SERMON OUTLINE

• I. The Example of Abraham
• II. The Example of Rahab

TRANSCRIPT

I greet all of you in the Blessed name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Our text for this morning's message is taken from James 2:21-26. This is a passage that has caused much controversy, and I will try my best to explain it to you as the Lord will enable me. In our previous messages, we had repeatedly mentioned that James was not teaching salvation by works but rather that true salvation would produce works. In other words, he was emphasising that true faith was a faith that works.

During the time of the Apostles, there were the Judaizers who taught that salvation was by faith plus works. A person had to be circumcised, a person had to observe all the ceremonies, sacraments, rituals, and laws in order to be saved. There were also people like the Gnostics who taught that salvation only required faith but not a changed life, not a transformed life. So after salvation, it was all right for the person to live as he pleased.

So, in most of his epistles, the Apostle Paul was refuting the Judaizers that they were preaching another gospel which was not the gospel of the Bible. But James, on the other hand, in his letter, was refuting those people who taught that salvation does not necessarily lead to a changed life or a transformed life. Therefore, he said to those people, ‘Faith without works is dead’. Both Paul and James believe that salvation is by faith alone. They were fighting the same spiritual battle but on different fronts. They did not contradict each other but rather they complemented and supplemented each other in the defence of the truth.

In the preceding verses, James had already proved his point that faith without works is dead. He said, ‘You show me your faith without works, and I will show you my true and genuine faith with my works’. He was not saying that in a proud sense but to prove his point that if your faith is real, it must work practically in your life.

However, James anticipated that the people would demand to see biblical proof. Some of them might say, ‘Well James, is this just your own opinion? Do you have any biblical proof to show that faith without works is dead?’ Therefore, in this section, James gave two biblical examples. The title of our message is ‘Faith in Action’.

I. The Example of Abraham

Firstly, he gave ‘the example of Abraham;. Abraham was a very important figure in the Old Testament. The Jews look up to him as the father of the Hebrew Nation. The Christians look up to him as the spiritual father of faith, but what kind of faith did Abraham have? Was it a faith without works or was it a faith with works? Let us see how James explained to the people, beginning with verse 21 "Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?"

At first glance, it may appear as if James was saying that Abraham was saved by works. Again, it may appear as if James was contradicting Paul because Paul has said in Romans 1:17 "For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: the just shall live by faith." In fact, because of this apparent contradiction, it has led some people to believe that the Book of James should not be included in the Holy Scriptures. Even Martin Luther, the reformer, was reluctant to include James as part of the Bible because he had this impression that James was teaching salvation by works. Now, that is most sad and unfortunate, but nothing is further than the truth.

What does James mean when he said Abraham was justified by works? Firstly, we need to consider very carefully these two words: Justified and works. It has to be read in his context. The word ‘Justified’ has two general meanings. One is to be declared righteous, as in by faith we are imputed with Christ's righteousness; we are declared righteous on the basis of what Christ has done - we are justified. The other meaning is the proof of righteousness, the evidence of righteousness.

Next, we need to understand how the word ‘Works’ was used in this context. When the Apostle Paul used the word ‘works’ in relation to salvation, he was speaking about works before conversion. Salvation is by faith alone, not by works. Only Jesus saves. But when James used the word ‘works’, he was speaking of works after conversion. He was speaking about true, genuine faith that would produce works depending on the context.

Dear friends, can a professing Christian who simply mouths the name of Jesus Christ, surely is saved, but what if his life produces no evidence of transformation, no obedience, no service, no repentance? That person has to examine his faith. Is it a saving faith or not? Because true saving faith will always produce works. The believer is indwelt with the Holy Spirit, and he will produce the fruit of the Spirit.

So, the word ‘works’ used here was in the context of after conversion, after salvation. How do we know? Take a moment and consider this: When was Abraham saved? Abraham was saved long before he offered his son Isaac to be sacrificed. Remember in Genesis 12:1-3, Allow me to read for you, God said to Abraham, “Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will show thee: And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing: And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."

Abraham obeyed that call and he went. But after living for 10 years in the land, he was still without a child, and so he became discouraged. And God took him outside and said, ‘Look at the heavens and count the stars, so shall your descendants be’. It was at that point that the Bible said, “And Abraham believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righteousness” (Genesis 15:6).

One Old Testament scholar said this verse is one of the greatest in the entire Old Testament. Why? Because it is the first time the word ‘believed’ was used in the Scriptures. Abraham believed God. However, Abraham was still without a child, and he even gave in to Sarah's scheme to sleep with the maidservant Hagar, who bore him a son named Ishmael. But Ishmael was not the promised son. It was only when Abraham was 100 years old that Sarah gave birth to the promised son, Isaac.

