“FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD”

“FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD”.

You hear this verse from JAMES 2 thrown around thrown around all the time by FALSE CONVERTS …

… who teach that you have to have WORKS as a condition or BYPRODUCT of SALVATION in order to be genuinely saved.

James 2:17 says: “Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

& James 2:20 says: “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”

But like most false teachings & misinterpretations of the Bible …

… when a verse is singled out & plucked out of context …

… ON THE SURFACE, it sounds like it’s saying something that it’s not.

& so many people who preach works-based gospels …

… or believe that you can lose your salvation …

… have made James 2:20 their GO-TO-VERSE …

BUT LET’S BACK UP FOR A MINUTE …

Let’s get the CONTEXT of the BOOK OF JAMES.

The book of James begins with a salutation, as do most NEW TESTAMENT EPISTLES.

In this case, the APOSTLE JAMES declares in James 1:1 that he is writing a letter: “to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad”.

These were Jewish believers who were scattered abroad after persecution in Jerusalem.

& In VERSE 2 he calls them, “MY BRETHREN”: “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into diverse temptations;”

So we establish from the start that James is addressing SAVED BELIEVERS …

… whom he calls “BRETHREN”.

In fact, JAMES uses the word, “BRETHREN” or “BROTHERS” 19 times throughout the whole book.

& it’s not like James is a long book!

It’s only 5 chapters!

THE OBJECT OF JAMES’ EPISTLE is important because we can eliminate from the start …

… that JAMES is addressing NON-BELIEVERS who need instruction on how to get saved.

In other words, the phrase, “Faith without works is dead” has nothing to do with salvation …

… since Paul is speaking to already saved BRETHREN.

So we can rule that out RIGHT OFF THE BAT.

This is confirmed in James 1:18 where James says: “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures”.

We’re born again by the word of truth, which is the word of God …

And we become, after Christ, a kind of firstfruits, referring to the resurrection of the Saints.

1 Corinthians 15:22-23 says:
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at his coming.

So from this we understand that when James later talks about “FAITH WITHOUT WORKS BEING DEAD” …

… it’s not even a reference to our eternal, spiritual salvation …

… but to something else …

Nor can it be, otherwise, it would be a direct contradiction to numerous other passages, which say that salvation is by faith alone …

… such as Romans 11:6, which says: “And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.”

And I bring up Romans 11:6 frequently because there’s nothing as logically & mathematically sound as Paul’s statement here.

Paul’s words force us to make a choice: salvation by grace or salvation by works.

There is no middle-ground, no happy medium, no compromise …

… when it comes to redemption & salvation.

IF JAMES 2:20 was a reference to SPIRITUAL SALVATION …

… James would be contradicting Paul …

… he would be giving us the exact opposite message that Paul gives us in Romans 11:6 …

… in Ephesians 2:8-9 & many other verses.

So when James says that “faith without works is dead” he is speaking about …

… SOMETHING OTHER THAN ETERNAL SECURITY & SALVATION.

Otherwise, the BIBLE CONTRADICTS ITSELF & is not the Word of God.

As James LEADS UP TO JAMES 2:20, which says “Faith without works is dead” …

… we get other indications from James as to what he’s referring to.

James calls his audience “my beloved brethren” in v. 19 of chapter 1 …

.. & then he says in verses 22-25:
22 But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
23 For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass:
24 For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was.
25 But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

First of all, what’s the PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY?

James defines in chapter 2:8: “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:”

It’s a reference to Jesus’ command to love God & your neighbor as yourself …

… It’s the LAW which has been WRITTEN ON OUR HEARTS …

THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY.

Elsewhere Paul says, “All things are lawful for me [speaking of the royal law, the law of liberty, of which we are under in the new covenant], but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not.”

(That’s in 1 Corinthians 10:23).

& what James is doing in this passage …

… is ADMONISHING saved believers to obey the Word.

He says to be a DOER of the WORD, and not a HEARER only.

He’s giving carnal Christians, babes in Christ, life instruction on how to be good Christians.

