Dead Faith (James 2:14-17)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-15-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                              Focus:  Dead Faith

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 2:14-17

 

            Message of the verse:  “14 What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?  15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?  17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.”  (NASB)

“14 Dear brothers, what’s the use of saying you have faith if you don’t prove it by your actions? That kind of faith can’t save anyone.  15 Suppose you see a brother who needs food or clothing, 16  and you say, "Well, good-bye and God bless you; stay warm and eat well"—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?  17 So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good deeds is no faith at all—it is dead and useless.”(NLT)

            This starts a new section, and a new chapter in the book “Be Mature” and Warren Wiersbe has entitled this chapter “False Faith,” and it goes from 2:14 to the end of chapter two which is verse 26.  We start out with verses 14-17 and this is probably the most misunderstood part of the letter that James has written, for in it some people have came to the conclusion the direct opposite of what James is writing about, for they have concluded that in order for a person to be accepted by God that all he has to do is “good works.”  We can see from James 1:18 and many, many other passages that this is not the case, for a man must be born again to enter the kingdom of heaven.  Jesus spoke of this as did the rest of the NT writers.  Paul spent much of the first part of the book or Romans driving this point home to his readers. 

            All of this being true, exactly what is James talking about in this section of his letter?  There are three questions to be answered in this section of his letter.  1)  What kind of faith really saves a person?  2)  Is it necessary to perform good works in order to be saved?  And 3) How can a person tell whether or not he is exercising true saving faith? 

            James asks a number of questions to his readers in verse 14, and then gives an example of what he is writing about in verses 15 & 16, and then gives a concluding remark in verse 17 tying it all together.  James wants his readers to know that faith without works is dead faith, and that there are some people who do not really have saving faith.  They talk the talk but do not walk the walk.  They know many of the right answers about saving faith, but they do not demonstrate it in their lives.  I can think of a number of illustrations of this from the Scriptures that will help to make this clear.  “Matthew 7:18 “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.  Matthew 7:19 “Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”  In these verses Jesus is saying that if a person’s life has been changed that they will produce good fruit.  Paul brings this up in Galatians 5 where he talks about the “fruit of the Spirit.”  Another illustration that can be given to make these verses clearer is that of “life” In John 14:6 Jesus says, “6  Jesus told him, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.”  This verse speaks about Jesus being the life, and all true believers have this life reproduced in them by the Spirit of God and the Word of God.  1 John 5:12 speaks to this issue of life, “12  He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.”

            The point of all of this is that a person must be born again by grace through faith as Eph. 2:8-9 speaks of and then they become a part of the family of God.  While that person is on the earth he will begin to grow in his faith, he will walk in his faith, (For we walk by faith, not by sight:), 2Cor, 5:7.  When we are walking by faith then we will do the good works that the Lord would have us to do, which is the fruit of our new life in Christ. 

            I have one more lesson to talk out of this section and it comes from Paul’s writings in “2 Corinthians 13:5  Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test?”  I think that James is saying much of the same thing in these verses, for if some of his readers would test themselves than maybe they would not pass.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As I look at this section of James I can honestly say that from when I was first saved that I did not have much of a clue as to what this all meant, however after studying it over the years the Lord has revealed some of it’s deeper meaning to me and I am thankful for His teaching me these truths about this passage.  This passage does convict me from time to time about doing more good works in my walk with the Lord. 

 

The Word of God was instructive and was convicting to my heart as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To be sensitive to the Spirit of God in His leading of my life today, that I may be able to hear that still small voice and obey it.

The Judgement of God (James 2:12-13)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-12-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  The Judgment of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  James 2:12-13

 

            Message of the verse:  “12 So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty.  13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.”  (NKJV)  “So whenever you speak, or whatever you do, remember that you will be judged by the law of love, the law that set you free.  For there will be no mercy for you if you have not been merciful to others.  But if you have been merciful, then God’s mercy toward you will win out over his judgment against you.”  (NLT)

            In this section of James from verses 1-13 of chapter 2 we have been looking at four Christian doctrines in relationship of how we are to treat other people.  These include the doctrines of the deity of Jesus Christ in verses 1-4; the grace of God in verses 5-7; the Word of God in verses 8-11; and now today we look at the judgment of God in verses 12 and 13.This is not new to this study in James for in chapter one verses 13-16 Dr. Wiersbe spoke of the Judgment of God while dealing with the subject of temptation. In these two verses James speaks of our words being judged, our actions deeds judged, and attitudes being judged.

