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 2:15-17
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?
