How Are We Justified?

Sometimes people are quick to see contradictions in Scripture in the Bible. It's amazing how many people believe that actually the Word of God can be schizophrenic, seemingly. And you come up with supposedly opposite understandings or opposite declarations, even by various writers in the Scripture. Opposing views in a sense that it seems like one says one thing, another says another thing, and this is supposed to be God's Word.

And things that can't even possibly, seemingly, be reconciled. Brett Wood, I know, gave a sermonette here. I think they'll...oh, I don't know if it was the last time we were here, but maybe the time before. For those of you who are here may remember that, Proverbs chapter 26 and verse 4. He gave a sermonette on that particular topic. And if you remember that, let's just turn there. Proverbs chapter 26, he covered verses 4 and 5. And it talks about there a section of Scripture that seems to be contradictory. Proverbs chapter 26 and verses 4, you may recognize this if you weren't here for that particular message. But it says, don't answer a fool according to his folly, lest you be like him. And the very next verse says, well, answer a fool according to his folly. Lest he be wise in his own eyes. But wait a minute, what is it? You know, do we answer a fool according to his folly, or do we not answer a fool according to his folly? So sometimes there seems to be opposing declarations in Scripture that seem like they can't be reconciled. You know, we find this in some of the writings of even some so-called biblical scholars. When they look at these things, you know, they say, well, how can this be reconciled? So what I want to do in the sermon today is to look at, as we rightly divide the word of truth, is to look at what seems to be a contradiction in Scripture. But we've got two different writers that seem to say something that's totally opposite. So we're going to look at that. It's a fairly complicated area, where supposedly these two writers, who are two apostles, say things that seem to be totally in opposition to each other.

And some of the biblical scholars even throw up their hands and they say, well, we can't possibly reconcile what they're saying. They're just the opposite. It makes no sense to us. So they throw up their hands in futility. They're irreconcilable, is what some people conclude. And of course, in the minds of some, then that casts doubt on the validity of Scripture itself. Now, the two apostles that we're going to talk about are Paul and James. That's what we're going to look at today, Paul and James. And if you check some of the writings of some of the commentaries, there supposedly is an alleged problem here. They seem to be on opposite sides of a fence. And the problem that some feel is between the Apostle Paul and the Apostle James on something that's a pretty important and fundamental doctrine. And that doctrine is justification. So the title of the message today is, How Are We Justified? How are we justified? Are we justified by faith? Or are we justified by works? So let's look at a few of the Scriptures. We're going to identify the term justification in just a moment. But let's take a look at a few Scriptures here. Let's begin in James 2 and verse number 21. James 2 and verse number 21. We pick up the topic here. See what James has to say about the topic of justification. Then we're going to jump after we go through some of the Scriptures in James. We're going to jump to Romans and see what Paul has to say on this particular topic. James chapter 2 and verse number 21. It says, Was not our Father Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? Well, Abraham was justified by works when he did that, according to James. Verse number 22. Do you see that faith was working together with his works? And by works, faith was made perfect. Verse 23. And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Now, the Scripture that he's talking about there in verse 23, he's actually quoting an Old Testament Scripture that's found in Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6. And eventually we're going to turn back to that Scripture and kind of pick it up a little bit in the context here. But James says the Scripture was fulfilled in verse 23 here, that Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So we'll go back in a moment to take a look at that Genesis 15 verse 16, because that's a Scripture that they both refer to back. Both James and Paul. They both refer back to that same Scripture. So we'll look at that in a moment. It's important to look at the context, as we know, both in the Old Testament and the New Testament. But let's continue on here in verse 23. And he was called the Friend of God. Verse 24. You see then that a man is justified by works and not by faith only. So know that James says this twice, that a man is justified, or woman, is justified by works. So James makes a very important point that a Christian has to do certain things in order to be justified. Now let's look at the supposedly contradictory Scripture that Paul spoke in Romans chapter 3 in verse 28. So let's go back to Romans chapter 3, and we'll pick it up here in verse number 28. Romans chapter 3 and verse number 28.

Paul, writing to the church at Rome, has this to say. Romans chapter 3 verse 28. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law. Or is he the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles only. The Gentiles also. Verse 30. Since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith.

So faith is involved in both those that were circumcised and those that were uncircumcised. It was through the same way. And we'll actually talk about that a little bit later about the circumcised and the uncircumcised. But they're justified the same way. Verse number 31. Do we then make void the law through faith? Well, no, of course not. On the contrary, we establish the law. Now the whole subject of Paul and the law is a big topic. I'm not going to have the time to go through all of that on a sermon, a sermon all of its own.

That's a big subject. But let's continue on. Let's go to the next chapter and pick it up in Romans chapter 4, verse 1. Because Paul goes on to say, What then shall we say that Abraham our Father has found according to the flesh? He says, for if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. So what does the scripture say?

And then Paul quotes the same scripture that James quotes back in Genesis chapter 15 and verse 6. It's the same verse. And Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. So what's going on? Paul says Abraham was justified by faith. James says that Abraham was justified by his works, and his works manifested his faith. Is this a contradiction? Is this irreconcilable?

Is the word of God schizophrenic? Is God inconsistent? Do we have a problem? Do we have a James and a Paul problem, in a sense? Let's look further into the scripture. I mentioned earlier we define justification, so let's take a moment to define what that is. Because it's important. It's a big word, but really, it's not that hard to understand. What does it mean when we're justified? Let's define justification. Justification is being made right with God. It's being made right with God. Declared innocent. Because sins have been forgiven, and sins have been blotted out.

