Faith & Works Controversy - Addendum

Faith & Works Controversy - Addendum

Some have claimed there is a contradiction between the Apostle Paul’s teaching salvation by grace and not of works with the context of James’ teaching a believer must demonstrate good deeds… or works in their life.  Even the great Martin Luther called the Book of James an “epistle of straw” because of his strong stance against those who promoted salvation by works.

Let’s take a closer look at what the Scriptures have to say about good deeds.  We have already learned there are no good deeds prior to salvation.  We are first saved by grace and not by works as Paul pointed out in Ephesians 2:8-9.  The book of Romans, also written by the Apostle Paul, tells us the same thing: “There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who is seeking God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless, there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10-11).

Once you are saved it is a different story.  A saved person is a changed person...changed by God.  We call it rebirth...we call it being born again.  2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person.  The old life is gone and a new life has begun” (New Living Translation).  As a new person...a new child of God, adopted into His family, we have been given a new purpose.  We no longer live for ourselves, but now live to serve God. 

Did you know God had a plan for you to serve him before you even got saved? ...before you were even born?  Remember those two verses in Ephesians that told us we were saved by grace through faith and not by any works on our own part (ref: Ephesians 2:8-9)?  Remember how I explained how good deeds only comes into play “after” salvation...as James is teaching us?  Read Ephesians 2:10 with me, “For we are God’s workmanship (meaning God has skillfully made each of us), created in Christ Jesus (meaning we became this new creature because of Christ dying on the cross) to do good works which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

Now that you are saved God expects you to live like one.  So we see James calling us to live a life that represents a true believer in the Lord.  In Ephesians Paul tells us we should be living in accordance to “good works which God prepared” for us to do.  How about Jesus? ...did Jesus teach that we should be living in accordance with good deeds once we are saved?

In Matthew, chapters 5 through 7, we find the great “Sermon on the Mount” preached by Jesus.  He starts his teaching with what is known as “The Beatitudes” which actually details the plan of salvation (Matthew 5:1-12).  We will have to study the beatitudes more closely at another time, but look with me at what Jesus says starting with verse 13.  Now remember we must stay in context...verses 1-12 deal with salvation so the next verse will be based on a person who has obtained this salvation in their life.

“You are the salt of the earth, but if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”  Matthew 5:13-16

I wish I had time in this commentary to break down all the wonderful and deep teachings of Jesus’ sermon, but we need to stay within our text in James.  We have read James’ teaching on how the believer should be demonstrating good deeds in their life.  Paul stated the same case in Ephesians as he described the good works God has prepared for us to do.  Now here in Matthew we see the words of Jesus Christ himself telling us the exact same thing.

Jesus said in verse 14 we are “the light of the world” which describes a person who is saved.  Notice how he continues his example by saying the Christian is to give light (which represents good deeds) “to everyone in the house.”  Focusing in on verse 16 we see Jesus teaching how a light source is meant to give light so that other can see.  In the same way the Christian is to let their “light shine before men” so “they may see your good deeds.”  Jesus expects the believer to show good deeds to others...in the same way Paul taught and in the same way James is teaching.  Jesus finished by telling us why we should be living out these “good deeds” in our lives so “they” (other people) “may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

So as you can see there is no and has never been a controversy between the teachings of Paul and James in regards to salvation and good works.  We see total harmony between Paul, James and Jesus regarding this subject.

Faith Defined by James James 2:15-17

Faith Defined by James
James 2:15-17

“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?  In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

James continues to identify this cheap, imitation of faith with an real life example.  Notice the people in his example are fellow believers.  He says, “suppose a brother or sister” using the terminology to identify people in the same church.  This is not a homeless person coming to your door...not a stranger to be afraid of… James says the people who are coming for help are people his congregation would know.  This makes it very personal. 

