I didn’t get a chance to discuss my last point in the Men’s Bible Study last week, so I’ll cover it here. As you move through James 1 and the first half of 2, there is a sense of progression with James showing what the Christian life should be (amidst their faith being tested) and what it should not be (likely addressing the sins of the church dispersed). Then you hit James 2:14 and he gets to the point.
“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”
then James answers his question in verse 17.
“So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Though the discussions tend to center around the seeming contradiction with Paul’s writings in Romans, it takes us away from what James is doing. He is knocking people upside the head with bat, a big bat! Your proclaim Christ, but the works are not there, your faith is dead, it will not save you! He then goes on to compare that faith to the faith of demons!
While I certainly don’t advocate spiritual fruit inspection among everyone, as I would be the first to fail, we should not be afraid to preach, teach and exhort with the hard truths of Scripture. Namely here, that if your faith is not bearing fruit, the heart is not being changed, you are unmoved by your brothers and sisters struggles, check your faith man! Especially in the relatively worry-free United States where as John Piper says, “it is easy to fake it”.
What is the hope in this exhortation? I think James shows us his heart in the last two verses of the book.
“My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:19, 20)
James wants them brought back, which is always the hope in the disciplines whether teaching, preaching or rebuking.
For…
”All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim 3:16-17)
That is what I see through my barely-sanctified eyes anyway, but I am open to correction.
Excellent work brother! Thanks for putting in the time to understand the text and then help us both understand and obey. I’m sorry I missed the lesson, but I’m glad you never got to this, otherwise it looks like we wouldn’t have seen this at all.
I might suggest that you and Kip to a quick summary (if you have time) of each night’s lesson (in a paragraph or two like you’ve done here), and post it for all.