James 2: 14-24 Faith is Work

James 2:14-24 Faith is Work

[14] What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you? [15] If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, [16] and one of you says to them, "Go in peace; keep warm and eat your fill," and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? [17] So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

[18] But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. [19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe -- and shudder. [20] Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is barren? [21] Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works. [23] Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God. [24] You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

What is happening in this scripture? – In our belief in a graceful God, we Christians do not believe that the estrangement that separates us from the love of God and one another can be overcome by our effort alone. We, as human beings, have many flaws and limited vision. As Jesus said, can a blind man lead a blind man? Will not both of them fall into a ditch? Paul is big on this one, reminding us that we are “justified” through faith, and through the free grace of God. But James points out the other side of the coin.

What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?

Tell a hungry man, or a depressed person, or someone in grief, or someone cold and shivering from the elements that everything will be okay if they just believe, and see how much that comforts them. James reminds us that Jesus began to usher in the Kingdom of God even while he still lived among us. Maybe that’s why he always seemed to be on the move. James tells us that it is senseless to believe that our faith, apart from our actions, is anything more than dead and barren. How long would the Christian church have existed if the hungry were not fed, the sick healed, the lonely befriended, and the shamed accepted and forgiven?

How is this happening in the world today? -- There is, sadly, arrogance among us. Sometimes we believe that if we pray, read the scriptures, attend church, and just try to be nice people that we are practicing Christianity. James, and Jesus, told us that wasn’t enough. We "insiders" might be tempted to say, "At least we’re not like those non-believers, or doubters, or those different from us, or those poor people who somehow must be unfortunate because of their own lack of initiative."

When Jesus said, “Do ye this, in remembrance of me", he wasn’t just talking about breaking bread and drinking wine with friends. That would be preaching to the choir. Jesus was talking about picking up our crosses and following him, out of our familiar and comfortable envelopes, and into challenge, risk, danger, into hard work, into the unknown, and into service, not just of our fellow parishioners, but to the least of these.

What I think James is really saying is that works without faith doesn’t cut it, but faith implies action. Otherwise, it is all just ritual and lip service. And that’s really pretty boring, isn’t it?

Was not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was brought to completion by the works.

I think faith is a verb. I don’t think faith is just believing. I think believing comes from doing. We’ve got a LOT of work to do. Let’s get busy! We might meet Jesus along the way.