Week 10

Ladies:

If you are following along with this study and live close to Central Community Church, I want to encourage you to come on Wednesday night and join our small group. Nothing can replace the healing that takes place when hearts are shared. It is indescribable. If you do not have a place to go each week to grow in TRUTH and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, please come and join us. We would love for you to be there.

James 2: 14-26

Thank you Kelly for pinch hitting for me last week. It is comforting to know that you have me covered whenever I can’t make the meeting.

I will warn you up front ladies, verses 14-26 of James are straight-up convicting. These verses are point blank. This lesson is not about me pointing a finger or questioning anyone’s faith. It is not about making you feel guilty, but when we have completed this lesson, you will either leave here with the assurance that we are truly a born again Christian or we will leave here with major doubt about your salvation. What we have to make sure is that we get these truths in our hearts and begin today making them our life’s goal. The more I study James, the more painful this operation of cleaning out my insides becomes.

Should you be experiencing any doubt, now is the time to make a commitment to living your life for your Savior, Jesus Christ.

First of all I will be using the expression, a saving Faith in this teaching. This means believing that your faith in Jesus Christ is genuine (real) and it has saved you from spending eternity in Heaven. But in addition to that, your life (works) reflect equal evidence.


Title: Faith Without Works is DEAD

14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? (righteous behavior that conforms to God’s Word. A doer of the Word is works!

That verse explains the word and works confusion back in Chapter 1! The faith that saves you will produce works of faith.

What evidence so you have in your life that you possess this saving faith?

In verse 14 what does Profit means (ophelos) n. – advantage (to increase something that contributes to or increases one’s well being.

In other words; What is the advantage…what benefit will there be…if you say you have faith but you don’t have works. You say (profess) that you are a Christian but you aren’t doing anything to show that you are.

Can faith alone save you?

Gal 2:16 …knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might me justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.

Paul says that the Works of the Law will not save you and that only faith in Christ will save you. (Romans 3:28) Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.

He is saying that only saving faith (genuine) will transform a person’s life.

Paul sounds contradictory to what James is saying, but if you read Gal 6:9, 10 you will see that Paul says, “And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith.

Therefore, Paul and James agree that we are saved by faith, but works must follow. We are to be doers of the Word, not just hearers.

That is why we must pay special attention to

1 Cor 15:1-2 ..unless you have believed in vain.
That means: you may have an empty faith.

When I prayed the sinner’s pray in January 1989, I began going to church. But because of moves and more moving, I did not really connect with my saving faith until over six years later and then honestly I don’t think I truly understood my faith until I read the Bible from cover to cover two years ago. So that was many years of wondering whether or not I truly had a saving faith.


Gal 6:6-7 Let him that is taught in the Word share in all good (spiritually excellent things learned from the WORD) things with him who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.

John Calvin said: Faith alone saves, but the faith that saves is not alone.

A saving faith is alive. An abandoned faith is dead!

How do you know then that you are saved? Romans 8:5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Bottom line: We cannot have our own way and still have a saving faith.

A woman who says she is a Christian doesn’t do as she pleases, she does as Christ pleases for her life.

Scripture teaches that salvation is not based on works but is a free gift, but it also teaches that God’s judgment is always on the basis of a man’s deeds!

Jeremiah 17:10 I the Lord search the heart, I test the mind, Even to give every man according to his ways, According to the fruit of his doings.

John 5:28-29 Do not marvel at this for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. CHOICE – doer of good, doer of evil.

The works (deeds) of a saved man are not the basis of their salvation but the evidence of it.

What are the signs of a woman with a saving faith? John 13:34, 35 A new commandment I give to you that you love one another as I have loved you so you must love one another. By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

Emphasis – Love one another.

You know I am peeling back the onion when I say that I have been too afraid (fear) of getting hurt by someone and protecting myself from hurt that I won’t love. But what I am doing is hurting others because of that wall I have created.

15 If a brother or sister is naked (undergarments only) and destitute (lacking, wanting) of daily food and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace (goodbye. Get out of here) be warmed (hope you stay warm), and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?

We often say, “Let me know if I can do anything to help!” Or “call me and I’ll be right over”, or “I’ll pray for you”, as casual remarks hoping they really won’t call for help.

We really don’t want them to say they’ll take our help, do we. Because when they do we gripe about it and tell everybody how over extended we are because of all the needy people in our lives.

Or how often do we have an opportunity to help someone but don’t for fear (we have all kinds of fear) of the unknown, or it is just easier for someone else to do it.

17 Thus (so) also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. (if you are not doing the Word, you are not genuinely saved and you are spiritually dead.

2 Pet 1:5-8 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (You will bear fruit…action…doer)

18 But someone will say, “you have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works!

If you truly have faith, it will be evident by your works.

19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble. (phrisso – shudder…cognizance of their appointed doom!

Do we tremble in reverence for God, Jesus our Savior?

20 But do you want to know, O foolish (you don’t understand) man, that faith without works is dead (the actual spiritual condition of an unsaved man).

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?

22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?

Abraham’s offering of Isaac demonstrated the genuineness of his faith and thereby was justified (righteous…to be right before God)

Salvation is determined by faith alone (Eph 2:8, 9) and demonstrated by faithfulness to obey God’s will alone (Eph 2:10)

A fruit tree shows itself to be certain kind of tree by the fruit it produces.

True faith is demonstrated by the righteous (your obedience) life.

23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says (Gen 15:6) “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

Romans 4:1-5
And he was called the friend of God (because of his obedience)

2 Chron 20:7 Isaiah 41:8

24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.
25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?

Joshua 2:11

She showed her faith by her works. She jeopardized her own life by turning her back on her old life and on her own people. She said, “I am going to do something”, and that is exactly what we need to say. She believed God, so she got involved.

She got involved. We don’t like to get involved. It is too complicated. I’ll get hurt and … it is just too complicated. But James says, the more we say and the less we do is indicative of our saving faith.

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, (the lost are dead), so faith without works is dead.

Rotten roots means rotten fruit.

GOOD NEWS: Phil 3:12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me.

GOT TO PRESS!