THE BOOK OF JAMES
FAITH AND WORKS
DR. JIM DIXON
MARCH 24, 1985
JAMES 2:14-26
He was born in the year 1890 in Columbus, Ohio, the third of eight children. In the year 1901, at the age of 11, he quit school and went to work. He needed to support the family. He took a job for $3.50 a week and he worked hard. Four years later, in the year 1905 when he was 15 years of age, he found a job in a garage that paid $4.50 a week. He worked hard by day and in the evening he took correspondence courses in automotive repair. He studied late at night at the kitchen table by the light of a kerosene lamb. He worked 16 hours a day, but it didn’t matter because he was going to be somebody.
When he completed his correspondence courses, he was ready. He went to the offices of Frayer-Miller Automobile Corporation. He went to the office of Lee Frayer himself and he said, “I’m going to start work here tomorrow morning.” Lee Frayer said, “Is that right? Who hired you?” He said, “Nobody. But just the same, I’m going to be here in the morning. If you don’t like my work, don’t pay me. But if you like it, give me what I deserve.” The next morning he was there early, before Lee Frayer or hardly anybody else. He saw metal shavings all over the floor. He saw debris. He saw paper and trash. He began to work. He began to push a broom, scrub, and brush.
He was hired because he proved himself worthwhile. He worked hard in the days and the weeks and the months and the years that followed. He ascended through the ranks, began to race automobiles, and became one of the most famous automobile racers in the world. World War I came and he enlisted. He began to fly planes. He worked harder than any of the other pilots and he became America’s number one ace in World War I. He shot down 22 enemy planes. After World War I he devoted his diligence and his industry to the business world. He founded Eastern Airlines and was the president of Eastern Airlines for 21 years and chairman of the board for four years. For 18 years he owned the Indianapolis Speedway. He died in the year 1973 at the age of 83. His name, of course, was Eddie Rickenbacker.
Edward Vernon Rickenbacker represents what America is all about. If you work hard, you can be successful. And if you’re not successful, you just need to work a little bit harder. The only problem is that when we come to the gospel—when we come to the Bible, the teachings of the holy scripture and the kingdom of Christ—suddenly we get an entirely different message. The message of the Bible is diametrically different because the Bible tells us that we cannot enter heaven by hard work. No matter how hard we work, we can’t earn our way into heaven. The Bible tells us that we can only get to heaven—we can only receive salvation and eternal life—through faith in one person. That person is Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us we must receive salvation and eternal life as a gift, an expression of the grace of God.
The Bible says, “By grace you have been saved through faith. It is not your own doing. It is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” Now, as soon as this message began to be proclaimed to the world, it immediately began to be misunderstood and abused. Some people began to think that they could put their faith in Christ and ask Him to be their Savior and then vegetate their way right into the kingdom. Some thought they could put their faith in Christ and ask Him to be their savior and then live a life of disobedience, perverting grace into licentiousness. So, a little more than 1900 years ago James the Apostle, the great head of the Jerusalem church, gave a message to the Christian world clarifying the meaning of real faith and the relationship of faith and works. And this message is contained in our passage of scripture for today. James gives us three teachings concerning the meaning of true faith and the relationship of faith to works.
The first teaching is this: James tells us that faith apart from works is barren. It is fruitless. James says, “What does it profit, my brethren, the man who says that he has faith and has no works? Can his faith save him? If a brother or sister is ill-clad and lacks daily food and one of you says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit?” So you see that faith by itself, if it has no works, is barren. It is fruitless and worthless.
A number of years ago a product was marketed called pet rocks. Some of you remember them. You could buy your pet rock in a box or in a cage. It was said to be the perfect gift and said to be the perfect pet. It wasn’t a special rock. It didn’t float on water like pumice. It didn’t glow in the dark like phosphorus. It didn’t shine brilliantly like diamonds. It was just a plain, ugly rock. But it was the perfect pet because it didn’t bite. You didn’t have to feed it, didn’t have to clean up after it, and didn’t even have to pet it. It was the perfect pet. The only trouble was that whenever you gave it to a practical person they always had one question. It was always the same question: what good is it?
You see, God is practical. God is pragmatic and views faith without works exactly like those pet rocks: as a joke. And God wants to know, what good is it? Faith without works is barren. It doesn’t serve the kingdom of Christ. It doesn’t serve a single person on the face of this Earth. It doesn’t even serve the individual who claims to possess it. It is worthless.
