An exposition of James 2:14-26
James 2:14 says, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?”
Consider these questions one at a time. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds?” In many Christian circles the response would be that so long as the man believes the “right truths,” then he will be saved. They will quickly point to the thief on the cross as an illustration of this principle. Certainly the thief had no occasion to demonstrate his faith through deeds, yet he is told that he will be in paradise with Christ. Furthermore they quickly shy away from any implication that human effort plays any part in salvation; belief alone leads to salvation. “Whosoever believeth…has eternal life.” (Jn 3:16) So it would seem that if a man claims to have faith (rightly directed beliefs about Christ) but does not have deeds he would still be saved. This would seem correct, but James follows his first question with a second one.
“Can such faith save him?” If understood in context, this is a rhetorical question. For James the answer is an obvious and resounding ‘NO!’ He goes so far as to call a faith that is expressed in belief alone, and bereft of deeds, a ‘dead’ faith. (v.17) Clearly James does not accept that an intellectual assent to (belief in) a particular set of doctrinal statements is sufficient to save. Saving faith must be more than mere belief.
In James 2:18 the author portrays the challenge of a hypothetical man saying, “Show me your faith without deeds.” This is a great challenge; a challenge that many 21st century Christians have eagerly tried to meet!
For the most part defining our faith has been reduced to stating the propositional truths that we believe. This is nothing new, it’s been done by Christians for ages. All the great creeds of our Christian heritage (The Apostle’s Creed; The Nicene Creed; and The Athanasian Creed) are expressions of the orthodox faith. Though Baptists in general have eschewed creedal statements, they nevertheless make liberal use of confessions of faith with the same intent of expressing the fundamentals of their faith once delivered and passed on to the saints. But providing a copy of our creedal/confessional belief statements seems to fall short of answering the challenge to ‘show our faith without deeds.’ It would seem that James is saying that ‘showing faith without deeds’ is an impossible task. Saving faith must be more than mere belief.
James 2:19 drives the point home. “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” No one would argue that demons are not saved, and yet they may believe all the same truths that we confess. They know and believe that God is a trinity; that He is the Creator; and that Jesus was born of a virgin. They believe all the same things that you and I believe, yet they are NOT saved! How can this be? Saving faith must be more than mere belief.
James 2:20. Now James states his proposition clearly. “Faith without deeds is useless.” (The word for ‘useless’ in the Greek is nekros: meaning dead, without power, destitute) James goes further in even offering to give examples to illustrate his argument, and he cites Abraham and Rahab as those justified not by belief alone, but by acting on their beliefs. He draws his final conclusion, “As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” (v.26)
So if there is a faith that is useless (as James has described), and a faith that saves apart from works (as Paul writes in Ephesians 2:8-9), then how can I be certain that my faith is the latter and not the former. What are the characteristics of ‘useless faith,’ and ‘saving faith?’
For me ‘useless faith’ is that which is expressed by mere statements of belief with no genuine relational dynamic with the person of God. It is religious consent to accepted doctrines with no renewal of the mind or transformation of character. (Romans 12:2) It is spiritual performance based on duty and tradition without any engagement of the heart or soul. (Isaiah 29:13) It holds to a form of godliness, but denies its power. (2 Tim 3:5) It is trusting Jesus to save you, but refusing to submit to Him as Lord. It believes that knowing the right answers, the right words, and saying the right prayers are all that is necessary. (Matthew 7:21)
And saving faith…well that’s another entry.
Grace and Peace to my brothers and sisters in Christ,
Kent
Monday, August 10, 2009
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Life: Unscripted.
I am beginning to realize how much of our lives are lived out according to a script handed to us by others. The scripts we receive are handed to us by our parents, our teachers, our church, our friends, and our spiritual mentors. Though this is certainly expected, I have to ask, “Who authored the script?”
Living by a script requires me to perform accordingly. The essence of the script is a guide to how I am to live my life. Departure from the script is interpreted as a flawed performance.
There is even more pressure to perform appropriately when the same script is adopted by many (as in the church script.) The church script is characterized by faith, faithfulness, service, compassion, sacrifice, giving, study, and participation. Those who do well in their performance are rewarded with the title “good church members.” Others are judged for their “poor performance.”
What seems rather wrong is that few if any people following the Christian script experience joy, peace, rest and freedom (the very things Jesus promised to His followers). Instead there is guilt, striving, and judgment. Since we aren’t experiencing what Jesus told us to expect, we conclude that we must be “doing it wrong.” So we feel guilty, strive harder, and feel more miserable; or we fault the script passed to us, and begin our revisions. All along we tell ourselves that at least we are trying hard to follow the script.
