Faith that Works: Legitimate Faith, Living the Word
It is important for us to pay close attention to the writings of James under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The purpose of the book of James was to define FAITH THAT WORKS in the life of the believer while going through adversity. It was to let those believers scattered throughout the nations know that trials and tribulations are useful to prove our faith by the way in which we handle these difficulties and that fruitful works will follow legitimate faith. James says to …
- COUNT IT ALL JOY when you enter into different trials!
- KNOW that trials develop perseverance that produces maturity!
- ASK FOR WISDOM to prove faith in the midst of adversity!
We are then told that God is actually working with us in our trials ready to give them a crown of life for endurance and victory – for passing the test. As I have often said about the tests of life for a child of God, it is impossible to fail. You simply have to keep taking them over until you pass. The key is learning and growing. It reminds me of a child who came home from their first day of school and the mother asks, “What did you learn today?” The kid replies, “Not enough apparently, I have to go back tomorrow!”
Then we come to verses 16-27.
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:16-27)
It is fascinating to see that James deals with the good and perfect gifts of God coming down from above after he just dealt with the issue of trials and tribulations. In the context, one can’t help but see that these gifts from God are not what we would normally think as those listed in Scripture. Rather, it is obvious that the trials and tribulations are considered gifts. They enable us to develop according to God’s purpose. This is why James says, “don’t be deceived”. In other words, don’t think that the gifts of God are only those things that seem pleasant. Don’t be deceived into thinking that it is only the enemy involved in the difficulties of life. God, our Father, arranges life or allows things in life to legitimize our faith. This is incredibly important for us to understand particularly for the days in which we live.
The days in which we live are filled with lots of people that call themselves Christians. Many call themselves Christians who shouldn’t. Those are the people whose lifestyle is contrary to the lifestyle that Jesus calls us to. Unfortunately, those people never seem to doubt their Christianity. But on the other hand, there are some people who call themselves Christians and live in constant doubt. Like all Christians, they wrestle with sin in their lives. But their wrestling leads to doubt and insecurity. They question the reality of the work Christ did in their lives. It is a sad thing that many people who never question their salvation, need to and many others who question their salvation, shouldn’t. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
James wrote this letter to show us a series of tests we can take to show us whether our faith is real or not. James lays out the first and foundational test of faith— what we do with God’s Word. So we must ask ourselves an important question. How do you legitimize your faith?
So what does it mean to receive the Word with meekness? What will your lifestyle look like if you are receiving the Word of God with meekness? Our passage shows that you will display three characteristics.
HEAR THE WORD (v. 19)
God designed your head in a unique way. He gave you two ears and only one mouth so you could listen twice as much as you speak. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
It all starts with listening—hearing the Word of God. Think about all of the words that come out of your mouth every day. One study showed that men use an average of 7,000 words per day. It also showed that women use an average of 20,000 words per day. Based on those statistics, if my sermons on Sunday's consists of 7,000 words, I’ll probably get a 20,000 word critique from my wife when I get home. So that’s good motivation to be punctual today in order to avoid that. But the point is, on average a lot of words come out of our mouths and James tells us to be swifter to hear than speak. In other words, if you speak out 7000 words in a day, how many Words of Scripture and good Bible teaching do you think you ought to take in?
- COUNT IT ALL JOY when you enter into different trials!
- KNOW that trials develop perseverance that produces maturity!
- ASK FOR WISDOM to prove faith in the midst of adversity!
We are then told that God is actually working with us in our trials ready to give them a crown of life for endurance and victory – for passing the test. As I have often said about the tests of life for a child of God, it is impossible to fail. You simply have to keep taking them over until you pass. The key is learning and growing. It reminds me of a child who came home from their first day of school and the mother asks, “What did you learn today?” The kid replies, “Not enough apparently, I have to go back tomorrow!”
Then we come to verses 16-27.
“Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers. 17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change. 18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures. 19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person's religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:16-27)
It is fascinating to see that James deals with the good and perfect gifts of God coming down from above after he just dealt with the issue of trials and tribulations. In the context, one can’t help but see that these gifts from God are not what we would normally think as those listed in Scripture. Rather, it is obvious that the trials and tribulations are considered gifts. They enable us to develop according to God’s purpose. This is why James says, “don’t be deceived”. In other words, don’t think that the gifts of God are only those things that seem pleasant. Don’t be deceived into thinking that it is only the enemy involved in the difficulties of life. God, our Father, arranges life or allows things in life to legitimize our faith. This is incredibly important for us to understand particularly for the days in which we live.