When I was in college, I threw the javelin. To throw the javelin well it took a combination of quickness, technique, and power. I didn’t throw the javelin well. There’s not much you can do about quickness. Either you have it or you don’t. You can develop it a little bit, but it’s pretty much something you have from birth. But power is something you can develop. And so in my freshman year I was given a power coach named Jerry Hune. All of us in the field events—the shot putters, discus throwers, and javelin throwers—were given Jerry Hune as our power coach. And I’ll never forget that first day when we went down to the outdoor weightlifting area, an area called The Slab. We sat around and Coach Hune asked us one question. He said, “Do you believe that I can make you strong? Do you have faith that I can give you power greater than what you have now?” And every one of us, without exception, said yes. We all said, “We believe, coach.”
Now, that was the beginning of an incredible journey. I began to lift weights six days a week, two hours a day. I did that for four years. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday I worked my upper body doing bench presses, military presses, curls, upright rows, and bent-arm pullovers. Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays I worked my lower body doing full squats, heel raises, leg curls, and power rack. I worked hard, and the whole time Coach Hune was with me. He was with us all. He showed us how many sets to do, how many repetitions to do, and when to raise the weight and by what increment. He showed us how to use the proper technique so we wouldn’t be injured. And every Wednesday night we met at Coach Hune’s house and he had newspaper clippings from all over the world that showed people in our respective events and how they were doing. He gave us pep talks, he gave us high-protein drinks with ice cream, bananas, desiccated liver, and high-protein powder.
So it went for four years. And after four years, I was a different guy. In the beginning I could only bench press 140 pounds, but after four years with Coach Hune I was able to bench press 400 pounds. Now, there were a lot of guys who were there on that first day who didn’t gain any strength. They didn’t gain any power and they didn’t improve at all. They were there that first day and they said, “Yes, coach, we believe.” They said, “Yes, we have faith. You can make us strong.” But they never came on Monday. They never came on Tuesday. They never came on Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday. They never did any sets. They never did any repetitions. They never did any work. They never showed up on Wednesday nights. Whatever faith they had—whatever belief they had—was barren. It was fruitless. It was meaningless because it didn’t manifest itself in work.
When you become a Christian, the Bible says you take Jesus Christ as coach. You take Him as Lord, you take Him as king. You take Him as God, and you take Him as coach. He says, “I can transform you.” You say, “Yes, I believe that.” But He wants us to know that unless that faith is manifested in commitment and obedience (unless you’re willing to read the Bible, pray, and gather with other Christians) your faith is barren. It is worthless and fruitless. And that’s the first teaching that James has for us this morning.
His second teaching is a stronger teaching. It’s a little bit scary. James says faith without works is demonic. James says, “Even the demons believe, and tremble.” In February of 1838 a woman named Jane Alsop was eating dinner at the kitchen table in London, England, in a little house on a London back street. She lived with her two sisters and her father. Jane was young and beautiful. Suddenly there was a violent knocking on the door. Jane answered it. Out of the shadows there appeared a man, or perhaps a creature. His face was hideous and his hands were said to be like giant claws. His eyes were said to be like balls of fire and from his mouth issued blue and white flame.
He sprang towards Jane and he ripped her flesh with his claws. She tried to spin away, leaving part of her dress in the creature’s claws. She tried to run, but the man sprung and landed before her. Her sisters came out of the house and began to scream. Her father came out. People all over the London neighborhood came out. They began to shout and this man, this creature, sprang from the cobblestone street to the rooftops and disappeared into the night. That’s a strange, bizarre story. Yet all those people almost 150 years ago swore that it was true. It was at the beginning of a legend of a man or a creature that the British people referred to as Spring-heeled Jack.
For 66 years that creature terrorized England, particularly in the Midlands. It’s a matter of historical record that British armies, city police departments, residents’ groups, and citizens’ groups tried to apprehend this creature and failed. He would always appear, attack, and devour, but he would then allude. In the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s it was said that many times the military or law enforcement had him cornered. They even shot guns at him from point-blank range and he simply laughed. It was said he vanished or disappeared into the night or over the rooftops. His last appearance was in the year 1904 in the city of Liverpool. Since that time, he has never been seen. Who he was, what he was (or, it seems to me, if he was), is not known even to this day. But hundreds of clergymen in England and thousands of British citizens swear that he existed and they swear that he was at best some kind of horrible demon and at worst a manifestation of Satan himself.
Throughout history there have been many bizarre stories relating to the demonic and the occult. There have been many bizarre stories relating to the satanic. Virtually every person in this world believes in the reality of evil. And I believe most people in this world sense the reality of evil in a supernatural realm. The Bible tells us that there are angels, both holy and fallen. Those angels that fell at the dawn of time before the creation of man are called demons and their leader is called Satan. He is Beelzebub. He is the prince of demons. He is the prince of darkness. But the Bible tells us that, as Christians, we don’t need to be afraid because Jesus Christ is Lord of Lords and King of Kings, the Son of God. He has all power in the heavens and on Earth and He has power to take care of you.
