"Show Me Your Faith!"

James 2:14-26
Stan Moody

This matter of faith vs. works has been debated for centuries. There has been an ongoing conflict between those who claim faith alone as being enough to enter the Kingdom of Heaven and those who depend on human works to earn their way into Heaven. It is either/or kind of thinking, and neither is right.

It is the same kind of thinking that divides Republicans from Democrats, Evangelicals from Mainline Christians – conservatives from liberals. Neither is right, and when neither is right, you can expect that both are wrong. How’s that for either/or thinking?

The Apostle James, thought to be the brother of Jesus, says, “You foolish man, do you want evidence (italics added) that faith without deeds is useless? …A person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”

Faith in the free enterprise system without a willingness to share the wealth with those who are beneath the wheel is not faith at all. On the other hand, faith in the ideals of human rights and social justice without putting your own wealth at risk is not faith in anything. We are too busy telling other people what they ought to be doing and not busy enough taking inventory of our own lives – what we ought to be doing.

The idea that the answer to somebody else’s problem is to tell them to pull themselves up by the bootstraps is a scourge on the landscape of what some claim is a Christian nation. “Is it not the rich who are exploiting you?” James asks. “Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?”

There is a great irony here to which James is pointing us. And that is that in a nation where winning is everything, we are honoring winners who have gained their impressive lifestyles at the expense of others, whether in business or in politics. The rich and powerful find it nearly impossible to identify with the Lord Jesus Christ who came as a humble servant and avoided all semblances of wealth and fame. It is not the system that is the problem; it is the people gaming the system who are the problem. Both free marketers and social justice advocates base their politics on the inherent goodness of mankind, a fatally-flawed premise.

“Show me your faith.” James tells us. NMMH Church, “Show me your faith!” America, “Show me your faith!” “I have heard your words; show me your faith!”

We have reached a breaking point in evangelical life here in America. Last week, my daughter called me from Tucson all upset. She teaches Chemistry and Physics at a large Christian high school there. The mother of one of her students had just called her and asked, “How can you as a Christian justify voting for Obama?” She then dove into the abortion/pro-life debate.

Show me your faith! If you are pro-life, what are you doing about teenage girls who are living in terror because they are pregnant and have been abandoned? If you are pro-life, why are you not reacting to those pregnant women who were killed by our bombs on the streets of Baghdad when we invaded Iraq? If you are pro-life, what are you doing about loving those whose character turns your stomach – the throw-away people in our culture?

I’ll share with you a couple of touching stories that have been brought home to me by my children.

Jonathan, as do all teenage kids who have been brought up in the church, was pressing for the chance to stay at home on Sunday mornings. This went on for some time. I let Barbara deal with it, but I finally had to become involved. What I told him was, “I really need the support of my family there.” We have not heard another protest since. Show me your faith!

Because Little Barbara seems to have no interest in the things of the Lord these days, it is easy to assume that she has no faith. One evening, I came home and saw her playing with a baby on the living room floor. “What is this?” I asked. It was the baby of a young, unmarried mother who does not believe in abortion and has been abandoned by the father. Now, you can say, “She should have given the baby up for adoption.” Quite frankly, that is not your call or mine. We are called to deal with matters where they are and as they are – not where we should like them to be or as we should like them to be.

Barbara was taking care of this baby because its Mom needed to work to pay the bills. Show me your faith! A week or so ago, Barbara gave up her shift to this Mom because she was not getting enough hours. Show me your faith! I have to tell you that with all my confession of faith in all of my life, I can never remember doing something like that, especially in my 20’s.

I believe that we all have stories like this. I have heard a number of those stories in my years here at the NMMH Church – stories of faith giving rise to good works of the kind for which there is no payback. As this economic crisis deepens, however, the church of Jesus Christ in America may be pushed to get involved where it would rather not become involved – in places where there are people suffering with no foreseeable way out.

We as Evangelicals are used to picking the low-hanging fruit – the easy works of charity, like distributing Thanksgiving baskets. Where the rubber meets the road in the Kingdom, however, is when the works of charity have to be carried out despite the fact that you know you can’t help.

I was working with an inmate for several months. He was in segregation for the last of his term and was released without probation about a month ago. I always joked with him that I didn’t want to see his ugly face again once he left, and I warned him to go straight home to Brockton, MA, where he had family who loved him. His Dad is a pastor, and his grandmother is a pastor. He grew up in an evangelical church. He had a girlfriend in Lewiston, however.

A week or so ago, he was found dead of an overdose – in Lewiston. I could not help but think about the words of James in the 15th verse: “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, “Go; I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?”

That falls into the category of, “God bless you; I’ll be praying for you.” He was 32 years old.

There is another man of 33 who was raised in a local Baptist church that was flourishing at one time. He is scheduled to be released at age 104 as the result of convictions as a serial rapist. He showed me a campaign button a couple of weeks ago that said, “Jesus for President.” Another said, “Vote the Bible.”

I suspect it is a lot easier to vote for Jesus for President than it is to plumb the depths of what it means to be a Christian – what kind of works you must do to prove your faith.

James renders the distinction between the words of faith and the action of faith even more troubling when he says, “Big deal! Even the demons believe there is one God. They believe so wholeheartedly that they shudder under the burden of that belief!” (v. 19). I suppose the appropriate question to ask, then, would be what distinguishes you and me from the believing demons for whom the things that they know in their heads make such an impression in their hearts that they shudder.

