James: Where Faith
and Life Meet
Abraham and Rahab
4/15/12
Introduction
When God makes a promise He always keeps
it. He may not tell us how he will
accomplish what he has promised but he will always pull through. In Genesis 15:6 God makes a promise to Abram
(later to be known as Abraham); this promise was God giving Abraham a son
through his wife Sara (naturally) and one day he (Abraham) would be known by
all as the Father of a great nation (Israel).
His ancestors would be as many as the stars in the sky. Abraham believed this promise and God counted
it to him as righteousness. However
Abraham had no idea how God was going to accomplish his promise because at the
time He made the promise Abraham was in his mid eighties and he had no natural son
with his wife Sara. Many years preceding
God’s promise, Isaac was born to a Sarah at the tender young age of 90. When Isaac was a young man God told Abraham
to take his son to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him to Lord. Once again Abraham obeyed. Thankfully the story does not end tragically
with the death of Isaac. Instead God
provided a sacrifice and pronounced another blessing on Abraham.
Abraham’s response to God’s promises was
integral. This is the point where his
faith and works came together. It would have
been easy for Abraham to say to God he believed yet not act on it, but we see
that this was not the case with him.
RECAP
Today’s text may be considered one of
the most controversial, if not (to some) the most contradictive passages in all
the New Testament. This is mainly due to
James’ ideas that at first glance seem to contradict the teachings of the
Apostle Paul. My goal for today is to look
at the text and clarify what James is trying to convey and ultimately show that
his message is not contradictory and is in fact on the same page as the Apostle
Paul’s.
In order for us to get an accurate look must
first keep in mind the context of this passage or the point James has been
trying to make since verse 14. He spends
a good deal of time talking about the compatibility and necessity of works
based faith. He shows works are
importance because they are an evidence of our faith. James writes, “If you say you have faith and
do not show it through good deeds or good works then your proclaimed faith is
useless.”
Our text for today James 2:21 – 26 the
brother of Jesus uses the examples of Abraham (the Father of the Jews) and
Rahab (A Gentile prostitute) to make his point regarding works and faith must
go hand in hand in order for faith to be genuine.
Verse 21: “Was not Abraham
our father…” James is writing to
dispersed Christian Jews. Abraham is regarded
as the Father of the Jews (Genesis 17:3 – 6:
The Abrahamic Covenant). The
prophets of old, the religious leaders of Jesus’ time (John 8:36) and Jews in
general speak of him as their father. Since the Jews regard him so highly it is
only natural that James would use him as an example of the importance of showing
a works based faith.
“Justified or declared righteous when he
offered up his son Isaac on the altar?” The
NIV uses the word righteous and the ESV uses justified. According to Hebrew Biblical philosopher
Philo, this act is considered Abraham’s greatest work. In his obedience Abraham showed that He
completely trusted God in all aspects of his life. We will look more closely at James’ words in
a moment but we can gather through this that James shows that Abraham’s work
was an example or instrument of his being justified.
When we hear the word justify we
typically think of the New Testament definition Paul uses which means, to
render one just, innocent or free. Paul proclaims that we are justified, or
pronounced innocent by God when we trust or put our faith in Jesus Christ. This is a central teaching from the Apostle
Paul and throughout the NT. However
according to Doulas Moo, “We must not assume that James, (writing before Paul)
uses the word (justified) in the same way (Paul did). In fact, the evidence for the use of this
verb in the OT, in Judaism and in the teaching of Jesus suggests the
contrary. When this evidence is
considered, two meanings for the verb appear more likely for James.”
1)
It might mean
“Vindicate in judgment”.
2)
A second
meaning can be considered. In a few
passages the verb has the sense “To demonstrate to be right,” “vindicate.”
Moo continues, “More important is the
overall thrust of this passage, established by the broader context, in which
the issue is what constitutes ‘true religion’ that will survive the judgment of
God and by the specific question raised in v. 14: will ‘that kind of faith’
save a person? (Thus) James is asserting
that Abraham was granted a positive verdict in the judgment by God on the basis
of his pious acts.”[1] What he is suggesting is Abraham was vindicated when he offered his son Isaac on the altar which
was a form of action or work.
Verse 22: “His faith
was active with works”. The work of
Abraham was in conjunction with his faith.
