{"id":6545,"date":"2024-06-10T18:08:08","date_gmt":"2024-06-10T18:08:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/?p=6545"},"modified":"2024-06-10T18:08:08","modified_gmt":"2024-06-10T18:08:08","slug":"even-the-demons-believe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/themajestysmen.com\/joshuajenkins\/even-the-demons-believe\/","title":{"rendered":"Even the Demons Believe"},"content":{"rendered":"

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith\u00a0but does not have works? Can that faith save him?<\/span>\u00a015\u00a0<\/sup>If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,<\/span>\u00a016\u00a0<\/sup>and one of you says to them, \u201cGo in peace, be warmed and filled,\u201d without giving them the things needed for the body, what good[a<\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0is that?<\/span>\u00a017\u00a0<\/sup>So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.<\/span><\/p>\n

18\u00a0<\/sup>But someone will say, \u201cYou have faith and I have works.\u201d Show me your faith\u00a0apart from your works, and I will show you my faith\u00a0by my works.<\/span>\u00a019\u00a0<\/sup>You believe that God is one; you do well. Even\u00a0the demons believe\u2014and shudder!<\/span>\u00a020\u00a0<\/sup>Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?<\/span>\u00a021\u00a0<\/sup>Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?<\/span>\u00a022\u00a0<\/sup>You see that\u00a0faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed\u00a0by his works;<\/span>\u00a023\u00a0<\/sup>and the Scripture was fulfilled that says,\u00a0\u201cAbraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness\u201d\u2014and he was called a\u00a0friend of God.<\/span>\u00a024\u00a0<\/sup>You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.<\/span>\u00a025\u00a0<\/sup>And in the same way was not also\u00a0Rahab the prostitute justified by works\u00a0when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?<\/span>\u00a026\u00a0<\/sup>For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. (James 2:14-26)<\/span><\/p>\n

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Introduction<\/b><\/p>\n

The passage before us today is one which many have found to be quite difficult to understand when considered in light of the whole of Scripture. This is a passage which has been twisted by others to promote things like the Roman Catholic conception of justification. It is a passage which many protestants have run away from or hid away out of embarrassment or lack of confidence in properly dealing with it. Luther went so far as to speak quite ill of James. But this is the Word of God, which we should preach and know and love. In fact, while this is a difficult passage, it is one which I believe is quite simple to understand and vital to our lives. I think James is very clear in what he means, and he doesn\u2019t feel the need to qualify everything he says here with the proper theological categories of qualifying that we have developed today.<\/span><\/p>\n

Theology is a very important thing to be studied, and it is good to categorize and systematize, but the Bible doesn\u2019t always fit so neatly or perfectly into our boxes. That is just to say, the Bible is not structured like a volume of systematic theology, that would be too easy. What I\u2019m saying is, our theology tells us to never say these words, \u201cYou see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.\u201d Yet the Bible says that. That\u2019s James 2:24. Now, that statement is not a contradiction to the protestant and biblical doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone because that statement comes to us, not as an isolated theological statement, but in the midst of a certain discourse, which is very clear what the point is. Indeed, the James who wrote these words, is the same James, in my view, who defended Justification by Faith Alone during the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, as we dive into this passage, what has James been talking to us about? He has been talking about enduring through trials, the maturing of our faith, being doers of the word, and not being hypocrites, and doing good works of mercy toward others. So he gives us essentially another way to test ourselves, to determine whether our religion is true religion or a useless religion.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Faith of the Hypocrite, v. 14-17<\/b><\/p>\n

The first thing that James addresses here is the faith of the hypocrite, a type of person which James has been dealing with already, such as the one who hears the word but does not do it, like a man who looks in a mirror and walk away forgetting what he looks like; or like the person who professes religion but does not bridle his tongue, he has a worthless religion. So now James asks a rhetorical question, \u201cwhat good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?\u201d The obvious answer is that it is not good. It is worthless. It is useless. This is what James has been talking about. Now, we may at first easily agree and think \u201cYes, the faith without works is a useless faith in the sense that it does our neighbor no good. But we are still justified by faith without works.\u201d But James does not only put the uselessness of such a faith on the uselessness to our neighbor, but also on the person who claims to have such a faith, because the next question he asks is, \u201cCan that faith save him?\u201d To which the obvious intended answer is \u201cno.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