In fact, no matter how much you study the Bible, you cannot know anywhere near as much about God and His plan for redemption as do the demons. They have first hand experience in the divine government of God – His sovereign power over this world and His plan for salvation through Jesus Christ. No matter how much you may know about God, your faith in the existence of God and His plan for salvation pales into insignificance compared with that of the demons.

If you are relying on your faith, then, to get you through the pearly gates, remember that demons, with more faith in God than we, have another kind of date with destiny.

Demons believe that God is a holy God, a sin-hating God, a God of truth and a God of judgment. Demons know firsthand about Heaven and about Hell. When Jesus cast out demons on one occasion, they shouted, “What do you want with us, Son of God? Have you come here to torture us before the appointed time?” (Matt 8:29). What I see in this encounter between Jesus and those demons is a public acknowledgment that Jesus is the Son of God and that there is an appointed time for judgment.

James says, “Show me your faith…Faith without works is dead!”

We know what kind of works demons do, don’t we? They are works that draw applause, wreck lives and fight against God. They are works that are designed to attract us to this world rather than to the Kingdom of God. They are works that build up the human ego for the accumulation of awards rather than works that call on us to lose ourselves in order to find ourselves.

Our standing with God, therefore, is not measured by faith alone. Instead, it is in the nature of our works that our faith is distinguished from that of the demons. Works that demonstrate our faith are measured in our attitudes toward others – especially those who are incapable of doing us any good.

Demons will love their neighbor, provided their neighbor loves them. We, however, are called to love our neighbor, especially when our neighbor is considered to be our enemy. Demons will promote a winning strategy. We, however, must be willing to lose so that God may win. Demons will glorify strength and power. We, however, must be willing to be weak in order that God may display His strength through our weakness. Demons will pack people into the churches so long as what is being preached there glorifies the American Dream of prosperity and success. We, however, are called to be faithful to the Gospel, regardless of how poorly accepted it may be.

There is something about this chapter on works springing out of faith that draws our attention. It is that there are 3 kinds of faith outlined in this short passage of Scripture. James wants us to understand that, while there are many different kinds of faith, there is only one saving faith.

1. Dead Faith: “…faith, by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead” (v. 17).
People with this kind of faith understand the correct vocabulary for Christian belief. They can quote verses from the Bible. They know the common language of faith and often find comradeship with others who share that language of faith. They are quick to promise to pray for people in need and then move on to the next adventure. Like the demons, they know the doctrine of salvation – they have read the Four Spiritual Laws. They may even have repeated the Sinner’s Prayer. Yet, while the world waits for signs of a faith that spills out of their lives and into the world, they have gone through the motions and have never known the passion that comes from loving Christ enough to sacrifice our lives for Him as He has done for us.

A declaration of faith that has not resulted in a changed life committed to good works is a false declaration – a dead faith. A dead faith is a counterfeit faith that lulls many a church into a false confidence of its standing with God. This is the kind of faith that protests against abortion but is unwilling to put itself on the line for unwed mothers.

2. Demonic Faith: We have talked about the faith of demons. While those with dead faith are touched only in their intellect, demons are touched in their emotions. They shudder or tremble! That is one step above dead faith, is it not? Where is the changed life? Without receiving the life of Christ, our works will be no different from the local service club.

I can imagine a person having this kind of faith who believes the right things and feels the right things. I can imagine such a person intellectually adhering to the right kind of doctrines and the right kind of living and even having an emotional experience while listening to the Gospel.

But an intellectual faith and an emotional reaction to the words of faith can never save. Show me your faith!

3. Dynamic Faith: Dead faith touches only the intellect. Demonic faith touches both the intellect and the emotions. Dynamic faith, however, involves the intellect, the emotions and the will. The mind understands the truth; the heart desires and rejoices over the truth; the will, however, acts upon that truth.

Saving faith leads to action of a particular type. It is not intellectualism; it is not emotionalism. Instead, it is that which leads to good works.

We have spent considerable time in this church contrasting works that build up our egos and works that build up the Kingdom of God. One helps people and gives us a good feeling. The other loves people out of love of God for His love of us.

James gives Abraham as an example of Dynamic faith. Over and over again, Abraham demonstrated his faith by his works – self-sacrifice and obedience, even when the way violated every human instinct. James offers Rahab the harlot as another example of Dynamic faith. Rahab was a Gentile who risked her own life in answer to the call of God to hide the spies of Israel in Jericho. She was a prostitute who became the great, great, great grandmother of King David. She demonstrated her faith through her works.

I wonder what kind of faith we have this morning. Is it a faith that is content to just know about the things of God? Is it a faith that revs up our emotions when we hear those old hymns or those old Gospel sermons? Or does it go beyond knowing and feeling so that it motivates our actions?

We might ask how we at the NMMH Church can possibly make a difference in the Kingdom. We don’t have much money. We don’t have many young people. We can go through a long list of what we don’t have.

The Psalmist cries out to God that He reveal to him the motivators of the kind of faith that leads to works:

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
See if there is any offensive way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.

Make that the prayer of your heart this morning as you consider what kind of faith you have and what kind of works will show that faith to others.

God’s grace is a limitless fountain of possibility tapped into by a faith that knows no limitations. Everything we do here must be motivated by a faith that harbors no limits.

Paul writes in 1 Cor 13 , “…and now abides faith, hope and love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.” Love, or charity, is the greatest of the three because it gives rise to the words that prove our faith.