Category Archives: Topical

Faith, How Faith Works, James

Study 2 of 6 – How Faith Works – James 2:14-26

Discussion opener: A problem: We noted last week that the Reformers, back in the 16th century, fought for faith as the only way for salvation – not by works! And Ephesians 2:8-9 declares this clearly. And yet, in James 2:24 we read, “…a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.” The bible, on the surface, seems to be fighting with itself. (Invite people to discuss this – but be brief as we want the bible to guide us).

Context

We began our study last week by looking at the meaning of the word faith according to Hebrews 11:1. It is a stronger word than belief since it promotes action – our faith in God is not simply knowledge about him but consists of his promises to us and our assurance that he is trustworthy.

We recalled that salvation is not through what we have or will ever do but through faith in Jesus Christ. This faith sets us off in a life of trusting him. We will study this a little closer today as we turn to James Chapter 2.

Read James 2:14-26 (you may like to read Verses 1-13 for some context also).

Observation

Structure:

14-17 – The argument: faith unaccompanied with action, is dead.

18-19 – Proof one: we must be distinguished from demons.

20-24 – Proof two: Abraham is not judged by his claims but by his actions which shows his faith.

25-26 – Proof three: Evidence of faith is in what people do.

14-17 – The argument: faith unaccompanied with action, is dead.

“What good is it…?” The argument put forward by James is that you cannot simply say that you have faith but then have no signs or evidence of it. Empty words are no good to anybody. 

“Can such faith save them?” Our claim to have faith is one thing and is essential, but if there’s nothing behind it, then is that actually a saving faith? This passage is tricky because it can be easily misunderstood. A shallow reading will produce an incorrect understanding. We must read this deeply – there is no secret formula to doing this, except to slow down and listen carefully to what is being said.

“Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food…” Verses 15 and 16 are a prime example of how to take a passage out of context AND if read in a shallow way, will be misunderstood. A shallow reading would conclude that we do not have faith unless we give to the poor. That is wrong. James has raised an illustration of what actionless faith is like. If you wish for someone to be well fed and clothed but do nothing about it, then this is just empty words which are useless. In the same way, if we say that we have faith, but our lives do not show it, do we really have faith? So, James’ application is not that we should all give to the poor, but that we should walk the talk. A careful meditation on this passage will reveal that James is giving an illustration, not an application. The application is for us to understand Jame’s point: faith, that is not accompanied by action, is dead. Faith is something that we must see.

18-19 – Proof one: we must be distinguished from demons.

“You believe there is one God. Good!” Faith is more than a statement (it is traditional to recite a statement of faith in church). James points to the fact that even demons believe there is one God. In a world (in James’ time and ours) where many gods were the normal worldview and each culture had their own – a Christian may boast that they believe in One God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth – but demons believe that too! They believe it with great conviction – enough to make them shudder! How do we respond to this belief? Do we then live with indifference, with fear, or with a conviction to follow him, to listen and obey?

20-24 – Proof two: Abraham is not judged by his claims but by his actions which shows his faith.

“…his faith and his actions were working together…” James (like Paul) uses Abraham as a prime example of faith because he is the father of the faithful. When Abraham was declared righteous, it was because his faith was visible. A bystander can see it. The story is from Genesis 22 where, remarkably, God is described as testing Abraham. There is a distinction between testing and tempting (see James 1:13). God was not tempting Abraham to sin, but putting Abraham’s faith to the test – and it was proven to be real.

25-26 – Proof three: Evidence of faith is in what people do.

“…even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did…” Rahab was defined as a non-Israelite and a prostitute. Yet she is praised here and in Hebrews 11 as having faith because she acted on the knowledge that there is only one God and he is the God the Hebrews followed. She is not righteous by any other means except her faith and her faith is proven by what she did.