The second piece of information James gives us is the person coming for help needs the daily necessities of life.  They are without clothes, not that they are naked but without the proper clothing to keep their body warm.  The person is also without “daily food” meaning the person is slowly starving because they can’t feed themselves.  You can easily get the impression this person could easily die if someone doesn’t help them.

Let’s put the picture together and make it personal.  Someone you know, from your church, comes to you specifically and asks for help with the basic daily needs of life and if you don’t help them...they might die.  This is James’ example to prove his point about having a false faith… a cheap claim of faith… a faith without deeds.  So here you are looking at this person you know from church and it’s obvious to you they need help.  What will you do?  Will your faith spring to action? ...or will you dread the thought you will have to help this person with your time, money and energy?  Sounds callous but a lot of people serve because they know they must keep up the appearance of righteousness. 

James continues his example with the response of the person claiming to have faith without any deeds.  He says the person did the same thing with the needy person as they did with their own faith...they gave a lot of cheap talk…religious talk as I call it.  Have you ever met a person who likes to talk about religion and religious things but never seems to do anything when it comes to serving?  They talk a lot but they never seem to lift a finger to help or get involved.  I remember talking to an older couple in church some years ago when they brought up one of their friends in the church.  Over and over again they kept saying he was such a godly man… “yes, brother Johnson (not his real name) ...he is such a godly man.”  I kept waiting for them to tell me about the wonderful things this “godly man” did to get such wonderful praise from this couple, but it never came. 

Finally I asked them, “And what did brother Johnson do to be considered such a godly man?”  The couple just looked at me as though I had asked the strangest question.  I repeated my question since they remained silent thinking they may not have understood me.  After several uncomfortable seconds of silence they blurted out, “Why...why… he is in church every Sunday...never misses...such a godly man!”  “That’s it?!” I thought to myself…”Is that all God expects of me to become godly?”  I did not know the man personally, but I would be worried this same sense of false, deedless, faith if all I could hang my hat on was my church attendance.

Look at the response in James’ example.  “If one of you should day to him...this poorly clothed and starving person…”Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed, but does nothing about his physical needs...”  The response to the needy person is only lip service...just like the claim of faith.  You say, “Nobody would do that?” ...but are you sure?  Are you sure you haven’t done this yourself at some point in your church?

Let’s bring the situation a little closer to home… a little closer to our situation today in the church.  Say someone comes to you with a prayer request, with tears, and a broken heart ...and they explain a situation to you… a need they may have.  How many times have you promised to just pray for the person and yet you never do… you don’t even remember by the end of the church service.  You look into their teary eyes… you may even give them a comforting hug… and then you tell them the proper Christian response…”I will pray for you.” 

But you never do...and even worse you don’t even consider actually helping them with their problem.  You don’t consider calling them over the next few days to see how they are doing.  You don’t send them a card telling them of your constant and daily prayers for their needs.  You don’t visit them.  Too many times we give the same lip service James is talking about.  Now I am not saying you aren’t a believer, but I am trying to show you how easy it is to give words when God has designed you for action.  Faith must be seen in action for it to be real.   Even Christians can fall into the sin of expressing false faith.

James repeats his challenge by asking “what good is it?”  What good is a faith that never reacts to the needs of others?  Do you remember the story of the “Good Samaritan?” (Luke 10:25-37).  Jesus used the same type illustration to show a man he wasn’t really saved because his faith was nothing more than religious words.  In that story Jesus describes a Jewish man who is robbed and beaten to the point of death… a man with needs… a man who might die if he doesn’t get help.  Sound familiar?  A priest comes by, and then a Levite, both workers in the Temple.  They both see their fellow Jew but are both too busy practicing their religion to help the man.  This is a false faith...a faith that does not save.

You can go to church every Sunday, read your Bible everyday,  and pray every day.  You can sing the songs in the church and give in the offering, but if you never demonstrate your faith in action then all you have proven is that you are just like the Pharisees in the New Testament.  You are religious.  It sort of hurts to think in the terms of James’ teaching doesn’t it.?  But he is trying to wake up the people of his church and turn them into mature believers.  James finishes in verse 17 by saying, “In the same way (as the example he just gave us) faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”

How is your faith?  Does it need some maturing?  Why not repent and ask God to help you live out your faith?