Abraham was willing to be obedient because he trusted or had faith that
“God will provide for himself a sacrifice.”
It wasn’t an intellectual faith but was one that was accompanied by
works of obedience.
Verse 23: Two scripture verses James is referencing. Abraham believed and it was counted to him as
righteousness (Genesis 15:6)
Abraham
was considered a friend of God most likely referring to 2 Chronicles 20:7
Verse 24: I would
have been ok if James never wrote this sentence in verse 24. It has caused a lot of debate and controversy
over the centuries. “A person is justified
by works and not faith alone…” Many see
a contradiction between James and Paul’s writing. Paul writes in Romans 3:28, “For we hold that
one is justified by faith and not works of the law.” This was Paul’s central message throughout
his ministry. This seemingly puts James and Paul at odds with each other. The obvious difference between these two
verses is that James speaks generally of “works” and Paul refers to works of
the law. James is speaking more along the lines of doing good works for
God. Paul most likely refers to relating
justification of one through observing the Jewish law found in the Torah. This would in fact constitute a dead and
useless faith. James has said more than
once that an empty faith is a useless faith.
We often focus on the works end of this passage
when in fact the key words we should be looking as is “faith alone”. James was probably referring to those who
have a false faith (one in word only or possibly just observing the law like
the religious leaders). A faith without
works has been shown to be empty and here James is saying that one cannot be
declared righteous or justified in an empty or dead faith. He has shown that true faith and true
religion comes in the form of a faith that is active and does good deeds. One
who has true faith will do good works because he has a relationship with the
Father and is united in Christ and can have nothing but a true genuine faith
that works. I believe if this is what
James is trying to convey then Paul would have no qualms with James’ statement.
Verse 25: James gives
further evidence of the point he is making with Rahab the prostitute. Her story is found in Joshua 2:1 – 22. It is a fascinating story and it continues
along the lines of God’s faithfulness in keeping his promises.
Two men were sent to Jericho to spy out
the land so the Israelites could take it in battle. Upon entering the city Rahab the prostitute
offered to hide them in her home as the king and city officials were looking
for them. Because she believed the God
of Israel was in fact the one and only true God she covered for the men. In exchange for her and her families safety
she hung a red chord from her window so when the Israelites attacked they would
not harm her or her family.
Why did James choose a prostitute to
solidify his point? He chose the father
of the nation as his first example which makes complete sense. But why use a Gentile prostitute for his
second example? I don’t think there is a
clear cut answer but my personal opinion is James is showing that having a faith
that works is applicable to all people regardless of who they are. Whether a well respected or revered man of
God or a looked down upon Gentile prostitute our faith must be accompanied by
works for Gods glory.
Verse 26: James closes out his topic on faith and works by
driving home the central point. He uses
the illustration of a body without a spirit is dead. There is nothing to it, just an empty shell
that is useless and lifeless. The same
applies to a faith that is not accompanied by good works. It is empty, useless and good for nothing.
Conclusion
As we conclude chapter two I think it is
safe to assume that James sees the value in having a genuine faith that
works. He dedicates 13 verses to the
topic. However I also think it is safe
to say that his teaching on faith and works are not in contrast to Paul’s
message of justification by faith. Unfortunately
people tend to lean more one way than the other. They either focus more on the faith issues or
they focus more on the works issue. The
author gives a very detailed account of the importance of both. Nowhere in any of the Epistles of Paul do we
ever find Paul preaching what Deidrich Bonhoeffer called “cheap grace” which
means all one has to do is call themselves a believer and put no effort into
their faith and still expect the blessings of eternal life. Countless times Paul talks about the
importance of walking the walk, caring for one another and living out our faith
(an active faith). James, likewise,
teaches the same.
I find this passage completely
frustrating at first to preach as a pastor just because of the wording. However the more I allow it to sink in I find
it is a message we all need to hear and live.
There is work involved in faith.
Walking with Jesus does often require rolling up the sleeves and getting
the job done. It is not always (in fact
rarely is it ever) an easy task. As
James alludes and I have said a number of times faith and works go hand in
hand. We, fortunately have the examples
of Abraham and Rahab (two complete opposite biblical personalities) to show us
that no matter what stage we are in life or even our status in life we are all
declared righteous when we allow our genuine faith shine through which is
evidenced by the good works we do.
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