Overview
This teaching examines “Demonstrating Our Faith” through James 2, Acts 2, Ephesians 2, Hebrews 11, showing how faith, works, christ shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Transcript
Understanding Demonstrating Our Faith
Well, as I mentioned, we’re going to launch into James chapter 2 and we’re going to handle it in a unique way. Rico’s going to teach and perhaps at points in time I’ll be able to interject some things, but we want you to be really considering some of the great truths that are talked about or we can read and hear taught to us from this chapter 2. So Rico, why don’t you take it away? Well, thank you, John. James chapter 2. You know, by God’s grace, the faith of Jesus Christ saved us.
Well, that faith of Jesus Christ also protects us. It’s like a shield against fiery darts and that’s important to remember in light of demonstrating our faith. The faith of Jesus Christ is also an inborn confidence to trust God.
You know in your heart things. There are things that you know that no one can talk you out of it. We have so much confidence in what Christ accomplished that we bind ourselves to his work.
And that’s pretty interesting because the root of the Greek word translated faith in the Bible means to bind, to bind. So in your heart and mind, what have we bound ourselves to? Our preferences, our proclivities, our interests? Well, binding ourselves to the work of Christ is the greatest way Christians have success. When we are bound to the work of Christ, we exhibit that we are tied to him, that we are bound to him, that we are committed to him in our words, in our actions.
That’s how we demonstrate our faith. And this is what James is speaking about when he states faith without works is dead in chapter 2 verse 20. He’s speaking about exhibiting faith through good works, not just talking about faith.
Chapter 2, as John mentioned of James, is about demonstrating faith with actions with no partiality, no favoritism, but helping others in need. And this is part of the connecting one with another that we want to encourage. The point that faith without works in this chapter is dead is an encouragement not just to talk about faith, but to demonstrate it.
And later we’ll hear about Abraham and Rahab and how wonderful examples they were of demonstrating their faith. Here in James chapter 2 verse 1, we read, my brethren have not the faith of our Christ the Lord of glory with respect of persons. In other words, we’re not partial.
We have the mutual respect. The letter of James certainly encourages those of Israel who accepted Christ not to be partial as they apply the faith of Jesus Christ. We’re all familiar with Acts chapter 2 where fear or respect came upon every soul.
That became the new standard. I respect you, you respect me based on what Christ did for both of us. It’s a mutual respect.
The Biblical Foundation
And this was certainly a change. There’s no question about that. It was a change.
And the change from works of the law to grace was not an easy transition for everyone. It’s still difficult for people today. Not having to do works for God’s acceptance is a difficult habit to break because God has already accepted you in Christ.
It says, for if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment, and ye of respect to him that wear the gay clothing, and say unto him, sit thou there in a good place, and say unto the poor, stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool, are you not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, hath not God chosen the poor, or this could also be referring to the humble, of this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom, which he hath promised to them that love him? The early Christians learned that salvation did not depend on works. So James encourages believers to engage in good works, absolutely, as we help one another. But you see, the world has a different standard, and that standard can slowly and surreptitiously creep into our habits and practices.
Would you agree? So that is something that we don’t want to allow. That’s something that we can help each other when these things come up. Look at verse 8. If you fulfill the royal law according to the scripture, thou shall love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well.
What a great way to sum up so much of the Old Testament, the great commandment, loving God, but certainly loving your neighbor as yourself. But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law and get offended one point, he is guilty of all.
Do you see how the law was just an impossibility? You could have done 99.9% of the law and missed one point, and you’re guilty of the entire law. That standard is unattainable. The only one that did reach that was our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
John, did you want to add anything? – Well, I think it’s very interesting that James is bringing up that we don’t want to be hypocritical. We don’t want to advance this one person or give him the best seat because of how he looks or what he’s accomplished, but it’s based on what’s within. The faith of Jesus Christ puts us all on equal footing, and we don’t want to be found being impartial.
And that’s what James is addressing here. It’s incredible that he’s bringing this up as he’s going to show us that the faith that we have was not earned. It was accomplished by Jesus Christ, and then because of that, we can walk forward.
It’s going to go on, but go ahead, Rico. – Well, I love the point that you brought up earlier, because this is the man that wrote this. He lived with a perfect man.
Examples and Spiritual Lessons
He lived with a perfect man, and that man was his big brother, Jesus Christ. So, do you think that perhaps this resonated pretty deeply within James’ heart, that God would energize this revelation, this letter to be written? Because how many of us grew up in the same house with Jesus Christ? Not many, obviously. So, perhaps this gentleman had a pretty unique perspective.