Are You Just a Fan of God? James 2:18-19

Are You Just a Fan of God?
James 2:18-19

“But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”  Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.  You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that ...and shudder.”

These next few verses can seem somewhat confusing on the surface so first let us re-read the section in a more modern translation.  Quoting from the “Message Bible” we read:  “I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, "Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I'll handle the works department."  Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.  Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That's just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?”   What we have here is a problem in James’ church where some of the people were trying to separate faith and the deeds into two categories. 

James understood the difference between believing in God with a head knowledge as compared to believing in God with your heart.  He challenges the person who claims they can have faith alone while another person can have faith in action with this statement: “You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Even the demons believe that...and shudder.”  Remember James is writing to the people in his church...a Jewish church made up of converted Jews who had been raised and taught in Judaism.  To claim there is only one true God was the centerpiece of the Jewish thought.  They uttered a prayer every morning and evening called the “Shema Yisrael”.  This prayer was one of the commands of Moses to teach to their children found in Deuteronomy 6.  This was so important that many of the rabbis made what were known as phylacteries, small leather boxes, they would tie on their left arm or foreheads (Duet. 6:8).  Inside these leather boxes were four different Scripture references...one being our topic of discussion here in James where the Jews declared the Lord as the one true God.

James uses one of the most important verses the Jews would know...a verse they would recite twice a day, every morning and every night.  A verse given to them by God himself through Moses, one of the greatest leaders and figures of Jewish history.  Do you see how important this is to James?  He is not worried about offending these Jewish Christians...but he is worried some of them only have a head knowledge of God, so he sarcastically says to them, “You believe that there is one God.  Good!  Then he drives his point home further by reminding them even the demons believe in the one true God, but at least they shudder...at least they tremble with fear.

I hear people say today how they are not “gifted” in this area of ministry.  I am sorry to inform you that “good deeds” is not one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  Good deeds flow naturally from “real” faith.  Did you get that?  Just as an apple grows from an apple tree… good deeds are the natural result of the believer’s saving faith.  They are inseparable. 

This is why James says “...and I will show you my faith by what I do.”  I like sports and I feel an athletic example coming to me right now.  It goes like this: You cannot claim to be a part of the team if all you are doing is sitting in the stands cheering.  Fans are not part of the team.  They want to be.  They can wear team jerseys, they can know all the names of the players on the team, and who the coaches are.  They can have a deep knowledge of the sport and understand all the rules.  They can even know all the statistics of the players… but THEY ARE NOT ON THE TEAM.  They are not on the field and not in the game.

This chapter is called “Testing Your Faith”… so how is your faith?  Have you examined your life in respect to James’ teaching on the subject?  Ask yourself the hard questions so you can grow into the mature believer God wants you to be.  Are you in the game?  Are you living out your faith by demonstrating good deeds?  Or… are you just a fan making a lot of noise?

The Foolishness of Man's Thinking James 2:20-26

The Foolishness of Man's Thinking
James 2:20-26  

“You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?  Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?  You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.  And the scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness, and he was called God’s friend.  You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.  In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction?  As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.”

Here we find two examples from James to prove his point that faith by itself, if not accompanied by wordks, is dead (vs. 13).  He starts with “You foolish man, do you want evidence…?”   Most dictionaries describe the word foolish as a person who is lacking common sense and judgment..  In the context of James we can take the definition further by saying this is a man who thinks his own interpretation of faith is better than God’s.  He is foolish enough to think he can redefine how faith should work.

