Faith in Action
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My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. 3 If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” 4 have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?
5 Listen, my dear brothers and sisters: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? 6 But you have dishonored the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? 7 Are they not the ones who are blaspheming the noble name of him to whom you belong?
8 If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you are doing right. 9 But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. 10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 11 For he who said, “You shall not commit adultery,”[b] also said, “You shall not murder.”[c] If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Faith and Deeds
14 What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? 15 Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. 16 If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? 17 In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
Illustration [Polly Pierce, Tommy Tattoo, Bobby Bald and Mrs Good] Make your mind up about these people, they are strangers to you and James starts chapter 2 of his letter by saying how do you react when these people come into the church. We know they are strangers cause they don’t know where to sit. One gets a good seat and one gets to stand, one looks the part and the others look like they are falling apart.
James is writing to a Christian church who believed the Christian gospel, call themselves Christians (v14), meet regularly to sing & pray & share H.C. but that was their Sunday faith. It may be that their faith was an insurance policy for heaven when you die or something they could turn to when they were ill. Insurance policies are just there when you need them they don’t actually affect what you do with your life. How does your faith affect your life. That is the question James is asking us this morning.
[Move 1: James Looks at looks]
The church James was writing to preferred well off & better-dressed people to poorer people, they preferred clean people to dirty or smelly people…. How do we compare with the church James was writing to. Don’t we all prefer clean to dirty, better dressed to scruffy, and as for smelly who doesn’t prefer the good smeller to the stinker, who doesn’t?…I have a surprise for you…God doesn’t, God doesn't have favourites, God doesn’t seem to notice accents or smells or clothes, he doesn’t need the influence or the riches of the rich and God is happy with the coppers of the poor because God sees the heart and faith brings about a change in your heart/a changed life. Being a Christian is about Jesus Christ living in and through you. When Jesus is living in you you begin to realise God is equally concerned about others as he is about you.
I have to ask it, does your faith affect how you are about others. Does your faith show itself in your daily acts of kindness and compassion, acts of hospitality and welcome (here).
[Move 2: James Looks at Laws]
Then James develops the idea of being swayed by looks into being snared by laws. [Looks>>>Laws] Those who think favouritism is a small thing James says - think again. The ‘royal law’ he says is ‘to love your neighbour as yourself’ to favour one neighbour over another makes you a sinner, a lawbreaker.
If we are sticklers for the law and detail but stumble on just one thing we are still lawbreakers. v1-7. So the principle in James 2v10 is that we are law-breakers whether we break one law or 10 and. (eg v10,11 if you are faithful in marriage and then go out and kill someone, you are still guilty, still a lawbreaker). Then James explains what he is getting at. James is saying he doesn’t want his letter to be read like that. Faith is not about being sticklers for the law and religious rules. If you want it that way you have to keep the whole thing. In v12 ‘So speak and act as those who are judged by the law of liberty’ and v13 explains that the law of liberty is about mercy. What does that mean?
Mercy says that even though I am guilty, I can be pardoned.
Mercy says that even though I have a debt to pay, someone else can pay it off for me. The law of liberty is about God’s mercy. It is so liberating to admit that I cannot keep the law entirely. I will slip up [>30mph][pride][lust][anger][greed] [jealousy]
The fact is my guilt and my shame has been pinned to the cross on Jesus Christ and his righteousness and his innocence has been pinned to me.
For those who think they can be sticklers for the law and live a sin free life – James is saying you’re on your own, you have to live the perfect life. But for those who will admit you can’t live the perfect life, then Jesus Christ who did live the perfect life, will stand in your place and God will show mercy to you.
[Move 3: James Looks at Works]
Faith (according to James) should manifest in some outworking in our lives. In what ways are you active for God? Is your faith about reading the word, or saying you’re a Christian or saying that you have faith by coming to church on Sundays but there’s not much faith in action in your everyday life. James says 'faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead’ James 2:17.
A key word in this text seems to be the word (‘says’) James is not saying these people really do posses faith but that they say they do. Someone may say ‘I have faith’ and they mean they believe God exists. Another may say I have faith and believe Jesus is the son of God. But James suggests that this is not a ‘saving faith’ – one which brings you into a relationship with Jesus Christ. James cannot accept faith without works because he knew Jesus put the two together. Matthew 7:20 ‘By their fruit you shall know them.’
Does your faith show itself in your friendships or in the workplace or in the community in some way (where you mix). Will you allow God to put his finger on ways in which your faith can affect others? In fact, our Lord wants us to treat some of these strangers as if they were Christ himself. God would say to us today 'I'll know how much you love me by how well you treat them (stranger, needy, unlovely).
[Illustration] Jim Wallis in Washington DC - Sojuorners speaks about their nightly.. soup kitchen …before it opens each night one senior lady volunteer , Mary Glover, prays the same prayer each night 'Lord we know you'll be coming through this food line tonight - help us to treat you well.'
So what about Polly Pierce, Tommy Tattoo, Bobby Bald and Mrs Good……………..
Will you allow God to bring some strangers among us perhaps some less lovely people among us?
Will you welcome them into our church fellowship, into your small group? He is equally concerned about others as he is about you…
Maybe God is challenging you to reach out and help others in some new way, maybe he's challenging you to get off the sofa and allow your faith to influence your actions. Pay attention to that voice … let us pray.
