True Faith Illustrated
Introduction:
1. James in
concluding his arguments sets forth two examples to prove his thesis that faith
without works is dead.
2. The key
component in these examples is to understand the connection between faith and
works and its example of justification.
3. These two
examples turn the argument into an affirmative one.
4. James
explains that faith plus works justifies man and therefore justifies him by
God.
5. One's faith
in God worked by acts of faith is what makes one justified by God.
6. The examples
of Abraham and Rahab show that faith plus works is life.
I) Abraham Justified by Issac's Sacrifice.
A) Justification
1. Defined as counted, reckoned, pronounced,
and declared to be in a right relationship with God.
a. This is a word of acquittal.
b. One is declared not to be an enemy of
God.
2. God declares one not guilty.
a. Man sins and thereby transgresses the
laws of God.
b. As a result he is guilty and will be
punished by death.
c. Matt 12:37 - For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt
be condemned.
(i) Accordingly, man is pronounced not guilty
when he speaks the truth and acts obediently.
(ii) In the same manner a man who continues to
sin by what he speaks and how he acts will be condemned to death.
3. "Justified By"
a. The meaning of this is "justified out of"
b. It does not mean that one is "justified
by means of"
c. The difference is important.
(i) To be justified by means of implies that
man can justify himself.
(ii) Man cannot say, "I have done this work
therefore I am justified."
(iii) God justifies out of faith and that faith
is shown by one's works.
(iv) The works of faith must be the one's God
prescribes.
B) Abraham believed God
1. God had promised Abraham he would be the
father of many nations and through his seed the Messiah would come.
a. Abraham was old when this promise was
made.
b. Genesis 12:1-3 - Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from
thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew 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.
c. Abraham's wife was barren
d. They were without child.
2. Abraham's faith
a. Abraham believed God would fulfill His
promise.
b. Abraham did not know when or how
c. This belief is not a leap of faith as
some try to make it.
(i) Abraham had evidence of God fulfilling
promises.
(ii) God had given him evidence that God would
do what he said.
(iii) Abraham left his country and homeland
without knowing where he was going.
(iv) God delivered Abraham to the land of
Canaan.
3. Abraham's faith made him righteous
a. Heb 11:1 - Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things
not seen.
(i) God observed that Abraham obeyed Him.
(ii) Yet the works required of God took time
to develop.
(a) A baby had to be born.
(b) He had to be of a right age.
b. When there was not more need of waiting
God required an act of obedience.
C) Abraham made perfect
1. Justified at the time of sacrifice.
a. Abraham acted upon his faith
(i) He offered Isaac as a sacrifice.
(ii) God at this moment declared Abraham not
guilty because Abraham proved his faith.
b. Abraham was made alive.
(i) He was not guilty of the law of sin and
death.
(ii) His faith and works made him whole.
2. Out of Faith and works Abraham is made
perfect.
a. James 2:22 - Seest thou how faith wrought
with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
b. God's work of justification came as a
result of man's faith and works.
c. The word wrought with means to cooperate.
d. Abraham's faith plus works kept on
cooperating to produce justification.
II) Rahab Justified in Jericho.
A) Purpose of using Rahab.
1. Abraham's example was used because of his
high rank in the Jewish mind.
a. James is writing to Jewish Christians.
b. He is famous for his faith and Jews would
respond to his example.
2. Rahab's example shows that justification
comes to all who have faith and works.
a. She was considered to be of the lowest
social rank.
(i) She was a prostitute.
(ii) In the minds of Jews she is out of favor
with God.
b. James uses Rahab to explain that
justification comes to those in God's favor and those outside of it.
(i) James is dealing with the favoritism of
the Jews.
(ii) Jews were favoring the rich over the
poor.
(iii) In this sense we find Rahab an example of
those out of favor with God and the Jews.
B) Rahab's faith plus works.
1.
Rahab's
faith
a.
Joshua 2:9-13 - And she said unto the men, I
know that the LORD hath given you the land, 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 ye did unto 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. Now therefore, I pray you, swear unto me by the
LORD, since I have shewed you kindness, that ye will also shew kindness unto my
father's house, and give me a true token: And that ye will save alive my
father, and my mother, and my brethren, and my sisters, and all that they have,
and deliver our lives from death.
b. Rahab believe that God is the God of
heaven and earth.
c. She turned from her belief in pagan gods
to the One True God.
(i) She recognized the God's power over all.
(ii) The people of Jericho were discouraged
because of the power of God over the greatest nation of the known world.
(iii) This caused here to believe that God
could deliver her and her family from death.
2. Her works
a. She showed the men of God kindness
(i) Heb 11:31 - By faith the harlot Rahab
perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with
peace.
(ii) She served the God of Israel out of
faith.
b. Her protection of God's friends meant
that she truly believe God's heavenly Lordship.
C) Rahab was justified.
1. She was made perfect and received the
blessings of God by her faith plus works.
a. She wanted a token of life promised to
her.
b. God blessed her by saving her life.
2. Importantly her faith continued till her
death.
a. This shows that her faith was not empty
or vain.
b. Matt 1:5 shows that she married Salmon.
c. Her faith and works showed her
justification by being a part of the genealogy of Christ.
d. God was impressed with her enough to have
his Son's lineage coming from her.
III) Faith Plus Works is Alive
A) Faith blesses only when faith leads to a
work of faith.
1. Exercising one's faith is done by works.
2. Both Abraham and Rahab were made the
friends of God
a. John 3:29 - He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the
bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the
bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.
b. A friend of God makes God rejoice and
fills His heart with joy.
c. This joy is the result of God's friends
receiving a verdict of not guilty based upon their faith and works.
3. God's blessing come down in the form of
justification.
a. Many people ask why those who are
faithful suffer while the sinners receive blessings.
b. This is not true.
(i) God only promises his blessing to be
those of a spiritual nature.
(ii) Looking through the eyes of faith rather
than the world means that we see the true blessing in a life of heavenly
rewards.
(iii) There will be no sorrow, pain, grief,
sadness, or any other pain we can imagine.
(iv) This is the blessings of God in that we
are not guilty of our sins.
B) Life then comes from faith plus works.
1. James appeals to common sense in that he
shows the necessity of faith plus works.
a. James 2:24 - Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith
only.
(i) Faith only produces no justification.
(ii) Without justification then man is dead
and an enemy of God.
(iii) James 4:4 - 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
b. Life with God requires faith plus works.
2. James 2:26 - For as
the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
a. By analogy James describes a body without
spirit is dead.
(i) The body is temporal and frail.
(ii) The body needs to spirit to give the body
life.
b. The analogy holds for faith and works.
(i) Faith is temporal and frail.
(ii) Works give life to one's faith
(iii) The point is to show that death comes to
those who do not act.