How about You?  Have you ever been “foolish” with God’s word?  You may be thinking you would never do what James is describing here but think a little more...a little longer, a little deeper, on the subject.  There are Christians who spend a lot of time gossiping and complaining without the slightest remorse.  Without looking up Scripture would you agree God does not want us to gossip?  Would you agree God considers gossip and complaining a sin?  So if we justify the sins of gossip and complaining and never repent from them, if we never feel a sense of guilt or conviction over such sins...then we have become foolish.  We are guilty of redefining, rewriting, God’s laws to suit our own lifestyle. 

Proverbs 20:19 says, “A gossip betrays confidence…” and Ephesians 4:29 says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  Philippians 2:14 reminds us to “do everything without complaining or arguing.”  Even here in the book of James we are told about the dangers of the tongue.  “...the tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body.  It corrupts the whole person and sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself (the tongue) set on fire by hell.” James 3:6.

When we take the truth of God’s word and modify it...justifying our sinful actions, we become foolish.  Think about it.  Only a fool would put their own human thinking above God so next time you are looking in the mirror...take a close look and ask yourself the hard questions.  Have I become foolish in my thinking?  Have I become foolish in my approach to God’s perfect and holy Word?  Maybe it is time for some confession and repentance.

The Evidence of True Faith - Abraham Part 1

I recommend you read the previous Bible study entitled "The Foolishness of Man's Thinking" to keep in context of the study.  Today's Bible study is a continuation of those thoughts.

The Evidence of True Faith - Abraham 
James 2:20-26

Returning to our text, James decides to use two examples from the Old Testament in demonstrating the truth of how God intended faith and deeds to work together.  Remember James’ congregation is made up of Jewish converts to Christianity.  People who have been grounded in the knowledge of the Old Testament...especially in their understanding of the founding father Abraham.

James says, “...do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?  Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?”  This is a familiar story to most people but let us review for a moment.  In Genesis, chapter 15, God makes a promise to Abraham that he will have a son.  At this time he and Sarah were childless and they were getting up in years.  The important part of the story is found in verse 6 where it says, “Abraham believed the Lord, and He (God) credited it to him as righteousness.”  You may be saying, “What does that mean...he credited it to him as righteousness?”

Have you ever wondered how people in the Old Testament, how people who lived before Christ, got saved?  Jesus had not gone to the cross and died for their sins yet so how can they accept him?  The secret lies in this short statement by God about Abraham here in Genesis 15:6.  Abraham believed God, and this would be what we are calling a heartfelt belief not a head knowledge, and it was credited to him as righteousness.

The word credited here is a bank term.  It actually means God made a deposit for Abraham’s sake.  What kind of deposit you may ask?  A deposit of righteousness to be held in his account in heaven until Jesus finished his work on the cross.  Do you remember where Abraham went after he died?  We see in Luke 16 the teaching of Jesus as he tells the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus. In the story Abraham's presence is revealed to us and we can deduce this is where he has been since his death.  The term "Abraham's bosom" referred to a place of contentment, peace, and rest.

So here we have Abraham in a place many Bible scholars have called “paradise” which is the same place Jesus promised the thief on the cross would be after his own death (Luke 24:43).  Paradise has been said to be a place similar to the garden of Eden but it was not heaven.  Revelation 21:27 tells us that no sin can enter heaven and the presence of God, therefore Abraham could not enter heaven until Jesus died and shed his blood for the remission of man’s sins.  So Abraham had to go to what I call a “holding station” until Jesus completed his redemptive work.  This is the place described in Luke 16.

Now, back to Abraham’s deposit.  Because he believed God a deposit, in heaven, was made to Abraham’s account.  The deposit was not in the form of money, but in the form of righteousness.  This righteousness did not come from Abraham because we have seen in Scripture “there is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10).  Righteousness can only come from God and it was God’s decision based on the future events of Jesus going to the cross that He chose to put a deposit of righteousness in Abraham’s account.

 The word “righteous” (and righteousness) used in verses 21, 23, and 25 are actually the same word as the word “justified” used in verse 24.  Just as English words can have different variations of definitions based on how the word is used in a sentence so it is with the Greek language.  The Greek word used here in James means “righteous” and “justified” based on the context of its use in the sentence.  I bring this up because the words are important to understand in the context of how faith and actions “work together” as James declares here in the text.

