The Book of James - 6
Faith and Works
We ended our last talk from the letter of James in the New Testament listening to what he had to say about helping folk who are in distress. There is in the Bible a very close association between faith, trust in God, and actions, sometimes called works or deeds.
Paul, in his letter to the Romans, argues that Abraham (whom James calls "the friend of God", 2 verse 23, was brought into a right relationship with God (justified is the word Paul uses) by his trust in God. He writes: "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness", Romans 4 verse 3. In other words, Abraham's broken relationship with God was put right by his trust in God's goodness and forgiveness. James, in this letter, goes on to point out that the faith which put Abraham right with God led Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice to God; God was testing Abraham and would not let him sacrifice his son to him, but what Abraham was ready to do showed that his faith in God was real. We will probably not be tested in such a severe way as Abraham was, but time and time again we shall be asked to show that our faith really does make a difference to the way we live and act. We become Christians by repenting of our sins, turning round away from them and going God's way, that is the way of being put right with God by faith, but then our faith is completed and made real by the good things we do for God and for others. James puts it this way: "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead", 2 verse 26.
At the time of the Reformation in Europe in the 16th Century a great conflict arose on this issue of faith and works. Many people were trusting that doing religious things, like going on pilgrimages, saying a lot of prayers, or giving money to the poor would make those who did them acceptable to God. Martin Luther, the great German reformer, and many others throughout Europe, said no, you can't buy your way to heaven by money or by going through a series of religious rituals. God is a gracious, loving God who wants your trust and love. He himself will put us right because of what Jesus, his Son, did in dying for the sins of the whole world. The Reformers showed that our trust must be in God alone, not in ourselves, or the things we do, but that a real faith in God will result in our doing good deeds. Jesus put it like this: "Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds, and praise your Father in heaven", Matthew 5 verse16.
It is important that we understand what the Bible means by real faith. James says, be careful, don't think that just because you say you believe in God that all is well; even the evil spirits believe there is one God. That’s chapter 2 verse 19. Real faith is a loving trust in God that results in a changed life.
Throughout James’ letter we see faith and works (deeds and actions) working together to produce Christian character.
When your faith is tested (and you don’t give way under the testing) then this leads to perseverance. Now this is a fine quality for living for Christ in the world. If we have no perseverance, that is, if we easily give in when things go wrong in our lives, then we cannot make progress as Christians because life is often full of unpleasant experiences and it is only when our faith is tested that perseverance can develop. As long as all is going well in our lives, we may not have deep faith in God, but when hard times come, then it is possible for our faith to grow. If we begin to say “how can God let this happen to me?”, then we begin to lose faith in God as our Father and our character becomes weakened.
In chapter 5 verse 11, James gives us the example of someone who persevered in his faith even though he had many trials. We read of this man, Job, in the Old Testament. He was a wealthy farmer who lost everything he had in a series of disasters. He lost all his many possessions, all his children and finally his own health. He was tempted to turn away from God and couldn’t understand why all these things had happened to him, especially as he had always tried to be faithful to God. Yet he persevered in trusting God in his troubles, even when his own wife turned her back on God. Job persevered in trust and was wonderfully rewarded in the end.
I have a friend who, with his wife, served as a Christian missionary in Africa for about ten years. About six years ago this couple came home to England for a short break and my friend fell down the stairs one evening and damaged his spine. He was at once paralysed from the neck down. The first time I visited him, in hospital, he told me that he was not going to say “Why did this happen to me?” and blame God for not looking after him. Instead, his faith and deeds worked together to give him a positive attitude to his great disability. By means of the Internet, using his mouth to work the keyboard, he keeps contact with his Christian friends in Africa and helps the kingdom of God make progress there. When I go to visit him, I am greatly encouraged to persevere with my own little troubles. He has learned that faith and works work together to produce a perseverance that brings honour to God, inspires other people, and brings good out of an otherwise bad situation. Says James in chapter 2 verse 18: “Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.”
Here are three thoughts from James' letter about real faith:
- Real faith is made complete by what we do, 2 verse 22.
- Faith without deeds is useless, 2 verse 20.
- Abraham, who trusted God and obeyed God, is called God's friend, 2 verse 23.