James 2:14-26

            {Prayer}

            Imagine for a moment that you are driving down a quiet road late at night. In your rearview mirror, you suddenly see red and blue flashing lights. Your heart skips a beat as you think to yourself, “What did I do wrong?” You pull over, roll down your window, and prepare for that awkward conversation we all dread with a police officer.

            But something seems off about the whole thing. The man who steps out of the car isn’t in a full uniform. He has a badge and a tactical vest on. He stumbles over his words and his questions don’t make sense. You start to wonder … “Is this guy really a cop?”

            Now imagine if you, sitting in that car, were an off-duty officer. That’s exactly what happened in Davie, Florida, in 2019. A man named Matthew Erris had decked out his car with lights and sirens. He even carried a fake badge. He thought he could trick people into thinking he was a legitimate police officer. But when he pulled over an actual off-duty cop, his counterfeit authority was exposed. This fake cop was arrested on the spot.

            What’s the point in telling you this? Outward appearances mean nothing without the real thing to back them up. A fake cop may look convincing, but when it’s time to truly serve and protect, he’s powerless.  

            This same principle applies to our spiritual lives. James 2 challenges us to ask: Is my faith the real thing? Do my actions back up what I claim to believe? If your faith is all talk and no action, it’s counterfeit, it’s not real. It might look good on the outside, but when real life demands evidence, it’s dead and useless.

            And this section of James is one of the most misunderstood parts of the Bible. Why? James 2:24 says that we are not saved by faith alone, while Paul, in numerous places, teaches that we are saved by faith alone. So which is it?

                        For Paul                                             For James 

The Problem              Legalism                                             Laxity [Rev 3:16, lukewarm]

The Focus                  The Root of Salvation                        The Fruit of Salvation

The Point                   How to know you’re a Christian        How to show you’re a Christian

The Goal                    How to become a Christian                    How to behave like a Christian

            When it comes to relationships between our faith and works, the go-to section in the Bible is Ephesians 2. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is a gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (2:8-10).

            We are saved by faith alone. However … saving faith is never alone.

            By faith alone we have a new standing in Christ. But if faith is real and not counterfeit, then that faith is never alone because when God gives us a new standing before Him, we also get a new life. New standing. New life. It’s a package deal. It’s like love and marriage, you don’t get one without the other. We are saved by faith alone. But saving faith is never alone. With this as our foundation, let’s take a closer look at what James says about counterfeit and real faith.

            Real faith isn’t only something we say. “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” (James 2:14). The answer … “no”. That kind of faith is fake. Not everyone who professes Christ possesses Christ. Listen to that again. Not everyone who profess Christ possesses Christ.

            We have one tongue in our mouth and two tongues in our shoes. That may sound a bit off the wall, but stay with me. You see, no matter what the tongue in our mouth says, the tongues in our shoes, ultimately reveal where it is we are going and what we truly believe. The tongues in our shoes, our actions, they have the last word. My mouth may claim that I have faith, but the actions of my feet, of my life indicate if my faith is the real deal.

            Real faith – it isn’t something we only feel. We can be emotionally moved by a church service or get goosebumps when singing a song, but none of those feelings mean I have real faith. “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you say to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:16-17). Saying something like, “I feel for you” but then doing nothing about is not the sign of real faith.

            Let’s say after church I walk outside and I see you in great misery because your car is covered in snow. Hey, it could happen. Let’s suppose it does and I say to you, “Oh, I really feel for you. Keep warm and well fed!”. Me saying that isn’t going to help you. You don’t need my sympathy. You either need a shovel or a snow plow and a one-way ticket to Florida!

            Real faith – it isn’t something we only think. James says, “You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that – and shudder” (2:19). When it comes to God, demons know what is going on. In Mark 1 a demon calls Jesus, “The holy one of God!” (1:24). In Mark 5, another demon calls Him “The Son of the Most High God” (5:7). The demons know who Jesus is, but no demon is ever going to get to heaven. Why? Because real faith isn’t something we only think. It’s isn’t just up here in our heads, it’s down here in our hearts.

            In high school science and algebra classes, we learn a lot of formulas that might have seemed useful back then but don’t impact most of our daily lives today. Unless we’re building rockets or falling off bridges, those equations rarely matter. Faith can sometimes feel like one of those formulas. It can feel like an idea we’ve memorized in our heads but one that never changes how we live. James reminds us that real faith isn’t just something we think about; it’s something that transforms us.

            Real faith – is something we do. “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together. … In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off a different direction?” (James 2:21-22, 25).

            If you think about it, Abraham and Rahab are exact opposites. Abraham is a man and Rahab a woman. Abraham is an Israelite, Rahab a Canaanite. Abraham is a patriarch, Rahab is a prostitute. Abraham is a major character in the Bible, Rahab a minor character. So what do they have in common? Both believed in God’s mercy and forgiveness (Gen. 15:6; Josh. 2:9-11). And both of them … they have real faith. Abraham and Rahab both teach us that if you’re saved and you know it, then your life will really show it. If you’re saved and you know it, then your life will really show it.

            There’s a story of a fisherman who used to take his boat out on the lake and return with it loaded with fish. One day, a stranger showed up and asked the fisherman if he could join him. The next morning, the two of them made their way out through the early morning mist. Soon the fisherman stopped the boat and cut the motor. Slowly he opened his tackle box and took out a stick of dynamite. Taking a match, he lit the fuse, held it for a moment, and then heaved the dynamite into the water. There was a terrific blast. Soon he was dipping his net into the water and filling it with fish.

            The stranger reached into his pocket and pulled out his wallet. Opening it up, he flashed his badge, his game warden badge. He said, “Fella, you’re under arrest.” This didn’t rattle the fisherman one bit. He reached down into his tackle box, pulled out another stick of dynamite, lit it, held it a moment, then handed it to the game warden and asked, “Now, are you going to just sit there or are you going to fish?”

            We are saved by faith alone. While dying for the sin of the world, Jesus said, “It is finished.” Christ earned for you your salvation. It’s complete. Done. Paid for. Finished. Given to you by grace through faith. But here’s the truth … saving faith is never alone. A real faith in Christ transforms everything … your priorities, your habits, your relationships, your very life.

            So let me ask you this … What is your faith saying to the world right now? Is it just sitting still, keeping quiet, and looking pretty? Or is it alive and active, drawing others to the Savior who gave you everything?

            The fisherman’s question still echoes … are we just going to sit here … or are we going to fish? Real faith doesn’t wait on the sidelines. Real faith picks up the net, trusting in Jesus, and gets to work. It’s time to stop sitting and start fishing. Amen.

            The peace of God, which surpasses all human understanding, guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord, now and forever. Amen.