 The word righteous and righteousness simply mean to “be right with God”.  It means you are in a right relationship with God, as I said earlier...not on your own merit, but because you have been “justified” by God through the work of salvation by Jesus Christ.  To be justified means you have been declared “innocent”...pronounced “not guilty” by God.  In the text we are studying James makes the point that Abraham was declared “righteous” by God and the proof of his righteous state...his righteous relationship with God was demonstrated by his actions.  Abraham believed God….so God put a deposit into Abraham’s account declaring him innocent (justified), based on Jesus shed blood for Abraham’s sins, and Abraham responds to his righteous relationship with God by demonstrating good works.

How is your faith?  Would you consider yourself as being "right with God"?

The Evidence of True Faith - Abraham Part 2

The Evidence of True Faith - Abraham Part 2

James 2:20-26 

 
Have you ever wondered why God allows certain things in your own life.  I remember a time, early in my first church as a pastor, where a young couple had come to me for marriage counseling.  I was in my first month of ministry and was feeling pretty inadequate in my abilities to help them but nonetheless I agreed to meet.  The couple had previously decided to separate but were wanting to resolve the issues in their marriage.  I learned they had only become Christians a month earlier and  were dealing with some communication issues in their marriage.  After spending some time listening and offering some advice the couple worked out their problems and decided to end the separation.  There were joyful tears, hugs, and forgiveness all around.  I was also rejoicing in the Lord for my small role in bringing this couple back together.  I remember sitting in my office thinking, “Yes!  This is how things are supposed to work!”  The couple left my office hand in hand with their two year old son ready to build on their marriage.

 Later that night while the husband and son were just five houses down the street at his father’s home, his beloved wife was attacked by burglars and murdered violently.  I found myself standing in the yard of his home, with police cars, emergency vehicles, and flashing lights all around me.  This young husband runs up to me and collapses in my arms screaming, “Why...why Pastor?  We just got back together!...why did God let this happen?!”  With tears in my eyes I could only say, “I don’t know...I just don’t know.”  We don’t always understand why things happen in our lives, but every time things go wrong our faith is tested.  This young man’s faith was on the line that night...my faith was on the line that night.

Returning to our text James refers to a specific time in Abraham’s life where his faith was test by God.  Abraham could not just acknowledge a belief in God he would be forced to demonstrate his faith by his actions.  God had promised Abraham a son with Sarah and they finally had a child when Abraham was a hundred years old (Genesis 21:1-5).  Then in Genesis, chapter 22, God asked Abraham to do something unthinkable...something that didn’t make any sense to him.  God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering.  Can you imagine what was going through Abraham’s mind upon hearing such a request?  He waits many, many years for God to finally deliver on His promise, to give him a son, and then asks Abraham to kill his son and burn him on an altar as a sacrifice back to God.

There are times when God just doesn’t make any sense.  I am sure Abraham was thinking the same thing as he led his only son, Isaac, toward the place he would kill him and offer him as a sacrifice.  What Abraham did not know was God was testing him...testing his faith.  Remember our study here in the book of James is about building our faith.  Abraham may have been confused, may not have understood why, but the most important thing was Abraham believed and trusted God. 

He took his son to the place God told him, built an altar, placed his son upon it, and taking his knife he raised it to sacrifice his son.  Before he could complete the task an angel of the Lord called out to him and stopped him.  God said to Abraham,

“Do not do anything to him.  Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” (Genesis 22:12).  As Abraham looked up he saw a ram caught by its horns in the bushes and sacrificed the animal as a burnt offering instead of his son. 

