A Daily Walk

John Randall: Today on A Daily Walk for Pastor John Randall: I don't serve Jesus to work for my salvation. I have salvation and my response is to serve Jesus. I get to serve Jesus. It's not like somebody saying, "You better serve me and that's it." I get to.

Guest (Male): Hello and welcome to A Daily Walk. We continue in the book of James today with Pastor John Randall. Chapter 2 speaks of faith and works. There is a long-standing debate of which wars were fought over. It concerns what is saving faith and the role of works in our salvation. Our teacher, Pastor John, enters into this discussion now in part 1 of "Faith That Works".

John Randall: Let's open our Bibles now to the book of James. If you're joining us for the first time tonight, we have been studying through this epistle, this letter written by James. James, if you remember, is actually the half-brother of Jesus. James didn't believe that Jesus was the Messiah initially until the resurrection.

There was a personal encounter with the resurrected Jesus. Paul tells us this in his letters, that there was a personal encounter where James saw Jesus and he was never the same. He was a true believer. James became a real pillar in the early church, a leader there in the church in Jerusalem. But when he refers to himself, he refers to himself not as, "Hey, I'm the brother of Jesus in case you're wondering." No, he refers to himself as the bond servant of Jesus, the servant of Jesus, completely humble.

But James writes a letter that is extremely practical and very exhortative in nature. If you look with me, chapter 2 beginning in verse 14, with a message entitled "Faith That Works." Here it is. James writes, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he doesn't have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, 'Depart in peace, be warmed, be filled,' but you don't give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it doesn't have works, is dead. But someone will say, 'Well, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith without your works and I will show you my faith by my works.'"

Perhaps no other component of the Christian life is more important than faith. Faith is fundamental. The dictionary defines faith as belief in, devotion to, or trust in somebody or something, even without logical proof. Also, it defines faith as belief in and devotion to God. Faith is knowing that God is real and that you can trust in what he says in his word. You cannot trust in someone who isn't there, nor can you rely on someone whose promises are not reliable.

The Bible actually defines for us what faith is. Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1 gives us the definition of faith. It says that faith is the substance of things hoped for and it's the evidence of things not yet seen. Someone once said that faith is like calories. You can't see them, but you can always see their results. That's a terrible definition, but you understand. He says here it's the substance—two things: the substance of things and the evidence—two words very important.

The word substance comes from two words put together, meaning to stand under or to support. Faith in God is the ground upon which our hope is built. It's not only the substance, but it's also the evidence. The word evidence is defined as conviction. It's a word that signifies a process whereby something is tested, and when it is tested, you come to a conclusive conviction. That's what faith is.

Oswald Chambers said that faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose ways you may not understand at the time. The Bible tells us a lot about faith. Ephesians chapter 2 in verse 8, it says that we're saved through faith. It says, "For by grace you've been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." We're saved by faith.

The Bible also tells us that we are actually justified by faith, just as if we never sinned is what justification is. The Bible says in Romans 5 verse 1, "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." The Bible also says as Christians, listen to this, we walk by faith. Second Corinthians chapter 5 verse 7 says we walk by faith, not by sight. Some Christians like to walk by sight and call it walking by faith, but actually the opposite is true.

We also live by faith as believers. The Bible tells us in Galatians chapter 2 in verse 20, "I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life that I now live, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." I live my life by faith. We also have access to God's grace through faith. The Bible says in Romans 5:2, "Through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand and rejoice in the hope of the glory of God."

There's more. We receive the spirit of God by faith. The Bible says in Galatians chapter 3 verse 14 that we might receive the promise of the Spirit, how? Through faith. We're waiting for the Lord's return by faith. And I believe it's near than when we first believed. But the Bible says very clearly, Galatians chapter 5 verse 5, "For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith."

The Bible also tells us that we overcome the world, how? By faith. First John chapter 5 verse 5 says, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that overcomes the world: your faith." So you realize faith is pretty important to the Christian life. It's foundational, it's fundamental. You also observe the importance of faith in the life and the ministry of Jesus. He had a lot to say about faith.

You remember in John chapter 6 when Jesus was confronted by the multitudes that he had fed loaves and fishes. They came to him and they said, "What shall we do that we might work the works of God?" And Jesus responded, "This is the work of God: that you believe on him whom he has sent." And that takes faith to believe.

In Mark chapter 11, Jesus answered and he said to them, "Have faith in God." Jesus was questioned by the apostles in Luke chapter 17. They said, "Lord, increase our faith." Have you ever prayed that? "God, I need an increase. I'm struggling here." It's all right. The disciples prayed that. "Increase our faith." And the Lord responded and he said, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed"—which by the way is one of the smallest seeds—"the size of a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, 'Be pulled up by the roots and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you." Just faith, trusting in God.

So James writes on this subject of faith, and here's what he does. This is really important. He presents another side of the subject of faith. He's not teaching that salvation is through works, but what he's teaching us is that works follow salvation. It's really important to make that distinction. Works do not save you. If you're working for your salvation, stop it. You can't do enough. Jesus did the work.

When he was on the cross and he died, right before, he said what? "It's finished." What was finished? The work that we couldn't do. He did for us what we couldn't do for ourselves. So the work is done. And I believe that. However, what follows belief in Jesus is works. I mentioned this last time we were together, but listen: faith alone saves, but faith that saves is never alone. There's always something that follows genuine faith. There's evidence of that faith.

So James points out a couple of things about faith tonight. Look at, first of all, he mentions a dead faith. A dead faith. In verse 14, "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he doesn't have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and says to you, 'Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,' but you don't give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus faith by itself, if it doesn't have works, is dead."