The days in which we live are filled with lots of people that call themselves Christians. Many call themselves Christians who shouldn’t. Those are the people whose lifestyle is contrary to the lifestyle that Jesus calls us to. Unfortunately, those people never seem to doubt their Christianity. But on the other hand, there are some people who call themselves Christians and live in constant doubt. Like all Christians, they wrestle with sin in their lives. But their wrestling leads to doubt and insecurity. They question the reality of the work Christ did in their lives. It is a sad thing that many people who never question their salvation, need to and many others who question their salvation, shouldn’t. In Matthew 7:21-23, Jesus said:
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’”
James wrote this letter to show us a series of tests we can take to show us whether our faith is real or not. James lays out the first and foundational test of faith— what we do with God’s Word. So we must ask ourselves an important question. How do you legitimize your faith?
Receive the Word of God with Meekness (James 1:19-21)
So what does it mean to receive the Word with meekness? What will your lifestyle look like if you are receiving the Word of God with meekness? Our passage shows that you will display three characteristics.
HEAR THE WORD (v. 19)
God designed your head in a unique way. He gave you two ears and only one mouth so you could listen twice as much as you speak. Romans 10:17 says, “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
It all starts with listening—hearing the Word of God. Think about all of the words that come out of your mouth every day. One study showed that men use an average of 7,000 words per day. It also showed that women use an average of 20,000 words per day. Based on those statistics, if my sermons on Sunday's consists of 7,000 words, I’ll probably get a 20,000 word critique from my wife when I get home. So that’s good motivation to be punctual today in order to avoid that. But the point is, on average a lot of words come out of our mouths and James tells us to be swifter to hear than speak. In other words, if you speak out 7000 words in a day, how many Words of Scripture and good Bible teaching do you think you ought to take in?
“Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”
If we’re ever going to hear from God James says that there are three things we must do, first we must...
Be Quick to Listen
Good listening skills were crucial to the spiritual development of the early church. Listening is critical in our day and time, especially in the church.
We live in a world of fast food, 15-second TV commercials and 5-second sound bites. Our society is training us to be poor listeners. Psychologist Paul Tournier has said that the majority of our conversations - even between couples - are "dialogues of the deaf."
This problem doesn’t just affect our social relationships though - it affects our spiritual development. With our limited attention spans, our time in the Word is bound to be weak. Most of the prayer time of modern man is: "Speak to me Lord, you’ve got fifteen seconds." The point is simply this, we must make a conscious effort to overcome our listening problems.
Secondly, if we are to hear we must be...
Slow to Speak
Another reason our listening is hampered is that we spend most of our time thinking of what we are going to say next. James is not calling on us to all take a vow of silence, nor does he mean to bar any interaction in a Bible study, what he is calling for is the common sense principle to think before we speak. Often times we open our mouth just long enough to change feet. Thirdly, if we are to listen we must be...
Slow to become Angry
You may wonder what this has to do with hearing but if you think about it, it makes sense. How many times have you heard a preacher say something that struck you the wrong way and spent the rest of the sermon stewing on that one point?
Often times we spread our toes our and just wait for someone to step on them. James says to us be slow to become angry. Hear what God is saying - oftentimes anger is the disguise we put on conviction. The second thing we must do to hear and obey is to...
ACCEPT THE WORD (v. 21)
“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
There are some barriers, James says, not only to hearing the Word, but there are also barriers to accepting the word.
Immorality
The fact that immoral life-styles are a barrier to accepting the Word or the Gospel is not a secret to anyone--sinners understand it instinctively. When confronted with Jesus for salvation, people tend to say, "Well, I have some things in my life I need to get straight first."
People know that salvation and immorality are simply incompatible. Now of course I usually tell them that they have the order wrong. They need to accept Jesus first and he will help them make the changes they need--but they are right in instinctively understanding that salvation demands repentance - sorrow over sins and a willingness to turn away from them.
It’s true for good church people too. Living with sin in your life that you’re not willing to deal with causes us to work not on accepting God’s word but on coming up with our own justifications. The other barrier to accepting the Word is:
Pride
James says to humbly accept the word planted in you. Accepting the Gospel demands that we admit that we are a wreck and we can’t do anything about it. It requires that we humbly confess that we need a savior.
There are many who claim to be Christians who live what seems to be a Christian lifestyle who have not yet jumped the hurdle of pride. They are trusting in their good life to get them into heaven.
James say we must humbly accept the word - we must admit before God that we cannot ever be good enough - that we must simply rest on His grace - on the price He has paid for us. To accept the word we need to put away pride.
So we’ve talked about hearing the Word and accepting the Word, that brings us to the action step…
DO THE WORD (v. 22)
Once we have heard and accepted the Word, The Scripture makes it clear that we have a responsibility to act on it. Not that we can save ourselves by adherence to some set of rules, but simply that we recognize that He has purchased us with a price and He has a right to expect something from us.
To illustrate the difference between those who merely hear and those who hear and do, James uses the illustration of men looking into a mirror. Let’s look first at the man who only hears:
Hearer (verses 22-24)
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”
Say a man is looking in mirror and notices he’s putting on weight but doesn’t change his eating habits. The Word of God here is presented as a mirror that shows us what we really look like. Without that mirror we can deceive ourselves as to how we really look. We can feel like we’re pretty good by comparing ourselves to others, but like the camera, the mirror doesn’t lie--when we are brought face to face with the standards of God set by the sinless life of Jesus Christ we can not help but see our need.