Have you experienced times where you did not understand what God was doing or why?  How did you respond to it?  I think we all wish we could responded the same way Abraham did but I admit there were times when I did not.  There have been valleys in my life where my prayer time, my time in God’s word, and my relationship with God have been strained due to difficult times...times when I questioned what God was doing, but unlike Abraham I did not continue on while I dealt with the confusion.  Instead I stopped and allowed a breakdown in my relationship with God.  I am thankful God never gives up on me.

God tested Abraham’s faith.  When James said that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness”  he was quoting Genesis 15:6 where God had made him a promise of one day having a son.  This belief in God, as I have said previously, was not a head knowledge belief but a deep, intimate, relational belief that trusted God at His word.  The whole point of James’ teaching is how a head knowledge of God does not produce good works, but a heart belief brings true faith and a relationship with God that reveals itself through good deeds.  Abraham’s belief and intimate relationship with God enabled him to carry out God’s request.  This is why Abraham is the only man in the Old Testament to be called God’s friend (2 Chronicles 15:7; Isaiah 41:8; James 2:23).

How about you?  Do you believe God?  Would you describe your relationship with God as deep, personal, and intimate?  Would you call your relationship with God closer than your relationship with your wife or best friend?  God told Abraham, “you have not withheld from me your son, your only son” ...the one thing on the entire earth Abraham cherished most.  Can God say the same thing about you?  Is there something in your life you are holding onto...something you can’t trust God with?  Maybe it is your children...maybe its your finances… we all tend to hold on to things.  We all have something we need to give over to God.  What is yours?

Read James 2:24 again, “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone” (after salvation).  God tested Abraham’s faith and God will test your faith.  How you handle the test will reveal the maturity level of your faith, and the level of intimacy of your relationship with God...but be careful.  Just as James recognized there were people in his church who were going through the motions of church and religion without being truly saved.  If you are not seeing your faith in action you must ask yourself the hard question.  Am I saved?  If you are unsure I would ask that you put this book down right now and confess this to God.  Ask Him to save you now...ask Him to make it real this time.  Tell him you want the deep and personal relationship Abraham had.  Isn’t this what God wanted in the first place?

The Evidence of True Faith - Rahab

The Evidence of True Faith - Rahab
James 2:20-26

James finishes the chapter and our section on Testing Your Faith with one last example.  The Jews had a problem in their heritage thinking that just because they were Jewish, and because they were descendants of Abraham, they would automatically go to heaven.  There are many people today who follow the same line of thinking.  Kids of Christian parents who grow up in the church can believe they are saved automatically.  I remember a Catholic friend growing up who boldly told me he was going to heaven just because he was born Catholic and attended mass a few times out of the year.  This is a dangerous deception because we know scripture teaches every person is responsible for their own sins and cannot enter heaven unless they are “born again” (John 3:3).

Since the Jews had this attachment to Abraham as one of his descendants and since James is dealing with people who think their head knowledge belief was enough to get them to heaven, he uses another example to shake them up.  He goes from Abraham, the greatest man in Jewish history, the founder and father of the Jews, the friend of God, and the man all Jews could brag about… to a prostitute. 

James turns to a woman known as “Rahab the harlot” as his next example of great faith.  Now you must understand how shocking this must have been to the people in James’ church.  Abraham was a hero while Rahab was a prostitute who ran a brothel...a house of prostitution while living in Jericho (Joshua 2).  Abraham was the father of the Jewish nation...a hero to the Jews while Rahab was a foreigner and a Gentile.  Abraham was a man in a man’s world while Rahab was a woman who the Jews would never consider speaking to.  This is the person James chooses as his next example…and remember James is being guided by the Holy Spirit as he writes so Rahab is God’s choice as one of great faith.

The story of Rahab unfolds in the book of Judges where we find her living in the great fortified city of Jericho.  Joshua has been told by God to cross the Jordan river where the Israelites will finally step into the promised land.  It has been over 400 years since their forefathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had first lived there.  Joshua wisely sends out spies to see what kind of opposition they will face since many people and cultures have taken over the land by this time.  “Go, look over the land, he said, especially Jericho” (Joshua 2:1).  Two spies secretly enter the city of Jericho and are taken in by Rahab, but the King of Jericho learns of their presence and sends his soldiers to Rahab’s house to arrest them.  Rahab helps the spies escape by hiding them on the roof of her house and telling the King the men had left.  “I don’t know which way the went.  Go after them quickly.  You may catch up with them,” said Rahab. 