James says, "Let me tell you something, let me tell you about a faith that's dead. Here's what it looks like." He presents a rhetorical question: If a man says he has faith but there is no evidence of that faith, is he saved? Does just a mere profession save somebody? If his faith is a mere profession but there's no evidence of faith, is it real? James asks the question and he seems to imply the answer is no, it's not real.

There's such a thing as phony faith, fake faith. James insists that a living faith in Jesus Christ will confirm itself in the manifestation of works. Faith and works, they're not enemies of one another. They actually complement one another. James insists that works are not added as an extra to faith, but are rather the expression of your faith. How would you know that you had faith unless it was expressed in some way?

Saving faith will express itself in faithful service motivated by a love for Jesus. I don't serve Jesus to work for my salvation. I have salvation and my response is to serve Jesus. I get to serve Jesus. It's not like somebody saying, "You better serve me and that's it." I get to. Jesus said it this way. You remember in Matthew chapter 5 verse 16. He said, "Let your light so shine before men that when they see your good works, they may glorify your Father who is in heaven." Just live your life for Christ, let your light shine. People will see it. There'll be evidence of your faith by the way that you live.

Paul, in writing to the church in Ephesus, in chapter 2 verse 10, he said that we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. We were created to know God, to serve God, to love God, to have a relationship with God. Works are already set up.

When Paul wrote to Titus in that pastoral epistle, he said to Titus that it was really important that he remind the people to be zealous for good works. "Hey, make sure you tell the church to be zealous about serving the Lord." I love what Billy Graham said concerning this. He echoed James' concern when he said, "Faith that saves has one distinguishing quality. Saving faith is a faith that produces obedience. It's a faith that brings about a way of life."

The Bible tells us in Philippians 2:13 it is God who works in us, both to will and to do for his good pleasure. God puts it in me and then he enables me to do what he's called me to do. How thankful I am for that. The Bible says God is able to make all grace abound to you, always having a sufficiency in everything that you may have an abundance for every good work. Second Corinthians chapter 9.

James emphasizes that genuine faith isn't indifferent, but it's involved and he highlights an example of an obvious inconsistency. If a brother or sister in the faith, as he says here in this example, says, "Listen, I'm really in need, I'm hurting. Can you help me?" and you say, "You know what? Be warmed. Be filled. Take care. Bye-bye now." You don't really do anything. You don't help. You're not—you don't even care. James says, "What is that? That's empty. That's fruitless. There's nothing to it."

In the same way, faith, just like those words are empty, faith without action is empty. It's dead. And by dead, James means useless, ineffective, impotent. It's the opposite of living and effective and active and vibrant. It's exact opposite. James warns that there is such a thing as dead faith, a faith that goes no further than the profession of the lips, but it doesn't match up with any portion of your life. That's a dead faith, James says.

But then there's something else. James says not only is there a dead faith, listen to this, there's actually a demonic faith. I don't want that. You say, what do you mean demonic faith? Just look at the passage here. Check this out, verse 18. "Someone will say, 'You have faith, I have works.' Show me your faith without your works, I'll show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God? You do well. Even the demons believe and they tremble. But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?"

Again, James writes of a hypothetical case where a person agrees with him. They say, "Well, I have faith. Hey, I'm good with that. Faith is good. I have faith, you have works." Or to put it another way: "I like to keep my faith private to myself. It's a private faith. I don't want anybody to know it. It's my faith, very private."

Some people are like that. But James presents a challenge to the person that thinks that way. Maybe that's you. His response is, "Do me a favor. Show me your faith without your works. Go ahead." James says, "I'll show you my faith by my works." This is the evidence. How do you know? How is your faith observable? It's only observable by the life that you live. This is how a person demonstrates their faith: they live it out in an everyday life. Their works bear witness of their saving faith.

Genuine faith isn't hidden. It's on display. It's just a way of life. And it's not like I wake up in the morning thinking, "Okay, I'm going to work for God so I want to show everybody how faithful I am and how awesome my faith is." I just wake up and say, "God, I just want to do your will today. And whatever that looks like, let's do this. And he's so faithful to use me even in spite of myself. God just works. We just submit to him and his will and his purpose and his plan, and he works through us.

Now James says, "Hey, listen, you who think this way, you believe that there's one God, you say you have faith." He says, "Let me tell you something: even the demons of hell believe that there's a God and they tremble." Genuine faith, in other words, is more than intellectual. It's more than just an assent to a truth as it were, or analyzing—studying the idea of God or analyzing a belief system is light years away from receiving the Lord Jesus Christ by authentic faith and living out that faith with real action.

Remember, James is addressing here the 12 tribes of Israel that were scattered abroad. And in speaking to them, the Jews in Deuteronomy chapter 6 verse 4, the Old Testament, they had what was called the Shema. The Shema: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one." Jehovah, our Elohim, he's one. The Jews would recite this always. This is what set them apart from all the pagan, polytheistic neighbors. They took great pride in this profession: "We believe there's one God and the only God."

James says, "Well, that's great and you should believe that." But he says also the demons of hell believe that there's one God. They know that Jesus Christ is God. They even know more Bible than Christians—some Christians. They know more Bible. The devil knows the scriptures. He's been twisting them for years. He knows the word of God. They know that God is real.

Do you know the devil and the demons are not atheists? They're not agnostics. So if you're an atheist or an agnostic, even the devil doesn't have that kind of lifestyle. He knows there's a God. He knows that his time is limited. So how dark is atheism? You also find in the ministry of Jesus, ever noticed when reading through the gospels when Jesus confronted principalities or powers or forces of darkness, that they shuddered at his presence? They even confessed his deity.