Jonah Albrecht

Pentecost 16

September 8th, 2024

James 2:14-18

Faith’s L.O.L.

14What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:  mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you, Amen.

In the name of Him who took us from being lost in sin, to children who live according to His will, dear fellow redeemed:

What does it mean to be a Lutheran? According to Google, to be a Lutheran means to affirm the authority of Scripture, the centrality of justification by faith alone, and the importance of the gospel message. We would absolutely agree with this definition of Lutheranism, especially when it comes to the centrality of justification by faith alone. One of most defining doctrines that separated Martin Luther and his followers from the Catholic Church was the relation of good works to man’s salvation. Justification by faith alone apart from our works is the bastion of the Lutheran faith, and to lose that doctrine is to lose the identity of the core of Lutheranism. It might shock you a bit, then, when we read through the sermon text this morning. This section of James has perplexed many a theologian, even Martin Luther for a time.

How can James write, 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead; when it seemingly contradicts other Scripture, like Paul who writes in Ephesians 2, For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boas; and in Romans 11, But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise, grace would no longer be grace.

Scripture contradicting Scripture? Not exactly. At least, not when you recognize that James and Paul are speaking on the same topic, but from two different perspectives. When Paul says that we are saved by grace alone apart from our works, he is speaking on our justification: the act of God declaring sinners not guilty solely based on the merits of Jesus Christ and His death as payment for sin. When James says that faith without works is dead, he is speaking on our sanctification: the change that occurs in man after being justified by God and receiving the Holy Spirit. These two are not contradictory to each other, but rather complementary. Today, we will consider James’ words from the basis of Paul’s truth on Justification: Faith’s L.O.L., or Faith’s Living Out Loud.

Have you ever met a person who wears their personality on their sleeve? You don’t have to guess about who they are; they are true down to the core and they show it clearly. On the flip side, have you ever met someone that you can’t really trust anything they tell you. If they say they will take care of a project, chances are they will accomplish none of it. If they promise to deliver something for you, you are pretty sure it won’t ever get delivered.

Which person would you rather have around you? The one who obviously shows you who they are, or the one whom you can never trust? Which person would you rather be? I don’t think anyone would want to deal with a hypocrite, let alone be one. And if that is how we want people to be around us, how do you think God wants us to act when it comes to our faith?

God doesn’t want hypocrites either. Jesus condemned the pharisees for honoring Him with their lips, but their hearts were far from him. Annanias and Saphira were struck dead because they tried lying to the Holy Spirit when they claimed to give all to the church, but kept some back for themselves. Judas showed himself to be a hypocrite by betraying his Savior into the hands of evil men for 30 pieces of silver.

How are we in danger of being hypocrites? As James writes, when your faith is dead. Faith is something that is unseen. You can see the evidence of the faith someone has or the lack thereof, but only God can see what is truly in one’s heart. That being said, faith is alive. Paul writes to Titus, that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people (Titus 3:8). When God works in the heart of a believer, good works naturally follow. It is not something for us to seek out, but rather opportunities God has laid out before us that we should walk in them.

Dead faith comes from a corrupt nature, a sinful heart that turns away from God and the works He has called us to do. To not walk in the good works God has laid out for us is to take the salvation He won for us and tuck it in our back pocket to be used as a get out of sin free card. God didn’t just give us good works so us Christians have something to do on this earth. He gave us good works so that we might work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:12). This means that good works are done by the power of the Holy Spirit and are meant to strengthen your faith and keep you on the path of righteousness.

The more we are tempted by the world around us the easier it becomes to live like the world. While the world may perform works that we call “good” it fails to find an answer for sin that taints those works. Someone who has a dead faith might go through all the motions of being a Christian. They go to church, help out at church functions, but in their hearts, they treat Christ’s sacrifice as a free pass to sin. This is not to say that Christians have to be perfect because God knows we are not. He sees every time we sin. He sees every time we see the path that we should take but instead we walk into the jaws of sin and death.

Our walk on this earth as people redeemed by the blood of Christ is constantly in danger of dying. Satan brings temptations, temptation breeds sin, sin dulls the conscience, and a dull conscience turns away from the loving rebuke of God’s Law with the forgiveness that follows in the Gospel. We dare not think that we can stand against sin on our own, or that we are strong enough to keep our faith alive. As Paul writes, therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall (1 Corinthians 10:12). There is only one hope we have to keep a faith that lives out loud: By rooting our faith in the One who lived His faith perfectly, who died to give us life, who rose again that He might make His home within our hearts forever.

To always live our faith out loud is impossible for us, but God did not come to die for us just to leave us on our own. He remains with us in His Word. He dwells with us in our relationships with others. And every day we walk as children of God, He walks alongside us.

Jesus is the One who makes the impossible possible. How does He do that? Though His transformative love. The same love that led Him to put aside His glory in Heaven and to live in this infected world with all its pain and sorrow. The love that drove Him to carry your sins and mine on His shoulders, and bury them under the nails of His Cross. This is the love that called you out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

Last year the BBC ran an article about how a treatment of MDMA, commonly referred to as ecstasy, radically changed a man who had feelings for white supremacy to saying “love is the most important thing.” I do not know the validity of this change, nor am I promoting the use of this drug. But it is an interesting example of how people can change. You have been changed by something that is much more powerful and much more reliable than any drug on earth. Each one of you has been changed by the love of God. A love that now flows through you, that is the acting agent that allows you to live your faith out loud. Even our work of sanctification is not our own work, but is the Grace of God living and working through you.

You don’t have to be afraid of having a dead faith, because right now, and every moment of your life God is working in you to keep your faith alive. In the words of Paul, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).  This life God has given you is one to live to the glory of His name; for He is the one who has made you to be kings and priests in His own blood. Let the world see what kind of God and Savior you follow. Live your faith out loud. I am sure of this that He who began this good work in you will carry it on to completion at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Amen.