{"id":18694,"date":"2021-01-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-01-20T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/james-013-faith-without-works-is-dead-pt-2\/"},"modified":"2022-01-12T17:13:06","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T23:13:06","slug":"james-013-faith-without-works-is-dead-pt-2","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/james-013-faith-without-works-is-dead-pt-2\/","title":{"rendered":"James 013 – Faith Without Works is Dead? Pt 2"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[104],"series_event":[514],"sermon_service_type":[474],"speaker":[6],"class_list":["post-18694","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-james","series_event-james","sermon_service_type-wednesday-evenings","speaker-dr-andy-woods","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"James 013 - Faith Without Works is Dead? Pt 2","sermon_date":"20210120","sermon_month":"1","sermon_year":"2021","sermon_notes":19903,"sermon_slides":19904,"sermon_mp3":19905,"sermon_id":"1202121418477","series_or_event":514,"service_type":[474],"speaker":6,"books_of_the_bible":104,"chapter_and_verse":"2:14-19","sermon_transcript":"James 013 \u2013 Faith Without Works is Dead?\u00a0 Part 2; James 2:14-19<\/strong>\n\n\u00a0<\/em>Father, we are grateful for tonight, grateful for this evening, and grateful for a chance to study Your Word, and we do ask that you would be with us, particularly this evening, Lord as we\u2019re looking at an issue of scripture that is sort of controversial, hard to interpret correctly, and give us guidance as we seek to rightly divide Your Word this evening.\u00a0 We will be careful to give you all the praise and the glory. We ask these things in Jesus\u2019 name, and God\u2019s people said, Amen! <\/em>\n\nWell, if you can take your Bibles this evening and open them to the book of James chapter 2 and verse 14, we are continuing our verse by verse study through the book of James and as we have talked about throughout this series, James is a book written by the Lord\u2019s half brother, James, from Jerusalem to a believing Jewish audience in the diaspora, or the dispersion \u2014 not teaching them how to become a Christian, but teaching them how to live as a Christian.\u00a0 So the book is really about practical living as a believer.\u00a0 We might even call it this:\u00a0 practical righteousness.\n\nAnd we\u2019re in the midst of the first half of the book. The first part of the book in the first half deals with trials.\u00a0 Learning to live a life that\u2019s pleasing to God as a Christian, involves first of all, adopting the Lord\u2019s mindset on trials or adversity.\u00a0 And you see that in verses 2-18, that includes rejoicing in the midst of trials, and then not charging God foolishly in the midst of trials.\n\nAnd then the second major subsection has to do with obedience to God\u2019s Word.\u00a0 How do we live a life that\u2019s pleasing to God as His children?\u00a0 Well, we are slow to speech and anger, we take in and obey God\u2019s Word, and we practice true religion; it\u2019s a piety that wants to help our fellow man, particularly our brothers and sisters in Christ in their point of need.\u00a0 We are going to see that, by the way, this evening, in our passage.\n\nAnd then living a life which is practically pleasing to the Lord also involves not showing favoritism. Not preferring people because of their socioeconomic status, particularly in the assembly. And so we saw that in chapter James 2:1-13.\n\nAnd now as we have done the last two weeks, which was just background, now we are actually getting into this paragraph verse by verse, but what we learn here is another way to live a life which is pleasing to God is to allow our faith, which is already inside of us, to mature to the point where it manifests itself in good works. And that\u2019s Chapter 2 verses 14-26.\n\nYou know, as we have talked about and as we move into this passage this evening, we have to keep it\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 in context. The context of it really has to do with not showing favoritism, which is a practical righteous-ness issue.\u00a0 It has to do with the need of showing true piety or true religion, which again, is a practical righteousness kind of issue. It has to do with not showing favoritism in the assembly, which is a practical righteousness kind of issue, and it has to do with the fact that we need to be mindful of the future judgment seat of rewards, which is a practical righteousness kind of issue.\n\nAnd so therefore, when you get into chapter 2 verses 14-26, the tragedy is that people remove those verses from their original context, but these verses are dealing with practical righteousness kind of issues.\u00a0 It\u2019s not so much a second guessing on whether faith exists at all, any more than those other sections would deal with that.\u00a0 Rather the whole focus here is allowing the faith that\u2019s already in us, which can\u2019t be taken away, to mature to the point where it begins to do good works in a practical righteousness kind of issue sense.\u00a0 And it\u2019s interesting that our paragraph, and the reason I\u2019m going through this is because this paragraph is very disputed as to its meaning, which we\u2019ve talked about. But our paragraph is followed by chapter 3 verses 1-12, which involves taming the tongue, which\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 again, is a practical righteousness kind of issue.\n\nSo, if all of the surrounding context is practical righteousness and not second guessing the existence of faith in a person, then why would I switch horses in midstream, and get to chapter 2 verses 14-26, and read the words, \u2018faith without works is dead<\/em>,\u2019 and suddenly adopt a mindset that James is questioning whether these people are saved or not because they\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 don\u2019t have enough good works in their lives?\n\nIf I were to interpret those verses that way, then I would be interpreting them differently than all the other sections that we have covered this far prior, and even the ones yet coming in the book of James. And so context becomes a big deal in terms of how to interpret chapter 2 verses 14-26.\n\nSo here is my point:\u00a0 my point is when you\u2019re coming to this paragraph, and you\u2019re reading the words, \u2018faith without works is dead,<\/em>\u2019 the proper understanding of it is it\u2019s an opportunity to question whether our faith is useful.\u00a0 It is an opportunity to question whether our faith is productive.