Faith Works

James 2:26 NIV 

[26] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.2.26.NIV)

How would you describe the wind to a child? 

In Scotland, we are blessed with a plentiful supply of it. Our hills often have giant electricity generating windmills. We don’t need to confine ourselves to the wind's effect on trees, we can also point to these windmills as they spin around. We can describe the wind both by what it is and what it does. 

The book of Hebrews has a marvellous explanation of what faith is: 

Hebrews 11:1 NIV 

[1] Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.11.1.NIV)

Here James describes what it does – or rather, what it should do. 

It’s a bit like the difference between a true diamond and cubic zirconia. Cubic zirconia may be a quite impressive looking alternative. However, the light doesn’t quite sparkle through it the same. An expert can tell the difference. 

James here gives us an expert’s opinion on whether or not our faith truly sparkles: whether it is genuine or whether it is a fake; whether it is living or whether it is dead. 

We might find this book to be quite jarring and a little alarming. Allow me to explain why. 

My daughter has a quite eclectic taste in music. She’s trained in classical music, but loves Eurovision. She watched a rock concert on Glasgow Green, then less than a week later attended a classical music concert in Vienna. 

Those who have stuck with me through six weeks in Galatians will have sat through teaching on a veritable symphony of theology. It’s writer – Paul – was something of an intellectual. He was trained under one of the top Jewish scholars, Gamaliel (Acts 22:3). He was a member of the Pharisees, the strictest sect in Judaism (Philippians 3:3-6). He was a member of the top Jewish court – the Sanhedrin – with authority over whether or not his enemies lived or died (Acts 26:10). His vast knowledge of the Jewish Law and Prophets made him a fierce and formidable foe in debates, which is precisely why the Jewish establishment hated him: they could not refute his reasoning or his theology (Acts 9:20-25). Even non-Jews who judged him could not argue with his ‘great learning’ (Acts 26:24). 

But not James. 

James was Jesus’ earthly half-brother (Matthew 13:55). There is evidence that he did not believe in Jesus right away (Matthew 12:46-50; Mark 3:31-35; Luke 8:19-21). His family – even His mother Mary – appear to have had doubts about Jesus’ ministry (John 7:1-5). After what happened to Jesus on the cross and His resurrection, we understand that James rose to a position of prominence and became a leader in the Early Church (Jude 1:1 would indicate that it is James the brother of Jesus who is the church leader mentioned in Acts 12:17, 15:13 and 21:18, as James the brother of John who was part of Jesus’ inner circle and on the Mount of Transfiguration was killed – Acts 12:2). 

James, like Jesus, came from a carpenter’s family in the quiet backwater of Bethlehem. He would not have had anything like Paul’s education. In fact, there are some who doubt that he’d had enough education to even be able to write this letter in Greek – they detect the presence of a secretary or a ghost writer. The letter, however, has a ring of authenticity about it. 

James’s book, rather than a Pauline theological treatise, reads like a simple recording of pithy proverbs and short narratives. It’s very direct and simple, which makes it easy to understand. 

So what we see, then, in this book is a straightforward letter written by a straight-talking man to believers across the known world. 

But what is it really about? 

Faith, and what it should do in our lives for it to be true faith. 

Before we dig into this deceptively simple but astonishingly challenging letter, let’s first ask ourselves Why Faith? 

Why Faith? 

Hebrews 11:1, 6 NIV 

[1] Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.  

[6] And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/heb.11.1-6.NIV)

Every human being has faith in something. 

There is simply no human being who does not have faith. 

Maybe you think these statements are very bold. Maybe you think I’m talking nonsense. But it’s true. 

Let me give you some examples. 

Atheists believe in science. Or human beings. Buddhists or Hindus believe in karma. Some people believe in the power of the universe. Jews believe in kismet. A great many people believe in fate. 

The majority of people on this earth believe in some form of ‘what goes around, comes around’, where ultimately our good deeds will be rewarded somehow. If they didn’t, there would be no reason for being good, because we would get nothing out of it. 

Believe it or not, the struggle with the idea of being good when it doesn’t seem to be rewarded is actually in the Bible (Psalm 73). 

Believing that it’s worth doing good is an act of faith. You have no firm scientific evidence that it is the case. You believe it because, if we live in a just world, then it will be true. It is this belief that moderates our behaviour. 

Imagine, if you will, a security guard who is in charge of a bank vault. He has to have faith that his employer will pay him what he deserves, that his service will receive its just reward. If it won’t, then he’ll likely plan a robbery. 