Why would Rahab betray her own people?  Most would consider her a terrible person and a traitor, but Rahab saw something that no one else in the city saw….she saw God at work and knew no one could stand up to Him.  This is the testimony of Rahab: “...I know that the Lord as given this land to you and that a great fear of you has fallen on us, so that all who live in this country are melting in fear because of you.  We have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to Sihon and Og, the two kings of the Amorites east of the Jordan, whom you completely destroyed.  When we heard of it, our hearts melted and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the Lord your God is god in heaven above and on the earth below.  Now then, please swear to me by the Lord that you will show kindness to my family, because I have shown kindness to you...”  Joshua 2:8-12

Do you see Rahab’s testimony of salvation in the text?  Remember a salvation decision isn’t always the traditional walking down the isle of the church service and praying at the altar.  James’ point a person will demonstrate their faith after salvation so let’s break down the salvation and then Rahab’s faith in action.  First Rahab acknowledges God and testifies what God has done for His people.  She confesses the existence of God, the power of God, and how God is sovereign over heaven and earth.  This is her statement of salvation...her belief in God, but how do we know it is a genuine belief?  How do we know she isn’t just trying to save her skin by saying she knows God?  The answer is revealed by how she reacts to her belief.

Now let’s look at her faith in action.  First she took the spies into her home with full knowledge of who they were...enemies of her own people.  Second she hid them from her own people at great personal cost.  If the King of Jericho found out what she had done, Rahab and her whole family would have been executed as traitors.  Rahab had made a firm decision to choose God and risked her entire family’s lives by rejecting her old life, her old ways, and the people she lived with.  Rahab risked everything and asked to become part of God’s people.  This is her faith at work. 

Did you know that Rahab is mentioned in Hebrews 11 among some of the greatest heroes of faith in the Old Testament?  She is mentioned with the names of Noah, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob,  and Joseph.  As a matter of fact Rahab is the only woman mentioned in what has been called the “Hall of Faith”.  Just like Abraham, Rahab was found righteous and her faith and actions were working together...and her faith was made complete (matured) by what she did.  

James presents a flawless case of how, once saved, a person will demonstrate their faith in the Lord.  The evidence is overwhelming and challenges the person who is only giving lip service to examine their life and see if they are really saved.  The text also challenges those of us who are believers.  Sometimes we get stagnant and stall out in our faith.  James reminds us to get moving forward again and let our faith once again shine as a light before all men.

James final statement is very powerful.  He says, “as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead” James 1:26.  This is one last comparison to consider.  A human body without a human spirit is nothing more than a corpse in a coffin.  A corpse doesn’t do anything, cannot move, because there is no life.  James says a person who claims to have faith but doesn’t do anything is nothing more than a corpse… their faith is dead.

So how is your faith?  How do you measure up to the “Test of Faith” as James presents his evidence?  Remember the goal of this section is to remind you how God will send trials to test your faith...opportunities to demonstrate faith in action.  You may never be asked to put your life on the line, but you will be asked to demonstrate your faith in God. 

What Did You Say? - The Dangers of the Tongue James 3:1-2

What Did You Say? - The Dangers of the Tongue
James 3:1-2

“Not man of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers,  because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.  We all stumble in many ways.  If anyone is never at fault in what he says, his a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”

Have you ever regretted something you said?  You are talking and all of a sudden something slips out, something you really didn’t want to say.  It is almost as though your tongue said the words before your brain had a chance to decide if it would be wise to say them in the first place.  You wish you could just take them back...but you can’t. 

