Sermon - Elm Grove Baptist Church - James 2 - Real or Counterfeit - February 5, 2017

When the word 'Real' is put in front of something it tends to get our attention. Marketers use it to sell us things and others use it to try to convince of things. Coke used to be the 'real thing'; real leather is better than fake leather, and they say real men wear pink. This morning we are going to look what James has to say about real faith.

We will be looking at James chapter 2, which are probably some of the most misunderstood passages in the book of James, and can be quite controversial. There are a lot of people out there that think they are Christians and really are not. In this passage James, the brother of Jesus, and the man who tells it like it is, talks about the difference between real and counterfeit Christians.

The entire New Testament teaches us that we are saved by faith alone. 'By Grace, through faith'. James comes along and says, 'it's not just faith but faith and works.' What is James talking about? Paul teaches faith alone, James is bringing up works. Who is right? They are both right! Paul and James are talking about different things.

Paul was battling legalism. He was addressing those who said to be a Christian you had to follow all of the Jewish laws and regulations.

James on the other is trying to get through to people who think that it does not matter how I live my life, as long as I believe. He was talking to those whose lives did not show their faith.

When Paul is talking about works he is referring to the Jewish laws like circumcision and the foods you eat. James on the other hand is talking about the Christian Lifestyle, Loving God and Loving Others.

Paul is focusing on the root of salvation, what happens on the inside. James is focused on the fruit of salvation, what happens on the outside.

Paul is talking about how to know you are a Christian and James is talking about how to show it.

Paul talks about how one becomes a believer while James talks about how one behaves as a believer.

These verses are controversial but only because they are misunderstood.

Ephesians 2:8-10

“⁸ For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— ⁹ not from works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are His creation, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.”

By Grace – Through Faith – Then Works... If you get them out of order, that is when there is a problem. We are saved by grace, through faith. We are saved by accepting God's amazing gift. So as we dig into James 2 this morning we need to remember he is talking about how we show the world that we are a believers.

James 2:14

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can his faith save him?”

It does not say that he actually has faith, he just says or claims to have faith. He talks about it. Maybe he says the right things, holds up a John 3:16 sign at sporting events, and even attends church. I have recently read that 70% of Americans state they are Christians. Do you see 70% of the people you know living as Christians? Being a Christian is more than just talk, it takes real faith, faith that leads to action.

Matthew 7:21

“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 in heaven.”

Not everyone who says they are a Christian is a 'Real' Christian. Talk is cheap. Where is the life change? James is telling us that real faith is not found in your words.

James 2:15-16

“¹⁵ If a brother or sister is without clothes and lacks daily food ¹⁶ and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you don’t give them what the body needs, what good is it?”

What good is it if you see someone in need and you say 'I feel for you.' Real faith is more than words and more than feelings, it is more than just sympathy. Real faith requires you to act. Real faith gets involved with people. Real faith helps when others are in need.

1 John 3:17

“If anyone has the world's goods and sees his brother in need but closes his eyes to his need – how can God's love reside in him?”

Real faith is generous, real faith leads to giving. The lack of it shows the absence of God.

1 John 4:20

“If anyone says, “I love God,” yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For the person who does not love his brother he has seen cannot love the God he has not seen.”

You could say that if someone is not showing love to others, he does not love them. If he does not love others, He does not love God, which means he is a counterfeit Christian.

James 2:17

“In the same way faith, if it doesn't have works, is dead by itself.”

This is one of those times that James is not pulling any punches. Real faith is more than thoughts, feelings, emotions, or words. Real faith is loving others. If your faith is not causing you to act or to meet a need, it is dead.

1 John 3:14

“We know that we have passed from death to life because we love our brothers. The one who does not love remains in death.”

Real Faith causes us to Love Others. Love is a verb, it is an action word. If we do not show this love in the way we act and in the way we serve others, our faith is not real.

James 2:18

“But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works.”

Sounds like James is from Missouri, the 'Show Me' state. 'Show Me' is key here, Real faith is visible. You can see it, it is obvious, if you claim to be a Christian, people should be able to see it. James is saying 'show me' your faith! Your a Christian? Prove It! Let me see your actions back up your words.

Real faith is more than something you think, claim, feel, or say.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away, and look, new things have come.”

Most of us don't change overnight, but Real faith leads to real change as our actions reflect the new creation we have become.