We do good because we believe it is worth it. 

And faith assures us that it will be worth it. 

Hebrews tells us three things about faith: 

Firstly, it projects us from the known to the unknown, from the visible to the invisible, from the now to the future.  

Secondly, it believes that Someone is out there to maintain a just universe. That Someone, by nature, has to be just and good and righteous. Christians believe God is that Someone.  

Thirdly, it behaves as if seeking to be like this Someone will bring rewards. This is what Hebrews means when it says that God ‘rewards those who earnestly seek Him’. 

Faith, then is what modifies our behaviour and keeps us on the straight and narrow. 

Given the recent scandals around the behaviour of ‘people of faith’ and the prevalence of hatred perpetrated by ‘people of faith’, what I’ve just said might have set alarm bells ringing. There are many people in this world who do good deeds but don’t profess to be ‘people of faith’, and there are many ‘people of faith’ who do evil deeds.  

So does faith really make a difference at all? Should it? 

James is a book that looks at this very subject. 

Suffice it to say at this stage that who we say we are and who we really are may not be the same thing.  

Everyone has some form of faith. The alternative is to be a paranoid, deluded nihilist, squatting in a padded cell, slowly starving to death because we don’t believe anyone or anything.  

We are all people of faith. 

The difference is in what or in whom we have this faith. 

As we saw in Ephesians 2:8-10, for Christians, their faith is God. Faith becomes the conduit to receive His grace. Faith also becomes the means to obey Him and do good works.

But faith in and of itself will not save us. I could have faith that I could ride on the back of a centipede to the moon, or that dogs are really aliens from Mars, or that a certain political party were lizards dressing up as people, but it wouldn’t make any of it true. Regardless of what I choose to believe, reality would still be reality.  

No, our faith has to be in something true, something dependable, something real.

Otherwise our lives will simply fall apart. 

Why faith? Because it is simply impossible to live without it. 

But our faith has to be in something deserving of it. 

And there is no-one more deserving of it than God. 

James, however, talks of two different types of faith. The first of these is Dead Faith. 

Dead Faith 

James 2:26 NIV 

[26] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.2.26.NIV)

Once, when I was in school, I discovered something really amusing in my English textbook.

The more I read it, the more I chuckled. My colleague wondered what I was laughing at, so I told him. 

It was the text of Monty Python’s famous ‘Dead Parrot’ sketch, where John Cleese takes a bird cage back to the pet store where he bought it and protests because the parrot in the cage is actually dead. 

Just watching John Cleese rant that ‘This is a dead parrot!’ is one of the funniest things I have ever seen on TV. 

My colleague, who had never seen the sketch, didn’t laugh. 

What we see here in this verse is dead faith. It is a faith that has no effect, does nothing and achieves nothing.  

But what does this faith look like? 

James gives us a rather shocking picture later on in his book: 

James 2:18-19 NIV 

[18] But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. [19] You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.2.18-19.NIV)

A dead faith is a purely intellectual faith. It believes that there is a god. It has no problems with that. But that’s as far as it goes. Their belief makes as much a difference in their life as my belief in the existence of Australia. I have seen it on maps. I have seen it on TV. I have talked to people who have been there. But other than curiosity to visit there, does my belief in Australia impact my life in any way? 

No, to be honest, it does not. 

James calls this a dead faith. It’s like a fully depleted battery in a device. It’s there. It exists. It just won’t do anything. 

Now, here is where we get into a very interesting question: can a dead faith save you? After all, in Romans we read these words: 

Romans 10:9-13 NIV 

[9] If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. [10] For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. [11] As Scripture says, “Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.” [12] For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, [13] for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.10.9-13.NIV)

However, we have to understand these verses in their context. There is no way at all that Paul is offering the Romans a cheap insurance policy against hell that would permit them to live however they wanted. That much is clear from Romans 6:1-2. 

We also have to remember that someone who confessed their Christian faith out loud would immediately put themselves in the cross hairs of severe and unrelenting persecution, both from the Romans and from the Jews. Confessing your faith was not easy, or for the faint-hearted. The pressure would have been intense. 

So no, this is not a cheap insurance policy. 

Jesus Himself stated these stern words in the Sermon on the Mount: 

Matthew 7:21-23 NIV 

[21]  “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. [22] Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ [23] Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.7.21-23.NIV)

So it seems that a dry, dead, intellectual faith is not enough to get you into the Kingdom of Heaven. Neither even are prophecies, exorcisms or miracles. 

