Living Out Our Faith Openly - v.14
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
We have finished the first of two paragraphs that make up James chapter 2. This evening, we begin continue our journey through this book and this great chapter with verse 14. It is the first verse of the second paragraph which spans verse 14 to the end of the chapter. As you scan down through this paragraph you will find that there are 13 sentences. There are several thought provoking questions that the Holy Spirit uses to think and consider the topic at hand.
Now, remember, the entire book is about Living Out Our Faith. In this chapter, we are challenged to Live Out Our Faith Openly for all to see. The first paragraph that we just concluded challenged us to live out our faith by treating others without partiality. Our obedience to God’s command to love our neighbors is the means to doing to just that.
Since we are beginning our study of the second paragraph, it would do us to good to read verse 14 through verse 26.
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 ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye 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: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew 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? Seest 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. Ye 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.
Perhaps as we reading this you picked up on two words that are repeated the most in this paragraph. The first is “works” which is used 12 different times. The second is “faith” which is used by the Holy Spirit 11 times. No other word comes close in frequency of usage than these two words. Therefore, we can rightly assess that this entire paragraph addresses the topics of works and faith.
Let’s begin with verse 14.
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
In you handout, you will see the following notes on grammar.
Handout notes
GRAMMATICAL STUDY
GRAMMATICAL STUDY
Verbs
Verbs
Say – to say (declare); to state as one’s opinion or judgment; declare.
Hath – to have (feature); to contain or have some aspect or feature.
Can – to be able; to be or become sufficient to meet a need or task.
Save – to save (religious); to deliver from sin (and consequential judgment) or save from evil.
Nouns
Nouns
Profit – advantage (benefit); benefit resulting from some event or action.
VINES - akin to ophello, to increase, comes from a root signifying to increase; hence, advantage, profit; it is rendered as a verb in its three occurrences – 1 Corinthians 15:32; James 2:14,16.
Brethren – sibling believers; believers understood as one’s own siblings in God’s family.
Faith – trust (faith); strong confidence in, and reliance upon, someone or something; often with the object of trust understood.
Works – duty; work that a person is obliged to perform for moral or legal reason.
Faith – trust (faith); strong confidence in, and reliance upon, someone or something; often with the object of trust understood.
Adverbs
Adverbs
Not – negative.
Adjectives
Adjectives
None
Conjunctions
Conjunctions
Though – if; if perhaps
And – But; and; now
Spiritual Application
Spiritual Application
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
What is the Holy Spirit talking about?
Obviously as we have already discovered the Holy Spirit is talking about the relationship between faith and works.
What is the Holy Spirit saying about the relationship between faith and works?
What is the Holy Spirit saying about the relationship between faith and works?
In order for us to answer this question, we must go back and analyze the verse once again.
There are two questions posed by the Holy Spirit in this verse for us to consider.
First is...
What doth is profit, my brethren, though a man say that he hath faith, and have not works?
There are several key words here. The words “profit,” “faith,” and “works.”
Profit in the strictest sense means to have an advantage or receive benefit. According to Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, the word “profit” comes from a Greek root word meaning “to increase.” Thus, the idea being that you gain an advantage or a benefit from something or someone. Here, the Holy Spirit is questioning what benefit or what advantage does the person who claims to have faith and, yet, that same person does not have works.
Faith is a much bigger concept to grasp. There is one Greek word for the word “faith.” It is found 244 times in the New Testament. In every instance except for a handful it is always translated “faith.” In a few places, it was translated as “assurance” (Acts 17:31), “believeth” (Romans 3:26), “belief” (2 Thessalonians 2:13), “fidelity” (Titus 2:10), and “believe” (Hebrews 10:39). Again, according to Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words, “faith” is a firm persuasion based on a conviction that only comes from hearing. Throughout the New Testament, it is a firm persuasion based on a conviction that comes from hearing the Word of God leading to a firm persuasion in God, in Christ, or in spiritual things.
If you expound this out a little further, there are several main elements of faith in its relation to the invisible God and Creator of the Universe. Each of these elements separates faith in God from that of faith in men. The elements are...