Notice that in VERSE 25, James says that being A DOER OF THE WORD …

… and not just a HEARER elicits blessings upon the Christian who works: “But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, > this man shall be blessed in his deed <”. So when we OBEY GOD’S WORD … … when we obey God’s royal law written on our hearts … … we will be BLESSED IN THE THINGS THAT WE DO. James is speaking of what we SHOULD DO in order to be PLEASING TO GOD & to be BLESSED … … not what we MUST DO in order to BE SAVED or STAY SAVED. The difference between SOUND DOCTRINE & FALSE TEACHING is often the difference between the words: “SHOULD” & “MUST”. We SHOULD do GOOD WORKS as Christians … But if we say that we MUST have good works to be saved or stay saved … … then it becomes heresy. AND SOME PEOPLE BRING IN WORKS through the backdoor … … & they just reverse the order. They say, IF you are saved, you WILL have works … … or that WORKS will be the necessary fruit of your salvation. But they’re still saying you have to have works, or you’re not really saved. But the Gospel doesn’t speak of works as a requisite for salvation, either before or after salvation. Everytime I debate someone … … and they kept saying, “SALVATION IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE … BUT … … BUT WHY CAN’T THEY JUST STOP @ SALVATION IS BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH ALONE, PERIOD. They have to throw in: “Well faith without works is dead!” But they don’t understand the context of what they read. Paul says in Romans 4:4-5: [Remember, Paul can’t contradict James, if it’s the Word of God]: 4 Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. The Bible directly says that those who WORK FOR SALVATION … … their efforts do not fall under the covenant of grace, but of debt & of the law. They are trying to PAY OFF THEIR OWN DEBT by working. And if they want to be judged by the LAW … … if they want to be judged by their works … … THEY WILL BE … … that’s exactly what they’ll get it … … & they’ll come short of it. 6 Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness >>> without works, <<< 7 Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. It is Christ’s righteousness IMPUTED unto us … … covering over our sins by His blood … … that saves. Having HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS IMPUTED unto us is having His RIGHTEOUSNESS ASSIGNED to our account. How can you add works to that? It’s a finished work. & then we get to CHAPTER 2 & James begins to elaborate on DEAD FAITH vs. LIVING FAITH. This has all been LEADING UP to that controversial verse. James 2 begins again w/ “MY BRETHREN”: “My Brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.” & the theme of JAMES 2 really comes to light in verses 14-17: 14 What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, 16 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? 17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. The context of these passages is physical salvation, not spiritual. It’s about things that are NEEDFUL TO THE BODY. James is saying, you can be saved & have all spiritual knowledge … … but what good is that to others? If your brother or sister has a physical need & you give them a spiritual blessing … … what good is that to them? If they’re hungry & naked & you say, “God bless you - be warm, be at peace.” It does nothing to address their IMMEDIATE, PHYSICAL needs. JAMES 2 is a REBUKE to saved believers who have faith, but don’t have works. They are of no benefit to anyone else. Their faith SAVES THEM, but it’s useless to others. JAMES IS REBUKING the Christian believers, the ones he calls BRETHREN 19 TIMES … … because they have become USELESS & UNFRUITFUL as Christians. WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO HAVE “DEAD FAITH”? DEAD FAITH IS simply BARREN & UNFRUITFUL FAITH. Titus 3:14 says: “And let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses, >>> that they be not unfruitful. <<<” 2 Peter 1:5-8 also says: 5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither >> be barren nor unfruitful << in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. & so DEAD FAITH can be defined as FAITH that is UNFRUITFUL or BARREN. It’s still FAITH, but it’s INACTIVE in doing good works. It’s DEAD FAITH vs. LIVING FAITH. BUT WHAT I FIND REALLY IRONIC is that in VERSE 10, James 2:10 says: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” The very chapter that WORKS-SALVATIONISTS use to say that we have to have FAITH w/ WORKS … … is the best refutation against WORKS-SALVATION in nearly the whole Bible. IF YOU BREAK even 1 point of the law … … you are guilty of breaking the whole law. Galatians 5:4: “Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.” Exactly how much WORKS do you have to have anyway? A little bit of works, a lot of works? every work? some work? James 2:10 says ALL. If you want to be justified by works in any way, then you are a debtor to do the WHOLE LAW. ANOTHER PASSAGE in JAMES 2 that people love throw out there OUT OF CONTEXT is JAMES 2:19: “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” (1) But first of all, the PLAN OF SALVATION does not extend to devils or angels. Christ didn’t die for devils or Satan. GOD’S PLAN OF REDEMPTION was only instituted for FALLEN MAN. Satan & his fallen angels are EXEMPT. So the devils believe, they believe that Christ died for men and not for them. And they tremble that they were excluded. (2) Second, believing that something exists is not the same as putting your trust ON that thing to save you. People can believe that Jesus is real, without trusting & believing ON Him for their salvation. We believe ON Jesus … … & RECEIVING Him as your SUBSTITUTE. Acts 16:31 says: “… Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved …” DEVILS can’t do that. & so THE BOOK OF JAMES is really just one BIG REBUKE to selfish, carnal Christians … JAMES TO BEGINS with James rebuking them for being a “respecter of persons” … … & treating the rich differently than the poor … Calling them “my brethren” again, James says to them in James 2:5-6: 5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? 6 >>> But ye have despised the poor. <<< Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? And then he goes on to rebuke them about the destitute brothers & sisters who need their physical care. THEN JAMES REBUKES THEM in the same chapter (as we read earlier ) … … for not taking care of the physical needs of believers … IN CHAPTER 3, James talks about bridling the tongue & about boasting. In James 3:5 he says: “Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!” IN CHAPTER 4, he rebukes them for being full of lust for worldly things … He says in James 4:1-4: 1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? 