What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? James 2:14

One of the most misunderstood teachings, maybe in the whole Bible, is faith without works is dead. So what is the Apostle James trying to teach us here? The next scripture I think James makes it pretty clear what hes trying to say, however there are many Christians who like to use this teaching to justify a works based salvation

However as we look into this teaching further, I think you’ll see that James is teaching that works is evidence of our faith in Christ . Our works don’t produce salvation, its only the works of Christ that has given us salvation.

If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? James 2:15-16

Here James gives an example, say there is someone who is in need of food and clothing. What should you do for them? If you just tell them that  “I’m praying for you” how does that help them in the meantime? Now I believe in the power of prayer, however if we have the means to help someone, we can be the answer to their prayer!

Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. James 2:17-18

So the principle of this teaching is if we have faith in Christ then it should produce some evidence of that faith. This is why Baptism is an essential doctrine of Christianity, it demonstrates the faith you have in Jesus as your Lord

We shouldn’t confuse this teaching however with works being the evidence of our salvation. As salvation is in Christ alone and not by our own works. However Jesus wants us to be his hands and feet, let our works be the evidence of Christ love for us Amen!

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: James 2:8

One of Jesus core teachings is to Love your Neighbor as you love yourself (Matthew 22:39) And as you read the teachings of the Apostles , this has also been the core theme of Christianity also. Jesus summed up the entire Law in Love God and Love Your Neighbor.

This may sound like an easy teaching, however the more you interact with people , the harder you see it becomes. Jesus even took it a step further and said we should Love our enemies also (Matthew 5:44) This takes love to a whole new level.

Loving your family , while some may be impressed with themselves by that, is a gimme by Gods standards. However loving people who persecute you or have wronged you in some way, now that’s when the love of Christ is demonstrated. As Jesus was being crucified on the cross, he said “Father forgive them for they know not what they do”, now that’s love!

But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. James 2:9-10

Now when we talk about Gods Law, this causes a lot of conversation among Christians. There are many Christians who even today are striving to live under The Law. However as James says, “If you break one law you broke the entire Law”. Keeping The Law of God perfectly is not humanly possible, this is why we need a Savior. This is why Christ died for us!

Jesus fulfilled The Law in our place (Matthew 5:17) and made things simpler for us. Love God and Love Your Neighbor and this is the fulfillment of The Law! There are many who still today cant accept this! They want to be under the Law, which the Law leads to death (Romans 7:10)

The amazing Grace of God through Jesus Christ! Remember to Love Your Neighbor as Christ love You first! Amen!

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. James 2:1

God does not show favoritism (Romans 2:11) Doesn’t matter what nationality or race you are, doesn’t matter if your rich or poor, tall or short, God reads the heart and mind. One thing the world does is make the mistake of favoring people because of money, including the Church.

Think about society , we listen to celebrities and athletes because they have lots of money and influence, but most of them have zero credentials on the issues they are discussing. Now think about the average person on the street, do you give them the same time and attention you would a celebrity? No, why? Because we automatically show favoritism to people who are wealthy and popular

For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? James 2:2-4

The Apostle James gives an example here, a rich man and a poor man both come to a Church service. The Pastor greets the rich man and gives him a special seat, while the poor man he tells him to sit in the back because hes probably embarrassed by his appearances. We instinctively by human nature judge people based on appearances and money status.

Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? James 2:5-6

But Gods Kingdom is not like this world, the first will be last and the last will be first (Matthew 20:16) That poor man that you sent to the back of the building, might have been the greatest servant of your Church. Point is, we are not to judge people as the world judges people.

Another point James makes is, these same rich people that you so desperately want in your Church are the same people who are oppressing the poor. Again God judges the heart and has no regard for your wallet

While this is just one example, the lesson God is showing us is to not show favoritism to anyone. We are all one through Jesus Christ! Amen!

