply obeying God’s command to love their neighbors (v.8). They may even claim that they are wise because a rich person can do so much more good for the church than a poor person. But James teaches that obedience is not selective, ie, choosing one law to obey while breaking another law (by causing disunity in the family). The statement in verse 10 seems shocking if taken out of context, ie, a person who commits one sin is as guilty as one who commits every sin. Most religions teach that men will be saved if their good works outweigh their bad works. In other words, one may choose to obey those commands that he likes to obey and disobey those he dislikes, so long as his obedience outweighs his disobedience. Obedience is not about getting a “passing grade” but it is about having respect for the one giving the command. If we choose which commands to obey, we make ourselves the boss. Will you be happy with your child if he chooses to obey the commands that he likes (eg. eat vegetables) to obey and disobeys those he dislikes (eg. study)? Selective obedience is disobedience. Sin is simply rebellion against authority. When we understand this we understand the magnitude of Adam’s sin and awfulness of our “little sins” in the eyes of God.
Sowing and Reaping (vs. 12,13) – Christ has paid the penalty for all our sins and we will never have to bear the penalty of a single sin (John 19:30). However, as long as we live on earth we will continually be punished (from God and others) for our correction, not for our destruction. For example, when a mother punishes her child for a sinful act, her motive is correction but when the state executes a murderer the motive is punishment. As children of God, we are not exempt from corrective punishment (ie, chastening). In fact, since God’s wants the best for us, we often suffer more corrective punishment than unbelievers (Hebrews 12:6-8). To a Christian, God’s law is the “law of liberty” because he is not condemned by it, knows that it is good and desires to obey it (2Corinthians 5:17). If a person is merciful to others, he will generally receive mercy from others and from God (Matthew 5:7; 6:12,14,15). Since God is merciful, a saved person will also be merciful. In other words, mercy is a good evidence of salvation – and such a person can “rejoice against judgment” when he stands before God (v.13)..
Evidence of Saving Faith (vs. 14 -26) – Since faith is so vital to our faith (Hebrews 11:6) and since faith is something that is desirable, many will claim to have faith. Therefore, it is important to be able to recognize faith. Love and kindness also fall into this category.
The first thing we need to do before we explain this passage verse by verse, is to know the objective of this passage. This passage does not tell us how to be saved. Rather, it tells us how to recognize whether a person is saved. When a man “ says that he has faith” (v.14), how can you (or even he himself) know if he really has the real thing (ie, true saving faith)? If you want to know how to be saved there are many verses (especially in the earlier books of the New Testament) that clearly tell us how to be saved, eg. John 1:12; 3:16,18,36. Failure to understand the objective of this passage often results in heresy (ie, salvation is obtained by faith plus works, rather than salvation is obtained by faith that works).
James gives a simple method of diagnosing whether the claim of faith is genuine by using the example “charity” (vs.15-18). Supposing a person claims to be a charitable person and he sees a shivering, starving brother and looks kindly on him and says with all sincerity: “Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled” but does nothing to help his brother, would you be convinced that he is indeed charitable as he says he is? In simple words, we verify a person’s claim of charity (or faith) by their works rather than their words (v.18). Please note in verse 18, that this passage is not about showing God our faith but showing men the genuineness of our faith.
In verse 19, James teaches us that there is a difference between “intellectual faith” (ie, in the head only) and “true saving faith” which transforms us into Christ-likeness (2Corinthians 5:17). Satan knows more about God (and the Bible) than any man and believes that He is real and that He is awesome, powerful, loving, etc. However, he has never repented of his sins and trusted Christ as His Savior. The truth is that all men have faith in the existence of God, whether they admit it or not (Romans 1:19,20) and have “intellectual faith.” This type of faith is called “dead” faith because it cannot save nor does it produce good works (v.20).
James goes on to use two examples (vs. 21-25) – one of a great man of God (Abraham) and the other of a weak one (Rahab the harlot) – to show that true saving faith always produces works. How do we know that Abraham was the “father of faith” (Romans 4:16)? Could anyone see the faith that was in Abraham’s heart? He was “justified by works” when he offered Isaac by faith (vs.21,22). Though he was justified by his faith in God thirty years before offering Isaac (Genesis 15:6), he was not “justified” to men until he showed his faith to men by offering Isaac (Genesis 22). Only when he showed his faith to men, was his faith made “perfect” to both God and men (v.22) and the “scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God…” (v.23) to both God and men. “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified (to both God and men) and not by faith only (which men cannot see because it exists in the heart)” v.24. As long as we remember that the context of this passage is “how to identify a saved man” (not “how to be saved”) we will have no problem interpreting this passage. The fact that verse 24 does not mean that salvation is by faith and works is seen clearly in the light of Romans 4:2, Romans 3:28, Galatians 2:16 and Ephesians 2:8,9. The “clear passages” of scripture should help us to interpret the “unclear passages.”
Rahab’s faith in God was proven to the Jews by her works “when she received the messengers, and had sent them out another way” (v.25, Joshua 2).
“Faith without works is dead” (vs. 17,20,26) not “faith is dead without works” (which implies that works is necessary for salvation).
“A man without motion is dead” not “a man is dead without motion” (because this implies that his motion is the cause of him having life).