A while back we had an electrical issue in our galvanizing department that was shocking operators. They had to shut it down until they could find the cause. Grabbing onto a hot wire is going to get your attention, and as the voltage increases your world can change instantly. A 9 volt is going to tingle, but a 220 volt shock will knock your socks off. If 220 volts will rock your world, how can someone as big as God enter your life and it not change you? James is calling it like he sees it. If there isn't any change, there is a question if God is really in your life. What can you see in your life that proves that you have real faith?

 In the movie 'Do You Believe' they ask a question that fits with what James is trying to teach us.

'If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?'

How do you know if you are a believer? You will see changes in your life. Real faith always produces real change.

James 2:19

“You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe—and they shudder.”

There are a lot of people out there that say they believe in God. They read the Bible and they can even quote scripture with the best of them. James is saying that is not enough.

Psalm 14:1a

“The fool says in his heart, “God does not exist.””

It would be absolutely foolish to not believe in God. Look around you, look outside and marvel at God's creation. Especially in the spring when the new flowers are blooming, the baby animals, and so much more tell us that God is real. The devil believes in God, and probably knows the Bible better than all of us put together. Yet, He is not going to spend eternity in heaven.

The word 'believe' is to trust in, cling to, rely on, commit yourself completely. Head knowledge like the devil has is not enough. Saying I believe is not going to get your there. James is saying everyone believes in God, but that in itself is not enough.

Real faith is not just saying 'I Believe.' 70% of Americans say they believe, they say they are Christians. 

If we poll these same 70%:

Do you think they all go to church? No.

How about do they donate their time? No.

Are they leading a ministry? No.

Do they tithe? No.

Do they expect God to work in their lives? No.

James is saying, that is not 'Real' faith. A lot of people say they are Christians, but believing there is a God is not the same as having Real saving faith that impacts who you are.

If real faith is not something you say, think, feel, or believe, it is not an emotion or a thought. What is 'Real Faith'?

James 2:20-26

“²⁰ Foolish man! Are you willing to learn that faith without works is useless? ²¹ Wasn’t Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? ²² You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected. ²³ So the Scripture was fulfilled that says, Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him for righteousness, and he was called God’s friend. ²⁴ You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. ²⁵ And in the same way, wasn’t Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by a different route? ²⁶ For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”

Real faith impacts you, changes who you are, drives you to care about the things God cares about, it leads you to act.

James paints an interesting portrait for us in these final verses in chapter two with two very different people.

Abraham is Jewish; Rahab is a Gentile

Abraham is male; Rahab is female

Abraham is a patriarch; Rahab a prostitute

Abraham is a somebody, a major character in the Bible; Rahab is a nobody, she plays a minor part

James uses these two individuals out of the Old Testament to remind us that is does not matter who you are as long as you have the one important thing. They only had one thing in common. Their faith in God led them to act.

Abraham believed what God had told him. He had faith that even if Isaac died, God would restore him. Rahab had faith that if she guided the messengers out safely she would be spared. Their faith in God changed them, their faith in God led them to act.

Our faith is not determined by what we do, it is demonstrated by what we do.

About 40 years ago there was a famous tightrope walker named George Blondin who, for a publicity stunt, decided he would walk across Niagara Falls on a tightrope. On the appointed day they stretched a tightrope from one side of Niagara Falls to the other.

He got out there and there were crowds lining both the Canadian and American side. Thousands of people showed up to see this unbelievable feat. Blondin walked up to the edge of the tightrope, put one foot on the tightrope and put another foot out and began to walk across -- inch-by-inch, step-by-step. He got out in the middle and everybody knew that if he’d make one mistake in balance he’d fall off the rope and into the Falls and obviously be killed. Blondin got to the other side and the crowd went wild, shouting and cheering. Blondin said, "I’m going to do it again." He got to the other side and the crowds went crazy. Blondin said, "I’m going to do it again but this time I’m going to push a wheel barrow full of dirt." He pushes the wheelbarrow across. He got to the other side. He did this nine or ten times. On about the tenth time, he pushed the wheelbarrow right in front of a tourist who said, "I believe you could do that all day." Blondin dumped out the dirt and said, "Really? Get in."

That is what James is telling us. Talk is cheap. Put your money where you mouth is. If you say you believe in Jesus, your actions should prove it. Actions speak louder than words and our actions really show what we believe.

If we take into consideration everything that James has said in these verses there are a few questions we should be asking ourselves.

What changes can I point to in my life?

Is my life style different from those of unbelievers?

James is not saying we are justified by our works, he is not saying we can work our way into heaven, he is saying that our actions demonstrate our faith.

Saved by Grace, through Faith, that lead us to Act.

Thanks for reading, God Bless!

Robert