The point that James makes here is that the importance of the mirror is not in the shiny surface itself but in what it tells us about ourselves--and what’s even more important is how we act on that knowledge. James says that we should be doers of the Word.
Doer (verse 25)
“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
Here is the standard for us - that we look into that perfect law that gives freedom - the law of God’s grace. And that we recognize that we need Him to forgive us and to help us live the righteous life that He desires. And note that we’re told that keeping a tight reign on the tongue is a key indicator of how we’re doing as doers of the Word.
If we’re ever going to hear from God James says that there are three things we must do, first we must...
Be Quick to Listen
Good listening skills were crucial to the spiritual development of the early church. Listening is critical in our day and time, especially in the church.
We live in a world of fast food, 15-second TV commercials and 5-second sound bites. Our society is training us to be poor listeners. Psychologist Paul Tournier has said that the majority of our conversations - even between couples - are "dialogues of the deaf."
This problem doesn’t just affect our social relationships though - it affects our spiritual development. With our limited attention spans, our time in the Word is bound to be weak. Most of the prayer time of modern man is: "Speak to me Lord, you’ve got fifteen seconds." The point is simply this, we must make a conscious effort to overcome our listening problems.
Secondly, if we are to hear we must be...
Slow to Speak
Another reason our listening is hampered is that we spend most of our time thinking of what we are going to say next. James is not calling on us to all take a vow of silence, nor does he mean to bar any interaction in a Bible study, what he is calling for is the common sense principle to think before we speak. Often times we open our mouth just long enough to change feet. Thirdly, if we are to listen we must be...
Slow to become Angry
You may wonder what this has to do with hearing but if you think about it, it makes sense. How many times have you heard a preacher say something that struck you the wrong way and spent the rest of the sermon stewing on that one point?
Often times we spread our toes our and just wait for someone to step on them. James says to us be slow to become angry. Hear what God is saying - oftentimes anger is the disguise we put on conviction. The second thing we must do to hear and obey is to...
ACCEPT THE WORD (v. 21)
“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
There are some barriers, James says, not only to hearing the Word, but there are also barriers to accepting the word.
Immorality
The fact that immoral life-styles are a barrier to accepting the Word or the Gospel is not a secret to anyone--sinners understand it instinctively. When confronted with Jesus for salvation, people tend to say, "Well, I have some things in my life I need to get straight first."
People know that salvation and immorality are simply incompatible. Now of course I usually tell them that they have the order wrong. They need to accept Jesus first and he will help them make the changes they need--but they are right in instinctively understanding that salvation demands repentance - sorrow over sins and a willingness to turn away from them.
It’s true for good church people too. Living with sin in your life that you’re not willing to deal with causes us to work not on accepting God’s word but on coming up with our own justifications. The other barrier to accepting the Word is:
Pride
James says to humbly accept the word planted in you. Accepting the Gospel demands that we admit that we are a wreck and we can’t do anything about it. It requires that we humbly confess that we need a savior.
There are many who claim to be Christians who live what seems to be a Christian lifestyle who have not yet jumped the hurdle of pride. They are trusting in their good life to get them into heaven.
James say we must humbly accept the word - we must admit before God that we cannot ever be good enough - that we must simply rest on His grace - on the price He has paid for us. To accept the word we need to put away pride.
So we’ve talked about hearing the Word and accepting the Word, that brings us to the action step…
DO THE WORD (v. 22)
Once we have heard and accepted the Word, The Scripture makes it clear that we have a responsibility to act on it. Not that we can save ourselves by adherence to some set of rules, but simply that we recognize that He has purchased us with a price and He has a right to expect something from us.
To illustrate the difference between those who merely hear and those who hear and do, James uses the illustration of men looking into a mirror. Let’s look first at the man who only hears:
Hearer (verses 22-24)
“But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.”
Say a man is looking in mirror and notices he’s putting on weight but doesn’t change his eating habits. The Word of God here is presented as a mirror that shows us what we really look like. Without that mirror we can deceive ourselves as to how we really look. We can feel like we’re pretty good by comparing ourselves to others, but like the camera, the mirror doesn’t lie--when we are brought face to face with the standards of God set by the sinless life of Jesus Christ we can not help but see our need.
The point that James makes here is that the importance of the mirror is not in the shiny surface itself but in what it tells us about ourselves--and what’s even more important is how we act on that knowledge. James says that we should be doers of the Word.
Doer (verse 25)
“But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.”
Here is the standard for us - that we look into that perfect law that gives freedom - the law of God’s grace. And that we recognize that we need Him to forgive us and to help us live the righteous life that He desires. And note that we’re told that keeping a tight reign on the tongue is a key indicator of how we’re doing as doers of the Word.
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