the vital importance of speaking and acting by the law of liberty james 2:14ff

The Vital Importance of Speaking and Acting by the Law of Liberty

James 2:14ff

Why is James so Despised?

Luther• “a Right

strawy gospel”

Pope Leo• “Arise, Lord,

and defend thine own vineyard against the wild beast that is devouring it.”

Few books of the Bible have been more maligned than the little Book of James—J. R. Blue, A.B., Th.M, Ph.D., Chairman and Professor of World Missions

Luther:“The

Babylonian Captivity”

Remember Last Week?

•Jewish Christians steeped in the traditions of the Pharisees…

The Audience

•“Have you not made distinctions among yourselves, and become judges with evil motives?” (2:4)

The Problem

•Live consistently!•If you judge, judge by God’s Perfect Law!•Otherwise, live by “the Law of Liberty”

The Solution

19 "For out of the heart come evil thoughts [poneros dialogismos], adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, slanders.” Matthew 15:19 (NASB)

Remember Last Week?Your Heart can be a Spiritual Death Trap

The Heart Poneros dialogismos(painful reasonings)

Jesus Christ says there’s a process…

Painful Reasonings My Judgments

James says it’s a two-way street…

Have you not become judges with evil motives ? (James 2:4)

The Juncture in James: do one or the other.Either: Poisonous Thoughts or Love.

Life UnderLaw• James 2:10

“Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all!”

Life Under Love

• James 2:8:“Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well…

An attitudeof gratitude• James 2:12“So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.”

James 2: Speak and Actby the Law of LibertyJames 2:17

• “…faith, if it has no works, is dead…”

James 2:24

• “…a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.!”

Galatians 2:16 !!

• “…by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified!”

James 2: Speak and Actby the Law of Liberty

James vs. Paul: irreconcilable differences?

On Faith…James 2:24 “…a man is justified by works and not by faith

alone.!”

Gal. 2:16 !! “…by the

works of the Law shall no

flesh be justified!”

On Abraham…

James 2:18 “Was not

Abraham our father

justified by works, when he offered

up Isaac his son on the

altar?”

Gal. 3:6-7 “Abraham believed

God, and it was

reckoned to him as

righteousness…”


What are “Works” ?• Earn a wage: ‘When

people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.’Rom. 4:4

Paul (Gal.2:21)• “If keeping the

law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die.”

James 2:26• For just as the

body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

Salvation by Works is 100% non-Christian

“Works” are an essential part of Christianity.


2:14

What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?

2:15-16

Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

2:17

So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.

James 2:17-18 (NLT)

18 Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

Before: •James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

After: •James 3:2 For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to bridle the whole body as well.

Therefore: •James cannot possibly be teaching “works” for salvation…nobody is perfect enough for that!

Con

text:

James 2: Speak and Actby the Law of Liberty2

:18

“Now someone may argue, ‘Some people have faith; others have good deeds.’(i.e., we all have different tastes)

2:18

But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

2:19

You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror!

GOOD POINT!

James 2: Speak and Actby the Law of Liberty2

:20

How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

2:21-23

(The story of Abe… Let’s skip it for now…

2:24

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.


2:14 What use is it…faith, but…no works?

2:18 show me your faith 2:18 I will show you my

faith… 2:20 Can’t you see that

faith …is useless? 2:22 You see that faith was

working… 2:24 You see that a man is

justified by works and not by faith alone.

The Point?

Faith before people

Not faith

before God!


The Clincher Argument:

25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?

26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

The Point?

Faith before people

Not faith

before God!


The Point?

Faith before people

Not faith

before God!


James 2:24 You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.

Gal. 2:16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus…since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified“make

justified”

“seemjustified”

When should you expect someone to “seem justified”

Glad you asked…

New Testament

•50 ad

Old Testament

•400 bc

BEFORE the OT

•2000 bc

Abraham

•“father of faith”

Genesis 22 – Abraham & Isaac

Abraham & Sarah Childless. Isaac was born 23 years later. At age 12:

"Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.“

WHY!? Human Sacrifice was Forbidden. It was a Vital Prophecy about the Substitutionary Death

of Jesus Christ.

Mount Moriah: The rocky outcropping in Jerusalem located just north of the ancient city of David. It was on this rock that Abraham would have sacrificed Isaac as a burnt offering, but God intervened and provided a ram….-Holman Bible Dictionary Copyright © 1991 Holman Bible Publishers.

Genesis 22 – Abraham & Isaac

Abraham & Sarah Childless. Isaac was born 23 years later. At age 12:

"Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you.“

WHY!? Human Sacrifice was Forbidden. It was a Vital Prophecy about the Substitutionary Death

of Jesus Christ. Abraham’s Faith in God.

He Trusted in God’s Promises:Genesis 21:12 “for through Isaac your descendants shall be named.”

Hebrews 11:17-19 By faith Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac… He considered that God is able to raise men even from the dead;

What name did Abraham give this place?


James 2:21-23 (NASB) 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness," and he was called the friend of God.

Believed.• ‘right

eous’• Gen.1

5:6

Mt. Moriah• Gen.

22

35 years later!

Faith ‘matured’


Paul JamesJames 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all.

Both Paul & James agree: works never work with God!

Romans 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.

2 Choices:1) Try to BOAST before GOD2) Get JUSTIFIED through

Christ:


Paul James“Made Justified” “Regarded”Before God Before MenNew Believers Older BelieversGet It! Live It!

“Justified” in Paul and James

Salvation Sanctification


James 2:8 If, however, you are fulfilling the royal law, according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well.

James 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by the law of liberty.

DROP your “poisonous thoughts”•Your new faith will easily replace that old trash!•Find some LIBERTY!

START sacrificially loving people even if it seems risky!•That’s called faith-in-action!

LET GO of your (cultural) elitism!•Trust God instead!•That’s how faith “matures”

- - S a n c t i f i c a t i o n - -

the vital importance of speaking and acting by the law of liberty james 2:14ff

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