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain. James 1:26

Often when we here about people rejecting Christianity, they often cite that they had a bad “religious “ experience. We need to remember religion is not the same as having a relationship with Christ! Often religion is the development of man made rules and doctrine , most often don’t even reflect what is written in the Bible

There are a lot of people who are very devoted to their religion, however never had a Born Again experience with Christ. Jesus said unless you are Born Again, you wont see the Kingdom of God (John 3:3) its important to understand that no matter how religious you are, unless your Born Again you are not saved

As the scripture says “The mans religion is in vain” you can follow all the rules of your religion and be a devout follower. But unless you became Born Again, its all in vein. Truly its not about the works we do, but the works Jesus has already done for us!

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

Now with all that said, I’m not saying that religion is totally a bad thing. As the word religion really means “a set of beliefs” its only when you make your religion an idol over your Creator. “Pure Religion” as stated in scripture is when you are doing the will of our Father, as Jesus stated Love God and Love Your Neighbor

Pure religion is being the light of the world and salt of the Earth. Be careful how you practice your religion, as not to be a stumbling block for non believers. Remember become Born Again in Christ are your religion is all in vein, Amen!

But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. James 1:22

We heard the old expression “if your going to talk the talk, then walk the walk”, this is what God is saying to us! Its one thing to hear the Word of God, its another thing to actually Do it. Its nice if somebody decides to go to Church, maybe they even profess to be a Christian, however if they don’t ever change or do what God tells them, they are deceiving themselves.

If somebody claimed to be a doctor, but never practiced medicine in their life, were they really a doctor? Or if somebody claimed to be a truck driver and never drove a truck in their life, are they actually a truck driver? Point is , if you claim to be a Christian, but never do anything Jesus told us to do, are you actually a Christian?

For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. James 1:23-24

Some of you may ask, well how do I know if I’m a Christian then or not? Well honestly anyone who has answered the calling by Jesus, was never the same again! When you come to Jesus, your life is totally transformed, may not happen overnight, but over time you don’t even recognize who you were before

The scripture says, “Anyone who hears the Word of God, but doesn’t actually do it, is like someone who looks in the mirror and doesn’t even recognize themselves” Why? Because they are hypocritical, their walk doesn’t match their talk

But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed. James 1:25

The perfect Law of God is our mirror, when we look at it we can see our sinful nature. Then we recognize we need a Savior, Jesus Christ! Repent of your sins (Do), Follow Jesus (Do), Read your Bible (Do), Pray to God without ceasing (Do) Let the Holy Spirit teach and sanctify you (Do) Fellowship with other Christians (Do) Go make disciples of Christ (Do)

This is not a work based salvation, its evidence of your transformation in Christ, Amen!

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. James 1:19-20

One of the drawbacks of social media, is often we are slow to hear and quick to speak, which is the opposite of what God advises us to do. Often we get trapped in social media disputes that are fruitless and often cause more harm than good. What if we took Gods advice to be quick to hear and slow to speak?

Think about how different some situations would have gone, if you just held your tongue and kept your mouth shut. The problem is once we say something, we can never take it back. We can apologize however the words have already been spoken, and sometimes those words are ingrained in the others person mind for a long time

However all of this also leads to a confrontation. As the old saying goes, it take two to tangle. When we get in arguments they can quickly escalate, sometimes into violence. This is why God is advising us, slow down! Listen to the person first, even if you don’t agree with them. Try to process what they are saying, try to see if from their perspective. And be very slow to respond to them, if you respond at all. This will help you avoid unnecessary wrath in your life

Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls. James 1:21

Jesus said “The meek shall inherit the Earth” (Matthew 5:5) We need to learn to develop Meekness! This is something that doesn’t sound very appealing to the world. We live in a world that teaches us “Dog Eat Dog” and “Only the strong will survive” however this is the opposite of what God teaches us

Remember when Jesus was on trial, many times he just kept silent and allowed the Religious leaders and Pilate to make false accusations. We don’t always have to respond to everyone to satisfy them, think about what would satisfy God instead

So next time your involved in a conversation, whether in person or on social media, be quick to hear and slow to speak. This will help you avoid unnecessary confrontations and stay in peace with Christ Amen!