So what do we make of this? This goes right in line with James\u2019 discourse on deceiving ourselves. If we say we have faith but do not have works, we not only deprive our neighbor, but we also deceive ourselves as to the genuineness of our faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

The first thing to note here is that this hypothetical person is someone who CLAIMS to have faith. James does not say that he actually does have faith. And then James asks, \u201cCan THAT faith save him?\u201d What faith? That merely claimed faith, which James will also call a dead faith. So we could say, \u201ccan a merely professed faith, can a dead faith save?\u201d The answer is no. Even though the context of Ephesians is different than James, this aligns nicely with what Paul says in Ephesians 2, which shows the complementary nature of James and Paul, they are not contradictory. Ephesians 2:8-10, \u201cFor by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.\u201d So we are saved by grace through faith, and for the purpose of walking in good works. If we are not walking in good works, have we really been saved by grace through faith?<\/span><\/p>\n

James then gives a parable to illustrate his point. If a brother or sister is lacking in daily food and clothing, and all we do is say, \u201cGo in peace, be warmed and filled,\u201d without actually helping them with their basic needs, then what good is that? No good at all. We may SAY nice and good things to them, but James is criticizing the mere profession without works. Saying \u201cbe warmed and filled,\u201d does nothing to actually warm and fill them. Such words are empty words, which James has a problem with. In this illustration James is showing us that how we treat one another is a good test for how we really feel about God. A body of believers who merely profess belief but do not love one another is not showing that they are actually a body of believers, for the world will know that we are Christ\u2019s disciples by our love for one another. If you have faith, you will have works. Thomas Manton gives a searching comment on this, saying, \u201cAn excellent way to discover our deceitful dealing with God is to compare it with our own dealings with one another.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So James says, \u201cSo also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.\u201d James is not criticizing faith alone, he is criticizing a dead faith alone, which is no faith at all, so that we are not deceived, for a dead faith does not save. The popular protestant maxim rings true, \u201cWe are saved by faith alone, but not by faith that is alone.\u201d\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

In this way we can say that faith without works is dead like a tree that does not bear fruit is dead. Works are not the root of the tree, but the fruit of the tree. By a tree\u2019s fruit you can tell what kind of tree it is; so by a person\u2019s fruit you can see whether they have faith, or if their faith is dead. Dead faith is no faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

Then in verse 18 James gives a hypothetical objection. This hypothetical objector says, \u201cYou have faith and I have works.\u201d In other words, this objector is separating faith and works to the degree that one person may have faith and another may have works each without the other. How does James deal with this objection? The first thing he says is \u201cShow me your faith apart from your works\u2026\u201d This is a challenge, show me your faith apart from your works. How would someone show their faith apart from their works? You can\u2019t do it by a mere profession, James has already shown how a profession can be empty and devoid of genuine faith, if there are no works with it, and he will continue to show this. You can\u2019t show someone the contents of your heart. James is showing the absurdity of such a claim because it is impossible to show your faith apart from works, for that is how faith is displayed. You cannot see the inner commitment of someone\u2019s heart except by their actions.<\/span><\/p>\n

One commentator illustrates the point this way, \u201cJust as the unrepentant, adulterous husband who exclaims to his wife, \u2018I have love, and you have faithfulness,\u2019 is a fool and hypocrite, so also is the Christian who claims to have saving faith while living a consistently disobedient life.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

One of the things the Scripture is showing us here is that in systematic theology you can and even must distinguish between faith and works, but in real life, in practical theology, in someone\u2019s life, where the rubber meets the road you can\u2019t so radically distinguish between the two. Someone can say over and over that they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, but if their lives show that Jesus is not really Lord, then we have no basis to believe their profession.<\/span><\/p>\n

The next part of James\u2019 rebuttal says, \u201cI will show you my faith by my works. This is the proper way. This is very important. Faith is shown by works. And this is important for the whole passage in showing us what is meant. Faith is shown by works. Works show, or reveal, or prove that the faith is there, and in this way, that person is justified by his works, not in a meritorious or foundational or causal sense before God, but before men, justifying his profession. Works flow from faith, and thus show or prove the faith to be true.<\/span><\/p>\n

James speaks of showing our faith to others through works. How else can we know the veracity of someone\u2019s faith but by their works?<\/span><\/p>\n