\u00a0 It is not the opportunity, as many incorrectly teach this, to question whether the audience\u2019s faith exists at all, which as we have talked about very sadly, is the most dominant interpretation of these verses, \u2018faith without works is dead.\u2019\u00a0 <\/em>\n\n\u00a0<\/em>So as we have now laid that background to this passage, we\u2019re now in a position where we can start to move through the passage verse by verse, and you\u2019ll notice here that James sets out his thesis: verse 14, and then in verses 15-26, he backs up his thesis with 5 illustrations.\u00a0 So what is his thesis?\n\nNotice, if you will, the book of James, chapter 2, and notice verse 14.\u00a0 \u201cWhat use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works. Can that faith save him?<\/em>\u201d Now, we want to focus here on some of the key words in verse 14.\u00a0 First of all, verse 14, you\u2019ll notice the word, \u2018brethren<\/em>.\u2019 When he uses the word, \u2018brethren<\/em>,\u2019 it makes it very clear that he is speaking to a group of people that he knows are saved.\u00a0 In fact, in other sections of the book of James, he refers to them not just as \u2018brethren<\/em>,\u2019 but \u2018beloved brethren<\/em>.\u2019\n\nJesus defined who the brethren are in Matthew 12 verses 46-50, when someone said to Him, \u201cBehold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.<\/em>\u201d But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, \u201cWho is My mother and who are My brothers?\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>\n\nAnd stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, \u201cBehold My mother and My brothers!\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>\n\nFor whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.\u201d<\/em>\n\nSo when James says \u2018my brothers,<\/em>\u2019 he\u2019s not saying, \u2018well maybe you\u2019re Christian, maybe you\u2019re not\u2019<\/em> \u2014\n\nto his audience.\u00a0 \u2018Gee, I hope you\u2019re a Christian as demonstrated by the fact that you have enough works to prove you\u2019re a Christian<\/em>.\u2019 That is the furthest thing from James\u2019 mind, and the word, \u2018brothers\u2019<\/em> or \u2018brethren\u2019<\/em> clues us into the fact that he is speaking to a believing audience.\u00a0 So he is not questioning the existence of their faith; he is not questioning whether they are heaven-bound. What he is questioning is whether their faith is useful or productive.\u00a0 Can\u00a0 \u00a0God use them to extend and expand His purposes upon the earth?\n\nYou\u2019ll notice also that he uses the word, \u2018faith<\/em>.\u2019 \u00a0\u201cWhat use is it my brethren, if someone says he has faith, but he has no works?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 Now, what does James here mean when he uses the word, \u2018faith<\/em>?\u2019\n\nNow here is a chart that I\u2019m going to be referring to quite a bit as I move through this paragraph, and it\u2019s a chart that we have referenced in our prior lessons together in the introduction to these verses.\u00a0 And it\u2019s a very important chart to understand because James and Paul use the identical words, \u2018justification<\/em>,\u2019 \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 \u2018faith<\/em>,\u2019 and \u2018works<\/em>,\u2019 and yet these men, when they use those same words, are pouring into those words \u2014 different meanings.\u00a0 If\u00a0\u00a0 you think that same word means same meaning in both Paul and James, you\u2019re going to suddenly conclude that James and Paul contradict each other, but when you understand it is the same word\u2014different meanings, then you\u2019ll see very clearly that the two, Paul and James, are not in contradiction with each other at all.\n\nIt is sort of interesting how people in church history have missed this point. The great Martin Luther, for example, hated the book of James. He felt that the book of James contradicted the doctrine that he wanted to emphasize: \u2018sole fidei<\/em>,\u2019 or \u2018justification by faith alone<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 In fact, Luther called the book of James an epistle of straw.\u00a0 Luther came up with a German translation of Old Testament and New Testament \u2014 The Luther Translation, and spent a [lot of] many years of his life doing it.\u00a0 He, in doing it, took the book of James and put it in the appendix because he felt that the book of James contradicted Paul. The reason, I think, that Luther and many have felt that James contradicts Paul and that Paul contradicts James, is because they think same word, same meaning, but as I\u2019ll show you, and as this chart demonstrates, both men\u00a0\u00a0 use the same words but pour into those words entirely different meanings.\n\nSo when Paul uses the word, \u2018faith<\/em>,\u2019 he\u2019s talking about saving faith, primarily; not exclusively, but primarily. Trust in Christ and His finished work to be justified before God; however, when James uses the word, \u2018faith<\/em>,\u2019 he is not speaking of saving faith, but something that Lewis Sperry Chafer called, \u2018serving<\/em> faith<\/em>.\u2019 It is interesting that in Chafer\u2019s Systematic Theology,<\/u><\/strong> he distinguishes between saving faith<\/em> and serving faith<\/em>. He says, \u201cThe justified one, having become what he is by faith, must go ahead living on the same principle of utter dependence upon God<\/em>.\u201d So it takes faith, for example, for me to get up here and teach.\u00a0 I mean, how do I know that this message is going to go out?\u00a0 How do I know it is going to impact people? \u00a0Well, I have to have faith in the promises that God makes concerning His Word\u2014that when His Word goes forth, it does not return void.\n\nSo I am not justified before God by teaching a Bible study. But the same principle that got me saved, trust in Christ, is now the same principle that I continue to exercise as I move into my life of service and walk with the Lord. That\u2019s what Chafer means here when he talks about the distinction between saving faith and serving faith.\n\nPaul, saving faith<\/em>; James, serving faith. <\/em>In fact, the New Testament uses the word, \u2018faith\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 in that very way when it talks about the necessity of us to use our spiritual gifts in the measure of faith that God has allotted to us.\n\nRomans 12:3,8 \u2014 does that mean I become a Christian by stepping out in faith and using my spiritual gifts?