Abraham's sacrifice of Isaac was recorded in Genesis 22, and that was 30 years after Abraham had believed God. He was already justified by then. He was already saved by then. So, the context of James' phrase, ‘Abraham was justified by works’, he was speaking of works after conversion, after salvation. Abraham loved Isaac very dearly, and yet God said to him, ‘Take your son, Isaac, your only son, whom you love, and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains I will show you’ (Genesis 22:2).

You can imagine how Abraham would have felt when he took Isaac, whom he loved dearly, and his servants along with him to go to Moriah. The pain that he would have felt as he prepared to make the sacrifice. How could he do that? Well, when Abraham looked up and he saw in the distance the place where he was supposed to sacrifice Isaac, he said to the servants, ‘Stay here with the donkey while I and my son go over there. We will worship and then we will come back again’ (Genesis 22:5). Abraham was confident that they would return together. Hebrews 11:19 tells us that by faith Abraham believed that God was able to raise up Isaac even from the dead. And we know the rest of the story—how when Abraham was about to sacrifice Isaac, God stopped him and provided a ram caught in a thicket as the animal sacrifice.

So James was not saying that Abraham was justified by works as in saved by works. He was already saved by then when he offered Isaac to be sacrificed. But through his works, through his willingness to offer up Isaac as God had commanded him, his works revealed that his faith was real. Remember, the word ‘justified’ can mean to be declared righteous or the proof of righteousness. Here, it was used as the proof of righteousness. Abraham's works proved that he was truly justified, he was truly saved, his faith was real. It was a faith which trusted God in every situation, no matter what—good or bad.

Dear friends, let's say one day you have to make a very difficult decision because of your Christian faith, and that decision may cost you everything. You may lose your house, your job, your family, and even your life. But because you do not want to compromise your faith, you want to obey God and His word. You decide to do it. Your attitude is, "If it is the will of God, I will obey no matter what happens. My God will help me." What does that show? It shows that your faith is real, right? That was precisely what Abraham did when he was prepared to sacrifice his son Isaac. So, that is the meaning of ‘Abraham was justified by works’ (James 2:21), in that his works revealed that his faith was real.

Then James went on to say in verse 22, "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?" The original Greek word for ‘wrought’ is from where we get the English word synergy, a working together, faith and works coming together. And it is in the imperfect tense, which means Abraham's faith and works in offering Isaac up was not an isolated event; it was a continual characteristic of Abraham's life before and after that event. In other words, from the moment Abraham left the ear of the Chaldeans and throughout his entire life, his life was a life of faith and works. That is the meaning of the phrase ‘and by works was faith made perfect’ (James 2:22). Abraham continued to live a life producing spiritual fruits, and his faith was made perfect or complete—spiritually mature.

You see, the ultimate goal of our faith is to be spiritually mature. It is to produce spiritual fruits. One theologian gave this illustration: When you plant a seed in the ground, it will grow into a tree and produce fruits. The seed is not the end result. The end goal in planting the seed in the ground is to produce fruits. Just like a person who is born again—when the seed of faith is planted in his heart, that is not the end result. As some people say, ‘As long as I'm saved, that is all’. That is not the ultimate goal. The ultimate goal is that through his new nature, he will grow, he will become perfect and complete—spiritually mature, producing spiritual fruits.

Dear friends, perhaps you have been a Christian for 20, 30, or 40 years. Take a moment and ponder this: Ever since the seed of faith was planted in your heart and you were saved, born again, has the seed grown? Are you growing? Is your worship of God, your services for Him, your commitment to spiritual things, your knowledge of the Bible, your giving of tithes and offerings—are they growing, or are they still the same? If they are not growing, something is terribly wrong. Remember, the seed is not the end result. The end goal is that the seed must become a tree, and it must produce fruits. The Christian must grow to be spiritually mature, to produce spiritual fruits. If not, something is wrong.

Verse 23, "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the friend of God." Here, very clearly, James upheld the doctrine of justification by faith alone. So, he did not contradict Paul. It was because of Abraham's faith that was how he was accounted for, it was reckoned unto him for righteousness on the basis of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. You may be wondering, ‘But Abraham lived thousands of years before our Lord Jesus. How could he be imputed with Christ's righteousness?’ Well, by faith, Abraham looked forward to the Lamb of God who would ultimately come. And we, on this side of the Cross, by faith, we look backward to the cross that Jesus has come. So, it is always the cross of Calvary; it is always Christ.

‘And he was called the friend of God’. Many people are amazed about Abraham being called the friend of God. It is one thing to say that the president is our friend, but it is another thing altogether when the president says that we are his friends, right? How much more! It is one thing for us to say, ‘God is our friend’, like the way we used to sing, ‘What a friend we have in Jesus’. But it is another thing altogether when our Lord Jesus says, ‘You are my friend’.

