Faith and Works: James 2: 14-26
As we continue in James, an epistle which teaches us about our personal growth as Christians, we look today at James’s idea about the “authenticity of our faith.” How do we know something tangible and powerful is actually at work in a heart and mind? It reminds me of a story about my mother. Every morning before school we had a little routine. As she let me out in the drop-off line, she would say, “Remember the most important thing.” I would respond, “I love you and do good.”
Now early on, I think that meant I should do my best in school, but as we discussed it, “do good” took on a very different and more powerful (even if unintended) message. So, as a study I read on James said, “We are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone.” James very clearly believes and advocates that there should be some clear evidence of faith in our lives—and that is found in our actions.
When we consider how faith and action relate, we look to verse 14: “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?” We often talk about the idea that there’s nothing more we need than faith, but there is also a hard truth for us as followers of Christ. The way we live our lives, how we treat others, and how we live are a direct testimony to the faith in our lives. We should never be in the business of judging one another’s faith, but James begs of us—how will the world ever know about the power and impact of faith if they never see it?
What we do is a product of what we believe. If you are mean and hard-hearted on a regular basis, then it says you are okay with that. If you utterly refuse to help the poor both physically and in spirit, or you choose to judge and punish the poor even further, then it shows a rejection of God’s call to help (as seen in last week’s sermon). James even goes so far as to say, “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.”
James gives us an example. We see someone without food or clothing, and upon seeing them we offer our warmest wishes and go about our way. That won’t suffice—well wishes to those suffering, thoughts and prayers to victims of violence, and a blind eye thereafter, is a faith which is cold, dead, and useless. The Book of James says this clearly and definitely in every single Biblical translation, including the King James Version.
Faith, then, is demonstrated not in that we speak it correctly, but in our obedience. We are given two examples in James: Abraham and Rahab, and the two could not be more different. Abraham was a patriarch, the father of Israel, and a moral leader of the people. Rahab was a gentile, lived in enemy territory, and was, by trade, a person considered to be of ill-repute. In so many ways Abraham and Rahab were different, so why pair them together as examples?
The answer is that both of them demonstrated their faith by their obedience. In verse 22, we read about Abraham, “You see, his faith and his actions worked together. his actions made his faith complete.” And about Rahab, we read, “She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid the messengers.” Two very different people in two very different times in history, but they both had the common thread of demonstrating their faith by their actions. When we act in faith, it demonstrates our trust in God.
This week we all wrestled with the video of an unarmed young black man being chased down and shot by two white men. It cause anger, disgust, and a vast majority of people to rise up and say, this kind of behavior is not okay. In essence, faith demands we stand up for what is right when right is apparent but even when it is not easy. Abraham followed God into an unknown land uncertain of what the future would hold. Rahab could have been killed for sheltering and helping the Israeli messengers. Faith demands action, and faith is demonstrated in our obedience to doing as God directs even when when it is a risk to us, even when we have to take a stand for what is right and just, though being silent would be far easier.
Lastly, faith is shown in our loving care to help others. James writes in verse 18, “Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’ But I say, ‘How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.’” There is also the argument that , well, anyone can do a good deed or help somebody out, what makes this any different? When we the followers of Christ act, we do so to both be nice and to show others the life-changing power of God’s love. That’s the source of our good works: this faith that teaches us to love God and love one another.
A good friend of mine in college came from a lower-income, basically single-parent household. He had worked very hard in life and and had gone to school on what was nearly a full scholarship. But as graduate date approached, he was informed that there was an outstanding bill of several hundred dollars which would prevent him from being able to graduate with the rest of us. He had no resources of that nature and no way to pay it. One evening, while chatting with my mom, I mentioned that it was sad he likely wouldn’t be able to graduate with us. Very quietly, without any fanfare or notice, my mom called up to the college finance department and paid off that debt so he would be able graduate. I’ve never said anything about it until now. That, I think, on this Mother’s Day, is the example of faith in action and faith being shown by helping others which will stick with me for the rest of my life. As James asks us, if your faith doesn’t work, what good is it?
Every morning my mother taught me the two most essential things: I love you, and do good. Both express what faith is about—the love of God and of others, as well as love and faith put into action. When Jesus was on earth he spent time giving us an example—of healing, teaching, lifting up, of working in the margins to help others. If the only thing that mattered was the cross, nothing else about Jesus would be recorded. But he lived to show us a glimpse of the way of God’s kingdom, a standard we are to strive for on earth. As the hymn “Living for Jesus” says, “Such love constrains me to answer [God’s] call, follow his leading and give him my all.” I pray that your faith may be alive, energetic, and a faith rooted in action. And above all remember the most important thing: I love you, and do good.