\u00a0 No.\u00a0 I become a Christian by trusting in Christ\u2019s finished work for my salvation, but the same faith that I exercised in that transaction is now the same faith I continue to exercise as I serve the Lord, and that moves me in the direction of a maturing faith.\u00a0 And that is what James is speaking of here,\n\nJames 2:14 when he mentions the word, \u2018faith<\/em>.\u2019 What does James say, \u201cWhat use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works.<\/em>\u201d Now notice that word, \u2018works<\/em>.\u2019 What is Paul speaking of when he mentions \u2018works\u2019<\/em>?\u00a0 Paul is dealing with the religious crowd that thought they were made right with God through human works, and Paul properly condemns that.\n\nJames likes to use the word, \u201cworks<\/em>,\u201d too, but he is speaking of something completely different when he uses that same word, \u201cworks<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 James is talking about the believer\u2019s moral deeds that demonstrate to his fellow man that his faith that\u2019s already in him has graduated from merely being a saving faith to now a serving faith.\n\nAnd then you\u2019ll also notice this word, \u2018save<\/em>.\u2019 \u201cWhat use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?<\/em>\u201d (James 2:14 NASB)\u00a0 When Paul uses the word, \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 he is speaking of justification.\n\nWhen James uses the word, \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 he is talking about \u2018save\u2019<\/em> in terms of our progressive salvation, better called progressive sanctification, the middle tense of our salvation.\n\nSo when Paul uses the word, \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 Paul will use it in an Ephesians 2:8,9 sense \u2014 \u201cFor by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.<\/em>\u201d When Paul uses the word, \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 he is talking about trusting Christ and being saved from hell.\n\nJames uses the word, \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 the Greek word, \u2018s\u014dz\u014d\u2019<\/em> verb form, \u2018soteria<\/em>,\u2019 noun form, and\u00a0 James is not using the word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> in a justification sense. He is using the word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> in a sanctification sense. Where I am being saved or delivered, not from the penalty of sin; that happened in the first tense of \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0my salvation, but being saved or delivered from the power of sin. That is happening now in the middle tense of my salvation. And one of these days, I am going to be saved\u2014future tense\u2014from the presence of sin, and that\u2019s glorification.\n\nSo Paul uses the word \u2018saved\u2019<\/em> past tense of salvation per Ephesians 2:8,9. There is also a \u2018save\u2019<\/em> in the future tense of salvation, glorification.\u00a0 James is talking about being saved from sin\u2019s power in the middle tense of salvation, and if you don\u2019t see that distinction, you\u2019ll be confused for your whole Christian life as to what James is actually talking about.\n\nNotice James 1:19-23, where we have already encountered the word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> in our study in the book of James. Notice what it says there; I\u2019m looking at verse 21:\u00a0 \u201c...Therefore, putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted in you, which is able to save [Greek: s\u014dz\u014d] your souls<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 So notice, it\u2019s the word \u2018save<\/em>;\u2019 \u2014 the same word that Paul used in Ephesians 2:8,9, \u201cFor by grace we are saved through faith.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 James uses the exact same word, but you notice what James is doing here\u2014he is not using it in a justification sense.\n\nThe word \u2018implanted\u2019<\/em> in you \u2018which is able to save your souls\u2019<\/em> \u2014 what is James talking about?\u00a0\u00a0 He is talking about not becoming a Christian but he\u2019s talking about growing as a Christian,\u00a0 and as you grow as a Christian, you are not delivered from sin\u2019s penalty\u2014that already happened at justification.\u00a0 But now you are being delivered gradually from sin\u2019s power.\n\nHow do I know that James is using the word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> which is the exact word Paul uses in a different sense?\u00a0 Well, look at the context. \u201cTherefore, putting aside all filthiness<\/em>.\u201d That\u2019s a growth in Christ issue. He talks in verse 19 about how everyone must be quick to hear and slow to speak and slow to anger; that is not a situation whereby I become a Christian; it is a situation by which I grow as a Christian.\n\nLook down at verse 23, it talks about how if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer<\/em>, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in the mirror. \u00a0Again, that\u2019s not a how to become a Christian passage; that is how to grow as a Christian.\n\nSo it is quite obvious when James uses the word, \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 he is talking about our growth in Christ.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice James 5:19,20 where James, again, uses this word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> or \u2018s\u014dz\u014d<\/em>.\u2019 James says, \u2018My brethren, if any among you...\u201d<\/em> [so he\u2019s speaking of a situation amongst the brethren amongst the believers]...\u201dMy brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.<\/em>\u201d Notice again, it\u2019s the word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> or the Greek verb, s\u014dz\u014d<\/em>, but how is James using it?\u00a0 He is saying, \u2018Look, if you take a fellow Christian that\u2019s moving off into sin and you counsel them properly, where you turn them away from sin, then you\u2019re going to save his soul from a multitude of sins and death<\/em>.\u2019 Meaning that you are going to spare that fellow believer\u2019s life from a whole lot of consequences that they\u2019re going to reap in their life[time] \u2014 even though they\u2019re heaven-bound, they\u2019re going to reap a whole lot of consequences in their life if they pursue this particular sin.