Faith and Works

Background Scripture: James 2
Lesson Scripture: James 2:14–26

Introduction

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Heb. 11:1). According to this statement, the definition of faith is being sure of what we believe in and certain of that which we do not see. Faith is the only way we can take the controls and operate life as a Christian and not get swamped in the mire of confusion that eventually drowns the unwary and heedless. A state of confusion often precipitates emotional distress, a resistant attitude, despair, or carnal allowances. Aiming for relief from the weight of guilt, anxiety, and social pressure, the faithless begin to offload what they deem to be unnecessary religious requirements only to later find that a lot of good things also go out with what they thought they were legitimately discarding.

How does faith work to kill confusion? Everyone lives by some set of boundaries. Boundaries are by their nature a belief. Many beliefs have no basis other than current opinion or one’s independent fancy. These kinds of boundaries generate confusion and chaos because they are subjective, not unchangeably set. They borrow and rearrange criteria as needed, providing the necessary reasons for many wrong things.

On the other hand, Christian faith sets boundaries we can believe in and use as a reference point to gauge our own actions, attitudes, and spirits. These boundaries are objective; they do not move. The basis for these boundaries is God, and they make us accountable to his Word and will. Many people choose to live in a measure of confusion rather than to be subject to God’s authority.

Loving the church and believing in it are one and the same. If we love the church, we will believe in the church’s doctrine, and if we believe in it, we will practice it and live it. To declare in self-examination that we love the church and yet we do not live its teaching is confusion. By definition of Hebrews 11:1 we are saying, “I do not know what I believe in for sure, and I am not certain of what the church stands for.”

Everyone sets their boundaries in some way and in some place. What we wear, what we own, where we go, and all the other aspects of living are governed by our own set of boundaries. “Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth” (Rom. 14:22). If we do not follow in good faith what our beliefs direct us to, we will most certainly grapple with some measure of confusion.

This set of lessons will again help us establish Christian boundaries in terms that are clearly defined and gilded with God’s golden blessing.

Faith and Works

Lesson 1

June 7, 2026

Background Scripture: James 2

Lesson Scripture: James 2:14–26

Introduction

Understanding the relationship between faith and works and properly connecting them is absolutely necessary to practicing a living faith. A worldly minded Christian interprets faith quite differently than the sincere Christian believer, and misunderstanding this vital doctrine leads many astray.

The tendency to overemphasize either faith or works creates confusion and will fall short of what the doctrine of justification by faith is all about. The flesh finds it easy to disregard the action that faith requires, relying principally on a profession. The apostles and the early church also dealt with this challenge. Let us turn to the Word to learn more about these two very important aspects of Christian living.

Key Verse

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love (Gal. 5:6).

Lesson Scripture

Studying the Lesson

Among the New Testament epistles, the book of James is one of the earliest, possibly the first, and James’s early martyrdom would substantiate this assumption. Addressed to Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire, James covers many basic points of doctrine, his approach being simple and his message clear. The second chapter of James concerns the Christian’s understanding of true faith and its fruit.

Mosaic law dictated the required action for God’s approval and specified punishments for infractions. One was judged according to actions and misdeeds; living according to the law meant daily life was ruled by a set of rules and regulations. A Jew’s standing with God was based on compliance to these laws.

By the time Christ came, the law, though God-given, had become cumbersome and weighted with extreme detail. Jews of the day found it very challenging, if not impossible, to follow every minor article. Paul alludes to this during the first conference. “Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?” (Acts 15:10). The law necessitated regular pilgrimages to the temple to offer physical sacrifices. Attempting to satisfy the law was like trying to please a tough and demanding schoolmaster who was never adequately appeased.

Zealous Pharisees had further complicated the law and added more unnecessary details and rules. This made satisfying the law so burdensome that the only way to appear compliant was to resort to hypocrisy. The upper echelons of the Jewish religion were filled with this false piety. They loved the status of their station, wearing long robes (not worn by the working class) and receiving greetings in the marketplace (Luke 20:46). The prayer of the Pharisee in Luke 18 offers a window into the hearts of these hypocrites. Jesus was able to see through this facade. “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness” (Matt. 23:27).

In this setting, Jesus began his ministry. Suddenly, sinners were being forgiven with no temple sacrifice. Those who had committed sins worthy of death were set free by their belief in Jesus. The critical and self-righteous, desperately left clutching the law, withdrew puzzled and inwardly squirming. How could a sinner be justified with no sacrifice? Faith in Jesus was being exemplified and taught, causing a great stir. What about the requirements of the law? Were they being nullified and changed? The seeking gentile became hopeful; the staunch Jew became worried and filled with consternation.

Jesus clearly taught that He did not come to destroy the law but to fulfill it. Embedded within the law was the gospel principle of sacrifice. Although bringing a sacrifice to the temple was no longer required, a sacrifice was still necessary. Jesus left unmistakable instructions on the sacrifice of self. He broadly introduced the aspects of an unconditional surrender and a commitment of faith, the most difficult sacrifice ever asked of mankind.