Consider this: what if the script is flawed?
At first my thought was that we need to re-write the script, but I don’t think that’s right either. Just as soon as you begin to list the things we ought to do (our lines, actions, and part to play) then we eliminate much of the other stuff as non-essential or less important. A hierarchy of important roles develops again, giving us the same aspirations for achievement, and the same grounds for judging others. We have just substituted a new script that will lead to the same performance based living.
What would it look like to live life unscripted?
At first this is scary, “What will I do if I don’t have the script to follow?” Life will quickly spiral out of control (my control) and will result in chaos!
But hear the words of Jesus, He says, “Follow Me.” He doesn’t say, “Follow my script.” Life becomes an improvisation, a dialogue between Jesus and us. I have to go where He goes, and do what He does. On any given day He may redirect our path, take us in a new direction, have us sit and be still, or anything else He chooses.
People love to write scripts for others. Well-intentioned Christians have been doing it for ages. Here are some excerpts from some scripts I found in the drawer.
“Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew; don’t hang around with those who do.”
“Men shouldn’t wear skirts, and women shouldn’t wear pants.”
“Be at church every time the doors are open.”
“Don’t listen to rock-n-roll.”
“Tithe.”
What is interesting is that every new generation tends to reject the script of their parents, and in their “youthful wisdom and insight” they craft a “better” script. Couched in the terms of righteousness they fall into the same trap of every generation before them. They may begin by using a noble phrase like “what would Jesus do?” But then they proceed to write the new script according to their insight: Jesus would feed the homeless. Jesus would live under a bridge. Jesus would have no possessions. Jesus would never drive an SUV. Jesus would never watch TV or listen to the radio. Jesus would not attend church. Jesus would go to bars and nightclubs. And so the “new” script is crafted, the new standard for “performance” established, and the new ground for elevating ourselves and judging others is canonized.
But what if EVERY script is flawed?
What if Jesus didn’t come with a “new script,” but a way to live an improvisational life? A life that was moment by moment attuned to the Father’s direction. Do this now. Now do this. Now do this. This is the life of Jesus. He never spoke (or acted) of His own initiative, but only that which the Father gave Him to say (or do).
On any given day He may tell me to feed the homeless, or to study scripture, or visit the sick, or pray with my family, or work at my job. On another day, He may tell me to rest from my labor, take a nap, clean the garage, mow the yard, and pray for my neighbor. On another day I may be led to spend it in solitude and silence, totally disengaged from the world. The next day may be spent going door-to-door sharing the gospel message. There is no script! There is only listening to His direction and improvising along the way. No one has the right to judge the actions of another as “not performing according to the script.” God’s direction for our lives is as unique as each one of us is as an individual. (Please don’t tell me that how I am following God is wrong, unless it is clear contradiction of scripture; and I will try to refrain from framing the Christian life as scripted according to my understanding.)
God doesn’t desire a performance, but a friendship; a relationship founded on love, respect, trust, and good will. This is the path to rest, freedom, peace, and joy. It cannot be placed into a uniform script for everyone to follow. It is dynamic and new, life-changing, and life-giving. It is the well-spring of life bubbling forth in your soul. It is spontaneous and creative, but ordered by God, and compassionate. It is a day-by-day journey that consumes your entire life.
Is there any objective standard? What about sin?
There are clear prohibitions in scripture (what not to do); likewise there are clear proscriptions in scripture (what to do). There is no right time to do the wrong thing, so prohibitions stand. Regarding the timing, balance, and depth of engagement in proscribed activities, these are left to the leadership of the Spirit.
Apart from Him you can do nothing!
There is no script to follow. Instead there is a person, a voice, and a guiding hand. There are some prohibitions and some proscriptions, but what is required most is a keen sensitivity to the leadership of the Spirit. Success is evident in Christ-likeness and the fruit of the Spirit. Where the result is less than love, joy, peace, etcetera…we must assume that we are following a flawed script, rather than following Christ.
Living by a script requires me to perform accordingly. The essence of the script is a guide to how I am to live my life. Departure from the script is interpreted as a flawed performance.
There is even more pressure to perform appropriately when the same script is adopted by many (as in the church script.) The church script is characterized by faith, faithfulness, service, compassion, sacrifice, giving, study, and participation. Those who do well in their performance are rewarded with the title “good church members.” Others are judged for their “poor performance.”