The Bible tells us that there’s a mystery to the realm of evil and the things of Satan, but it’s a mystery into which Christians should not delve. There’s much we don’t know about evil, but it doesn’t matter. One thing the Bible tells us clearly about Satan and about the demons is this: they actually believe in Jesus Christ. They believe in the Son of God. They believe He is the Son of God. Satan himself believes that. He believes that Jesus Christ is pre-existent. The demons know that He was born in this world in Bethlehem, that He was born God incarnate. Demons know that He was born of a virgin, that He lived a sinless life, that He died for the sins of the world, and that He rose from the dead in power and great glory. They know that He lives now. They know He is coming again. They know He has all power.
There’s a strange story in the first chapter of the Book of Mark. It tells how our Lord Jesus appeared in the synagogue in Capernaum (this was very early in His earthly ministry). He would’ve been about 30 years of age. He had just selected the 12. He appeared in the synagogue in Capernaum and began to teach, and the people marveled at His teaching. It had authority. It was not like the teaching of the scribes and Pharisees. It had power. And suddenly, as the Lord was teaching, a demon-possessed man stood up in the synagogue, the Bible says. That demon within him began to speak. The demon said a very strange thing. It gave a very strange confession. The demon said, “What have You to do with me, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy me? I know who You are. You are the Holy One of God.” That is a strange confession coming from the realm of evil, a strange confession coming from a demon. It is one of the first affirmations of the messiahship, deity, and lordship of Jesus Christ, and it came from the satanic realm. You see, the Bible tells us that Satan believes. The demons believe all the facts of Christianity.
There’s only one problem. They’re not willing to submit. They’re not willing to relinquish their life. They know that Jesus Christ is Lord, but they’re not willing to make Him their Lord. Satan knows that Jesus Christ is Lord, but he will not relinquish his life to Christ. He will never serve the kingdom of Christ. He will serve only himself and he will be his own Lord. Even though he knows it is true, he will not serve.
In this passage of scripture, James tells us a very unsettling thing. He tells us that if you claim to have faith in Jesus Christ but you don’t really relinquish yourself to the kingdom of Christ you’re just like the realm of evil. You’re like Satan himself. You are like the demons. That is demon-like: faith with no works.
James gives a third and final teaching, and this teaching should be obvious to all of you by now. It’s a necessary teaching. It’s a logical teaching. It follows from everything James has said before. And this teaching is this: faith without works cannot justify. It cannot save and it cannot give eternal life. James says, “So you see that Abraham was justified by works and not by faith alone.” Now, the Apostle Paul and the Bible clearly tells us that we are justified by faith. We are saved by faith. And James agrees with that. But James is telling us that it’s a very special kind of faith that saves us. It’s a very special kind of faith that is able to justify. It’s a real faith. It’s a sincere faith. It’s a faith that expresses itself in a measure of obedience and commitment to the work of the kingdom of Christ. It’s not barren, it’s not empty, and it’s not dead. It’s real. If it’s saving faith, it begins to change a life. It is not static. It is active. It is dynamic.
This past Friday I went to the dentist and I had some crown work done on the right side of my mouth. I have a very, very excellent dentist. Yet I think we would all agree that there’s a lot better ways to spend a Friday afternoon (or any afternoon for that matter). There are 120,000 dentists in the United States of America. They’re all highly educated. They’re worthy of our faith. Most of them have DDS degrees and some have DMD degrees. Some dentists specialize in oral surgery, some in orthodontics (they give us braces). Some specialize in prosthodontics (they give bridge work and dentures). Some specialize in periodontics (they work with diseased gums). Some specialize in pedodontics (they do children’s dentistry). Some specialize in endodontics (they give us all the joys of root canal work).
Most dentists work in what is called general dentistry. They must know how to use x-ray equipment. They must know how to apply anesthetics. They must know how to extract teeth. They must know how to fill cavities. They must know many things. I wouldn’t ask just anybody to work on my mouth or to fill a cavity or give me a crown. Barbara cuts my hair, but if she offered to fill a tooth or give me a crown, quite obviously I’d say no because I wouldn’t have that faith in Barb. Now, I believe most dentists are competent. But even if I believed in all the dentists in the United States, even if I said I had faith in all 120,000 of them, it wouldn’t do my mouth one bit of good. Even if I believe in every dentist there is, it won’t help my mouth. You see, ultimately I have to take one of those dentists and I have to make that dentist my dentist. I have to be willing to sit in the chair. I have to be willing to let him operate on me and transform my mouth. I have to be willing to obey and follow his instructions. I have to relinquish myself into his care.