1.     Our words judged:  Jesus speaks of this in Matthew 12:36, “36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.”  There was also an illustration given in James 2:3, where James wrote about two visitors. 

2.     Our deeds judged:  Colossians 3:22-25 have this insight on this:  “22 Bondservants [slaves], obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eye service, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God.

23 And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men,

24 knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ.  25 But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.”  As believers we must take sin seriously for when we sin and not think much about it we will not be able to serve the Lord in a way that will be pleasing to Him.  To be sure the believers sins are forgiven, but our sins affect our character and works for the Lord.

3.     Our attitudes judged:  James talks about showing mercy to others and not showing mercy to others. (Verse 13)  When we show mercy to others God will show mercy to us, however don’t fall for the lie that as believers we can earn mercy for then that would not be mercy.  Mercy and judgments both come from God so there are no competitions between them.  If a sinner repents of their sins then God will show mercy to them, if not judgment.  The parable in Matthew 18:21-35 illustrates this truth.  The parable is not illustrating salvation, but forgiveness between fellow servants. Three points on why James called God’s law the law of liberty.

1.     Obedience to the Law frees us from sin and enables us to walk in liberty.  Psalm 119:45 speak of this:  “And I will walk at liberty, For I seek Your precepts.”

2.     God’s Law prepares us for liberty. Paul talked about this in Galatians where he said that the Law was our tutor that led us to Christ.  “Galatians 3:24 Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.  Galatians 3:25 But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.”  Liberty does not mean license for license is confinement while liberty is fulfillment.

3.      The liberty that comes from the Law of God changes us from the inside out so that we will have a desire to do what is pleasing to God.  This in truth is what liberty for the believer is all about, and that is that we have the liberty to do what is pleasing to the Lord, we are not controlled by sin, but by the new nature and this gives us the liberty to worship God in a way that is pleasing to Him, otherwise we would only be doing sinful things because we are sinners.  Jeremiah 31:33b says, “I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”  The writer to the Hebrews repeats this in 8:10 of the letter to the Hebrews. “"For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

In conclusion it is good to be reminded that our beliefs should control our behavior.  When the believer looks into the mirror of the Word of God and sees in it something that needs to be changed and changes it then this shows that his beliefs do control his behavior, and this is maturity in the believer’s life.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  As a believer when I think about the judgment of God there are many times when I do not feel that it has anything to do with me because Jesus Christ took the judgment for my sins on the cross.  I am now beginning to have a new, and I hope more mature, look into the judgment of God, and this passage has been a help for me to see it better, and how the judgment of God has to do with me personally.

 

The Word of God was enlighting to my heart, and it also brought conviction to me.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to give me the right words to say at the Bible Study today, to fill me and to empower me for His glory.

The Word of God (James 2:8-11)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-11-03

 

My Worship Time                                                                  Focus:  The Word of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 2:8-11

 

            Message of the verse:  “If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you do well; but if you show partiality, you commit sin, and are convicted by the law as transgressors.  For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. For He who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’ Now if you do not commit adultery, but you do murder, you have become a transgressor of the law.”  (NKJV) 

“Yes indeed, it is good when you truly obey our Lord’s royal command found in the Scriptures: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  But if you pay special attention to the rich, you are committing a sin, for you are guilty of breaking that law.  And the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as the person who has broken all of God’s laws.  For the same God who said, ‘Do not commit adultery,’ also said, ‘Do not murder.’  So if you murder someone, you have broken the entire law, even if you do not commit adultery (NLT).”

            The term “royal law” seems to have a special meaning, for God the Father gave it first and Jesus Christ also spoke of this law while He was on the earth.  James has been talking about the rich people, and some of the sins that they commit, so now he changes his focus to all as seen in verse eight.  Again it is good to remember that God is not a respecter of people, for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. 

