The Most Common Misbelief
James 2:14-26
Introduction
Common Misbeliefs
General Public – “Everyone’s going to heaven.”
Matthew 7:13
Enter through the narrow gate: for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.
For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
Believers
Simply looking for a confession of faith at conversion
Romans 10:9
. . . if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Trying to get everyone to say “the sinner’s prayer.”
Result: Lots of people who have said that prayer. Call themselves Christians.
But don’t look or act like Christians.
*If everyone who called themselves a Christian showed up at church on the
same Sunday, churches would have people left standing in the parking lot!
Scripture is clear: we are saved by grace through faith.
James explains what faith really means.
3 Facts About Faith
3 Examples About Faith
First, Facts About Faith
1. Faith without works is useless (verses 14-16).
illus.: cruise ship with inflatable rafts
you must pull the tab to inflate the raft
If you don’t pull the tab, the raft becomes useless!
James – seeing a brother or sister in need
Does it help if we say good things but don’t help them?
What good is that kind of faith?
vs. 14 James calls it “useless” faith.
*Without action your faith can’t save you!
illus.: baseball player who never shows up for games
new car that won’t start
A Christian who doesn’t do what he/she should.
Useless faith can’t save us!
2. Faith without works destroys our witness (verse 18).
How can our faith be seen?
By what we say?
Words must be backed up with deeds!
illus.: a “friend” that you can’t count on
How can people know that we are Christians? By our deeds
3. Faith has to be more than just “believing.” (verse 19).
The demons believe and shudder.
Common sense tells us that faith is much more than just saying
a “sinner’s prayer.”
3 Examples
1. Abraham (verses 21-24)
Genesis 22
“Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of
Moriah, and offer him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will
tell you.”
Read verses 7-14.
Abraham obeyed God – that is the true definition of faith!
Hebrews 11 – Great Faith Chapter – individuals who obeyed God
Verse 22 - Abraham’s faith was “perfected” or “completed.”
Abraham believed God by obeying God.
Faith was working in his deeds.
His “works” completed his faith.
*Any definition of grace which doesn’t include obedience is inadequate.
Paul and James do not contradict one another.
James: Faith is the basis of our works.
Paul: Works are not the basis of our salvation.
Expression: “Faith alone.”
Verse 24 – Only appearance in the Bible
What does it say? “Not by faith alone”
2. Rahab (verse 25)
Joshua 2 – Hid two spies sent to Jericho by Joshua.
Verse 9 “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us.”
Verse 11 “ . . . the Lord your God is God in heaven above and on earth below.”
If Rahab hadn’t acted on her faith, she would have perished!
3. Our bodies (verse 26)
The body without the spirit is dead.
We all know what a dead body looks like – clearly not alive!
A dead faith can also be clearly seen – no deeds.
Conclusion
Let me read our text from the Contemporary English Version
My friends, what good is it to say you have faith, when you don’t do anything to show that you really do have faith? Can that kind of faith save you? If you know someone who doesn’t have any clothes or food, you shouldn’t just say, “I hope all goes well for you. I hope you will be warm and have plenty to eat.” What good is it to say this, unless you do something to help? Faith that doesn’t lead us to do good deeds is all alone and dead!
Suppose someone disagrees and says, “It is possible to have faith without doing kind deeds.”
I would answer, “Prove that you have faith without doing kind deeds, and I will prove that I have faith by doing them.” You surely believe there is only one God. That’s fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear.
Does some stupid person want proof that faith without deeds is useless? Well, our ancestor Abraham pleased God by putting his son Isaac on the altar to sacrifice him. Now you see how Abraham’s faith and deeds worked together. He proved that his faith was realby what he did. This is what the Scriptures mean by saying, “Abraham had faith in God, and God was pleased with him.” That’s how Abraham became God’s friend.
You can now see that we please God by what we do and not only by what we believe. For example, Rahab had been a prostitute. But she pleased God when she welcomed the spies and sent them home by another way.
Anyone who doesn’t breathe is dead, and faith that doesn’t do anything is just as dead!
What kind of faith do you have?