Biblically speaking, that is what saving faith is. That’s the kind of faith that justifies. You can believe anything you want about Jesus Christ. You can believe He is God, which the Bible says He is. But until you’re willing to sit in the chair and let Him be your Lord, you don’t have saving faith. Saving faith expresses itself in some measure of relinquishment. It expresses itself in some measure of obedience and some measure of service to the kingdom of Jesus Christ. And that is what is meant by works. Real faith manifests itself in works. Not every Christian has the same measure of faith. Not every Christian has the same measure of relinquishment, the same measure of obedience, or the same measure of service. Not every Christian has the same measure of work, but if you really are a Christian there is some measure of work as an expression of faith.
God wants us to take this very, very seriously. He wants us to understand that in the life to come even we who have saving faith will be evaluated and given varying heavenly rewards on the basis of our faithfulness now. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians in Corinth and said, “There is one foundation which can be laid, and that foundation is Jesus Christ. If anyone builds on that foundation with gold, silver, precious jewels, wood, hay or straw, each man’s work will become manifest, for the day of judgment will disclose it. It will be revealed with fire. And the fire will test what sort of work each person has done. If any man’s work which he has built upon that foundation survives, he will receive rewards. If any man’s work does not survive, he will suffer loss of reward, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire.” I hope you understand what Paul is saying. He’s speaking to Christians, those who truly have faith. He is saying that we will be judged in accordance with our faithfulness, Christ-likeness, relinquishment, and obedience. On that basis, we will be evaluated.
As a Christian minister, I’ve been called to teach the full council of God and part of that council that all of us who on the staff are called to preach is that God cares about the way we live. He doesn’t give cheap grace. There’s no forgiveness without true repentance. There’s no salvation without true faith. you can’t have Jesus Christ as Savior until you’ve made Him Lord. And if you’ve made Him Lord, there’s going to be some expression of work.
There’s a little story (with this we’ll close) of a minister who died and went to heaven. He found himself outside the pearly gates in a long line waiting to be processed. St. Peter was up at the gate, and he was giving people their varying rewards. Right in front of the minister there was a bus driver, and as they came up to the gate, the bus driver went up to Peter. Peter said to the bus driver, “You see that beautiful mansion on the hill up there?” And the bus driver says, “Yes.” Peter says, “That’s your mansion.”
A big smile came across the minister’s face. He was a proud man, swollen with conceit. He thought he had served well. He thought, “Wow, if that guy got a mansion on a hilltop, just think what I’m going to get. Maybe I’ll get a whole city, maybe a planet, or maybe a galactic system.” He stands before Peter and Peter says, “See that little shack down in the valley?” The minister says, “Yes.” Peter says, “That’s yours.” The minister said, “I don’t understand. The bus driver got a big mansion on the hill.” Peter said, “That’s right. If you see it the way we see it, every time you preached, people slept. And every time that bus driver drove, people prayed.”
My responsibility and Bob’s responsibility, as ministers, is to make sure to the best of our ability that you don’t sleep. We’re not talking about worship services (sometimes you just can’t help it). Our calling is to the best of our ability to make certain you don’t sleep in life but that instead you have true faith. Our responsibility is to see that you have active faith that expresses itself in the service of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. Sometimes you come to church and you’ve had a hard week and you just need something to get you by because you’re tired and you’re having a hard time. You need some word of encouragement. Sometimes you need a word of exhortation. You just need someone to tell you that you’re doing alright. There are other weeks where we need to be cautioned and we need to be warned. God wants real faith, active faith. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, “By grace you have been saved through faith. It’s not your own doing. It is a gift of God, not of works lest anyone should boast.” Those are two of the most famous verses in the Bible, but many times Christians fail to quote the very next verse, the 10th verse, where the Apostle Paul says, “You are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works that you should walk in them.” Shall we pray?
Lord Jesus, we do love You. As Christians, we’ve asked You to be our Lord, be our God, and be our coach. We’ve placed in Your care all of our tomorrows, and we look to You for eternal life. Lord, help us not to have static faiths. Help us not to ask for cheap grace. Help us to relinquish our lives to you more and more day by day. Lord Jesus, if there’s anybody here who’s never really asked You to be Lord—maybe they believe things about You but they’ve never really said, “Be my Lord. From this day forth give me power. I want to live for You. I want to serve Your eternal kingdom. I want to obey You, and I want You to give me all the promises of scripture”—may this be the moment when they would make that decision and by what measure of faith they have commit their lives to You. Lord, help us to serve You in this world. We love You. We look forward to the day when we will see You face-to-face. We want to hear You say, “Well done.” In Your name we pray, Lord Jesus. Amen.