James 2:1-17
We are continuing our look at the letter of James; this short, very practical instruction book on how to live the life of faith. This morning we look at the question, what is the sharp point of faith?
What’s the point? What’s the point of faith? Why believe or trust in God?
Now if we mean the point of our faith as in a goal, then I’d say the point of faith is our transformation. Paul writes in Romans that we are not “to conform to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (12:2).
Our whole attitude of mind is transformed more and more into the nature of Jesus, and Jesus not only prayed, but as James reminds us, he was also constantly doing things for the glory of God the Father, which led James to write that “faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (v.17).
Now this famous verse is the very reason the book of James was an unpopular book. Martin Luther, the igniter of the Reformation fire, hated the book of James because of this verse, declaring it an ‘epistle of straw.’
After all, the central tenet of Christianity is that we are saved by faith, not works, lest anyone should boast. Salvation is a gift of God’s love and Jesus’ faithfulness. Our salvation is not a result of our own works – in other words we can’t earn it by doing good deeds.
We don’t and can’t do good things in order to be loved by God.
But the point that James is making is that this knowledge of our salvation that comes from beyond anything we can do to impress, is the very things that frees us.
We are fully free so that we can serve our neighbour, and in so doing serve the Lord. We are loved and wrapped in grace in order to be gracious to others. What James calls “the royal law” (v.8).” We declare the full Royal Law of King Jesus every Sunday before the Confession.
James writes, “What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but do not have works? Can faith save you?” The answer to that is a resounding, ‘well, yes!’ All good so far. But James goes deeper.
If a brother or sister has no clothes or food and we pass by and pray “Lord clothe and feed this person, and thank you I’m not like that.” We then are no better than the priest and the Levite in the parable of the Good Samaritan.
We are just being hearers of the word and not doers. We are certainly not listening to the person who has nothing, merely talkers to God, absolving ourselves of any responsibility.
James is saying this is an empty and hypocritical faith that actually means you don’t have faith. You can’t have something that is dead.
Now, if self-centredness is the central sin, then faith ought to lead us out of it. God’s work in our faith is to turn us away from self-centeredness, into a position of gazing on God’s love for us and reflecting it out into the whole creation.
The root of the word ‘glorify,’ is ‘to reflect’. This is how we glorify God.
James turns our question, “what am I going to get out of this” (e.g., a blessed and eternal life), inside out. The question is “What will someone else get out of my faith?” Faith without works is dead- it is death to our neighbour.
What’s the point of having faith, if all it does is make me feel good about myself, but does nothing for my neighbour’s wellbeing? That is not faith. That is idolatry - we have made ourselves, our wants, our god.
The point of faith is that this transformation by the holy Spirit that occurs when we believe, allows us to join God’s life-giving work for the sake of the whole creation. God means to use us to provide life for our neighbour.
Now, deep in our water, we truly admire selfless, giving people. Politicians know this which is why they help out for 10 minutes at Christmas serving food to the homeless, then disappear as soon as the photographers do. Deep in our water, we know that is hypocrisy.
But it’s not always so simple. There are times when my active faith suffers paralysis.
Living, active faith will push us into situations that force us to confront our assumptions, where God is changing our worldview and our relationships. It doesn’t mean that we’ve yet arrived at the person we are becoming.
A living, active faith that spills over into working for the well-being of all creation is not easy. It is rarely noticed and isn’t always rewarding. We are constantly confronted with our own shortcomings.
God uses these encounters with real people and with Scripture verses just like today’s to force us into self-examination. To look into that mirror. James pushes away any attempt for us to claim that we are better than anyone else. He talks about our need for forgiveness.
Even those of us who think we have this faith life mostly together, that we haven’t done anything really bad- that our sin doesn’t stink as much as the next person’s, are labelled sinners just as graphically as any other.
There is God’s judgment in that, but also freedom for mercy. No one but Jesus is good. Not one of us is bad enough to push Jesus away.
Jesus came to us in our state of separation from him. Jesus comes to us. Jesus creates faith in us. Jesus abundantly loves us, and calls us to be that love overflowing into the world. Jesus entrusts us very imperfect people with his own work.
One of the functions of church is to be our training ground for the life we live outside this place. We gather to meet with God and are challenged by God, and fed by Jesus.
Then, sometimes together and sometimes individually, we go out into the world to do what we’ve practiced; forming community, declaring forgiveness, working healing through listening, and answering the needs of the poor.
If we’re doing church right, if we’re doing faith right, then we should each be asking the question of our neighbour that Jesus asked blind Bartimaeus in Jericho, “What do you want me to do for you” (Mark 10:46-52; Luke:18:35-43; Matt 20:29-34)?
When we do that, just like Bartimaeus, we too will meet Jesus, be filled with his love, and be that love out in the world. We will find Jesus is already out there beside us and in us.
We take a little step and find him already loving and lifting up this very same person we have taken the step towards!
We find it is all about this wonderful active God we love, and in whom we have our very being. Let me pray.