What matters is obedience. That is what makes the difference. 

Take a look back at Galatians 5:13-26. Remember how we said that Jesus has set us free from sin, and that this creates a dilemma between our sinful desires – our flesh – and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit clearly wants us to produce His fruit. He will be guiding us towards this. 

But if we choose the acts of the flesh instead, can we say that we have faith in Him? 

Plainly not! 

He has told us to go one way, but we have gone the other. That is the ultimate expression of lack of trust. 

That is James’ argument. Choosing to disobey God is a faithless act.  The Bible is clear about what God is seeking, and has been from the very beginning. If we choose to resist and do our own thing, whatever we say we believe is irrelevant because our actions speak louder than our words. 

So, then, returning to those who look and speak like they are people of faith, what does this mean for them? 

The Bible is clear about this:

Matthew 7:15-20 NIV 

[15]  “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. [16] By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? [17] Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. [18] A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. [19] Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. [20] Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/mat.7.15-20.NIV) 

By fruit here, Jesus means their deeds. 

So will the faith they claim save them? 

No. Not at all. Because their faith is dead. It is useless. Like the dead parrot in the Monty Python sketch. And because it is dead, it cannot save. 

Now, while this is true, it should give us no reason to gloat. As Paul told the Corinthians: 

1 Corinthians 10:12 NIV 

[12] So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/1co.10.12.NIV)

We need to ensure that our faith is alive and remains alive. And how do we do this? By knowing the Word, believing the Word and obeying the Word. 

I don’t know if you’ve ever had the pleasure of coming into a house on a cold day and warming yourself by a natural fire in a fireplace. It’s such a nice feeling. However, eventually the wood in the fireplace will burn out. Then you either have the choice of putting more wood on the fire to stop it from burning out or sitting in a cold room. 

Our faith is like that. If we constantly refill it with the Word of God, then the Holy Spirit has more ‘fuel’: more of Jesus’ teaching of which we can be reminded. But if we stay far away from the Word of God, our faith will burn low and we will be prone to forget. That is where our problems with sin really begin. 

We have to heed the warning and keep our faith alive! 

So we have seen what faith is and what a dead faith looks like. Now we will examine Living Faith. 

Living Faith 

James 1:22 NIV 

[22] Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.  

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.1.22.NIV)

A few years ago, we travelled to Italy to see the Amalfi Coast. This region is beloved of travellers and influencers due to its beautiful coastal villages and dramatic cliffs. The ride between the villages was quite something. Even if I could drive, I would not have volunteered to so this on my own. The views from the local buses were scary enough. The entire area is one narrow road with a steep drop after another, not to mention some heart-stopping hairpin bends. 

There are signs before you enter roads like that. They warn you about the nature of the road and tell you to reduce your speed. If you have an accident and come off the road, who is to blame? Is it the sign? 

Obviously not! It’s the driver for not obeying the sign! 

James is stating something plain, but at the same time, challenging. God had given us His Word. In that Word, He has told us the difference between right and wrong. He expects us not just to read it, recite it and memorise it. 

No, He expects us to obey it. 

At the heart of that obedience is the simple command to love God, our neighbours and ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). All other commands flow from these three. 

Therefore, a living faith is a loving faith. A dead faith is a faith that does not love. 

Do you need proof of this? 

Romans 12. Every sentence here is about those three loves. 

Then we have this: 

Romans 13:8-10 NIV 

[8] Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. [9] The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” [10] Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/rom.13.8-10.NIV)

We saw this verse in Galatians: 

Galatians 5:6 NIV 

[6] For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/gal.5.6.NIV)

Then we have that astonishing passage in Galatians 5:13-26, where we saw every deed of the flesh expressing hatred on at least one of the latitudes of love, and every fruit of the Spirit springing from them.  

Then we see this in Ephesians: 

Ephesians 5:1-2 NIV 

[1] Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children [2] and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.5.1-2.NIV)

Ephesians 5:3-20 goes on the explain precisely what that means. 

Colossians 3:1-17 does exactly the same thing. It revolves around this verse: 

Colossians 3:14 NIV 

[14] And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/col.3.14.NIV)

Over and over and over again we see the same basic principle expounded: faith expresses itself through love, love causes obedience. 

That is how living faith works. 