2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. 3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. 4 Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. That’s the theme of the whole BOOK OF JAMES: it’s a rebuke to Christians who get saved and do nothing … … WHOSE FAITH IS DEAD … … whose faith is BARREN & UNFRUITFUL … It’s like the BRANCHES who were fit only to be thrown out and burned … like Marshall preached about last week. James 2:18 says: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” By our faith we are justified before men, but not before God. It’s how we can prove that we don’t just have a false profession of faith … … as we do good works … our faith is manifest …. … & this proves our faith before men. But our works don’t ever justify us before God, not for salvation. Galatians 2:16 says: “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Again, another clear & incontrovertible verse for FREE GRACE. But what people do is find a MINORITY OF VERSES, often parables or hard sayings or difficult passages … … that when READ OUT OF CONTEXT point to enduring in works for salvation … … & they ignore simple, majority, clear passages like Galatians 2:16, Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 3:28 … THEN WE GET TO THE FINAL PORTION OF JAMES 2. Look @ the FINAL VERSES of JAMES 2:21-26: 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 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. 24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. So here the Bible is saying that Abraham was justified by his works, not only by his faith. But it is it talking about justification before God or justification before men? Well, we just read in Galatians 2:16 that “a man is not justified by the works of the law” & that “by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.” Obviously, this is talking about our works justifying us before men. Or again we have a contradiction in Scripture and your faith is in vain. But that’s not the case. NOTICE ALSO how VERSE 22 says that Abraham’s FAITH wrought with his WORKS made his faith perfect. “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” When we add works to our faith, it makes the substance of our faith perfect. It perfects us as Christians … … because now we’re following the perfect Law of Liberty … … the royal law of loving our neighbor as our selves … … and we are walking in the Spirit. “… Against such there is no law” according to Galatians 5:23. Our faith goes from being DEAD, BARREN, & UNFRUITFUL … ... FRUITFUL, ACTIVE, & ALIVE. ABRAHAM’S WORKS didn’t save him, it perfected his FAITH. WHEN GOD ASKED ABRAHAM to sacrifice his only son before the altar … … Abraham BELIEVED GOD … & his belief was counted to Him as righteousness. & BECAUSE HE BELIEVED, He offered his son freely … …. having faith that God would provide a substitute. It was a picture of Christ. & so that ACT OF OBEDIENCE PROVED that Abraham had faith. Because if Abraham had not believed, he would not have obeyed & offered his only son. It was a manifestation of his living faith. Abraham had LIVING FAITH, not DEAD FAITH. He could just believed & chosen not to obey. And missed out on all the blessings. It’s like James said in James 2:18: “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.” WORKS PROVE & PERFECT OUR FAITH. ABRAHAM HAD ALREADY BELIEVED GOD & was saved before this incident anyway. Abraham’s encounter with God is recorded in Genesis 15:1-6: 1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. 2 And Abram said, Lord GOD, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? 3 And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. 4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. 5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. 6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness. Now, he didn’t just believe that God was real. He believed IN the LORD … He believed in that promise which God had given him. He put his faith IN God or ON God to deliver him. & that was saving faith. Paul clarifies this in Romans 4:1-5: 1 What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? 2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God. 3 For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. One final verse on Abraham’s faith is Galatians 3:6-11: 6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. 8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 9 So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. 10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. 11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. James ends the chapter by citing a similar example in James 2:25-26: 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? WHO WAS RAHAB JUSTIFIDE BEFORE? God? or men? She was justified in front of Joshua and the children of Israel … … who made a deal with her to spare her life & the life of her family when they burned Jericho to the ground. Rahab proved her faith in God before men, by her works. She was justified by her works before men. She had LIVING FAITH, not dead faith. IN CONCLUSION … … you can have DEAD FAITH, which means you are useless to others & useless in doing works for God … … but you are saved, because even DEAD FAITH is still FAITH. James 2 ends with verse 26: “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” A body without a spirit is still a body, it still exists. It’s still a body. It’s just not animated, it’s not active, it’s not alive … … it can’t move or do anything, it’s useless without a spirit & will start to decay. In the same way, FAITH WITHOUT WORKS is DEAD … … & your spiritual life begins to decay … … it becomes worthless. It still exists, it’s still there, it still saves, but it’s DEAD. It doesn’t produce anything. God says in Isaiah 57:12 says: “I will declare thy righteousness, and thy works; for they shall not profit thee.” Even the old testament says that OUR WORKS & OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS … … shall not profit us before God. THE BOOK OF JAMES can be summed up with CHAPTER 2, VERSE 8. This is the crux of the book was right there in James 2:8 all along: “If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well:” Those laws are written in our hearts … We know it’s wrong to murder, to steal, to lie, to cheat, to lust, to bear false witness … And some people think it’s keeping the WHOLE LAW, the Levitical law … … the carnal law … … but it’s not written on our hearts to keep a Saturday Sabbath and to not eat pork & shellfish and to keep the old feasts. It’s the moral law that’s written on our hearts … … the ROYAL LAW … … from the KING, JESUS HIMSELF.