With Jesus being the great High Priest and the Holy Spirit now available to all, visits to an earthly priest were no longer needed. An infilling of the Holy Ghost brought inward peace and rest. The symbolic and ceremonial practices of the law became obsolete; one only had to believe and have faith, and this great gift was yours! With this new-found faith, some were ready to discard the law in its entirety and embrace faith alone. James realized this, and he brought clarification on the new relationship between faith and works.

Practical Truths for Today

“Without faith it is impossible to please him” (Heb. 11:6). Paul mentions the importance of faith numerous times in his encouragements to the church. “Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ” (Gal. 2:16). “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law” (Rom. 3:28). Jesus also cites the necessity of faith, “Be not faithless, but believing” (John 20:27), and laments the absence of it, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” (Matt. 8:26). Faith is at the core of every believer’s life and lies at the very heart of the Christian walk. Remove faith, and Christian life ceases to exist.

As with all other forms of life, there is evidence when faith is alive in the heart. A living faith does not allow the Christian to passively stand on the sidelines, nor does it manifest itself by loudly proclaiming it is alive while doing little to prove it is so. We may energetically declare we have a vibrant faith, but if our walk of life does not prove this to be true, even the most spirited, verbal advertisement is voided by the lack of visible works. True faith will produce works, but those who desire true faith will never produce it by working for it.

Works are like the sight gauge on the side of the fuel tank of faith. That sight gauge is there for anyone who wants to know how full the fuel tank is. They can open the cap, sniff, and say, “Smells like fuel.” They can give it a shake, hear it slosh a little, and say, “There’s got to be something in there.” But if the sight gauge is empty, the tank is empty. Faith is identified by the words, actions, and spirits that others will recognize and attribute to spiritual life.

The faith of Zacchaeus produced the works of repentance, confession, and reimbursement that those he had wronged could appreciate. He did not feel entitled to Jesus’s forgiveness but rather realized his depravity and need of a Savior, which produced a desire to clean up his old life. The faith of Noah produced the work of obedience in the face of ridicule and disbelief. The centurion corroborated his faith with an amazing display of love for his servant and of his humility; he did not feel worthy of the Savior entering his house. The woman who was a sinner had a faith that brought her to the feet of Jesus. There she humbly anointed his feet with tears and sweet-smelling ointment. She had faith that this was the One who could heal her heart and life. Menno Simons writes, “Dear reader, take notice that all the proud, haughty, avaricious, carnal, and adulterous persons who call themselves Christians, but are not such (for they testify by their disposition, heart, mind, and life that they hate Christ), are thoroughly shamed and reproved by this regenerate, penitent sinner; seeing that because she believed, her proud, haughty, and obdurate heart was changed into a humble, contrite, and broken one.” 1 This woman no doubt left Jesus a changed person.

We must not be afraid of being identified by the effects of a true, visible faith. There is a voice today that proclaims an amazing faith. This voice offers freedom from organized religion, church membership, and brotherhood. It also offers a type of relationship with Christ that proclaims to be vibrant and exciting. The works produced by this kind of faith prove its source. This false faith is identified by a liberty of the flesh contrary to Scripture and a twisted interpretation of the Bible that does not leave one restful but spiritually agitated and unsteady. The effects of a true, biblical faith yield humility and rest in spirit that is recognizable and felt. The faithful will be labelled as pilgrims and strangers, those who “seek a country” (Heb. 11:13–14).

Although we must be conscious of the spirit of self-righteousness, let us allow faith to yield its fruit. The tendency of today is to focus more on the spirit of things but to ignore the things themselves. We can converse with a fellow believer and say that his spirit feels right, but when we see his operation and possessions, it may leave us with questions. His spirit may have seemed right, but coupled together with his works, his trumpet gives “an uncertain sound” (1 Cor. 14:8). The things we do and the things we possess do matter, because the Bible is clear that we will be judged by our works. Clearly, works are an unmistakable indication of the heart, so much so that our eternal destination is determined by our possession of works or the lack of them. Let us take Paul’s encouragement to the Galatians to heart: “For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another” (Gal. 5:13). In this there is safety.

Illustration

A conscientious young brother went to trade school and found the environment there anything but Christian. This young brother learned much of how the world viewed life, but he did his best to stay pure and to be a light around him. He did not hand out tracts or get into much spiritual conversation with his classmates, but he was studious and helped those around him when they had problems. His instructors took note and appreciated his efforts, even to the point of using his work as an example for others to follow. He was not perfect. Sometimes he could not keep himself from laughing at some indecent joke common in the classroom, and sometimes he wondered if he was really filling his place. However, when examination day came, his classmates showed their appreciation for his presence by celebrating at a restaurant that he was comfortable with.

Although he had not said much about his way of life and faith as a Christian, he had tried to stay courageous. By some comments that were made, he realized his clean way of life had been noticed. The faith he held produced quiet works that those around him noticed and appreciated.

Questions

1. How do we differentiate between works generated by an empty, self-righteous spirit and works produced by true faith?
2. Name some works that are a result of living faith.
3. As youth, how do we overcome the fear that if we live out our faith in visible works, we will be labeled as prudish or stuffy?
4. 1 The Complete Writings of Menno Simons, p. 377

Source: COGICM Daily Bible Readings (Daily Bible Readings, PO Box 124, Glenn, CA 95943).