\n\n2247<\/strong>\n\nSo you\u2019re in a situation with a fellow Christian, and they\u2019re thinking about getting a divorce; it is a situation where they don\u2019t have biblical grounds for divorce, or they\u2019re thinking about committing adultery, or they\u2019re thinking about doing this or that, which happens to be sinful, and you sit down and talk with them, and give them a level-headed biblical approach, and you tell them not to go down that sinful route, and they say, you know, you\u2019re right\u2014 look at all the problems they\u2019re shielded from because they didn\u2019t fulfill a sinful course or path.\u00a0 James says that when you do that you save their soul.\u00a0 He\u2019s not talking about counseling people towards holy living so they could go to heaven; they\u2019re already going to heaven.\u00a0 He\u2019s talking about shielding them from temporal consequences; you saved their soul.\u00a0 So that is how James uses this word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> or s\u014dz\u014d<\/em>.\n\nYou\u2019ll notice that with each of these that I have gone through, it is the identical word, but James is infusing that word with a completely different meaning.\u00a0 When James uses \u2018save<\/em>,\u2019 he\u2019s talking about sanctification.\u00a0 When he uses the word \u2018faith<\/em>,\u2019 he\u2019s talking about serving faith<\/em>; when he uses the word, \u2018works<\/em>,\u2019 he is talking about the believer\u2019s moral deeds.\u00a0 James is using the word, \u2018save\u2019<\/em> a lot like Philippians 2:12, which says, \u201cWork out your salvation with fear and trembling<\/em>.\u201d Again, that is a middle tense use of \u2018save\u2019<\/em> because the surrounding verses say \u2018do all things without grumbling and disputing<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 Verse 15, for example, talks about being blameless and innocent children, you know, above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you appear as lights in the world.\u00a0 And again, you will notice here that \u2018save\u2019<\/em> in Philippians 2:12, is being used in the sanctification sense.\u00a0 That\u2019s how James is using this word, \u2018save<\/em>.\u2019\n\nSo with all of that being said, what is James\u2019 thesis statement? \u00a0James\u2019 thesis statement in James 2:14, when he says, \u2018what use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but has no works, can that faith save him<\/em>?\u2019\u00a0 What is James\u2019 thesis statement, and here it is.\u00a0 He is asking this question:\u00a0 Can a believer make progress in the middle tense of his salvation and become useful to others and be fully rewarded at the Bema Seat Judgement of Christ, if he has no accompanying works<\/strong>?\u00a0 Can that happen?\u00a0 James\u2019 thesis statement is NO<\/strong>.\u00a0 In other words, if you\u2019re a Christian that\u2019s on their way to heaven, you\u2019re saved by God\u2019s grace, and yet there are no works in your life whereby you\u2019re making progress in the middle tense of your salvation, whereby you are a blessing to those around you; whereby you will be fully rewarded at the Bema Seat Judgement of Christ.\u00a0 If that describes you, then can you be progressing in\n\n2654<\/strong>\n\nterms of your faith; can you be maturing in terms of your faith?\u00a0 The answer is NO<\/strong>.\u00a0 So that\u2019s the question James is asking.\u00a0 I mean, can your faith be mature and useful if it has no works?\u00a0 James says NO<\/strong>.\n\nNow that thesis statement is a far cry from the quotes we gave last week and the week before, where interpreter after interpreter after interpreter, commentator, after commentator, after commentator across the board says that James\u2019 thesis statement, is: if you have no works, is your faith real; if you have no works, is your faith in existence;\u00a0 if you have no works, is your faith authentic?\u00a0 \u00a0Those commentators say no.\u00a0 If you have no works, is your faith spurious?\u00a0 Those commentators say yes.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0So what everybody thinks this passage means is James is advancing the idea that faith without works is dead; if you don\u2019t have enough works, you\u2019re not a Christian; and you\u2019ll notice how differently we are interpreting this.\n\n2818<\/strong>\n\nHe is not asking and answering that question; he\u2019s not asking and answering any such notion.\u00a0 What he is asking and answering, is is your faith productive, useful, a blessing to your fellow man, which will allow you to be fully rewarded at the Bema Seat Judgement of Christ?\u00a0 James is saying, NO,<\/strong> that will not happen, and NO,<\/strong> your faith is not maturing if it has no works.\u00a0 He\u2019s questioning the usefulness of their faith and not its existence.\u00a0 So that\u2019s his thesis statement.\u00a0 His thesis statement is:\u00a0 works accompany useful faith.\u00a0 Works accompany productive faith; that is the point that he is driving at, and now having explained his thesis statement, verse 14, he backs up that thesis statement, verses 15-26 with five illustrations.\n\nIllustration #1 <\/strong>is the needy brother (2:15-17).\n\nIllustration #2 <\/strong>is the demonic monotheist (2:18-19)\n\nIllustration #3<\/strong> is Abraham himself (2:20-24)\n\nIllustration #4<\/strong> is Rahab, who you might remember, in the Book of Joshua, hid the spies at risk\n\nto her own life (2:25)\n\nIllustration #5<\/strong> is the lifeless corpse (2:26)\n\nAll of these illustrations are not saying that if you don\u2019t have enough works, you\u2019re not a Christian; that\u2019s not James\u2019 point.\u00a0 His point, rather, is you have to have works to demonstrate that your faith is useful or productive;<\/strong> it\u2019s not just something that you rely on to get to heaven; it\u2019s something that God is actually using to advance His cause and His purposes towards your fellow man; towards fellow believers on the earth.\u00a0 <\/strong>\n\n3039<\/strong>\n\nSo lets take a look here a illustration # 1<\/strong>:\u00a0 the needy brother.\u00a0 So take a look at James 2, now that we\u2019ve seen the thesis statement of verse 14.\u00a0 Let\u2019s move into the first<\/strong> illustration of the needy brother in verses 15 and 16.\u00a0 \u201cIf a brother or a sister<\/em>, verse 15, is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, \u201cGo in peace, be warmed and be filled, and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use<\/em> [notice the word, \u2018use\u2019<\/em> there\u2014\u2018usefulness\u2019<\/em>] what use is that<\/em>?