James 2:14-26: Saving Faith is Not Alone (Part 1)

James 2:17 "So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."

You'll have to excuse another brief inturruption from our study of the Psalms, as this morning I found myself more tired than usual and decided to sleep in. Nonetheless, I have to preach through James 2:14-26 for my internship this semester, so I found myself in that text last night, and thus it was fresh on my mind this morning. Let us look at it for a brief moment this morning, to understand how saving faith is not alone.

In James 2:14-26, James is arguing that the kind of faith that saves a person is accompanied by good works. Although many seem to think that faith is sufficient to save a person, James argues that only a certain type of faith is sufficient to save a person. Notice how I phrased that. James is not arguing that we need something more than faith for salvation (which is often how this text is applied when we take it out of context), but rather that we need the right type of faith. We need a faith that is greater than the demons who simply believe that God is God and don't do anything about it (James 2:19). Rather, we need a faith that manifests itself in good deeds, for without good deeds we do not have the type of faith that saves.

But what does that mean for us? So often, we view this text as perhaps a correction of our theology, or even a condemnation of false doctrine. But what if we actually applied it to our own lives? What if I were to ask you this question: How often do you think that you do not have to do any good deeds for God? "Yep. I love Jesus. He's my best friend." "God? Yeah, he's my life!" "The Holy Spirit, oh yeah, we're tight." Here's the question for you this morning: do any of those statements save your soul? Answer: NO! Why? Because they must be followed up by good works in order for your faith to be legitimate. So often we say that God is our best friend and our all in all and continue to do the very same things that pagans do. The point here is this: If you truly call yourself a Christian, you gotta act like it.

Jame's point here, once again, is to not nullify the doctrine of saving faith. As the puritans put it: "We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone." Therefore, my friends, don't forget that you faith isn't alone. Don't go proclaiming that God is your everything without following it up by obeying his commands. Remember: the sign of a good tree is not foliage, but fruit! Therefore, go and live as if your faith manifests itself in good works, because if you are truly saved, it will!