“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” This is a peculiar way to conclude the argument. The science and truth of this statement is a mystery and perhaps too much for this study – but a body which we can see is only alive when it is spirited. Without deeds, faith is as dead as a corpse. Like the old movie, Weekend at Bernies – you can pretend that the body is living, but unless it can walk on it’s own, it’s dead. A Christian may say, I believe this or that, but James has argued that words are empty – faith is made complete by what it does. Another movie then comes to mind: “Stupid is as stupid does” (Forest Gump). Our faith is what it does.

Meaning

Be careful that we do not conclude that faith is all about obeying to do lists in the bible – about rule keeping. Neither Rahab nor Abraham were demonstrating an obedience to the law but were demonstrating their understanding of who God is by what they did. If I believe that the greatest treasure is found 10 steps north of my current location, then you will be sure to see me moving that way ASAP. If we believe that salvation is found in nobody else but Jesus Christ, then let’s be bound to him like a person bound to a lifeboat in a storm.

Application

Application A: Don’t give to the poor. I should say, don’t just give to the poor and don’t just give to God. Donating to charity and giving money to the church are both wonderful and good, but these ought to flow out of our faith in God rather than a response to what we think we should do. If you believe that God is eternal and our lives are just vapour, and that all we have belongs to God, then giving will not feel like giving. The point is: act on faith, not on works.

Application B: Know God better and this will increase your faith. James pointed to the demons as having a sound understanding of who God is and yet they do not have faith. It does not follow that we needn’t know God in order to have a healthy faith. We must know God and so grow up in our dependence on him. We will never trust a stranger. We can trust God – when we know him. We know him by his word – because he is not just a God of identity but a God of action.

Application C: Read your bible properly. A passage like James 2:14-26 can easily be misunderstood when read shallowly. A bad hearing of this text may conclude that Christians must give to the poor, and that we need to do good in order to be saved. To get around misreadings like that, we simply need to be good listeners. In your private bible readings be sure to read your set text of the day more than once – three times is a good goal. Read slowly and ask each word, sentence and paragraph what it is trying to say. Finally, take what you’ve read and turn it into a prayer – of thanks, request and repentance. Meditating on the bible in this way, over a long period, will surely reveal a growing faith in you.

Faith, How Faith Works

Study 1 of 6 Working on faith – Hebrews 11:1-2

Introduction

In Term 4 of 2020 we aim to spend 6 weeks on the purpose of faith.

You’ll find the program listed under the resources page:

2020 Resources

The reformation celebrated that we are saved by faith alone and stood firm against the notions that we our ‘works’ do anything to save us. The gift of God is by grace and therefore comes to us unmerited and undeserved. We deserve God’s wrath and we can never earn our way out of that.

But thanks be to God that he has saved us by sending his Son. Ephesians 2 says that “it is by grace that you have been saved, through faith — and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.”

This statement makes it clear enough. But exploring this takes a lifetime. “Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross I cling.” Grace is amazing!

But we are left to wonder, what do we do now? If eternal life is paid for us by Christ on the cross, then do we simply do whatever we want? Well, Ephesians 2 doesn’t stop there but says: “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

So, there is something that we are employed by God to do? What is it? If grace demands that we do and owe nothing, how are these works included? What is the deal?

Our series is titled: How Faith Works because we want to explore both the beauty of faith and the difference that it makes to our lives.

In the first study, we want to look at Hebrews 11:1-2 and ask, what is faith and what difference did it make to the people listed in that chapter.

Read Hebrews 11:1-2

  1. What do these words mean? Use the bible references to see ways these words are used in the bible.
  • Confidence – look up 1 John 5:14; Philippians 3:3-9
  • Hope – look up Romans 8:22-25; Romans 15:13
  • Assurance – look up Acts 2:36; Colossians 4:12; Hebrews 10:22
  • Faith – look at Hebrews 11:1 and rewrite it in your own words now that you have explored what the other words mean.
  1. Verse 2 tells us that the ancients were commended for their faith. Read through Hebrews Chapter 11 and list what the ancients DID because of their faith (this needn’t be an exhaustive list).
  2. How does Verses 39-40 link us with the same faith as the ancients?