FIRM CONVICTION which produces a full acknowledgment of God’s revelation or truth.
PERSONAL SURRENDER to God as Lord and Savior.
OUTWARD CONDUCT that is inspired by both the firm conviction and the personal surrender.
When I think of the word “faith”, my mind immediately goes to Ephesians 2:8-9 which says...
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.
One Bible commentator, D. Martin Lloyd-Jones, describes these two verses as “a description of what it really means to be a Christian.” You see grace is all about what God has done for us. Grace means unmerited, undeserved favor. Grace is an action that arises entirely from the gracious character of God. Earlier in verse 5 of Ephesians 2 the Holy Spirit tells us...
Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Our salvation is not about God’s response to anything in us. There is not a person sitting here tonight that deserves salvation. We deserve nothing bu punishment and hell and banishment from God’s sight. Yet, in spite of our truly sinful, wicked, and rebellions condition, God through His own love and grace and mercy provided for us a way of escape. He provide a means for our salvation. That is GRACE!
Faith, however, is simply the instrument through which salvation comes to me. Note again Ephesians 2:8.
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
For lack of a better way to put it. You must see faith as the channel or the conduit, the instrument through which salvation comes to us. Salvation is solely from God’s grace. Faith then is just the medium through which the grace of God brings salvation into my life. A danger we must always stir clear of is this. We must never say that our believing is what saves us. Our belief aka our faith does not save. There is only One Who can save and that is the Lord Christ Christ. It is only through the finished work of Christ a person can be saved. I am not saved because I believe. If that were the case, then I could boast of my belief. My believing then would then be my works. For this reason, Ephesians 2:9 says...
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
What then of faith? Well, remember, faith has three elements. The first of these is having a FIRM CONVICTION. How does a person come to a firm conviction or persuasion? May I remind you of the passage in Romans 10 starting with verse 13 which says...
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
Remember salvation is all about God’s grace. However, faith is the instrument by which we experience God’s grace. As a person hears God’s Word and they heed the conviction power of God’s Spirit, God works in their heart bringing them to a point where they firmly believe the truth of God’s Word. Again, in all this, we see nothing but the grace of God. None of us deserve the unmerited favor of God. Yet, God because of His love, grace, and mercy saw fit to not only allow His Son to shed His blood for us and atone for our sins, but He also provided His Word by which we can hear and believe. On top of that, He gave in His Son’s absence His Spirit to lead us, to guide us, and to convict us.
So, in essence, as we read our James 2:14 we find a person who is proclaiming to others to have faith. In other words, they have experienced God’s grace as they heard the good news of Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection which resulted in them being fully persuaded of all that God has done for them. However, along with that firm conviction there must be some inward and outward evidence.
Inwardly, the person must personally surrender to Christ as their Lord and Savior. What does that mean? A person who has truly experience God’s grace is a person firmly convicted of their own sinfulness and their absolute hopeless condition as one who is condemned before God. They are also firmly persuaded that Christ is their only answer. Thus, they believe completely in His atonement with His precious blood on the cross of Calvary. They believe without any doubt that He was buried and rose again on the third day victorious over sin, death, and hell. So full convinced are they all these things that they are driven inwardly to repent of their sin, seek God’s forgiveness, and then personally surrender to live for Him the rest of their life.
Now, go back to Ephesians 2 and note this verse...
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
Now, look back at our text and note again the question posed by the Holy Spirit.
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
It is by God’s grace we are saved. It is through the instrument of faith that we experience salvation. After that, God expects us to be workman doing good works. Note that we are created in Christ Jesus. Our new life in Christ has new purpose. Our purpose before salvation was working for ourselves. Our whole aim in life was to get what we wanted. Which, by the way, never satisfied. The things of this world will never satisfy. Lasting peace, joy, and satisfaction only comes after faith in Christ. Our new aim now becomes working for Him.
Thus, the answer to the Holy Spirit’s question is simple. There is nothing gained by saying you have faith in Christ and not doing good works. In other words, the two cannot be separated. A person who genuinely has faith in Christ is a person who driven by the Holy Spirit to do good works for Christ.