FAITH

These Three Remain  •  Sermon  •  Submitted   •  Presented   •  21:27
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Is faith something we believe in our hearts, something we think in our heads, or something we do with our hands? James tells us in his letter to the churches that faith is all of these working together at the same time.

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1 Corinthians 13 contains the apostle Paul’s famous writing about the nature of Christian love. It is no mistake that Paul writes extensively about Christian love to the church in Corinth—they needed to hear it. If you were to read all of 1 Corinthians, we quickly get the sense that Paul is dealing with a congregation that was experiencing some pretty serious setbacks in their capacity to love one another the way that Christ has called us and demonstrated for us to love others. One of the points that Paul is making in 1 Corinthians 13 is that Christian love must be shared by all who profess to follow Jesus.
You see, as Paul discusses many of the other spiritual gifts given through the Holy Spirit to the church, we are reminded that many of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are not universally given to all people. Some people have the gift of teaching, some have the gift of hospitality, and so on. In fact, just back up one chapter from 1 Corinthians 13. Because this diversity of gifted qualities among the body of the church is exactly the point Paul makes in chapter 12. Added to that, Paul reminds us that so many of these gifts are temporary necessities. In verse of 1 Corinthians 13 he says,
1 Corinthians 13:8–10 NIV
8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears.
Now then, in contrast to the gifts of the Spirit that are selectively given in and among God’s people, and in contrast to the gifts of the Spirit which are temporary expressions which serve only in a particular time and place; against this backdrop there are three qualities that rise above all the rest. Paul concludes 1 Corinthians 13 with the reminder that there are three qualities among Christians which are not temporarily confined to just one time or just one place. There are three qualities among Christians which are not selectively given to only a few, but rather are qualities equally shared by all who follow Jesus. Paul concludes chapter 13 in his letter to the Corinthian church by reminding them about these three qualities which they all share together, and which must constantly and consistently remain present among them. He says this,
1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV
13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
These three qualities—faith, hope, and love—are not optional. These qualities are not spread to only a few among the body of Christ. These qualities are not temporary expressions that only fit a certain time or a certain place. Faith, hope, and love are qualities that exist among all followers of Jesus. And these are qualities that are expressed in our lives at all times and in all places. In the next series of messages, I would like us to consider how these expressions of faith, hope, and love show up in the lives of all Christians. But I would also like us to consider how these three qualities of faith, hope, and love are woven together. Each of these three qualities is informed by the other two. Each of these three qualities finds expressions that interact with the other two. Today, then, we begin by looking at the expression of faith. Here is what James has to say to us today about faith.
James 2:14–26 NIV
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 25 In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? 26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
This is perhaps one of the most challenging passage in all of James. It is because of this passage in the last half of chapter two that the Protestant Reformer Martin Luther argued that the entire book of James should be removed from the New Testament and not considered as part of the Bible. For centuries, theologians have taken on the confusing task of reconciling these verses from James two with what Paul says at the end of Romans chapter three.
We are not going to solve all of the complexities of James two here today. But if you are interested in digging a little deeper into the study of this passage, I invite you to join me online Wednesday mornings at 9:00am. You can find details in the calendar section of the church website: fellowshipcrc.com.

Structure

For today, let’s spend a little time pulling apart the details of what James has to say here about faith and how it shows up as a quality of the Christian life that gives expression to who we are as followers of Jesus in this world today. To help make sense of what James says in this section, consider first the way this passage of scripture breaks apart so we can see some structure. There are four pieces in verses 14-26 that are all connected. Take a look.
verses 14-17 -- empty faith empty words | verses 18-20 -- diatribe conversation | verses 21-24 -- example of Abraham | verses 25-26 -- example of Rahab
Verses 14-17 introduce the idea of an empty faith that is built on empty words. This is a faith that James calls dead. Verses 18-20 uses an ancient Greek form of argument known as a diatribe. It is a way of making the point by inventing an imaginary opponent and portraying a back-and-forth discussion. In this section James reminds us that even the demons have belief in God; so, true faith is more than simply believing that there is a God. Then in the third and fourth sections of this passage James gives two illustrations that show us an example of the kind of faith he is talking about. Verses 21-24 give the example of Abraham. And verses 25-26 give the example of Rahab.
17: faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 20: do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless 24: You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. 26: As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
Here is what I want us to glean out from these four sections of this passage. Look at the way James concludes each section to tie together the point he is making. Verse 17: faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. Verse 20: do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Verse 24: You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone. And verse 26: As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