            As far as to who your neighbors are, we only have to look at the parable that Jesus spoke of concerning the “good Samaritan” to see this point made.  It is not a matter of geography, but opportunity.  If we love our “neighbors” as we love ourselves then we will not show respect of people, for we will love them all no matter who they are.  Now a word about Christian love:  “1. Christian love means that I am to treat others the way that God has treated me.  2. It is an act of the will, not an emotion that I try to manufacture.  3.  The motive is to glorify God.  4. The means is the power of the Spirit within (for the fruit of the Spirit is love).  5. Christian love does not leave the person where it finds him.”  (Be Mature) 

Now a word about breaking one point of the law and breaking the whole thing:  “The law of God is not a series of detached injunctions but a basic unity that requires perfect love of Him and our neighbors.  Although all sins are not equally damaging or heinous, they all shatter the unity and render men transgressors, much like hitting a window with a hammer at only one point will shatter and destroy the whole window.  Guilty of all:  Not in the sense of having violated every command, but in the sense of having violated the law’s unity.  One transgression makes fulfilling the law’s most basic commands—to love God perfectly and to love one’s neighbor as oneself—impossible.”  (MacArthur study Bible)

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I want to make a point as to how this would apply to my life, and to every believer’s life.  If everyone would keep this law to love one’s neighbor as they do themselves then there would be no need of any other laws.  Love is the reason that Jesus Christ left heaven to come to earth and if I can be filled with that same love then God can use me to do His will upon this earth while He leaves me here.  Love is where it is at for the believer. 

 

The Word of God was instructive and it was refreshing to me and it was also convicting.  I was convicted of a statement in the “Be Mature” book I am reading:  “We only believe as much of the Bible as we practice.  If we fail to obey the most important Word—“love thy neighbor as thyself”—then we will not do any good with the lesser matters of the Word.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Word of God in spite of circumstances or consequences.  To trust the Lord even when things did not work out the way that I wanted them to work out, and to pray that God would fill me with His love for others.

The Doctrine of the Grace of God (James 2:5-7)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-10-03

 

My Worship Time                                          Focus:  The Doctrine of the Grace of God

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 2:5-7

 

            Message of the verse:  “5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?  6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts?  7 Do they not blaspheme that noble name by which you are called?” 

            James has many truths that he illustrates by writing about the rich, and most of them are negative things that the rich do.  “1:10 but the rich in his humiliation, because as a flower of the field he will pass away; 1:11 For no sooner has the sun risen with a burning heat than it withers the grass; its flower falls, and its beautiful appearance perishes. So the rich man also will fade away in his pursuits; 2:5 Listen, my beloved brethren: Has God not chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him; 2:6 But you have dishonored the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you and drag you into the courts; 5:1 Come now, you rich, weep and howl for your miseries that are coming upon you!”

            The one thing that I want to keep in mind as I study the book of James at this time is the theme of being mature.  In this section of James the grace of God is seen, and it does seem to me that the grace of God certainly has much to do with a believer becoming more mature in his walk with the Lord.  The word “chosen” in verse five speaks of the grace of God, for indeed it was God who chose all of those who are saved for salvation.  Strongs says this about this word:  “1d) of God the Father choosing Christians, as those whom he set apart from the irreligious multitude as dear unto himself, and whom he has rendered, through faith in Christ, citizens in the Messianic kingdom: (#Jas 2:5) so that the ground of the choice lies in Christ and his merits only.”

            Now unless one think that that the rich cannot enter into the kingdom of God we only have to look at some examples in the Scriptures of some of the rich who were saved.  Matthew comes to mind, and also Zacchaeus.  Jesus spoke of how hard it was for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven and His disciple questioned Him about it and He told them, “With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.”

            There will be rich people on earth who will be poor in heaven, and there will be rich people on earth who will be rich in heaven.  There will be poor people on earth who will be rich in heaven, and there will be poor people on earth who will be poor in heaven.  It would seem that the level of maturity that is experienced on earth in the walk with the Lord would have something to do with the level of riches that one will have in heaven. 

            In verses six and seven James gives a rebuke to his readers in saying that if you despise the poor man you are behaving like the unsaved rich people.