\u201d Now, \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0I like this verse for a lot of reasons, but one of the reasons is that it reveals to us the purpose of prosperity.\u00a0 Why is it that God puts into the hands of some Christians material things above and beyond what they need?\u00a0 And that certainly describes our situation, at least for the time being, here in North America where, when you look at our standard of living, compared to what others experience worldwide, we have most of the world\u2019s wealthiest Christians living in our country.\u00a0 You go to other countries in the world and that is not the case.\u00a0 So why is it that God has put resources into the hands of the American Christian?\n\n3216<\/strong>\n\nWhen God sovereignly decided to do that, what was His purpose?\u00a0 His purpose is that we might use those articles of wealth to be a blessing to someone else.\u00a0 So God blessed you so that you can be a blessing to another.\u00a0 That is what I like to call the purpose of prosperity. The purpose of prosperity is \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0not so I can raise my standard of living.\u00a0 The purpose of prosperity biblically may even be that I might lower my standard of living so that I might have more liquidity in my fingertips to give to others around the world who are in need.\n\n3310<\/strong>\n\nYou\u2019ll notice that Jesus made this statement when He sent out the 12 to offer the Kingdom to Israel in Matthew 10.\u00a0 He says, \u201cHeal the sick, raise the dread, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons.\u00a0 Freely you received, freely give<\/em>.\u201d I mean, you have been blessed so you can bless others; you\u2019ve received those blessings freely, so now, give them away freely \u2014 the purpose of prosperity.\n\n3340<\/strong>\n\n1 John 3:17 \u2014 a wonderful parallel passage which is a different passage in a different part of the Bible expressing the same idea.\u00a0 \u201cBut whoever has the world\u2019s goods, and sees his brother in need and closes his heart against him, how does the love of God abide in him?\u201d<\/em> John asks rhetorically.\u00a0 If you have the world\u2019s goods, and you see someone in need, and you don\u2019t use those goods to meet those needs, how can you say you love your brother?\n\n3424<\/strong>\n\nPaul, in 2 Corinthians 8:14 talks about the abundance in Corinth, and he says, \u201c...at this present time your abundance being a supply for their need<\/em>\u201d [speaking there of the poverty-stricken Macedonians], \u201c...at the present time your abundance being a supply for their need so that their abundance also may become a supply for your need, that there may be equality.<\/em>\u201d\u00a0 So what God is saying to Paul, God through Paul to the Corinthians is that the reason you have wealth is you\u2019re supposed to be a blessing to the Macedonians.\u00a0 Then Paul says, \u2018Hey, you know what, one of these days your circumstances might be reversed; maybe it will be Macedonia that is blessed financially and Corinth will be the ones with the need<\/em>,\u2019 and in that case, God will use the wealth of the Macedonians to bless the Corinthians.\u00a0 But no matter what situation you\u2019re in, the reason you have the world\u2019s goods above and beyond what you need, is so you can be a blessing to someone else, especially in the Body of Christ.\n\n3541<\/strong>\n\nBy the way, there is a big push today for communism<\/strong> or Marxism<\/strong>, and these verses are talking of no such thing because communism<\/strong> or Marxism<\/strong> is coerced<\/em><\/strong> through the threat of government.\u00a0 That is not what Paul is talking about here when he says, \u2018give without compulsion<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 He isn\u2019t talking about giving because you\u2019re forced to give; he is talking really about what I like to call compassionate capitalism.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0God believes in the private ownership of goods, and it is okay to have the world\u2019s resources, but just remember that God put those things in your hands so that you can bless someone else.\u00a0 That is what James is speaking of here \u2014 the purpose of prosperity.\u00a0 How can you say, \u201cbe warm and be filled<\/em>\u201d when your brother or sister in Christ may be in need, but you don\u2019t do anything in terms of practicality to help them?\u00a0 What good is that?\u00a0 In fact, that type of thing is faith without works is dead.\u00a0 That\u2019s a faith that might be in existence but it\u2019s not a faith that is at any point useful in terms of being a blessing to others.\u00a0 So that is what James is getting at here.\n\n3719<\/strong> His thesis statement is works must accompany useful faith.\u00a0 Works must accompany productive faith.\n\nIllustration #1<\/strong>:\u00a0 if you\u2019re in a situation where you have these world\u2019s goods and you see your brother and sister in need, help your brother and sister in need.\u00a0 That\u2019s why God put those world\u2019s goods in your hand and in your lap.\n\nNow what if I have these world\u2019s goods, and I see my brother or sister in Christ in need, and I do nothing to help them practically?\u00a0 I just say, \u2018Well, I hope things work out for you, you know, be warm and be filled go your way,<\/em>\u2019 but I don\u2019t do anything tangible; practical to help them, well, verse 17 is an explanation of the circumstance that I\u2019m in if I don\u2019t understand the purpose of prosperity.\u00a0 Verse 17, \u2018even so, faith, if it has no works, is dead being by itself.\u2019<\/em>\n\n3836<\/strong>\n\nSo, let\u2019s go back to our chart.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice the word, \u2018faith<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 He is not talking about saving faith<\/em> as we have mentioned; James is talking about serving faith<\/em>.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice the word, \u2018works<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 He\u2019s not talking about a condemnation of people who think they\u2019re right with God through their good works.\u00a0 That\u2019s not what James is talking about; rather he is talking about the believer\u2019s moral deeds \u2014 same exact words, different meaning.\u00a0 Notice what he says in verse 17:\u00a0 \u201ceven so, faith, if it has no works is dead<\/em>.\u201d\u00a0 Now in our last lesson together, we went in depth on this word, \u2018dead<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 \u2018Dead\u2019<\/em> does not mean non-existence in the Bible.