Faith and works

James 2:18-3 from the daily reading in the One Year Bible

But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” ¹⁹ You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder. ²⁰ But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless? ²¹ Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; ²³ and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. ²⁴ You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

3 Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. ² For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well. ³ Now if we put the bits into the horses’ mouths so that they will obey us, we direct their entire body as well. ⁴ Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires. ⁵ So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things.

See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire! ⁶ And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell. ⁷ For every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race. ⁸ But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. ⁹ With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; ¹⁰ from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way. ¹¹ Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water? ¹² Can a fig tree, my brethren, produce olives, or a vine produce figs? Nor can salt water produce fresh.

¹³ Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. ¹⁵ This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. ¹⁶ For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. ¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.

Are you willing to recognize that faith without works is useless? What James writes is not a contradiction to what Paul says and what we know to be true in Ephesians 2:8-9     For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;  not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.     We are indeed saved, justified only through faith, believing in Jesus Christ and His finished work on the cross. We cannot add to what Jesus did by our works. We are no more or less deserving, of God’s love, based on how much or how little we do. God doesn’t accept us because of our works for Him. Rather our works, all that we do for God, are response to Jesus work, dying on the cross for us.      We are saved for good works, as it says in Ephesians 2:10     We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.    Our works, what we do in the name of Christ is really our walking out what we believe, that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)   The examples James gives, of those in the Old Testament, all walked in faith toward a future promise. For them it was true that they walked by faith not by sight. For us, the promise has already been fulfilled. They walked in faith toward a future event, we walk in faith because of what has been done, the finished work of the cross.  

The text then continues to say that it is not only what we do, our works, which are an expression of our faith, but it is also what we say. James begins by saying:  Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.    This is a serious warning, one that all who influence others with their words should heed. In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus Himself says:   “Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill. For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Whoever then annuls one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others to do the same, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever keeps and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.”     The one who teaches, both by example and by their words is accountable for what they say and do.    James continues:  If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.       It is many times easier to control the things we do than it is to control what we say. Whether we are speaking our opinion or responding to what someone else has said, often times we say things to win the debate rather than to win people. Sarcasm may win the day, but it can destroy relationships. Jesus says:    “whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea.  “Woe to the world because of its stumbling blocks! For it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!”  (Matthew 18:6-7)     In Psalm 141:3, the psalmist says:  Set a guard, O Lord, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.     That is indeed a good prayer for us all. May our words never be a stumbling block to others.

 Conversely, if by our words or actions, we speak and teach what is contrary to God’s word, we also will be accountable.  Again it is not only what we say but also what we do which leads and teaches others. We are all teachers of someone, so we will all be held to that “stricter judgment.” In Ezekiel 3:17-21 we see the level of responsibility that comes with accurately speaking God’s word:       “Son of man, I have appointed you a watchman to the house of Israel; whenever you hear a word from My mouth, warn them from Me.  When I say to the wicked, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand.  Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself.  Again, when a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, and I place an obstacle before him, he will die; since you have not warned him, he shall die in his sin, and his righteous deeds which he has done shall not be remembered; but his blood I will require at your hand. However, if you have warned the righteous man that the righteous should not sin and he does not sin, he shall surely live because he took warning; and you have delivered yourself.”

James continues:  every species of beasts and birds, of reptiles and creatures of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by the human race.  But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.   Proverbs 18:21 says:   The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.      May we speak life, blessings not curses and may we also by our words, our walk, by all that we do live as light, leading others to, not away from Christ.

Today’s text ends saying:   Who among you is wise and understanding? Let him show by his good behavior his deeds in the gentleness of wisdom.  But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your heart, do not be arrogant and so lie against the truth. This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing. But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy and good fruits, unwavering, without hypocrisy. And the seed whose fruit is righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.      Because we look back in faith to the finished work of the cross, we should live and speak as those who are both full of mercy, grace, compassion and the gentleness of wisdom, but also as those who are without hypocrisy, pure and righteous.

Heavenly Father, Lord Jesus Christ; precious Holy Spirit thank You for the finished work of the cross, the fulfilled promise of my faith. Because of what You have done, may I through the Holy Spirit walk and speak in faith, not looking ahead to what might be but looking back at what is. May my words and works of faith point others to the finished work of the cross.   Amen