FAITH WITHOUT WORKS IS DEAD // JAMES 2:18-19

ACTIVITY: Write down how your parents, spouse, or sibling show you they love you? How can you tell they love you? It can be big or small, general or specific. Just keep that aside.

James 2:18-19 says: But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.


Faith is: Accepting, believing, and trusting what God has said in His word

Define types of “works” or “deeds”:

Works are not just the kind and charitable things we do to for others. When people see our “works”, they should be able to see:

•  our changed life: commitment and repentance
•  our obedience to His word: to love, forgive, obey, pray
•  how we conduct our life
•  how we react to good and bad situations

It even reflects in your choice of words:
Matthew 12:34a “For the mouth speaks that which fills the heart”

~ VERSUS~

Typical “works”, which even non-Christians can do:

• giving money to the poor
• volunteering at church
• feeding the homeless
• being an overall “good” person
• attending church or church events

Can a person be saved by faith in God, without any works at all?

ABSOLUTELY! Not only can they be saved by faith without any works of any kind, but it is the ONLY way that anyone can ever be saved at all!

Read Ephesians 2:8-9 and 2 Timothy 1:8-9

But what about the 2nd chapter of James: “Faith without works is dead”

Read James 2:17

What is the common misconception or argument about being “saved by faith alone” and the statement “faith without works is dead”? Does the bible contradict itself??

(False statement: If you do not have works, then you do not have faith, therefore you are not saved)

First, we have to understand who James is writing to:

* Jumping back to verse 14, he said “my brothers” or “my brethren”. This tells us that he is writing to FELLOW BELIEVERS…Those who already have faith in God and are saved through that faith. So the argument isn’t about getting saved, it’s about AFTER you are already saved.

The question then is, “What is meant by faith being dead?”

Some people assume that faith without works means that faith was NEVER present. But “dead” here doesn’t mean non-existent….it just means…dead! The discussion here centers around the fruitfulness or lack of fruitfulness of your faith that doesn’t produce good works. It’s NOT trying to define “saving faith”, it’s describing the condition or status of your faith…IF it isn’t accompanied by good works.

Example: Your car battery dies. It doesn’t mean that battery was non-existent. When you open your hood, the battery is still there…it’s just dead!

Read James 2:18-19 again:

18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. ”Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that —and shudder.

What is James presenting here?

1. He’s playing “devil’s advocate” with a hypothetical opponent…kind of “role playing” as someone who is arguing against the teaching that faith and action go hand in hand.
2. He’s preparing the believers for the (including us) for the inevitable questions that come up when people challenge our beliefs.

What is James’ rebuttal?

1.  He shows the flaw in this argument by asking this opponent to show one thing:

            Show me your faith WITHOUT DEEDS

     2.  His response to that?

         I will show you my faith BY MY DEEDS

He’s saying: Prove that you have faith without doing work, and I will prove that I have faith by doing work!!

Can you demonstrate faith without an action attached to it??

During the lesson, I asked if anyone in the room loved me. Some of the girls raised their hands, including Micah. I asked her to stand next to me and show the rest of the girls…without any actions…that she loves me. She couldn’t…she just stood there! I asked the girls if Micah saying that she loved me proved anything. Their answer: NO. They heard that she loved me, but none of them could really tell that she did because she did nothing to show it. Just like when our faith in God is established…no one will know unless we SHOW IT.

Think about the list you made at the beginning of this lesson. If your parents/spouse/siblings did NOT do any of those things you listed…EVER, would you really know that they loved you?? Would other people be able to tell that they loved you??

He further proves his point of faith and works going together in verse 19

He’s basically being sarcastic. Where is his proof about the demons beliefs?
Read:  Matthew 8:28-29, Mark 5:7, Luke 4:41

So in 3 of the 4 Gospels, we learn that even the demons acknowledged God and recognize that Jesus is the son of God!

But in NO INSTANCE did a demon repent and turn to Jesus! Even though they believe in the existence of God, they can’t produce good works! THAT’S A HUGE WARNING TO PEOPLE WHO CLAIM TO FOLLOW CHRIST: You can say all the right things and even agree to a right truth and STILL HAVE AN EVIL CHARACTER!!!!

(By the way…DEMONS: They shudder because they only know the wrath of God. They do not know the mercy of God).

James wasn’t the only one to talk about actions with belief. Jesus also did!