Dear friends, as amazing as it is that Abraham was called the friend of God, do you realize that you and I can also be called the friend of God? Jesus said in John 15:14, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatever I command you." So, if we believe in Jesus and we live our lives to obey His commands, whatever the Word of God says we obey. When our Lord Jesus says, ‘Do this’, we do; when He says, ‘Do not do this’, we refrain from doing that; we obey His commandments. Jesus says, ‘You are my friends’. Do you want to be a friend of our Lord Jesus? Then obey His commandments. Then he says to you, ‘Ye are my friends’.

James ends this section with verse 24: "Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone." In other words, now you see, this is what I mean when I say, ‘By his works, a man proves that he is truly justified, he is truly saved, and not by faith only’. In other words, faith does not stand alone. Faith is always accompanied by works. They wrought together. There is this working together—faith and works. So, through our lives, we must see these two things working together. Not just our profession of faith, but it must be coupled by our works. That is what true saving faith is all about.

II. The Example of Rahab

Next, James went on to give the second biblical example: Rahab. Look at verse 25: "Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers and had sent them out another way?" Again, this "justified by works" is not that Rahab was saved by works. James was speaking of works after conversion, after salvation. It was a faith that produced works, and that works revealed that her faith was real.

Allow me to give you just a brief background of Rahab. In Joshua chapter 2, Joshua sent two men to spy secretly on the land of Jericho, and they went into Rahab's house. When the king of Jericho ordered Rahab to bring out the two spies, she immediately hid them on the roof and covered them. Then she lied, saying that they had left when it was dark and she did not know where they went. She even urged the king's soldiers to immediately pursue them in the wrong direction.

Rahab lied. It does not mean that God approved of her lies. She could have spoken the truth, and God would still have been able to save the two spies. I know some people who would use Rahab as an example that, in some cases, lies can be justified—’in times of trouble, in times of distress, in times of desperation, in times of danger, we can lie’, they will say. They will say that is not true. A lie is a lie under any situation; it cannot be justified. Most certainly, Rahab was not justified by her lies.

So how was Rahab justified then? It was by her faith. She believed in God. Listen to the words of Rahab, who said to the two spies in Joshua 2:9-11: "And [Rahab] said unto the men, I know that the LORD hath given you the land". She used the covenant name of God, ‘the LORD’, "and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the inhabitants of the land faint because of you. For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea for you, when ye came out of Egypt; and what he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that were on the other side Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly destroyed. And as soon as we had heard these things, our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man because of you: for the LORD your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.'"

Rahab had heard God's word and she believed. She was not saved by works but by faith. However, her faith caused her to do everything she could to protect the two men. When she had the opportunity to demonstrate her trust in God, she was willing to put her life on the line, even to the point of lying to the king. If she was caught lying to the king, if she was caught harboring the two spies, she and her family would be executed for treason.

Again, it does not mean that God approved of her lies, but God accepted her trust. God knew she truly believed in Him, and she was justified. She was saved, and He rescued her and her family when Jericho was destroyed. He used her for His divine purposes and even caused her to become an ancestor of the Messiah. So, when you read Matthew 1:5, Rahab was one of those people who belonged to the lineage of the Lord Jesus Christ. You will find her name there.

It is very interesting to note that Abraham and Rahab were on two opposite sides of the spectrum. By that, I mean Abraham was a patriarch, Rahab was a prostitute. He was moral, she was immoral. He was the father of the Jewish nation, she was an inhabitant living in a pagan land. Yet both of them were excellent examples of the believers in their faith, and we see their faith being articulated in their lives. We see their faith in action—not just in what they profess to believe in, but in their works, which means that it doesn't matter who we are, whether we are rich or poor, educated or uneducated, whether we live in a big mansion or we do not have a permanent roof over our heads, whether we have much or little, you and I can be excellent examples of believers in our faith. People can see our faith being articulated in words and works. They can see our faith in action.

Finally, verse 26: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." When you look at a person who has died, the body is still there, but there's no life because the spirit has left the body. So, what is left is only the body—it cannot respond, it cannot do anything. Bodies that are alive have lungs that are breathing, hearts that are pumping, and brains that are thinking. They are ‘alive and kicking’, so to speak. In the same way, a faith that is real is a faith that is alive. So, if a faith cannot respond, that is not growing, that is not producing fruits, that has no works, it is dead. As much as a body without the spirit is dead, that is the crux of James' message.

Dear friend, can you imagine God saying to you: ‘if your faith does not produce works, if that faith of yours that you profess to have does not do my will, does not obey my word, does not produce fruits of righteousness, spiritual fruits or fruits of repentance, it does not lead you to worship me, to serve me, to pray more fervently, to give more cheerfully and sacrificially, to exercise your spiritual gifts, and so forth—that faith of yours, no matter how hard or how sincerely you profess to believe you have that faith, it is dead; It is as dead as the body without the spirit’. That is a very frightening statement, and may the Lord have mercy that He will never say that to any of us.