\u00a0 \u2018Dead\u2019<\/em> means separated.\u00a0 In this case, the faith which exists is separated from works, and if one\u2019s faith is separated from works, then the Christian has a saving faith<\/em> only.\u00a0 They do not have a serving faith. <\/em>\u00a0Their faith, which is real, which allows them one day to enter heaven, is not being used in any useful or productive sense, because after all, you\u2019ve got the world\u2019s goods and you see someone in need, and you do absolutely nothing to help.\n\n4018<\/strong>\n\nIf that\u2019s you, if that\u2019s me, if that\u2019s us as Christians, what is our condition?\u00a0 He\u2019s not<\/em><\/strong> saying, \u2018well<\/em>, you\u2019re not Christians.\u2019 <\/em>What he is saying is you have a saving faith<\/em> but not a serving faith<\/em>.\u00a0 \u201cFaith without works is dead<\/em>;\u201d there is a death or a separation between your faith and works which means you haven\u2019t graduated to serving faith<\/em>.\u00a0 You\u2019re still in the kindergarten class sucking your thumb with just a saving<\/em> faith<\/em>.\u00a0 So hopefully, I\u2019m being somewhat clear so we can see exactly what James is talking about.\n\nIt\u2019s a faith being by itself.\u00a0 You say, \u2018well can faith be by itself?\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 Yes, it can.\u00a0 But it is merely a saving faith<\/em>; it is separated from works, but once you allow the Holy Spirit to actually take your faith, which is already inside of you, and you come under His conviction, and when you see someone in need and you have the world\u2019s goods, and then you step out tangibly and practically to assist them, (and I\u2019m speaking in generalities because we all know situations where people come to churches and they\u2019re looking for a handout and you can smell the alcohol on their breath 15 feet away).\u00a0 We are not dealing with subsidizing people\u2019s irresponsible behavior by giving them handouts.\u00a0 James is not getting into every nook and cranny of this.\u00a0 He\u2019s just dealing with the situation where you see someone with a real need, and you have the goods and the wealth of the world to help them, but you don\u2019t help them.\u00a0 What is going on there?\u00a0 That means your faith is separated or dead, separated from works, which means it\u2019s faith by itself; it\u2019s just a saving faith<\/em>, but you haven\u2019t matured yet to the point where it\u2019s become a serving faith<\/em>.\u00a0 So that is Illustration #1<\/strong> \u2014 illustration of the needy brother<\/strong>.\n\n42:35<\/strong>\n\nIllustration #2<\/strong>, and we have to go through this very carefully because there is a lot of misunderstanding on illustration #2. Illustration #2 <\/strong>of useful faith is the demonic monotheist. <\/strong>\u00a0So, notice if you will, verse 18, \u201cBut someone may well say, \u201cYou have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.\u201d <\/em>\n\nSo again, look at our chart, at the word, \u2018faith<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 How is James using the word, \u2018faith<\/em>?\u2019 Not a saving faith<\/em> but a serving faith.<\/em>\u00a0 In fact, it would even behoove you as we walk through this passage to take a pencil or however you mark up your Bible by adding the word, \u2018serving\u2019<\/em> \u2014 just a scribble mark to the word, \u2018faith\u2019<\/em> there, just so the next time you read it, you\u2019ll understand what James is speaking of.\u00a0 While you are at it, you might put a little scribble mark on the word, \u2018works<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 Put up there, if you have room, depending on how wide your margins are in your Bible, \u2018the believer\u2019s moral deeds.<\/em>\u2019\u00a0 So you don\u2019t think that somehow, James is dealing with the subject of religious people that think they\u2019re justified before God through good works.\u00a0 You\u2019ll notice the word, \u2018faith\u2019<\/em> \u2014 same word, different meaning; you\u2019ll notice the word, \u2018works\u2019<\/em> \u2014 same word different meaning.\u00a0 So what is James getting at here in verse 18?\u00a0 He is saying \u2018no authentic or useful serving faith exists.<\/em>\u2019 Saving faith<\/em> exists, but not serving faith<\/em>.\u00a0 No authentic or useful serving faith<\/em> exists without the believer\u2019s moral deeds.\u00a0 So if you\u2019re a Christian with no works, what does that mean?\u00a0 It means you have a saving faith<\/em> only but not a serving faith.<\/em>\u00a0 This is where he gets into the whole illustration of the demonic monotheist, and he deals with that illustration there in verse 19.\u00a0 \u201cYou believe that God is one.\u00a0 You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.<\/em>\u201d\n\n4526<\/strong>\n\nNow, I want you to understand that reformed theology has completely and totally hijacked verse 19 because reformed theology believes in the doctrines of the two faiths.\u00a0 Notice what reformed theologian, William Hendrickson says, \u2018Not all faith is saving faith<\/em>.\u2019 They talk over and over again about the faith that saves and the faith that doesn\u2019t save; they talk over and over again about head faith or intellectual faith versus heart faith or authentic faith.\u00a0 And how do you know if someone has head faith or heart faith?\u00a0 Intellectual faith or authentic faith?\u00a0 This is where they have their doctrine that faith is a gift, and they essentially believe that God looks at the elect because no human being, because of their overstatement of total depravity \u2014 no human being even when they hear the gospel; even when they come under the conviction of the Holy Spirit \u2014 despite the fact that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation; no human being because they\u2019re dead like a rock insensate \u2014 has the ability to believe.\n\n4718<\/strong>\n\nSo why is it that some people believe and some people don\u2019t?\u00a0 God gives some people the ability to believe\u2014the gift of faith\u2014 and others He passes by.\u00a0 So what they teach is that there are many people in the Body of Christ that have an intellectual faith, but they don\u2019t have the real faith.\u00a0 Why don\u2019t they have the real faith?\u00a0 Because they\u2019re not one of the elect and they\u2019ve never been given the gift of faith.