Conclusion

Over the coming weeks, we will explore the implications of having faith in God – the One who saves. We are saved by grace through faith – but our faith directs our attention to God. This confidence, assurance, trust and hope all drive what we do. And what we do, is called works. This whole term we will be working on faith.

Faith, Genesis, Sovereignty of God

Genesis 8

Opening discussion:

Every day is a gift from God. Discuss.

Context

Chapter 7 ends with an eerie and foreboding feeling. Everything on the face of the earth is destroyed. Everything that has breath! Only a boat remains containing Noah and his family. Chapter 7 Verse 23 takes us from an aerial view of the world in disaster and zooms all the way into the ark that is floating on water for 150 days. We are with Noah. Waiting in the dark.

Observation

Structure

8:1-5 – God remembered Noah

8:6-14 – Noah checks the weather

8:15-22 – A new start

8:1-5 – God remembered Noah

“But God remembered…” Could God have forgotten? This is not a celebration on what God is capable of doing but a moment of thankfulness that God is committed. He made a covenant with Noah in 6:18 – a promise. With the backdrop of world annihilation, God remembered Noah – this ‘little’ man in this ‘little’ boat, bobbing up and down with nowhere to go but wait – God remembered him. While we can take comfort in this, we first thank God that he keeps his covenant with Noah and then work out what covenant can we bank on God remembering that helps us. We can sit defenselessly in the bed that we have made but can thank God that he remembers his covenant made to the world that all who put their trust in Him through Christ will be saved.

“…Noah and all the wild animals and…” Here (Verse 1) and in Verse 17 and 19, we are reminded that the covenant with Noah included all those who God had ordained to be on the ark. Chapter 7 included the repetition of all the animals. We see that God doesn’t simply remember something, but he remembers everything. This plan for salvation was fully thought through and God will see it happen.

“…and he sent a wind…” We remember that the weather didn’t just get better, but God sent a wind. It is perfectly helpful to balance the laws of nature with the command of God. He made everything. Jesus calmed a storm. In late January 2020, when the rains came down and receded the Summer bushfires, it was not visible as a miracle – something that sits opposed to predictable science – and yet we can give thanks and praise to God for his mercy. God enacted the flood and God caused it to cease. The process of withdrawing the waters included a wind which was sent. “…the floodgates of the heavens had been closed…” Same deal. A perfectly natural thing to happen and yet it is God who is to be thanked.

“…on the seventeenth day of the seventh month the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat.” The text is so specific about the timeline and the general geography of the earth that we must see this as historic. Cultures across our globe have legendary flood stories which we may or may not trace back to this one, but the bible contains a story with dates preserved in it. This is not just myths and legends but a passed down account of how long this happened. You can almost imagine the wall inside the ark where Noah scratched a tally of the days. But, the geography is vague enough that we don’t know which mountain it landed on. Again, would it not have been that Noah would pull that thing apart and reused what he could rather than leave it for history? The fact that this happened is preserved, but the geography is lost – and thank God for that or else we’d have a shrine built on it.

8:1-5 gives us God’s perspective of the event described by the narrator. God remembered and God brought the ark to rest back on the ground. Next, we watch what Noah does.

8:6-14 – Noah checks the weather

“After forty days Noah…” We were told it had rained for forty days and nights (7:12). Now that the rain stopped and the tops of mountains became visible, Noah waited 40 days before doing some biological experiments.

“…after forty days Noah opened a window…” lol

“…he made in the ark and sent out a raven…” These verses focus on what Noah plans to do. The ark zoo was all God’s plan and the boat and its contents are all at the mercy of God and yet, Noah works within his boundaries to investigate. I think we see the trust and faith of Noah overlaid with the thoughtfulness and proactive freedom to think and plan. We are not told to simply believe God or have faith but to walk by faith. We see that Noah observes what he needs to, and gets the answer he wants, but still waits for God to tell him it’s time.