Indeed, if our faith does not produce works, it is as dead as the body without the spirit. That kind of faith is just professing faith; it cannot save. Faith without works is dead. It is better for us to examine our faith, whether it is true saving faith or not, than to swing into eternity and then realise that all we are clinging onto is just a profession of faith; it is just a dead faith, it cannot save us, to our horror, to our own detriment. If that is the case, then we must repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. But if we truly believe and if our faith is real, if we are truly justified, then the people around us, including we ourselves, must be able to see our faith in action.

People must be able to see our faith being articulated in works, not just for the moment, but every day—today, tomorrow, the next day, every day of our lives. We ought to be growing; we ought to be producing spiritual fruits; we ought to be spiritually mature.

Dear friend, that is the only kind of faith that saves. Faith without works is dead. Let us pray.

Our Father in heaven, we thank Thee for enabling us to consider this portion of Scriptures. Faith is such an important thing. It is a matter of life and death; it is a matter of our eternal destination—heaven or hell. We do not want to live in this false deception, delusion, and reality that we are saved but we are not. And how do we know? Thou hast taught us that not any kind of faith, not any kind of profession, saves. The true saving faith is a faith that will lead to works. Faith and works must work together in our lives, and we pray that through our lives we will produce spiritual fruits. We will be spiritually mature; we will be made perfect and complete, for this is the kind of faith that saves.

Oh Lord, Thou hast taught us that if we are saved, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who will help us to work out these spiritual fruits. So how can we not be producing spiritual fruits? Thou hast reminded us once again that we do not want to live in this delusion. We want to live with the assurance that indeed we are truly saved. We have truly believed in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation. We are truly indwelt by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit is producing fruits in our lives to the glory of Thy precious name. So help us always to remember this, that we will examine ourselves. And may Thou also convict the hearts of those who are still lingering outside Thy kingdom, clinging onto this false reality, that they will come to believe—truly believe in the Lord Jesus Christ—and thus produce spiritual fruits to Thy glory. We pray all this in Jesus' name. Amen.

THE BOOK OF JAMES

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 1]

James 1:1-4

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]

Facing Trials With A Joyful Spirit [Part 2]

James 1:1-4

The Need For Wisdom In Times Of Trial

The Need For Wisdom In Times Of Trial

James 1:5-8

Trial Is No Respecter Of Persons

Trial Is No Respecter Of Persons

James 1:9-12

How To Deal With Temptation

How To Deal With Temptation

James 1:13-15

Remember Who God Is And Who We Are

Remember Who God Is And Who We Are

James 1:16-18

Be Receptive To The Word Of God

Be Receptive To The Word Of God

James 1:19-21

Doers of the Word

Doers of the Word

James 1:21-25

Be Responsive To The Word Of God

Be Responsive To The Word Of God

James 1:22-25

Are You Transformed By The Word?

Are You Transformed By The Word?

James 1:26-27

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 1]

James 2:1-4

The Sin of Partiality

The Sin of Partiality

James 2:1-13

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]

The Sin Of Showing Partiality [Part 2]

James 2:5-13

Show Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You Mine

Show Me Your Faith, And I Will Show You Mine

James 2:14-20

Faith In Action

Faith In Action

James 2:21-26

A Warning To Want-To-Be Teacher

A Warning To Want-To-Be Teacher

James 3:1-2

Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)

Seminar: The Role of the Sunday School Teacher (Part 2 of 2)

James 3:1-13

The Power Of The Tongue

The Power Of The Tongue

James 3:3-6

The Taming Of The Tongue

The Taming Of The Tongue

James 3:7-12

The Danger Of False Wisdom

The Danger Of False Wisdom

James 3:13-16

The Blessing Of Heavenly Wisdom

The Blessing Of Heavenly Wisdom

James 3:17-18

Dealing With Conflict In The Church

Dealing With Conflict In The Church

James 4:1-6

War And Peace

War And Peace

James 4:1-10

What Constitutes True Salvation

What Constitutes True Salvation

James 4:7-10

Speak No Evil

Speak No Evil

James 4:11-12

God’s Plan Or My Plan?

God’s Plan Or My Plan?

James 4:13-17

Physically Rich But Spiritually Poor

Physically Rich But Spiritually Poor

James 5:1-6

How To Be Patient In Times Of Trouble

How To Be Patient In Times Of Trouble

James 5:7-11

Simply Speak The Truth

Simply Speak The Truth

James 5:12; Matthew 5:33-37

What To Do When It Hurts

What To Do When It Hurts

James 5:13-18

The Value Of The Soul

The Value Of The Soul

James 5:19-20