JAMES 2:15

The Bible says in James 2:15-17, “If a brother or sister be naked and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace. Be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body: what does it profit? Even so faith, if it have not works is dead, being alone.” If you genuinely care about someone’s spiritual needs, then you will also be concerned about their material needs. If you claim to be concerned about someone’s material needs, and then do nothing about it to make it better, then you have proven that you do not really care.

James identifies clearly whom we should care for. He said, “If a brother or sister.” He was talking about other believers. Our Christian family should be even more important to us than our human family. We should always be on the lookout for a brother or a sister in Christ who is in need. When Paul was on his missionary journeys, he took up collections for the poor saints of Jerusalem. If we do not have this kind of compassion for our brothers and sisters in Christ, perhaps it is a sign that we are truly in the last days.

James says that we should help those who are “naked or destitute of daily food.” Notice that these two things: food and clothing, are the same two things of which Jesus spoke in Matthew 6:31-33. Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink, or with what shall we be clothed? For after all these things do the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things. But seek you first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you.” God promises to give necessary food and clothing to everyone who seeks Him first above everything else. Why then does James say that we should give food and clothing to other Christians when they are in need? Because God wants to use you and me as instruments for the doing of His work in this world. Many of the works of God are not done as independent actions on His part. They are done with the cooperation of His people. Do God’s work and be rewarded for it, or He will find someone else to do it.

One thing is for certain, you cannot claim that you have faith and then fail to have the works that must normally come after the faith. If faith has no works, then it is not true biblical faith. True faith always starts with repentance. You turn from your evil works, you turn to God through Christ in faith, and you start doing good works. All three of those things go together. If you say that you have done one or two of those, but not the third, then you do not have a living faith in God. According to the Bible here in James chapter two, your faith is dead.

James has made it very clear that faith without works is not biblical faith. In the next few verses he also makes it very clear that an intellectual faith is not biblical saving faith. James 2:18-20 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. 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?” Intellectual faith refers to believing certain facts about God including His existence. In order to demonstrate that intellectual faith is not saving faith, James mentions the demons. The demons believe in the existence of God. They know without a doubt that God exists, but they are not saved. They do not have saving faith.

An important question to ask is, “Do you have saving faith, or do you have only an intellectual faith like the demons?” It is a very important question. Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance. One of the best ways to know the difference is by exactly what James said here. True biblical faith always has good works that result from it. The demons do not have good works. They have evil works. If you repented of your sins and turned to God through Christ then you have good works, the works of the Spirit, that became a part of your life as a result. If you had no change of life or change of behavior, then you never acquired true biblical faith. “Faith without works is dead.”

It is important to notice in James 2:19 that the Bible says, “The devils also believe and tremble.” The word that is translated “tremble” refers to having great fear. The demons have a tremendous fear of God. They know what the great all-powerful God can do to them and will do to them. They fear exceedingly their future destiny at God’s hands. In contrast we who believe in Christ have no fear. We are bold and confident and secure, knowing that “he who hath begun a good work in us will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.” The demons tremble at the thought of God, and the demons also fear us because we have Christ within us.

Back on the subject of faith and works, James has two examples from the Old Testament to demonstrate that true faith always has good works that result from it. James 2:21-26 says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 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. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”

Abraham is called the father of faith. One of the great statements made about Abraham is found here in James chapter 2 and in Galatians 3:6 which says, “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” This statement is made just as many other statements like it in the New Testament to show that even in the times of the Old Testament people were always justified only by faith and not by works. As far as salvation is concerned, no one in the history of the human race has ever been justified by works. Titus 3:5 says, “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.” Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” In John 6:29 Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.”

In spite of this great truth that salvation is by faith and by faith alone, James makes a very important point about how to recognize true faith. “Faith without works is dead.” You cannot see faith, but you can see works and faith without works is dead. “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness,” but it is only because of the new behavior and the good works that followed his faith that proved that he had true saving faith. Without seeing his good works that resulted from his faith, we would not be able to say with confidence, “Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”

That’s enough theology for a while. In James chapter three, we turn to some more practical matters. James 3:1 says, “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.” The word that is translated “masters” in this verse is literally the word “teachers.” Be not many teachers. Jesus was a teacher. The Apostle Paul was a teacher. The other apostles were teachers. But James tells us that there should not be “many teachers” among us. Perhaps that is one reason that we have so many splits, and so many differences, and so many denominations. We have too many teachers who teach different things. Someone is wrong. If they all taught what Jesus taught and what Paul taught, then they would agree and we would not have so many differences among Christians. One of the problems is that there are just too many teachers.

Following the theme that James had just been making in chapter two, it is much better to be a doer than a teacher anyway. Anyone can teach. They may not have the gift to teach or the ability to teach, but they can take the title of teacher and drive people away by their teaching, if they want to bad enough. It would be much better if they were a doer instead of a teacher. If you would like to teach, but do not have many opportunities to do so; then use your time to emphasize putting into practice what you would otherwise have taught. There are some so-called teachers who do not do that.

It is a great responsibility to be a teacher. That is what James is warning about. James said that teachers would receive the “greater condemnation.” When people have become spiritual teachers whose words have impacted others from a religious standpoint, such teachers will give an account for every word that is spoken. Horrible consequences have resulted for some people because of the wrong things that were taught by those who claimed to be teachers of truth. It is much better to be a doer than a teacher. If you ever become a consistent doer, then you will be a better teacher anyway. Jesus said in Matthew 7:24, “Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock.” Jesus did not say that whoever hears his sayings and teaches them. He said whoever hears his sayings and does them.

If we are going to concentrate on doing the sayings of Christ, then there is probably not anything more important than that which is mentioned in James 3:2. It says, “For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.” This is the third time in the book of James that James speaks about the tongue. The Holy Spirit who inspired James knows the importance of the subject. Too bad that more of us do not know the critical importance of being careful about what we say.

James starts off by saying, “In many things we offend all.” The problem is the fact that we all have a sinful nature and we all easily do many things that we should not do. “In many things we offend all.” From a practical standpoint James is saying that we need to prioritize the many things. We need to know which of the many things to give the greatest attention to and the greatest importance to. The number one thing is the tongue. As a matter of fact James says that if we just get this one thing under control, the tongue, then we will already be a complete person. You may have many faults, but if you will just learn to control what you say and when you say it, then you will have proved that you are well on your way to conquer all of your other faults; or as James says “to bridle also the whole body.”

James gives two examples from life to demonstrate that if you control just one critical thing, then you control everything else associated with that thing. James 3:3-4 says, “Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.” The entire horse is turned in one direction or another just by what goes into its mouth. An entire ship is also turned one way or another by the rudder, which is so much smaller than the rest of the ship. The way that you go in life will largely be determined by what you say. Your destiny both in this life and in the next will largely be determined by what you say. What you say creates an atmosphere that has a lot to do with what happens to you. What you say sets a direction that the rest of your body and the rest of your life will surely follow. Make sure that you say good things and true things and positive things, and make sure that you say things that build up and encourage faith and hope and love. The words that you choose to use will make all the difference in the world. Say the right words and your whole life will go the right way. Say the wrong words and you will go the wrong way.

James will have much more to say about the tongue in the rest of chapter three. We will see what he has to say next time.

___________________________________________________