Read Matthew 7:17-23

1. According to Jesus, how would you recognize a tree?
2. What produces good fruit?
3. What produces bad fruit?
4. According to what Jesus says in v. 18 what is impossible?
5. What did Jesus say about people who say “Lord, Lord”?
6. What does Lord mean?? Master or ruler. If Jesus is Lord of your life then He is in control. A person can call Jesus “Lord” and never know Him personally! The ACTION of calling him Lord is there, but if you don’t surrender your heart to God, then it’s just works WITHOUT genuine faith.

Different side, same coin

John (disciple of Jesus and writer of 1, 2, and 3 John) also talked about the “marriage” of faith and works

Read 1 John 2:4-6

The point?  Living faith results in action.  An experience or memory of giving y our life to Jesus Christ is not in itself proof that you have been saved.  The only outward  proof of an inward transformation though God’s Spirit is the life that you live after you have given your heart and life to Jesus.  You cannot claim to be a true follower of Jesus if your life hasn’t changed and there’s no godly fruit hanging in your life.

So, now when someone asks you why the bible sounds like it contradicts itself, you can say it doesn’t.

Faith is completed by works or acts. Works should FOLLOW saving faith...not CAUSE saving faith.

Ephesians 2:10 is clear on this:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

Before God we are justified by faith alone; before men we are justified by faith AND works.

If you SAY you are a Christian, then you need “works” to show it, or no one can see your faith. Faith is invisible. Works are just proof of your faith; they are not what get you saved!

WHEN YOU PROCLAIM ON FACEBOOK THAT YOU LOVE GOD, DO YOU REALLY SHOW IT? CAN YOU BACK THAT CLAIM UP? CAN PEOPLE REALLY SEE A CHANGE IN YOU?

FAITH IN ACTION//James 2:15-17

FAITH IN ACTION

Review--  Last week: "There is a difference between saying you have faith in Jesus and actually having a living, active faith in Him. Saying you believe in Jesus is not just an intellectual agreement-- it's a belief that results in action."

"Works are done because of your faith in Jesus Christ not instead of your faith in Jesus Christ."

James 2: 15-16

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?

Let's break it down into phrases...

a brother or a sister	A fellow believer, a Christian; or someone you already know: friend/family
without clothes and lacks daily food.	Has a real need
Go in peace	Have a nice day or take care
keep warm and eat well	I hope you find clothes and food
You don't give	You do nothing
What the body needs	Basic human needs
What good is it	It is useless to say

 If you put this altogether it'll read: "Suppose a fellow believer has a real need and you say to them, 'Have a nice day. I hope you find clothes and food. Take care.' And you do nothing to help their basic human needs. It is useless to say."

While saying something may surely bless them, and this not entirely wrong, of course... doing something to help them is another.

**Think about your own life. Who are real people in your life who have real needs? Think of people at school, on a sports team with you, in your church, or at work.

As a believer, your belief should lead to an action. Why? because you model your Savior. 

Here are some examples of what Jesus said (left column).. Can you match it with what He did (right column)?

What Jesus said	What Jesus did
Matthew 5:6-7	Luke 23:34
Matthew 5:43-44	Matthew 14:23
Luke 4:18-21	John 9:1-7
Luke 5:31-32	Luke 19:1-10

Jesus Christ, our Savior, showed a great example when He himself spoke the words and did them. As a follower of Christ, we should do/be the same. 

James summed up his analogy by making a bold statement,

^{James 2:17} In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. 

Isn't it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? 

- The Message

The point? Faith without actions is useless. James wasn't saying that actions matter more than faith, but rather he was warning his readers (and us) that true belief in Jesus means that our lives should be marked by a demonstration of surrendering to His command to help others in need.

"True faith transforms our conduct as well as our thoughts. If our lives remain unchanged, we don't truly believe the truths we claim to believe... We cannot earn our salvation by serving and obeying God. But such actions show that our commitment to God is real. Works of loving service are not substitute for, but rather a verification of our faith in Christ." - Life Application Study Bible

"There is nothing more dangerous than the repeated experiencing of  a fine emotion with no attempts to put it into action. It is a fact that everytime we feel a generous impulse without taking action, we become less likely ever to take action. In a sense, it is true to say that we have no right to feel sympathy unless we at least attempt to put that sympathy into action." --William Barclay, The Letters of James and Peter'

**Which statements stick out to you the most?

**What is God prompting you to do?

**What steps will you take to respond to God's prompting today?

"WHAT YOU DO 

SPEAKS SO LOUD 

that I cannot hear 

what you say."

- RALPH WALDO EMERSON