FAITH AND WORKS (James 2:14-26)

What good is it, my brothers,  if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? (James 2:14).

Today, I am going to take you through a passage in the Book of James to show you the in separable relationship between FAITH and WORKS. Lets get started.

A WORKLESS FAITH IS A WORTHLESS FAITH
James tells us in Chapter Two: “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food. and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead” (James 2:15-17).

What James is saying is that faith and works are not exclusive onto themselves; you must have both as they to have faith is to want to be found with acts of “doing” or work for our Lord. It’s a natural progression. 

James goes not to say: “But someone will say, “‘You have faith and I have works.’” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works” (James 2:18).

This passage encompasses one of the most well-known verses in the whole letter of James. And God makes clear through James that, “Just as the body without the spirit is dead, you see, so faith without works is dead” (vs.17).

On the surface, this looks the wrong way round in terms of faith and works, but if we were to use “the body and the spirit” as a picture for “faith and works,” wouldn’t we make “faith” correspond to the “spirit” and “words” to the “body”? In reality, faith happens in the spiritual dimension, and works in the bodily dimension. But James does the opposite. Let me explain.

1) FAITH is more than an intellectual belief in God. If the belief does not lead us to a holy life of righteousness and mercy, it is not a real-authentic faith to begin with (Matt. 7:21-23).

2) JAMES gives three arguments in support of this truth: 

a) FIRST: Faith without WORKS is no better than words without deeds (vv. 15-17).

b)SECOND: FAITH can be neither seen nor verified unless it shows itself in works (v.18).

c) THIRD: Even the DEMONS have an intellectual belief in God, but it does not lead to their salvation (v.19).

GENUINE FAITH ARGUMENT
Some Christians believe the faith spoken about in this passage is not genuine faith that produces eternal life. In truth, James is addressing this section to BELIEVERS (“my brethren” in v.14). Brethren are those people who have exercised genuine faith . The issue in this paragraph is not a true faith versus a false faith, but rather a faith that is alone, meaning without works (v.17).

The Greek word (GK “sozo”) is used five times in James (1:21; 2:14; 4:12; 5:15; 5:20). Each time it refers to the savings of the temporal life, not saving from the penalty of sin (5:15). In this context James is referring to being “SAVED” from the the judgement without mercy at the judgment seat of Christ (v.13), and possibly the saving of one’s life from physical death (1:21)

"WORKS” here are actions that following the “Royal Law” of LOVE (vv.8, 15, 16). James is implying in this verse that faith in Christ will demonstrate itself in love for others (see James command to His disciples in John 13:34, 35).

WHAT IS A REAL FAITH?
A real faith is a faith that seeks God deeply and seeks to help others with our actions. So, when Christians speak to empty platitudes without actually helping those in physical need, James says: “WHAT DOES IT PROFIT?" How many works fill a hungry stomach?

Simply put, an authentic faith is illustrated or made evident in great part by our physical actions in helping others; especially widows, orphans and others in true need. But logic makes clear that a dead faith must have been alive to begin with.

A FAITH THAT IS DEAD ONCE HAD TO BE ALIVE
“A faith that dead” uses the Greek word “pistis” that is now dead must have once been alive. Works keep our faith thriving (1 Peter 1:5-9). And the absence of works brings death (James 1:14-15) to faith (2:26). So what are works or “good works”?

IN CONCLUSION
In conclusion, let’s address the true value of good works as found in James 2:14-26.

For James, being “quick to hear” (1:19) meant to be prompt to obey God’s command to do good deeds that benefit others. In the time of James, the problem was that the readers had neglected doing good works as part of the authentic Christian faith. The same might be said of us today in the 21st Century. James agreed that justification before God was by faith alone. But he was abundantly clear that believers must add works to their faith to develop maturity. And once their faith is made evident through works, they will be justified (called righteous) by their works in the eyes of God and others (Mt. 5:16). In closing, the bottom line is that a person who “SAYS HE HAS FAITH” finds it easy to talk up his faith while lacking useful deeds. And that is more often-not an authentic faith.

A LIFE LIVED WELL-The Life Of Joseph

The biblical book of Genesis Ends in Chapter 50 with Joseph, one of two youngest sons of Israel dyeing at the age of 110 years of age-before all of his older brothers. Today, I am going to show you why Joseph died seemingly prematurely-before all his older brothers and how you and I can accomplish a life well lived.

We should all have the goal of living life well for the Lord according to His ways. And leave our life span to Him. If we do that, we can work hard, serve hard, love hard, and accomplish a legacy that will last a lifetime into eternity.

I always wondered why my parents and grandparents generation lived only until the mid-sixties. The answer can be derived by the fact that we have better medical support in on modern world. Furthermore, that generation worked with their hands-meaning their physical bodies as opposed to being on computers all day, avoiding the elements and bad weather. 

I just finished the Book of Genesis and noticed that Joseph died at the age of 110 while his older brothers went on to live much longer, older lives. WHY was this case?

In a nutshell, Joseph died before his brothers simply because, as the ruler of Egypt, he had assumed a great deal of “life-sapping public role” and he passed away ten years sooner than he ought to have, which would have given him to 120 years of age.