            “The doctrine of God’s grace, if we really believe it, forces us to relate to people on the basis of God’s plan and not on the basis of human merit or social status.  When He died, Jesus broke down the wall that separated Jews and Gentiles (Eph. 2:11-22).  But in His birth and life Jesus broke down the walls between rich and poor, young and old, educated and uneducated.  It is wrong for us to build those walls again; we cannot rebuild them if we believe in the grace of God.”  From “Be Mature.” 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I would say that from the teaching of this section that I can learn to treat all people the same, and not treat some with more respect than others, for this is what the doctrine of the Grace of God teaches in this area of the Christian walk with the Lord.

 

The Word of God was convicting to my heart as I read and studied it this morning.  It also was refreshing to me as I think about the sovereignty of God.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  Continue to trust the Lord that He will bring those whom He desires to continue to come to our Tuesday Bible Study, and that He will continue to give me peace concerning our investments. 

 

The Deity of Christ and How We Treat People (James 2:1-4)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-08-03

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  The Deity of Christ & how we treat people

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                         Reference:  James 2:1-4

 

            Message of the verse:  “1 My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.  2 For if there should come into your assembly a man with gold rings, in fine apparel, and there should also come in a poor man in filthy clothes, 3 and you pay attention to the one wearing the fine clothes and say to him, ‘You sit here in a good place,’ and say to the poor man, ‘You stand there,’ or, "’it here at my footstool,’ 4 have you not shown partiality among yourselves, and become judges with evil thoughts?  (NKJV)  “My dear brothers and sisters, how can you claim that you have faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ if you favor some people more than others?  For instance, suppose someone comes into your meeting dressed in fancy clothes and expensive jewelry, and another comes in who is poor and dressed in shabby clothes.  If you give special attention and a good seat to the rich person, but you say to the poor one, ‘You can stand over there, or else sit on the floor’—well, doesn’t this discrimination show that you are guided by wrong motives?”  (NLT)

            In this section, (James 2:1-13), James writes about four different Christian doctrines and relates them to how we treat other people.  This first on is given in verses 1-4 and the doctrine he shows us is the Deity of Christ.  He gives that in the first verse and then sites an example in the remaining three verses.  Jesus Christ was God in human flesh while He walked upon this earth, and He knew the hearts of everyone He came in contact with.  He did not respect persons while He was on earth, in other words He did not think more highly of people because of their position or wealth. The word translated “partiality” in verse one sheds some light on how believers are to have this same quality that Jesus had in regard to respecting persons.  “2a) The fault of one who when called on to give judgment has respect of the outward circumstances of man and not to their intrinsic merits, and so prefers, as the more worthy, one who is rich, high born, or powerful, to another who does not have these qualities.”  As believers, James says that we have a tendency to judge people by their outward appearance and not what is on the inside of them.  We also tend to judge people on their past and not on their future.  Jesus Christ was not born into a rich or powerful family, and Isaiah says that He did not have the looks that would attract Him to others.  He grew up in a city that people in His day looked down upon.  Yet Jesus Christ did attract people to Himself because of His love for others, for even though He hated sin He loved, and still does love sinners even today, and He does that through His believers on this earth, but we are to live by His example in order to do this. 

            In Dr. Wiersbe’s book on James, “Be Mature,” he asks and answers the question, “How do we practice the deity of Christ in our human relationships?  It is really quite simple:  look at everyone through the eyes of Christ.  If the visitor is a Christian, we can accept him because Christ lives in him.  If he is not a Christian, we can receive him because Christ died for him.  It is Christ who is the link between us and others, and He is a link of love.  The basis for relationship with others is the Person and work of Jesus Christ.  Any other basis is not going to work.”

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  In order for me to be able to treat others the way that Jesus Christ treated them while upon the earth I must be a doer of the word and not a hearer only.  I must put shoe leather to the things that I have learned while studying the Scriptures and believe them in spite of circumstances or consequences. 

 

The Word of God has again challenged, and convicted my heart as I studied it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord with the disturbing news that I learned yesterday in regard to having the Church turning down Pastor Dunn as its next senior Pastor.  This hurts my heart very much, and yet I must continue to trust the Lord in spite of the hurt feelings that I have concerning all of this, for He is still in charge.

True "Religion" (James 1:26-27)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-07-03

 

My Worship Time                  Focus:  True “Religion”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation             Reference:  James 1:26-27

 

            Message of the verse:  “26 If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one’s religion is useless.