I’m sure he did. Look at verse 14. For what doth it profit my brethren, though a man say he hath faith? Now, I want to stop there.
Notice how the Scripture says a man says he has it, and here the man is a certain one. The word say is so key here, because the word say is a verb, but it’s in a construction in the Greek that expresses doubt and hesitation. So, that means when he says he has faith, he’s actually, in his heart, he’s got doubt, and he’s got hesitation.
That’s important to remember as we keep reading how important words are, right? John made reference to chapter one. Well, you know what ties in here beautifully? In James chapter one, it says, Ask in faith, nothing wavering, because the people that waver are like the wave of the sea, tossed to and fro. Let not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord.
We don’t demonstrate our faith in doubt. We are absolutely convinced about what Christ accomplished. That’s very important.
It says, And have not works? Can faith save him? Well, works here is actually referring to good works. Good works are what we do with God. Good works are what we do as a result of being saved.
And remember, this was probably one of the first letters written before the Apostle Paul wrote so much of the New Testament. And they were discovering the deeper sense and the deeper meaning of what all this meant. So, it’s referring to good works, and it’s not talking about salvation.
It’s talking about demonstrating, exhibiting faith. If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of the daily food, this is his example, James. And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding you 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.
Look at the context. The context is someone that says they have faith, but there’s doubt. There’s hesitation in their words.
Faith in Action
They’re not fully persuaded. And his example is he sees a need, but he doesn’t do anything about it. That’s not demonstrating faith.
We want to connect with people. We want to carry out our commissioning. It says in Ephesians 2, 8 through 10, For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. In other words, we demonstrate our faith through good works. And this was part of the discovery that Martin Luther understood and launched an amazing revolution, if you will, and bringing people back to the Bible.
This is what Luther said in one place, quote, Oh, it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good things incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done this and is constantly doing them, end quote.
That’s Martin Luther. John, did you want anything? Again, I think I come back to James is writing this, and he had this unique family relationship with our Lord, and he refers to Jesus Christ as his Lord. And he’s exhorting that we have all that we need.
We don’t have to keep trying to earn it. Sometimes you might talk to people, and they’re trying to get validation, and they seem to give you their resume over and over. And you know what? I don’t need their resume.
I just need you have a need, or you’ve done this or that. And I’m thankful for who you are, because we’re on equal footing. We get to just be those men and women that are interested in demonstrating that faith, not just say, Well, you know, this person has a need, and I know they have a need, but we want to get involved, and how can I help this person? We see that throughout the Word.
My gosh, Jesus Christ constantly was taking care of people. But also in the book of Acts, we see that. The apostle Paul is in situations.
He goes to Philippi, and there’s a woman that’s possessed that’s following him around, and she’s not really blessing him with the things that she has to say. Oh, these are the servants of the Most High God, but this grieves Paul. But she did this many days.
He put up with that, and ultimately he’s able to demonstrate the faith. He’s able to heal this woman to where she then closes down her business. You know, she wants the Word, and he’s been able to give her the Word.
Walking in Love and Confidence
We get to do that, as we don’t have to try to earn the right to speak, the right to walk in the steps of Jesus Christ. We’ve already been given that right. Amen.
We’ll keep reading. Verse 17, Even so faith, if it hath not works, we’re talking about good works, is dead, being alone. Yet a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works.
Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. These are all good works that demonstrate the faith. 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? Now, who is this vain man? Well, if you read the context, some of it we’ve already alluded to, the vain man is the double-minded man of Chapter 1. The vain man is the one that hears and doesn’t do, because Chapter 1 also talks about, you know, be doers of the Word, not hearers only. The vain man is also talking about the one that expresses that they have faith.
They say it, but really, they have doubt and hesitation. And again, we’re not being critical of anybody that is having difficulty with the concept, still learning the faith. What James is addressing is, in the first century, the Judeans, Israel was the first one to receive Jesus Christ, but he must have noticed that their practices really needed some adjustment.
And that’s part of what he’s addressing. Not to be double-minded, not to be a hearer and not a doer, not to have doubt or hesitation when it comes to faith. So he’s encouraging them.
That’s who the vain man is. Then, verses 21 through 26, they delve into two amazing examples. I’ll just read this through, make some comments, and then I’m going to turn it to John.
Verse 21, was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Now, this word justified is not referring to how we were justified, because Abraham didn’t even have the law at this time. The reason why we’re justified is because Christ came and fulfilled the law. You can use the same word, but it doesn’t have the same meaning and application, because whatever happened before Christ came is different than what happened after he came.