THE WEIGHTINESS OF RESPONSIBILITY
Joseph, son of Jacob (Israel) rose to become the second most powerful person in Egypt. That came with a great deal of pressure, responsibility, stress and work. Rabbi Chama, in a commentary suggests that Joseph’s death at a younger age was linked to the burden of his role as second in command ruler over Egypt. Such a role most likely took ten years off his life. 

Genesis 50, starting in verse 22 says, “So Joseph remained in Egypt, he and his father’s house. Joseph lived 110 years. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation, The children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were counted as Joseph’s own. And Joseph said to this brother, “I am about to die, but God will visit you and bring you up out of his land to the land that He swore to Abraham toIsaac, and to Jacob”. Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here. So Joseph died being 110 years old. They embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in Egypt” (Genesis 50:22-26).

As I reflect of this story, I am reminded of the president and owner of a past client, Mr. Paul Souza. Mr. Souza was very good to me and through employing me, allowed me to bring my wife home to homeschool and raise our three children. Mr. Souza said to me a year before he retired that he can protect me for another year a the parent company would buy him out-but that he could do nothing to help me once the company was bought out.

The three things that struck me about working for Mr. Souza were:

1) His commitment to excellence and his kindness in employing me for more than a decade.

2) His character. Once he left, I was shortly left go by a cut throat manager who didn’t even give me one day notice.

3) That two years after Mr. Souza retired, moved to Florida to spend time with his family and play tennis, he had a heart attack and passed away prematurely. He died before his time if you ask me-just like Joseph. 

What did Mr. Souza and Joseph have in common? They were both the top decision maker over a large organization or body of people.

So each day as we awake, let’s tell our wife or husband, children, and all those we love that we love an appreciate them. Let’s also appreciate those who manage well. I’m not speaking of the lazy corporate and political leaders that zap the life out of everyone else while they get the big money and title without the work-I’m speaking about the Joseph’s and Mr. Souza’s of the world who truly serve the organization and all it’s employees for the betterment of everyone’s life.

And let’s keep in mind the biblical model as provided by God for us through the book of Genesis showing us that Joseph, one of two youngest sons of Israel dyeing prematurely at the age of 110-at least ten years of age before all of his older brothers. 

The take away for all of us should be the goal of living life well for the Lord according to His ways. And leave our life span to Him. If we do that, we can work hard, serve hard, love hard, and accomplish a legacy that will last a lifetime into eternity.

In our current world of debt, leverage and turmoil, we are never more than one crisis away from major changes instituted on us by the authorities in the name of "protecting" the citizens of the country. President Obama's appointed Rahm Emanuel said, "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that is that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before" -Rahm Emanuel.

It was Winston Churchill that first said: "Never let a good crisis go to waste". While it is not definitively found in his recorded speeches or writings, it's commonly associated wit his post-World War II effort to form the United Nations. And we know how that went. 

But where did Churchill get such thinking from? I would assert that it may be from the Scriptures going all the way back to "The Beginning" in Genesis. In Genesis 47:20-26 we find Joseph as being the Pharaoh's right-hand man used by God and Pharaoh to help save the people from a famine that would cost them their life. As a result, Joseph in his craftiness sold the public food that God himself had led Joseph to store up as grain throughout the land. Once the famine it, Joseph charged money to feed those living in Egypt and Canine.

Once the average person's money ran out, Joseph bartered for their livestock and animals for another year's food. But the famine as we know would last seven years. So when the people had nothing left but their land and bodies, Joseph gave made a deal to take possession of their land and have them work that land as slaves for one fifth of the grain to be given to the Pharaoh. It was a brilliant move, and we see the same thing going on here in 2025. Before we discuss that, let's read a portion of the biblical record for context.

^"20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's. ²¹ As for the people, he made servants of them^[a] from one end of Egypt to the other. ²² Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.

²³ Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. ²⁴ And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” ²⁵ And they said, “You have statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's." (Genesis 47:20-26)

TODAY 2025

As I stated above, it's 2025, and the United States and all world economies, banks, markets, and worst of all-currencies are bankrupt. When the system fails to a degree that is unsustainable, the government officials, banks, and large businesses will come in to save the day by helping people "stay in their houses", provide them food, and give them all the basics of living a simple life. But there is one caveat that was not in existence during the life of Joseph-the computer. When the economy gets bad enough, when enough banks fail, when enough commercial real estate go under, and enough people go broke, the government will come in to save the day.

But like the people of Egypt and Canine, there will be catch in that all they own will be confiscated by the government to spare their life. If this sounds far-fetched, think about it a while. Those who are leveraged will lose everything but be spared their life, given the basic provisions of life at the hand of the government and big business. What will spark this to happen? I'm not exactly certain, but I do know that it will be some sort of "Crisis".

We need to be in prayer, prepare rightly, and remember the old playbook-the words of Rahm Emanuel: "You never let a serious crisis go to waste. And what I mean by that is that it's an opportunity to do things you think you could not do before".

²⁵ And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” ²⁶ So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's." (Genesis 47:25-26)