27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”  (NKJV)  “If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are just fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless.  Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”  (NLT)

            “1) Religious worship 1a) Esp. external, that which consists of ceremonies 1a1) Religious discipline, religion.”  This is what Strongs has to say about this word that is translated “religion” in this verse.  This Greek word is only used here in these two verses in James, and in Acts, and also in Colossians where it is translated worshipping in the AV.  As seen the word can mean that religion is an external act, things like ceremonies, and days, things that are done on the outside in order to make you pleasing to God.  This is putting the cart before the horse, for are “good works” can only count for God if we are a child of God first, and then we can demonstrate true religion as James speaks of in verse 27. 

            In verse 26 James speaks of the tongue, and he uses the tongue on five different occasions in his letter.  The outward fruitfulness of a believer can be shown if he demonstrates that he can control his tongue, or his speaking, and if he cannot then he needs to examine himself to see if he truly is a believer, and if he is to learn how to “bridle his tongue” through the teachings in the Scripture.

            Next the believer should demonstrate service to others, as James shows us in verse 27 when he writes about helping the widows and the orphans.  These are those who have a hard time in helping themselves and are in need of a helping hand.

Isaiah 6:1-8 gives us an order to which we can get hold of how this process works.  First Isaiah saw the Lord, (salvation), and then Isaiah saw himself (examination) and then he went out to serve others (service).

            Next James says that to demonstrate true religion we should not be friends of the world.  As believers we live in the world, but we are not to be a part of the world.  A good example of how not to do this is seen in the life of Lot.  Lot was a true believer, as Peter tells us, but Lot first pitched his tent towards Sodom, then he moved into Sodom, and then Sodom moved into him, and the he lost everything when Sodom was judged.

            Of course the best example of how this is done right is to look at the Lord Jesus Christ’s life while He was on planet earth, for He ministered to those in the world, but certainly never became a part of the worlds system.  He is always our perfect example to follow.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I think a good way not to become a part of the worlds system, and to control my tongue, and to serve others is to give myself to the Lord each morning, to put on the spiritual armor, to keep in the Word each day, to have a consistent prayer life, to confess my sins when I fail the Lord, to have fellowship with other believers, and to serve others.  I am sure there are other things that I can do too that I have not listed.

 

The Word of God was convicting to my heart this morning as I read it, but it also encouraged me too.

My Steps of Faith Today:  To love the Lord with all of my heart, soul, and mind, and to worship Him this morning in a way that will be pleasing to Him.

 

The Perfect Law of Liberty (James 1:25)

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 09-05-03

 

My Worship Time                                                      Focus:  Perfect Law of Liberty

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                     Reference:  James 1:25

 

            Message of the verse:  “25 But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.”  (NKJV)  “But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law—the law that set you free—and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”  (NLT) 

            James has been speaking about the mirror being the Word of God, and now in this verse he changes from calling it a mirror to calling it the “perfect law of liberty.”  As stated yesterday when we look into the mirror of God’s Word it will show us imperfections in our Christian life, but now James speaks of having liberty when we obey the Word of God that actually convicts us.  It does seem paradoxical that a law can give us freedom, but then there are many things in the Christian life that are paradoxical.  Jesus died so that we can live; we die to ourselves so that we can live.  James goes on to say that if a believer continues to look into the perfect law of liberty that he will be blessed.  Jesus spoke of this in John 8:31-32 “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”  The question may be asked as to what we are in bondage to?  The answer, of course, is sin. 

            When God created Adam & Eve they were in perfect fellowship with God because there was no sin in their lives, but as soon as they sinned they became slaves to sin, as all of us who were born after them who were born of the seed of man.  Now by looking into God’s perfect law of liberty and obeying it we will learn about this liberty.  If we look into this law and it convicts us and we do not obey then we will not experience this liberty. 

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  I have learned from these verses I have studied in the last couple of days is that I need to be a doer of the Word and not only a hearer of it.

 

The Word of God brought conviction to my heart again as I read it this morning.

 

My Steps of Faith Today:  To trust the Lord to search me and to convict me and then to obey Him.  I trust the Lord to have the men He wants at our Bible Study today and that He will use me to help bring about maturity to our group through the power of His Holy Spirit and His Word.