Faith and Works

March 12^th, 2017      “Faith and Works”   Rev. Heather Jepsen

Lenten Sermon Series: Lessons from James

James 2:1-26

          Those who were here last week know that for the next few Sundays we are going to spend our sermon time reading through the book of James together.  This will be a Lenten discipline for us as a congregation.  Last week, we introduced the book of James and touched a bit on some of the topics that James addresses.  Those who were here, will remember that James is really clear on calling us to a high moral standard of living.  In the sermon last Sunday, James told us to be “doers of the word” and not simply “hearers of the word.”  That theme continues today as we examine the relationship between faith and works.

          Just as with last week, I encourage you to follow along if you brought a Bible from home, or locate one of those red pew Bibles and turn to page 980.  We will begin at the start of chapter 2.

          (Read 2:1-7)

          James begins this morning with a lesson on favoritism and showing partiality.  James challenges us with the claim that if we show partiality in our relationships with other people, then we can hardly call ourselves followers of Jesus Christ.  He gives us an example of a rich person and a poor person coming into the church.  If we treat the rich person with respect and the poor person disrespectfully; then we become judges with evil thoughts.  James points out that God has chosen the poor to be rich in faith and so we should show our respect to them.  He also claims that the rich are the ones who oppress us in the end anyway, so why should we spend so much time kissing up to them?

          The question remains to be asked then, how do we respond to the various individuals and groups who enter our congregation throughout the week?  It is my experience that we are quite welcoming here on Sunday morning.  We seem to show equal warmness to the variety of folks who choose to join us for worship.  On the whole, we enjoy having visitors on Sundays.

          But, it is also true that there is an undercurrent that runs through the life of this church.  We sometimes find ourselves wondering “what’s in it for us?”  This becomes especially clear when we look at our resources.  Sometimes when we consider the mission work of this congregation, from Parents Day Out, to our relationship with the Culton Street property, to our work in Malawi, we often get to a point of asking “what’s in it for us?”  If these endeavors of hospitality don’t bring in money or new members, then some folks wonder why we engage in them at all. 

          I think the comments James makes here about showing preference to those who brings resources or money into our midst, over those who don’t, should be kept in mind.  Is it the business of the church to grow and collect funds?  Or, is it the business of the church to distribute as much resources as possible?  These are good questions for us to consider.

          (Read 2:8-13)

          James continues his discussion of showing favor and partiality in this next section.  He refers to “royal law” but this is not a reference to the law of the land.  Rather, this is a reference to the law of the kingdom of God.  The law by which we must measure ourselves is how we love our neighbor.  James warns that if we fail to love our neighbors equally, if we fail to love our neighbors as ourselves, then we fail as a whole to follow the law of the Lord. 

          James warns that the law of love, “to love our neighbors as ourselves” is what should be the guide for all of our actions.  This is the law by which we shall be judged.  In a harsh view of divine justice, James warns that our willingness to show mercy to others, will determine whether or not we receive mercy.  Much like, “forgive us, as we forgive our debtors” the measure we give will be the measure that we get. 

          (Read 2:14-17)

          Now we are getting into the faith vs. works conversation that James is so famous for.  James argues that a faith lived without works is a false faith.  It is not good enough to wish our neighbor well; rather we must take action towards our neighbor’s wellness.  If we see someone in need on the street, we can’t simply say a prayer for them and pat ourselves on the back.  Rather, we are called to do what we can for them.  We are called to help and share as we are able.  We can do this through working with systems already in place like the Food Center, or we can do it by handing out resources ourselves like the Manna Bags the youth made for us.

          One could easily get tied up here in an argument about faith and works, and folks often do.  I do not think that James is challenging our favorite Reformed theological conviction of justification by grace through faith.  We know that one cannot earn one’s salvation through works; salvation comes only as a gift from a gracious God.  What does James offer to the conversation is the idea that the works that we do are a sign of our faith itself.  The actions don’t substitute for the attitude of faith; rather the actions we take reveal the state of our faith.

          (Read 2:18-26)

          It’s a little bit confusing here as James engages an imaginary partner now for dialogue.  This conversation partner asserts that there can be a faith without works, just as there can be works without faith.  The faith offered for an example is the simple belief in God.  But James argues that even the demons, know and believe in God, but that cannot be counted as faith since they have no works. 

          James then offers up the example of Abraham and the near sacrifice of Isaac.  The work that Abraham did was the offer of the sacrifice and that work was a demonstration of the depth of his faith.  No matter how much we might be offended by the story of Isaac and Abraham we can concede James’ point here.  Abraham’s work was a clear indication of his faith.  James is arguing that Abraham is declared righteous on the basis of his deeds and not merely upon the faith that he held in his heart.

          Rahab is also offered up as an example of faith combined with works.  Featured in the book of Joshua, Rahab is a prostitute who harbored the Israelite spies as they went out to view the city of Jericho.  Her hospitality to the invading Israelites is lifted up by James as another example of one whose actions were a demonstration of a deeper faith.

          Our reading ends here today but it offers us plenty to think about this Lenten season.  James challenges us to truly consider the state of our relationship with God.  It is one thing for us to pay lip service to our faith, but it is another thing entirely to consider whether or not our actions display that faith.  James asks us to examine our daily interactions with other people, and there find a true measure of what is within our hearts.

          This is also a question to ask ourselves as a church.  We gather here to worship each Sunday and in doing so we declare the depth of our faith.  But an examination of our mission, our budget, and our presence in the community may be a more telling look at what we really believe.  Is our faith in Jesus Christ a matter of doctrine and ritual, or does it call us to a particular sustained moral presence in the community?

          These are good and worthy questions to think upon throughout this season of Lent.  We will continue next week with a close examination of the next chapter in the book of James.  In the meantime I invite you to consider the impact of James’ message in your own life.  James warns us that faith without works is dead.  We are called to do more than simply believe in the gospel.  We are called to live lives of faith that reflect and share that gospel in our daily actions.  This week, may we live lives of faith in action.  Amen.