And that’s important to understand. Was not Abraham our father there justified by good 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? It was complete. And the scripture was fulfilled which said, Abraham believed God.
Applying the Teaching in Daily Life
What a great definition of faith, to believe God. And it was imputed unto him for righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see then how that by works a man is justified, not by faith only.
The context is before the accomplished work of Christ, because that’s when Abraham lived. And the other example is Rahab. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works when she 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.
So, John, I’m going to turn it over to you on this. You know, it’s so interesting that Abraham and Rahab come up here, and like Rico just said, he wasn’t justified by the law. The law wasn’t given yet.
The law came with Moses 400 years after Abraham. But Abraham believed God. When God told him to leave where he grew up to separate from his family, he obeyed.
We don’t learn until Joshua. This is in Genesis when Abraham’s life was recorded. It’s all the way in Joshua’s life that we read that Abraham’s father, Terah, was an idolater.
But you know, his father followed him. When Abraham left Ur of the Chaldees and went north to the city that became known as Haran, his dead brother, his father was there. And Abraham believed God.
When it was time to go and keep moving, Abraham moved. In 26 books of the Bible, Abraham comes up. In Hebrews 11, where it’s recounting this in just a few verses, it says that he just believed God.
He obeyed. And when he got to the place of Isaac, Isaac’s name means laughter. In Genesis 17, when Abraham was told by God, you and Sarah are going to have a child.
Not that child you had with Hagar, but you and Sarah—actually, her name was changed, and his name was changed in that chapter—are going to have a child. And Abraham laughed out of joy. The next chapter, three angels come, and they establish this fact.
A Life Shaped by God’s Word
And Sarah’s in the tent, and she hears that she’s going to have a child. And she laughs, doubting that she could really be this person. And yet, this child’s name is called Isaac, which means laughter.
And here, Abraham is willing to sacrifice Isaac. And this is a demonstration of the works, not to earn God’s favor, because it says in Hebrews, 2,000 years after Abraham lived, in the book of Hebrews, in chapter 11, it says Abraham was ready to sacrifice Isaac, believing that God would raise him from the dead. That’s a demonstration of his works, that he had that confidence in God, and he’s the only one in the Bible called a friend of God.
You know, this is where it comes up in James 2, and in Chronicles, and in one other place, Isaiah 41. So, it’s just amazing that this is the example that God holds up for us. And Rahab, in a similar sense, she’s there to take these people, these spies that have come in, to check out Jericho, and she hides them.
She takes care of them. And she has such confidence that she says, will you take care of me? She lives in this city that’s got 40-foot-tall walls, and she’s saying to these spies, you know, when the time comes, will you take care of me? And they say, we will, and she survives. But again, the works that she did were not to earn anything.
She just had respect to God, and that’s what the example is in James, that it’s not that we have to earn anything. The faith of Jesus Christ is ours. We demonstrate it as we walk out with believing in action every day.
Amen. So, this is a great chapter. Absolutely.
Very powerful. And there’s a lot of great truth in here. But we understand that we are not to have respect of persons when it comes to the faith of Jesus Christ.
We don’t look down on people, and we don’t look up to people in a negative way, like the world does. And in so doing, we also demonstrate our faith by helping those in need, right in front of us, like the examples that James gives. And then it ends beautifully, as John described for us, two amazing examples of people that just walked out on their faith, believed God, and wrought great deliverance for them and for others.
Fantastic. We can do the same.
Key Takeaways
- And this is what James is speaking about when he states faith without works is dead in chapter 2 verse 20.
- Not having to do works for God’s acceptance is a difficult habit to break because God has already accepted you in Christ.
- In James chapter one, it says, Ask in faith, nothing wavering, because the people that waver are like the wave of the sea, tossed to and fro.
- But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
- You know, by God’s grace, the faith of Jesus Christ saved us.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main message of “Demonstrating Our Faith”?
This teaching examines “Demonstrating Our Faith” through James 2, Acts 2, Ephesians 2, Hebrews 11, showing how faith, works, christ shape a believer’s relationship with God, daily choices, and service to others.
Which scriptures are central to this teaching?
The teaching draws especially from James 2, Acts 2, Ephesians 2, Hebrews 11, Genesis 17.
How can believers apply this teaching?
You know, by God’s grace, the faith of Jesus Christ saved us.
Scripture References
James 2; Acts 2; Ephesians 2; Hebrews 11; Genesis 17; Isaiah 41
This text was prepared from the teaching audio or source document. Please verify scripture references against your own Bible.