Sola Fide — Faith alone

Alright then, let’s call out the obvious. Many of us in the reformed tradition of Christianity have always been taught that justification comes by faith alone. This is not at all a new idea. In fact it is old enough that it has an expression in Latin: sola fide which means faith alone. It is the summary expression of Paul’s analysis of salvation apart from the Old Testament law of Moses. Paul insists over and over again that we are not saved by works of the law, but we are justified by grace only through faith in Jesus. And then here comes James and says, hold up, a person is considered justified by what they do and not by faith alone. So, who is right here? Paul or James?
Perhaps part of the problem is that we are working with an incomplete definition and idea of faith. We need to be precise about what it is we mean when we are talking about faith. Last week we looked at what the Heidelberg Catechism had to say about faith in Q21. This week I want us to move ahead in the Catechism and see what comes our way in Q62-64. Q62 asks why our good deeds cannot save us. The Catechism says,
Because the righteousness which can pass God’s judgment must be entirely perfect and must in every way measure up to the divine law. But even our best works in this life are imperfect and stained with sin.
Because the righteousness which can pass God’s judgment must be entirely perfect and must in every way measure up to the divine law. But even our best works in this life are imperfect and stained with sin.
So far this is not very helpful to understand what James says about the necessity of deeds to go along with faith. The Catechism goes on in Q63 to ask why it is the Bible speaks about an eternal reward promised by God based upon what it is we have done; and here the Catechism reminds us that,
This reward is not earned; it is a gift of grace
This reward is not earned; it is a gift of grace
Alright, we’re getting closer. But we are not there yet. Our deeds do not earn us anything before God; but his reward is entirely an undeserved gift. Let’s be perfectly clear about that. You and I are in no way entitled to the grace of God by anything we ever do. Our good works do play into our salvation for even the slightest amount. Anything at all which God gives as a reward for our actions is an overflow of the abundance of his grace, and not ever an entitlement that we’ve got coming because we deserve it.
Now then, this appears to still leaves us with a disconnect between faith and deeds. I mean, the Catechism seems to be going to rather great lengths to convince us that the grace of God is not triggered by any of the good works we do. So, where do deeds come in? How do we factor this passage from James into our understanding of Christian faith? Well, the Catechism goes on in Q64 to say this,
It is impossible for those grafted into Christ through true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude.
It is impossible for those grafted into Christ through true faith not to produce fruits of gratitude.
And this seems to be exactly what James is saying in these verses from chapter two of his letter. A faith which does not result in producing fruits of gratitude is no faith at all. Rather, faith in Jesus is what is given to us by God so that our hearts may be changed, and our lives may be redirected to follow Jesus. Faith, then, is not only something we believe and hold in our hearts. It is a belief that is so powerful that it springs forth from our hearts and shows up in our actions.
What James is giving us today, then, is not a conflicting picture of faith that is at odds with the rest of scripture. It is not a view of faith that contradicts what the Bible says elsewhere. Rather, it is a description of the exact same faith that Jesus reveals in the gospels, and that Paul describes in his New Testament letters. The only difference is that James shows us a picture of this same faith coming at it from a different point of view. He is seeing the one true faith revealed in scripture and describing it for us in a way that shows a different angle.
Faith, then, is an essential quality of Christian discipleship that is given and expressed among all people who are part of God’s chosen and redeemed family. It is a quality of discipleship that takes expression in who we are and how we live at all times and in all places. Faith, in other words, shows up in our lives every single day. Faith becomes something which overflows from our hearts and provides for us the springboard—the catalyst—for all the good deeds to which we strive in this life.

Set Free

What James is giving us here is a perspective to see the faith that we have in a way which sets us free. We are free to live a life that loves and serves God as we love and serve others. No longer do we need to see the good works of our lives as payment for some kind of debt. No longer do we need to see our deeds as shoveling our worthiness onto the scales of our own judgement. No longer are we people who do good because we are trying to prove ourselves to God.
James says to us today that we act in faith, not because we have to, but because we get to. You and I are now set free from the guilt of sin which destroys any and all attempts to follow God; we are set free from a bondage which had made it impossible to ever do anything good before our redemption in Christ. The life of faith to which we are called is a freedom which has been given to us by God as a gift of grace through Christ alone. This faith is a freedom to live for God in a way we never could have before.
Beyond that, James gives us a glimpse at the way in which our faith is connected to the hope and love which Paul talks about in 1 Corinthians 13. James reminds us that our faith gives us a reason to exist in a way that finds expression in the deeds we do. There is a reason why we strive to do good deeds. You see, our lives of faith are not simply lives that strive to be good people because, well, that’s just what we’ve been taught we ought to do. It is not an attempt at goodness because we see ourselves on some kind of endless treadmill of proving ourselves or outpacing those around us.
No. James describes faith in a way that shows us a way to live that gets us out of that rat-race. You and I strive to produce the fruit of gratitude through our faith because we also have a hope that God takes and uses the fruit we bear as part of his restoration of all creation. We back up our faith with action because we hold a hope that God will use what we offer for his purposes.
And our faith does not only connect with Christian hope; it also connects with Christian love. It is the love of God demonstrated for us in Jesus Christ which gives us an example of faithful living in the first place. Jesus displays a perfect love which sets before us a picture of a life obedient to God. The examples of Abraham and Rahab that we see in James two are examples of people who acted in faith because they were filled with hope. Abraham and Rahab were both filled with the hope that God would always be faithful to those he loves. It shows us a faith and a hope and a love which all work together in action.
Faith in our lives today is a sure and certain knowledge and assurance that God, in fact, can and will use the life you have to accomplish the purposes for which you have been created. It is a certain and unshakable belief that God can and will take the efforts you place before him as your offering of gratitude. It is an assurance that his grace holds your life so tightly in his eternal grasp, that every step of faith you ever take is a step in which your faithful and loving savior is always right there beside you.
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