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Hendrickson is speaking of here when he talks about \u2018not all faith is saving faith<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 This is taught over and over again throughout Christendom today.\n\nChristian media, the Christian printed page, the doctrine of the true faiths rings throughout Christianity over and over again, and the problem with it is that if you believe what I just said as I have tried to accurately represent their position, then there\u2019s no such thing as the assurance of salvation.\u00a0 If not all faith is saving faith<\/em>, and there is the faith that saves and the faith that doesn\u2019t save, and I only have the faith that saves if I have been given the gift of faith, what are you going to wonder for your whole life:\u00a0 do I have the right one or not?\u00a0 Consequently, if you\u2019re always wondering if you have the right faith or the wrong faith, you\u2019ll never have 100% assurance that you\u2019re a Christian.\n\n4857<\/strong>\n\nIdeas have consequences.\u00a0 In our last lesson, I showed you 1 John 5:13 and other passages where God wants you to know with ironclad certainty that you have eternal life.\u00a0 He doesn\u2019t want you to go through your life thinking, \u2018do I have the faith that saves or the faith that doesn\u2019t save?<\/em>\u2019\u00a0 That\u2019s why these reformed theologians, when you look at their teachings very carefully, don\u2019t have any assurance.\n\nA couple of quotes I shared last week: 4931<\/strong>\n\nJohn Piper, who is a big advocate of this two-faiths doctrine, says, \u201cNo Christian can be sure that he is a true believer.\u00a0 Hence, there is an ongoing need to be dedicated to the Lord and to deny ourselves so that we might make it.\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>In other words, if I\u2019m not, in an ongoing sense, being dedicated to the Lord and denying myself, then maybe I have the false faith.\u00a0 And maybe if I have the false faith, maybe I was never given the gift of faith, and if I was never given the gift of faith, maybe I\u2019m not one of the elect.\n\n5008<\/strong>\n\nJohn Piper, very recently, the quote I gave here earlier is an older quote, but here is one that he made in April of last year (2020 per slide) on a radio interview, where he says, \u201cWhat causes me to be anxious is the possibility that I may not be a Christian\u2014 that I might be fake\/that everything I have ever done might be a farce\u2014those are horrible, horrible thoughts; right?\u201d<\/em>\u00a0 I agree those are horrible, horrible thoughts.\u00a0 The reason they are horrible, horrible thoughts is because they stem from horrible, horrible doctrine because your Bible knows no such doctrine as these two faiths.\n\n5101<\/strong>\n\nWhat your Bible says is what Jesus recorded in John 5:24, \u201cTruly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life.<\/em>\u201d There is not a hint here where Jesus says you\u2019ve got an ongoing need to deny yourself to make sure you\u2019ve got the right kind of faith to prove you\u2019ve got the gift of faith to prove that you\u2019re one of the elect.\u00a0 None of that is mentioned here.\u00a0 It is just a simple statement from God, who cannot lie, that when you hear the gospel and trust in it for your eternity, you already have eternal life.\u00a0 You have already passed out of death unto life.\n\n5142<\/strong>\n\nYou remember life\u2019s most important question asked by the Philippian jailer in Acts 16:30,31, \u201cand after he brought them out, he said, \u2018Sirs, what must I do to be saved?\u2019 <\/em>[It is a question by the Philippian jailer to Paul and Silas]. \u201cThey said, \u2018Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household\u201d\u2019 <\/em>[implying that the message will get to your household and they will be saved, too].\u00a0 He says, \u201cyou will be saved;<\/em>\u201d there is no doubt about authentic versus inauthentic faith; there\u2019s no issue here about \u2018well, you better make sure you keep denying yourself to the end to prove you\u2019ve got the right kind of faith; to prove that you have the gift of faith; to prove that you\u2019re one of the elect\u2019 \u2014<\/em>completely foreign ideas to these verses here in Acts 16:30,31. \u00a0Yet reformed theology takes James 2:19 and has completely hijacked it.\u00a0 James 2:19:\u00a0 \u201cYou believe that God is one.\u00a0 You do well.\u00a0 The demons also believe and shudder<\/em>.\u201d\n\n5306<\/strong>\n\nWhat reformed theology wants that verse to say is \u2018look, there is a false faith.\u00a0 The demons have the false faith; the demons are not going to heaven so therefore, by way of analogy, if you have the false faith, you\u2019re not going to heaven either<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 And I am here to tell you that this is an apples and oranges comparison.\u00a0 You cannot take the plight of the demons and compare it to a Christian today as maybe \u00a0not having true faith.\u00a0 Why?\u00a0 I have three reasons here:\n\nFirst<\/strong> of all, what does it say:\u00a0 \u201cYou believe that God is one<\/em>.\u201d Does it say there that Jesus Christ is your Savior?\u00a0 The gospel is not in James 2:19; the gospel is not \u2018you believe that God is one, you do well.\u00a0 The demons believe and shudder.\u2019<\/em>\n\n5411<\/strong>\n\nIs that how we go around and evangelize people \u2014 \u2018believe that God is one\u2019<\/em>?\u00a0 You have to believe in monotheism, God is one to get to heaven?\u00a0 Obviously not.\u00a0 We believe that the gospel is Christ crucified and resurrected, you trust in Him and His finished work and you\u2019re saved.<\/strong>\u00a0 So you can\u2019t compare the plight of the demons to people today believing the gospel because the gospel is not even presented in verse 19.\u00a0 Follow?\n\n5445<\/strong>\n\nSecond<\/strong>, the plan of salvation is not open to the demons.\u00a0 The demons cannot be saved.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 The plan of salvation is not open to them.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 Because for the demons to experience the plan of salvation, Jesus would have had to become a what?\u00a0 A demon.\u00a0 Which He did not.\u00a0 Jesus became a\n\n5519<\/strong>\n\nman.\u00a0 The plan of salvation is open to me and it is open to you because God became man.\u00a0 The demons have no hope of salvation.\u00a0 So you start to look at this and you see how crazy it is to say, \u2018well maybe you don\u2019t have the right kind of faith. Maybe your faith is just like the demons because they have the wrong faith and they\u2019re not going to heaven.