 This next section in God’s Blueprint for Building Believers is one I think we all can admit needing some improvement.  God gave you a mouth, a tongue, to be used in praise, worship, prayer, and the encouragement of others.  He wants you to use your tongue to confront sin and help others, but it is not His design to use our tongue in harmful ways.  Therefore God will send trials (as is the theme of our book) to test your tongue.  He wants to see what comes out of your mouth when placed in specific circumstances.  Luke 6:45 tells us, “What you say flows from what is in your heart” (NLT).  And God wants your heart to be united with His.  So how is your mouth?  What words are flowing from your heart?  Let’s see what James can teach us on this subject.

I have stated several times throughout this commentary we must always keep in mind the context of the book in order to gain full understanding of the interpretation.  James is speaking to a church made up of Jewish Christians.  Jews who have been raised in the former teachings and traditions of Judaism and the Old Testament.  In the Jewish culture they had Rabbis as teachers, who were also referred to as “teachers of the Law” and “scribes” or even “Pharisees”.

 One such Rabbi found in the book of Acts, named Gamaliel (Acts 5:34), was considered the greatest teacher of his time.  He was also the Rabbi teacher of the Apostle Paul  (Acts 22:3) before his salvation experience on the road to Damascus (Acts 9).  These Rabbi teachers were revered by the Jewish people so much that it is easy to see how one would envy them and desire to be like them.  In the newly established Christian Church the people had learned they did not have to be a formally trained Rabbi to be a teacher.  None of the Apostles were Rabbis and neither was James.  So James begins this next test with a warning: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers…”

 To “presume” yourself to be a teacher meant you were taking the position for granted, assuming you were qualified without understanding the risks involved.  James makes it a point to begin this section on the tongue by reminding the people how teachers, people who use their mouth as their profession, will be judged more strictly for what they say.

 He follows up this statement with a profound message.  First he acknowledges we all make mistakes…”we all stumble in many ways” meaning we all sin, but “If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check.”   Read that again because there is a lot of deep truths in James’ statement.

 Staying within the context of how trials brings maturity to the believer we see the goal: If you are never at fault in what you say, you are 1) a perfect person, and 2) you are able to keep your whole body in check.  Wow!  That is some statement!  You may be thinking “But no one can control their mouth that much and never at fault in what they say!” and “no one can be a perfect person either!”  As true as that may seem let me ask you an important question.  Should God lower His standards to make it easier for us to accomplish them?

 In Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount he told the people to “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect”

(Matthew 5:48).  Can we be perfect just like God is perfect?  We seem to brush off the commands of Scripture, claiming the inability to rise up to such commands, yet most people strive for perfection in every day life situations.  Most students strive to get a perfect paper when taking a test.  A baseball player strives to get a hit, or even a home run, every time he comes to the plate.  Olympians strive to get the score of a perfect ten.  We strive for perfection and sometimes have to settle for a little less, yet we continue to strive. 

James begins this test by reminding us that “if” we can control our mouth we would be a “perfect” person.  Now before you accuse me of blasphemy for sayng you can be perfect remember the definition of the word perfect in this context means to be mature and  complete.  We learned this back in chapter one (James 1:4) when James explained how trials are sent by God to make us  “mature and complete" and the KJV and the ASV use the word “perfect” in their translations.

 The benefits to keeping control of your mouth are enormous.  James says the person who never is at fault in what he says will be “able to keep his whole body in check” meaning all the other areas of the person’s life will also become mature and complete.  He will explain this in more detail as the we continue to examine James’ teaching on the subject.

 Keeping your tongue under control is a theme throughout the book of James.  In chapter one he tells us to be “slow to speak” (James 1:19) and “If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless” (James 1:26).  In chapter two we are warned to “speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom” (James 2:12) and as we just studied in our last test, “What good is it...if a man claims (says...speaks) he has faith but has no deeds.  Can such (verbal) faith save him?” (James 2:14).  So how is your tongue?  Have you considered what is coming out of your mouth?