So what can we say about the so-called ‘Christian’ groups who hate: who are involved in angry protests or violent acts or intimidation? 

The Bible is clear: if they do not love, they are disobeying God. If they do not love, their faith is dead. And that dead faith cannot save them.

James’ letter, in common with every other pastoral letter, is about how to apply the principle of faith expressing itself through love for God, neighbours and self to the context of the Early Church. The lessons he draws are often very challenging and directly contradict contemporary values, but they are essential to modern life.  

The question we should ask ourselves after each passage is this: is our faith truly alive? 

When my daughter was small, she came to me with a question: ‘Daddy, what will happen if one day I wake up and discover that I'm dead?’ 

We found it hilarious, but in a way she had a point. 

It might shake us to the core to continually be asking whether our faith is truly alive, but it’s better to ask this question now and repent if we need to than to wake up in eternity and discover our faith was dead. 

At least now we have time to do something about it. 

Conclusion 

James 2:26 NIV 

[26] As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/jas.2.26.NIV)

When I was much younger, I vaguely recall learning CPR. Before proceeding with the chest compressions and breathing into an unconscious person’s mouth, we should check first if they are alive. We do this by checking for a pulse and for any breath coming out of their nostrils. 

It may surprise you to know that both the Greek and Hebrew words for ‘spirit’ also mean ‘breath’. A body without breath is indeed dead. It might be possible to revive it, but unless this is successful, it is dead. 

What James is saying here is devastatingly simple: without deeds, faith is dead. 

Note: he is not saying that our deeds save us. That is not the case. It was never the case. It would be a massive insult to what his half-brother went through on the cross to claim such a thing. 

No, what he is saying is that just as feeling air passing through a patient’s nostrils on the back of your hand tells you they are still breathing, so good deeds are a sign that faith is still alive. 

What are those good deeds? James will spell this out in his letter. Jesus’ teaching and the pastoral letters also outline what they are. 

The important thing to remember is how the flow of things works: 

1. We have faith in God, which means that we don’t just believe that He exists as a concept, but that we trust in Him as our God. 

2. This leads us to love Him, our neighbours and ourselves. 

3. This leads to obedience of His commands and His leading. 

   
   

It’s important that we get the order right. Good deeds without love can be a means to an end – a bribe we offer to God or to another person to obtain favour. Those good deeds would not be motivated by love – certainly not for God or for the person we are serving.

Love without good deeds is nothing more than soppy Hallmark sentimentality. Nice for a short while, but saccharine sweet and not very useful. 

Both without faith in God are ultimately unsatisfying. Without God, we have no clear examples of what either love or good deeds really look like. 

Looking back at the first study in this series, we examined these verses: 

Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV 

[8] For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— [9] not by works, so that no one can boast. [10] For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. 

(Read the full passage at: https://bible.com/bible/111/eph.2.8-10.NIV)

Our studies in Galatians majored (although not exclusively) on the concepts in verses 8 and 9: how we are saved not by our work, but by God’s work – His work of grace on the cross. We only really saw the practical outworking of this in the second half of Galatians 5.  

Now, in James, we are examining a practical outworking of Ephesians 2:10. What James is saying is that we can believe intellectually in Ephesians 2:8 and 9, but without the outworking in Ephesians 2:10, that belief is useless and dead. 

That might be jarring to some of us. After all, established religion has often popularised the idea of cheap salvation, where you only have to turn up to church a few times a year, carry out a few rituals and pay the right people and you’re home and dry. 

That is ridiculous, blasphemous nonsense. 

Salvation is by grace through faith alone. We are not saved by our work, but by God’s work, and are saved to work. To believe otherwise is to cheapen the very sacrifice that is proclaimed from crucifixes on the walk of most traditional, established churches. 

We’ve seen the part faith plays in this, and why. We’ve seen what a dead faith and a living faith look like, and how obedience inspired by love is what makes the difference. 

However, we now have to face a very stern challenge. We now need to face the critically important questions about the vital signs of our own faith. Is our faith dead, or is it alive? 

There are very few more important questions than this. 

Prayer 

Lord Jesus, I want to know if my faith is dead or alive. I realise this is a very important issue. Show me, I pray. Help me to put right any part of my life where my faith is dying. Amen. 

Questions for Reflection  

1. What is faith? Why is it important? 

2. What is the sign that our faith is dead? What is the sign that our faith is living? 

3. Is your faith living? Why / why not? If not, what can you do about it?