\u2019<\/em>\u00a0 You are putting together two things that do not go together at all.\u00a0 You are making an apples and oranges comparison, because, number 1, monotheism is not the gospel and number 2, the plan of salvation is not even open to the demons, and number 3, the demons do<\/em><\/strong> believe; they do<\/em><\/strong> believe; they don\u2019t have a false faith; they believe in Jesus.\u00a0 Now, they aren\u2019t going to heaven because the plan of salvation is not open to them, but they believe.\u00a0 They believe in Christ; they know exactly who He is; in fact, when Jesus was on this earth, did he not encounter demons who knew exactly who He was?\u00a0 Matthew 8:28,29 says, \u201cWhen He came to the other side into the country of the Gadarenes, two men who were demon-possessed met Him as they were coming out of the tombs.\u00a0 They were so extremely violent that no one could pass by that way.\u00a0 And they cried out, saying, \u201cWhat business do we have with each other, Son of God?\u00a0 Have You come here to torment us before the time?\u201d\u00a0 <\/em>\n\n5718<\/strong>\n\nYou\u2019ll notice that they knew who Jesus was; they even have very good Christology, doctrine of Christ; they know He\u2019s the Son of God; they also know of His power; they know that there is an appointed time of torment coming for them, and they wanted to know, \u2018are you jumpstarting it now, or is it later<\/em>?\u2019\u00a0 So this idea that the demons didn\u2019t have faith or they had a false faith, I\u2019m here to tell you that satan and every demon that\u2019s in existence right now \u2014 those on the earth and those under the earth \u2014 they have faith; they know exactly who Christ is, and they\u2019re terrified.\u00a0 So my point is when people say, \u2018well maybe you don\u2019t have the right kind of faith; maybe you have the false faith; maybe you have the intellectual faith; maybe you have the intellectual faith; maybe you have the inauthentic faith; maybe your faith is just like the demons<\/em>\u2019 as reformed theology says.\u00a0 \u2018The demons don\u2019t have the right kind of faith and they\u2019re not going to heaven, and they\u2019re not going to heaven.\u00a0 Maybe you don\u2019t have the right kind of faith and you\u2019re not going to heaven.\u2019 <\/em>\u00a0That is an insane, ridiculous, absurd comparison of two things that have absolutely nothing in common with each other for these reasons:\n\n-the gospel is not presented here\n\n-the plan of salvation is not open to the demons\n\n-the demons do<\/em><\/strong> believe in Christ to the point where they\u2019re trembling\n\n5920<\/strong>\n\nSo, if James\u2019 point is not \u2018maybe you don\u2019t have the right kind of faith\u2019<\/em> what is his point here in his second illustration?\u00a0 Here is James\u2019 point, and I like Dennis Rokser\u2019s summation of this point.\u00a0 Dennis Rokser says, \u201cJames does not call the belief of the demons a mere \u2018recognition,\u2019...<\/em>\u201d[see, reformed theology is trying to make that case; it is a false faith amongst the demons that might have commonality with false Christians].\u00a0 Rokser says \u201cJames does not call the belief of the demons a mere \u2018recognition<\/em>, but he states they actually \u2018believe<\/em>.\u2019 Doesn\u2019t the text say that?\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t it say that the demons also believe?\u00a0 There is no false faith here.\u00a0 It says it as clearly as it could be said:\u00a0 \u201cthe demons also believe\u201d\u2026]<\/em>.\u00a0 So Rokser says \u201cJames does not call the belief of the demons a mere recognition, but he states they actually believe.\u00a0 In fact, their faith does cause them to \u2018tremble<\/em>.\u2019\u201d [So what\u2019s James\u2019 point?]\u00a0 James\u2019 point is that even the faith of demons results in some practical manifestation in their lives\u201d,<\/em> [I mean, \u201ceven they tremble<\/em>;\u201d there is some sort of practical output to their faith.\u00a0 James\u2019 point is that even the faith of the demons results in some practical manifestation in their lives so by way of analogy], \u2018so should not the genuine faith of these believers result in some profitable and demonstrable works toward other believers in need<\/em>?\u201d\n\n1:01:06<\/strong>\n\nLatin would call this an a fortiori<\/em> argument; it is an argument from the lesser to the greater.\u00a0 James\u2019 thesis is that you have to have works to demonstrate the usefulness of your faith<\/strong>.\u00a0 His second illustration <\/strong>here is the demonic monotheist, and he\u2019s saying even the demons have that.\u00a0 Even the demons allow their faith to accomplish something.\u00a0 They tremble, and so since that happens amongst the realm of the demonic, should it not also be true to a greater sense amongst God\u2019s people \u2014 that faith, in order to be useful, not in existence, but useful, has to translate into something practical?\u00a0 That happens amongst the demons moving from the lesser to the greater; that should happen amongst God\u2019s people.\n\n10211<\/strong>\n\nSo what is James\u2019 thesis statement?\u00a0 Verse 14:\u00a0 Faith has to be accompanied by works to be a serving<\/em> faith<\/em>.\u00a0 That is his thesis.\u00a0 Illustration #1<\/strong>:\u00a0 the purpose of prosperity; you have the world\u2019s goods and you use it to bless somebody else; you\u2019re moving now into the realm of not just saving faith<\/em> but useful faith.\n\nIllustration #2 <\/strong>is the demonic monotheist<\/strong>:\u00a0 the demons themselves allow their faith to produce something practical; they tremble, so why would we not expect the authentic faith in the Christian to produce something practical?\n\nThe next time we are together, we will see this illustration played out in Abraham when he was willing to sacrifice Isaac.\u00a0 We will see it played out in Rahab when she was willing to house the spies at risk to her own life, and we will see it played out in the lifeless corpse.\n\n1:03:41<\/strong>\n\nClosing prayer:\u00a0 Father, we are grateful for this evening; grateful for Your truth and Your Word; help us to rightfully divide Your Word in these last days concerning a controversial passage.\u00a0 We will be careful to give you all the praise and the glory.\u00a0 We ask these things In Jesus\u2019 Name, I pray. And God\u2019s people said, Amen!<\/em>","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t