“He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark.” Isn’t that a beautiful image of Noah’s tenderness. A man who built a huge vessel and bore the challenges that were upon him, also receives a dove and brings it back into shelter. Given this amount of detail compared to the vast absence of detail in all that Noah did, I take it that we have a little glimpse at the tenderness of this man – perhaps even to reflect on the tenderness of God?

“By the twenty-seventh day….the earth was completely dry.” After these human experiments, Noah could attest that the earth was dry and ready to be reused. But he didn’t leave the ark until God had said. We see the narrator’s perspective of the flood as the hand of God (to open and close the waters) and the perspective of Noah is that he is being saved by God and not himself. It is one thing to observe the signs, and another to wait on the Lord.

8:15-22 – A new start

“Then God said to Noah…” The two main characters will now meet. God initiates the next move.

“Bring out every kind…” The same long explanation of all the different types of creatures is repeated like we saw in Chapters 6 and 7 because this is all part of the same plan. The whole creation is on view but all who were promised to be saved were saved.

“…be fruitful and increase in number on it.” We get the same plan as the beginning of creation – to multiply.

“So Noah came out, together with…” The repetition is there to take us all the way to the full end of salvation. Not a single part of God’s promise is forgotten or a failure. God is a promise keeper.

“Then Noah built an altar to the Lord…” God doesn’t get a statue. The ark is not praised. The Lord who speaks and wills and promises and does – he is worshipped. Rather than hoard his goods, Noah sacrifices the very things that were planned for sacrifice. Prior to the flood, Noah was known as a man of righteousness – he lived a life trusting God. Post the flood, the first thing he is recorded to do is offer a sacrifice of dedication to the LORD in response to salvation. 

“The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma…” God has no nose, of course. Exodus 29:18, 25; Leviticus 1:9, 13 and more use the same language. The act of worship is a demonstration of our dedication to God and the bible uses this language of sweet smell to directly link the act with the response from God. The bible warrants sacrifice. 

“Never again will I curse the ground…” The ground was cursed in Gen 3:17. This promise does not seem to undo this original curse but is a promise linked to what follows in Verse 21.

“…even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood.” God knows that a flood is not going to change the human heart. What we need, is not an external washing or genocide but for our hearts to be washed. It’s not a water ritual that will change us, but the sanctification of the Holy Spirit. Please note that children don’t need to be taught to be evil. 

“As long as the earth endures…day and night will never cease.” The seasons of the earth will keep their rhythm like the beating heart of every human – until one day it will stop. Floods and fires and viruses will come and go but this world remains in God’s hands until it is time for the world to pass away. Heaven and earth will pass away, but the word of the Lord stands forever. The predictability of the weather is only so by the grace of God.

Meaning

Our days are in God’s hands. We may observe the world and make rational decisions about each and every day, but the ultimate end is in his power and not ours. Noah observed the world around him and bowed down and worshipped. Every day is a gift from God. And salvation belongs to our God.

Application

Application A: The place of weather forecasts. Noah was quite clever in sending a raven out who is a robust bird before sending out the gentler creature of the dove. His approach was wise. But all of our sciences are both clever and short-sighted. That is, we can forecast the weather and we can do many great wonders within our means through science, research and development – but we cannot stop death, we cannot tell a storm to stop and we cannot save ourselves. Noah used his head but also waited on the LORD. We can learn from Noah to be both practical and walk by faith.

Application B: God remembers. It is not a miracle for God to remember but it is for us. We will quickly forget the love and mercy of God. Especially when we begin to presume on his mercies. “Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” Lamentations 3:22-23.

Application C: Noah was saved by a narrow path. Wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life and only a few find it. The narrow gate is Jesus. All who fail to go through him and him alone, will not be saved but destroyed.