FAITH WITHOUT WORKS:

IS DEAD!

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” James 214-20 (KJV)

The writer of this letter was James, the brother of Jesus. Early Jewish historians have much to say of him. He served the church in Jerusalem from its beginning on Pentecost following the resurrection of Christ from the grave until shortly before Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D. It is recorded that he was killed by being thrown from the roof of the temple to the paved courtyard beneath, and then stoned to make quite certain. It was during that less than 40 years of his ministry that the church grew greatly in troubled Jerusalem.

James, a man of prayer and good works, makes it clear that faith and works are a closely linked pair. One does not exist without the other. He set the example through his own life; then asks the question. “Can faith save him?” One would be tempted to say an unqualified “yes.” Then he does as his brother Jesus had done. He asked a question the answer of which causes one to stop and think before answering. A second question proposes a situation in which the answer is not so simple. He illustrates with a brother or a sister in great need, and an answer to their need that does nothing to relieve the situation: good wishes, that do nothing to provide for the needs of the body. God usually works through brothers or sisters in the Lord.

What we do reveals what we think. In other words, we prove our faith by our works.
We can all recall situations where individuals who claim to be men of faith, but whose lives reveal all too clearly that they are not. A person can sing heart touching hymns without believing that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God at all. Many do. A person can be an alcoholic a drunkard, a liar, an immoral monster, or a murderer and be totally unrepentant; yet he can still claim that he is a born again Christian. His works reveal that it is a lie. He is a hypocrite and scripture informs that people who do such things will not be in heaven. I once knew a drunkard who had a good job, but lived in a sub-economic housing community, primarily because he spent his income on the wrong things. He could, and often did, pray the most beautiful prayers, but they were prayers that were meaningless, because his life spoke so very loudly.

Faith that does not produce matching actions is inadequate. As James points out, even the demons, fallen angels, who knew from their own experiences the divinity of Christ, believe and tremble. They tremble because they know their destination. They do not show their faith in actions. They are lost and face the place that God has prepared for them. Yes, God did make Hell, but he made it for the devil and his angels. They know the truth, they understand, but they do not repent of their sin. They have in fact, committed an unforgivable sin.