Perhaps you’ve heard us talk about the summer camp that our Epic Students attend each year. It’s called FUGE. What you might not know is that I was a camper at Fuge back in the stone age or what we call the 1990’s. You also might not know that I spent a number of summers on the FUGE staff, beginning in 1999. There was a young woman who just happened to be on the same camp staff I was on. When that summer was over, I began calling her so we could continue getting to know each other away from camp. Things were going well in those phone conversations, so I asked if I could come see her Labor Day weekend. I spent $364 to purchase a flight. When I landed, she picked me up and we enjoyed hanging out for the weekend. That Monday, as she drove me to the airport, she let me know that she wasn’t interested in a relationship right now and that she planned to go be a missionary in Francefor 2 years. I was as heartbroken as a 22-year old can be, at her response and the fact that I no longer had that $364.

I had let her know how I felt about her and that if anything ever changed on her end to please let me know. We started talking again a few weeks later and then she sent an email to me that simply said, “I know what I want…the ball is in your court.”

Now what would you think if I told you I wanted a relationship with her, I had faith that she was telling me the truth, but I never responded back to her? I’m guessing you would assume that either I didn’t want a relationship with her or I didn’t really have faith in her words. Many of us claim to want a greater relationship with Jesus and I love that. Many of us would declare that we have faith in Jesus and this brings me joy. But love and faith always lead to movement. This is what we’re going to talk about today in a message I’m calling, “Is Your Faith Real?” As we keep walking through the book of James, in a series we’re calling When Faith Wakes Up, today we’re in James 2:14-26.

James 2:14-26 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 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. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder. You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our father 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 considered righteous by what they do 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’s a simple prayer with huge implications: Jesus, show me whether or not my faith in You is real.

While I was taking a New Testament course in seminary, we were asked to write a paper on the apparent contradiction between Paul’s writing on faith and James’s writing on faith – specifically using the James passage we’ve just read. At face value, James writes that faith without deeds or works is dead. And that such a “faith” cannot save a person. Later on, he writes that “faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action” is dead. So James seems to be saying that works must be present for us to have saving faith in Jesus. But the gospel of Jesus Christ says that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus alone.

Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Paul went to great lengths to make sure his readers knew that their works would never be enough to save them. He writes a lot about this in Romans where he says things like, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life.” Or “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.”

If this is true, how can James say “faith without works is dead”? While Paul and James are both talking about faith, they’re coming at it from two different perspectives. Paul is writing about the front-side of coming to faith, while James is talking about the back-side of coming to faith. In the Ephesians 2 text, Paul talks about “works” but not as a means of salvation. He’s saying that God has prepared good works for us to do. These works are not how we become a Christian, but what we are called to step into as Christians.

Let’s introduce some words here and do a little bit of theology. First, the word “justification”. In the Greek language the New Testament was written in, this word for “justification” is a forensic term and it means to be acquitted or vindicated as opposed to being condemned.

justification – the act of God whereby He declares the believing sinner righteous on the basis of Christ’s finished work on the cross

Because of what Jesus has done, by putting our faith in the finished work of Jesus, God declares that we are righteous. James talks about how Abraham was considered righteous based on what he did and he also talks about how Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. James knew that every one of these Jewish Christians held Abraham in high esteem as one of the great Patriarchs of the Jewish faith and now the Christian faith. His story can be found in Genesis 11-25, but he’s also mentioned throughout the New Testament, like in our James passage today.

In Romans 4, Paul uses Abraham’s story to demonstrate that Abraham was justified by his faith in God.

Romans 4:2-3 If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about – but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

Paul and James both quote Genesis 15:6 to make their points about Abraham.

Genesis 15:6 Abraham believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.

Righteousness – to be in right relationship with God. Jesus has done ALL that was needed to declare us to be right in God’s sight. Free gift. To say that it was “credited” to him as righteousness is a financial term. It was put into his account with God. And also God gives us the Holy Spirit to empower us to live righteous lives. So James acknowledges that Abraham was counted righteous based on his belief in God. But his faith, if it was genuine, had to include movement. So James points to when Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son, Isaac. If you aren’t familiar, here’s a summary of this moment for Abraham and Isaac. God had promised to provide offspring for Abraham and Sarah. After what seemed like forever, God provides them a son, Isaac. And now, God tests Abraham by telling him to take his son and sacrifice him. It was a test from God that seems unimaginable, but Abraham kept his faith. How? Not by saying he had faith, but by doing what God asked Him to do while trusting that God would keep His word – that Abraham would be a father to many nations.

Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had embraced the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, even though God had said to him, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.” Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death.

Then James shifts from talking about Abraham’s faith to talking about Rahab’s faith. Why is it so significant that James uses her example too? Abraham was like the GOAT to these Jewish Christians. They all revered him. So of course they would see him as a supreme example of faith. But Rahab? Not so much. And James doesn’t edit out the not so flattering parts of her story. He simply refers to her as “Rahab the prostitute”. Let’s learn a little about her story and how in the world she became a model for faith in God.

We find Rahab’s story in Joshua 2. Joshua, the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses, sent some spies over to Jericho. They entered the house of a prostitute named Rahab and stayed there. The king of Jericho told Rahab to bring these spies out, but she hid them. She let them know that she now knew God and that He was giving them this land. Listen to her own words to hear what faith sounds like:

Joshua 2:11 When we heard of it, our hearts melted in fear and everyone’s courage failed because of you, for the LORD your God is God in heaven above and on the earth below.

She had faith in the one true God and she exercised her faith by helping accomplish His purposes. What is James saying? That faith worked for Abraham in the same way that it worked for Rahab in the same way that it works for you. Belief/Trust > Movement/Action/Practice.

Your life declares who or what you trust the most.

James says that if you claim to have faith but there’s no works that accompany your faith, you should probably doubt your faith. And this especially has to do with what we do with and for people in need.

Galatians 5:6 For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.

Performance has no value for gaining faith in Jesus, but genuine faith will express itself through love. It’s the only thing that counts. Is your faith real? How do you know? There’s something in our passage today that we haven’t discussed yet, but it should actually scare us – at least a little.

James 1:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder.

This kind of belief is a start, but it’s clearly not enough to be saved by Jesus. The demons believe in God. They even know Jesus. But they have not put their hope and trust in Him for their standing with God. Have you? I know this is weighty but as your pastor, I don’t want you thinking you’re good with God when you’ve never been saved by Jesus. Is it possible your belief in God is only to the level of the demons’ belief in God?

Jesus, save me from a life without you. I don’t merely believe you exist; I’m putting the full weight of my trust and hope in You for salvation. Has there been a time when you realized you were a sinner, admitted that to God, realized that Jesus died for your sins and rose again? And you knew you could not save yourself, so you turned from your sins and trusted Jesus for your salvation. If not, don’t delay. Let today be the day where your faith comes alive. Jesus can do that by way of His Spirit right now.

Jesus, I am ready to start living my faith, not merely believing my faith.