What seems rather wrong is that few if any people following the Christian script experience joy, peace, rest and freedom (the very things Jesus promised to His followers). Instead there is guilt, striving, and judgment. Since we aren’t experiencing what Jesus told us to expect, we conclude that we must be “doing it wrong.” So we feel guilty, strive harder, and feel more miserable; or we fault the script passed to us, and begin our revisions. All along we tell ourselves that at least we are trying hard to follow the script.
Consider this: what if the script is flawed?
At first my thought was that we need to re-write the script, but I don’t think that’s right either. Just as soon as you begin to list the things we ought to do (our lines, actions, and part to play) then we eliminate much of the other stuff as non-essential or less important. A hierarchy of important roles develops again, giving us the same aspirations for achievement, and the same grounds for judging others. We have just substituted a new script that will lead to the same performance based living.
What would it look like to live life unscripted?
At first this is scary, “What will I do if I don’t have the script to follow?” Life will quickly spiral out of control (my control) and will result in chaos!
But hear the words of Jesus, He says, “Follow Me.” He doesn’t say, “Follow my script.” Life becomes an improvisation, a dialogue between Jesus and us. I have to go where He goes, and do what He does. On any given day He may redirect our path, take us in a new direction, have us sit and be still, or anything else He chooses.
People love to write scripts for others. Well-intentioned Christians have been doing it for ages. Here are some excerpts from some scripts I found in the drawer.
“Don’t drink, don’t smoke, don’t chew; don’t hang around with those who do.”
“Men shouldn’t wear skirts, and women shouldn’t wear pants.”
“Be at church every time the doors are open.”
“Don’t listen to rock-n-roll.”
“Tithe.”
What is interesting is that every new generation tends to reject the script of their parents, and in their “youthful wisdom and insight” they craft a “better” script. Couched in the terms of righteousness they fall into the same trap of every generation before them. They may begin by using a noble phrase like “what would Jesus do?” But then they proceed to write the new script according to their insight: Jesus would feed the homeless. Jesus would live under a bridge. Jesus would have no possessions. Jesus would never drive an SUV. Jesus would never watch TV or listen to the radio. Jesus would not attend church. Jesus would go to bars and nightclubs. And so the “new” script is crafted, the new standard for “performance” established, and the new ground for elevating ourselves and judging others is canonized.
But what if EVERY script is flawed?
What if Jesus didn’t come with a “new script,” but a way to live an improvisational life? A life that was moment by moment attuned to the Father’s direction. Do this now. Now do this. Now do this. This is the life of Jesus. He never spoke (or acted) of His own initiative, but only that which the Father gave Him to say (or do).
On any given day He may tell me to feed the homeless, or to study scripture, or visit the sick, or pray with my family, or work at my job. On another day, He may tell me to rest from my labor, take a nap, clean the garage, mow the yard, and pray for my neighbor. On another day I may be led to spend it in solitude and silence, totally disengaged from the world. The next day may be spent going door-to-door sharing the gospel message. There is no script! There is only listening to His direction and improvising along the way. No one has the right to judge the actions of another as “not performing according to the script.” God’s direction for our lives is as unique as each one of us is as an individual. (Please don’t tell me that how I am following God is wrong, unless it is clear contradiction of scripture; and I will try to refrain from framing the Christian life as scripted according to my understanding.)
God doesn’t desire a performance, but a friendship; a relationship founded on love, respect, trust, and good will. This is the path to rest, freedom, peace, and joy. It cannot be placed into a uniform script for everyone to follow. It is dynamic and new, life-changing, and life-giving. It is the well-spring of life bubbling forth in your soul. It is spontaneous and creative, but ordered by God, and compassionate. It is a day-by-day journey that consumes your entire life.
Is there any objective standard? What about sin?
There are clear prohibitions in scripture (what not to do); likewise there are clear proscriptions in scripture (what to do). There is no right time to do the wrong thing, so prohibitions stand. Regarding the timing, balance, and depth of engagement in proscribed activities, these are left to the leadership of the Spirit.
Apart from Him you can do nothing!
There is no script to follow. Instead there is a person, a voice, and a guiding hand. There are some prohibitions and some proscriptions, but what is required most is a keen sensitivity to the leadership of the Spirit. Success is evident in Christ-likeness and the fruit of the Spirit. Where the result is less than love, joy, peace, etcetera…we must assume that we are following a flawed script, rather than following Christ.
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