The Faith of Demons, v. 19<\/b><\/p>\n

The next way that James illustrates this point to us is by reminding us of the faith of demons. \u201cYou believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe – and shudder!\u201d The point is really brought home as James references a foundational confession of faith, that God is one, a reference to what is called the Shema, from Deuteronomy 6:4, \u201cHear, O Israel: the LORD our God, the LORD is one.\u201d So, you confess this, you believe this, that is good, we must. But mere mental assent to this very true core doctrine is not sufficient in and of itself. This is proven in the fact that even the demons know and believe this, and their belief in this is shown by the fact that they shudder at this! They believe this, and they produce bad fruit, evil works. At least they do that! But the hypocrite doesn\u2019t even shudder at what the vainly profess.<\/span><\/p>\n

So mere mental assent is insufficient, even that is not genuine faith. Simply saying the right things and repeating the right lines is not proper evidence for true faith. Orthodox doctrine by itself is no proof of faith. You can have all the right theological positions and know good doctrine inside and out, but if your life says otherwise, your actions have betrayed the true condition of your heart.<\/span><\/p>\n

James is refuting the idea that faith as mere intellectual assent without living action can save.<\/span><\/p>\n

Thomas Manton delivers another salient comment, \u201cIn this whole discourse the apostle shows not what justifies but who is justified\u2026 The context does not show that faith without works does not justify, but that assent without works is not faith.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The Faith of Abraham, v. 20-24<\/b><\/p>\n

James then asks another question to this hypothetical objector, whom he calls a foolish person, \u201cdo you want to be shown that faith apart from works is useless?\u201d Again, this question shows us the point, that faith apart from works is useless. How is he going to show this point to us? He does so by pointing to biblical examples, first the example of Abraham.<\/span><\/p>\n

He refers to Abraham\u2019s offering of his son Isaac as proving his faith. The way he phrases it is to say that our father Abraham was justified by his work, of offering Isaac on the altar. He is not saying that Abraham was justified in a legal court of law, as righteous before God, but he was justified in his faith, his faith was proved true when he obeyed God. He is justified in our eyes by his works, for it is how we can see his faith was real. As it says in verse 22, \u201cYOU SEE that faith was active along with his works\u2026\u201d And again in verse 24, \u201cYOU SEE that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.\u201d If Abraham or any person says they have faith, but they go on to disobey God in their lives, and they never show obedience to God, then we can\u2019t see their faith.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is also very interesting to note that in the passage in Genesis where Abraham obeys God in offering up Isaac, it says that this was a test from God for Abraham. Genesis 22:1, \u201cAfter these things God TESTED Abraham and said to him, \u2018Abraham!\u2019 And he said, \u2018Here I am.\u2019 He said, \u2018Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.\u2019\u201d So God was testing Abraham, which is exactly one of the themes of James\u2019 letter – remember chapter 1, \u201cthe TESTING of your faith produces steadfastness.\u201d \u201cBlessed is the man who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the TEST he will receive the crown of life\u2026\u201d This fits very nicely with what James has been teaching, that there is a testing of our faith which comes to us, and how we respond shows what is really inside of us. So in his obedience, Abraham\u2019s faith was proven, as Hebrews 11:17 says, \u201cBy faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac\u2026\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The other part of this example that must be understood in the context of James, and in understanding it properly it fits perfectly is in verse 22, where it is said that Abraham\u2019s \u201cfaith was COMPLETED by his works\u2026\u201d Now some will isolate such a statement to try to say that works are part of the justifying faith before God, but this is not what James means. Remember James 1, the testing of our faith is to produce steadfastness, and steadfastness is to have its full effect, that \u201cyou may be perfect and COMPLETE, lacking in nothing.\u201d We discussed there how this perfection and completion was not the idea of sinless perfection, but of maturity. Abraham\u2019s faith was matured through his works. James\u2019 book-long emphasis is the maturing of faith, the process of salvation, the growing up into maturity. Obeying God matures us. Obeying God strengthens and matures our faith. Obeying God is not always easy. It is hard. But the more we obey Him and walk in His ways we are more and more completed or matured and our faith is strengthened as we stand the test and find God to be faithful and true.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

James is not discussing meeting favor from God or earning right standing with God. He is dealing with hypocrisy and true faith among the brothers, in the brotherhood of the church. Hypocrisy is immaturity and we are called to maturity and sincerity.<\/span><\/p>\n