The Man and His Works :: James 2:14-26

You've probably never heard of the New Testament scholar N.T. Wright. I don’t agree with everything he says, but he sure did hit the nail on the head with this quote about the Christian church today. In his book The Crown and the Fire, Wright wrote: “The Word became flesh, and the church has turned the flesh back into words: words of good advice, words of comfort, words of wisdom and encouragement.” If you ask me, that’s a sad indictment of the church. Too many Christians churches have turned the Word made flesh back into little more than words: good words from a good God on living a good life. 

When Wright wrote this, he was taking his cue from the Gospel of John, but the message is very applicable for us today as we read the book of James. It’s a warning: A warning against approaching the Christian faith as a mere set of propositions and doctrines. It’s a warning that faith isn’t rooted simply in a word of comfort, a written idea, a faith is based on good advice. 

Brothers and sisters in Christ, faith must be rooted in an enfleshed word, an incarnate word. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. Jesus lived for you, died for you, rose from the dead for you, and ascended into heaven to prepare a place for you. The Word became flesh and is still flesh. Jesus Christ is the Lord of heaven and earth. And he is still in the flesh. Faith must be rooted in him and his works. Jesus is the True Man who is always at work for The One who sent him. Faith works because the Word made flesh works. 

THE MAN OF GOD AND HIS WORKS SAVES YOU

This is the theme for today.

1.

When I was a newspaper editor in Peoria, Illinois, it was my job to work with words ... good words. Unless there was earth-shaking news, we always made it a point to have a good word front and center in the paper. We called it a centerpiece. This good word didn’t do anything. It was almost always feel-good stuff ... marketing, if you will ... just like any church that has turned the word made flesh into nothing more than good words of good advice, comfort, and wisdom. 

I have better news for you today from the epistle of James. Faith works. That is the two word headline from our epistle reading today. Faith works. This good news is not only front and center in our lives, it is doing something. This good news ... or shall we say, God’s news ... is living and active. It works to achieve the purposes for which he sent it. The Man has come with the perfect gift from above. 

The Gospel is nothing if it is not good news about something that has happened and continues to happen. The Gospel is nothing if it doesn’t produce faith ... work faith ... faith in the word made flesh ... faith in a word that lived and died and rose again ... Faith in a word that comes to you in baptism and the Lord’s supper ... Faith in The Word that saves. 

If you aren’t careful, you will overlook this word from Saint James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ. His word for us today is about The God-Man and his works ... because there is no other faith than one that does in fact work, bringing salvation to the world in dire need of good news. 

James will not allow faith to be separated from the incarnation. When he preaches about faith, he is preaching about faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh who came down from the father of lights. Every good and perfect gift is from above, we heard last week. 

What kind of faith is it that does not rest in this good news and show itself in his works? It certainly is not a faith that holds to Jesus Christ. To use Luther’s words, a faith that saves is not a mere intellectual assent, a faith that pays lip service to belief in God, a faith that says all kinds of things about God, that acknowledges God, that God must have created all of this ... even demons do all that. That is no faith at all. Saying you believe in God is not enough. 

Faith has to trust God, that his Word made flesh is true, that his word made flesh comes to you. This faith leads you and guides you, even to climb mountains on the call of God. The Word made flesh puts your faith to work: enabling you to live the life God has called you to. Although the work is done and the forgiveness of sins is secured by the cross, it cannot come to us in any other way that through the Word (LC V 31). Faith works.

2.

James isn’t the only New Testament writer who championed a faith that works. For all his teaching on salvation by grace alone through faith in Christ, Paul was also committed to this idea. In perhaps Paul’s most famous passage on salvation by grace alone ... and not by works so that no one can boast (Eph 2:8), he immediately describes a faith that will be hard at work. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

In chapter two of his epistle to the church, James warns Christians everywhere about the danger of what we can call “head faith.” As James writes you do well to believe that God is one. But be warned: the demons also believe and tremble (v 19). He’s talking about faith that’s based solely on knowledge about God ... head faith. The problem is, Satan and his demons even have that kind of faith. That’s not saving faith. They just believe in God, and believe God will punish all wickedness ... yours, mine, and that of the demons.

As Christians, there is always the temptation for us to rely more on “head-faith” than “heart-faith.” We want to believe that with God we can live however we want. 

But we are all sinners whose works and very lives are tainted by sin ... we sin ... we doubt ... because we were born sinners. And sin has no place with God. The preaching of the law should bring the hearers to the point of self-examination, to recognize their sin when it comes to good works. We often think we are doing good work when we work for the congregation. 

But in what ways have you shown partiality in the congregation? 

Have you refused or avoided helping a brother or sister who is truly in need? 

Have you spurned the sacraments ... denying that you need the forgiveness of sins? 

Have you avoided reconciliation? 

3.

Brothers and sisters in Christ, repent not only of these but all the efforts you try to set yourselves right with God, as if you are doing work to impress him. Model the faith of Abraham, who trusted that God would make him a father of many even though he was 100 years old. He relied on God’s promises ... the promises in the gospel that God is faithful and just, and that in Isaac he would become the father of many. He believed with absolute certainty that God would keep his promise that he could even raise the dead, even you. He put his faith to work and trusted that God does care for the son of promise. That absolute trust and certainty he had in God’s promises meant for him that: God said it, therefore it must be good, regardless of how I feel. 

4.

This is what is sorely lacking in many churches today with regards to the topic of good works. Too much popular preaching is filled with the urgency of doing more works. To stop doing that and do more of this. But doing more works is not the remedy for dead faith. That’s confusing law and gospel. God works faith in you.

So receive the Lord’s word and sacraments. His means of grace work for you. He works faith in you through them. He nurtures the faith he gave you. And then he puts that faith to work ... enabling you to love God and your neighbor. His sacraments ... namely baptism and the Lord’s Supper ... are not founded upon people’s holiness. The are founded upon God’s word ... his word made flesh. ... The word by which it became a sacrament and was instituted does not become false because of the person or his unbelief. For Christ does not say, If you believe or are worthy ... No, he says, Take, eat; and take, drink. Likewise, he says, do this (LC V 16-18). 

We all need the comfort of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the working Word made flesh, as stanza five of “Salvation unto Us Has Come” summarizes so well:

Faith clings to Jesus’ cross alone and rests in Him unceasing;
And by its fruit true faith is known, With love and hope increasing.

Faith clings to the cross of Jesus alone! He is The Man who alone did all the good we can’t do. He lived life without sin to provide the sacrifice we couldn’t provide. He gave himself fully for you. He suffered for you. Died for you. And was raised from the dead for you. And now you who believe this have eternal life in his name. Demons don’t believe this. 

Only the Holy Spirit can create and strengthen this faith ... this heart faith ... by the gospel in the Word made flesh, who gives us his living word for life. We need this a solid connection to Jesus, the Vine (Jn 15), to receive the fruits of his cross and to bear much fruit. Through his means of grace, he fills you with faith in Christ, who lives and moves and has his being in you. And in this way, the Man and his works do indeed save you.