"Are you on your way to heaven?"
"Yeah."
"Why do you believe that?"
"Well...I'm saved."
"OK...what does that mean?"
"Well...it means I got saved."
"Right. But what do you mean by 'saved'?"
"Ummm...I'm not sure."
I've had that conversation (or one like it) too many times. People know the terminology and they will say what they think you want them to hear. But in reality, they really don't know the answer for sure. And if you looked at the way they live, there is no evidence that they are really and truly different.
James 2 takes the conversation above a step further. The people in James' example had the right answer. "I'm saved through faith." But when it came down to living it, they fell short. The kind of faith they were clinging to was a professed faith....words only. James says that kind of faith is dead. REAL faith will have some from fruit. Saving faith will show itself in works.
I hope it was clear from the sermon that James and Paul are more in agreement than many give them credit for. Paul was clear in Eph. 2:8-9 that faith alone saves but he was also clear in verse 10 that "we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works." True saving faith will be accompained by a changed life. That was exactly what James was saying. Many translators skip an important articile in James 2:14 that is crucial to a proper understanding of the text. I appreciate how ESV translates the verse...."can THAT faith save him?" (emphasis mine) meaning that KIND of faith. A faith that is words only.
So what kind of faith do you have? Is there a difference in your life from those around you? Is the pattern of your life identical (or close) to the pattern of the world? If there is NOT a marked difference, then I would encouarge to you examine your faith! Do you REALLY believe this stuff? Or, are you playing a game?
One point I'm not sure that came across clearly was that I DO believe a person can be saved and still struggle with sin. The book of Corinthians is written to Christians who were struggling BIG TIME with sin. There are Christians that come to church every Sunday and "play church" then try to live like the world the rest of week. They are miserable people....never truly getting on fire for Christ (which brings great joy) but never fully living for themselves either...and when they do they are convicted by the Spirit. That's why we went to 1 Kings 18. Elijah is confronting Israel who had been "kinda" worshipping God and "kinda" worshipping Baal as well. Listen to this verse...
1 Kings 18:21
21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. (ESV)
Here's was my challenge. Get off the fence. As James MacDonald said in a recent message:
"If you are NOT going to serve God then go home, burn your Bible and live for yourself. But you say 'Oh I would never do that.' Fine. Then get SOLD OUT for Jesus Christ."
Here are some application questions:
1. Are you on your way to heaven?
2. Why do you believe that?
3. What changes have you seen in your life recently?
4. What sins are you still holding onto?
5. How can we as a church / grow group help you make those changes?
6. Do you really WANT to change? Why or why not?
7. What's keeping you from being sold out to Christ?
"Yeah."
"Why do you believe that?"
"Well...I'm saved."
"OK...what does that mean?"
"Well...it means I got saved."
"Right. But what do you mean by 'saved'?"
"Ummm...I'm not sure."
I've had that conversation (or one like it) too many times. People know the terminology and they will say what they think you want them to hear. But in reality, they really don't know the answer for sure. And if you looked at the way they live, there is no evidence that they are really and truly different.
James 2 takes the conversation above a step further. The people in James' example had the right answer. "I'm saved through faith." But when it came down to living it, they fell short. The kind of faith they were clinging to was a professed faith....words only. James says that kind of faith is dead. REAL faith will have some from fruit. Saving faith will show itself in works.
I hope it was clear from the sermon that James and Paul are more in agreement than many give them credit for. Paul was clear in Eph. 2:8-9 that faith alone saves but he was also clear in verse 10 that "we are His workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works." True saving faith will be accompained by a changed life. That was exactly what James was saying. Many translators skip an important articile in James 2:14 that is crucial to a proper understanding of the text. I appreciate how ESV translates the verse...."can THAT faith save him?" (emphasis mine) meaning that KIND of faith. A faith that is words only.
So what kind of faith do you have? Is there a difference in your life from those around you? Is the pattern of your life identical (or close) to the pattern of the world? If there is NOT a marked difference, then I would encouarge to you examine your faith! Do you REALLY believe this stuff? Or, are you playing a game?
One point I'm not sure that came across clearly was that I DO believe a person can be saved and still struggle with sin. The book of Corinthians is written to Christians who were struggling BIG TIME with sin. There are Christians that come to church every Sunday and "play church" then try to live like the world the rest of week. They are miserable people....never truly getting on fire for Christ (which brings great joy) but never fully living for themselves either...and when they do they are convicted by the Spirit. That's why we went to 1 Kings 18. Elijah is confronting Israel who had been "kinda" worshipping God and "kinda" worshipping Baal as well. Listen to this verse...
1 Kings 18:21
21 And Elijah came near to all the people and said, “How long will you go limping between two different opinions? If the Lord is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him.” And the people did not answer him a word. (ESV)
Here's was my challenge. Get off the fence. As James MacDonald said in a recent message:
"If you are NOT going to serve God then go home, burn your Bible and live for yourself. But you say 'Oh I would never do that.' Fine. Then get SOLD OUT for Jesus Christ."
Here are some application questions:
1. Are you on your way to heaven?
2. Why do you believe that?
3. What changes have you seen in your life recently?
4. What sins are you still holding onto?
5. How can we as a church / grow group help you make those changes?
6. Do you really WANT to change? Why or why not?
7. What's keeping you from being sold out to Christ?
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1 comment:
Is there a non-saving faith? Either one believes or not, yes? (John 3:18)
Can "save" mean something else? Yes. Past (conversion). Present (sanctification). Future (glorification). The just shall be living by faith, not just birthed by faith. "As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord [by faith], so walk in Him [by faith]" (Col 2:6)
Can you be alive in the Spirit but not walk by the Spirit? Yes. "If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit." (Gal 5:25)
Is salvation intended to be just a birth, or birth and behavior? That seems to be the idea of the passage here: "by works faith was made perfect" (v. 25). It is mature, active faith, not "saving faith" (which has no other support but James 2...).
"Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved..." Either you are saved by works (or by follow-up works) or it is all of grace.
"Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the **ungodly**, his **faith** is accounted for righteousness," (Rom 4:4-5)
God bless your studies, Jamie.
Your pal from history. (Saw your comment on SI, and followed you here.)
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