Justification is being made right with God. Being declared innocent. Because sins have been forgiven, and blotted out. We often think about Passover and examining ourselves and looking at sin. When it comes down to sin, really, all sin is either judged, or it's forgiven, isn't it? When you think about it, all sins that we have is either going to be judged, or it's going to be forgiven. I think that's important to remember. For those of you that are baptized, remember when you came out of the water, and we generally tell people that we baptized this type of thing, when you came up out of the water, probably something was said similar to this, congratulations, your sins have now been forgiven.

And you know, at that point in time, you and I stood before God after baptism, completely clean, totally clean, in that sense. Unfortunately, though, we usually go forward from that point, and we sin again. And then we have to ask for repentance in that sense, and rely on God's mercy, and then again, on His justification.

It's an ongoing thing, being made right with God. But let's get back to the question, how are we justified? Are we justified by faith, or are we justified by works? And the answer is, yes. So now we can close up the sermon early, we can start the bad luck after the blessing of the deal. No, that's not enough. We want to take a look at more of the context of Scripture here, and we've got some more time here.

So let's take a deeper look into the Scripture here, because as we take a deeper look at what some feel is an apparent contradiction, I think the big key to understanding this question is context. What was happening on the ground at these times? What was James dealing with? What was Paul dealing with? Context. You know, I had a whole workshop on how important, as we labor in the Word, how important context is, brethren, and that was really emphasized very much by Scott Ashley in that particular seminar.

The importance of context, because context helps us to solve so many of the apparent Bible contradictions and difficulties we need to always look at the context. So let's stay in Romans, and let's take a little look, a deeper look, into the context of what we read here. So we're in Romans. Let's go back to chapter 3, and let's see what's going on. Let's see what Paul is dealing with. Let's see what Paul is saying, and perhaps more importantly, to whom that he is saying it to. And what opposition was Paul having to deal with?

You know, when we read Paul's writings, one of the keys to understanding is he's often opposing someone that's trying to bring heresy into the church. And so we can often figure out what the opposition is saying by what Paul is saying implicitly in the scripture. As we look at Paul's argument, we can maybe understand what it is that someone was trying to say. So let's pick it up in Romans chapter 3 and verse number 19.

Paul says this, Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may be guilty before God.

You know, this is one of the things that Paul emphasized over and over again, is that the law defines sin. It helps us to understand what's right and what's wrong. It gives us a knowledge of what sin is.

Interesting that when we get to James, James doesn't use the word law in the context here, but Paul uses the word law. Let's go on to verse number 20.

So again, the law defines what sin is. When we break the law, and when we sin, we stand guilty. We stand condemned after that. And the law cannot save us out of that condition. It can't save us. God will save us through Jesus Christ.

You know, there's a reason why one of the names and titles of Jesus is Savior.

You know, a Savior is somebody that saves you from something that you can't get out of yourself.

And so we see that God will save us through Jesus Christ. Verse 21.

But now, the righteousness of God, apart from the law, is revealed, being witnessed by the law and the prophets. Brethren, this isn't something that's new. This is something that was in the Old Testament, under the Old Covenant. But now, the righteousness of God, apart from the law, is revealed, being witnessed, noticed by the law and the prophets. God said this was something that was going to happen, even back in the, under the Old Covenant.

That that is what's going to happen. There's going to be a righteousness of God, apart from the law.

That's going to save us. That's going to justify us. This is not something new. But there was a thought that was twisting the truth even under the Old Testament. And Paul was having to deal with that. Verse 22. And it's even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe.

For there is no difference, verse 23, for all have sinned. It doesn't matter whether you knew the law or whether you are not exposed to the law.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Verse 24. Being freely, justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has set forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith to demonstrate His righteousness. This is outside of the law. We read about that in verse 21. To demonstrate His righteousness because in His forbearance, or in His patience, in other words, God has passed over the sins that were previously committed. To demonstrate at the present time His righteousness that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

Note here Paul's use of the word law. When we look at the broader context in Romans, and for that matter, if we look at the broader context of the book of Galatians, we see that there were some in opposition to the church on this particular understanding. They spoke of the idea that you could be justified by doing certain things. You could be justified by keeping the law.

There was that thought that was going on, but there was a righteousness outside of the law that God talked about in the Old Covenant with prophets and witnessed itself by the law and the prophets. And so Paul was having to deal with this type of thought. It was a twisting of the correct understanding under the Old Testament Scriptures.

Some Jewish Christians, they were coming into the church, some of the Jews believed that you could be justified by lawkeeping. Galatians indicate that some of the Jews in the church had taken up the idea that you could be saved by lawkeeping. But can you?

Does our lawkeeping save us? Well, brethren, it's not the teaching of the church of God. And it never has been.

Now, we've been accused of that. We've been accused of preaching a salvation by works. We don't teach that, brethren. We don't teach a salvation by works. Our works cannot save us. Now, some of the Jews even taught that you were made righteous by doing certain things. And they came to see that certain things had to be done in a certain way, or certain things had to be not to be done in a certain way.

Even some of the laws of Moses, and even went beyond the Ten Commandments, and even some of the laws of Moses were expanded upon. And they even got into oral law that you could not be justified unless you did certain things, and that would justify you.

They got into several different things. You know, you couldn't walk over a certain distance on the Sabbath.

A Sabbath day's journey, approximately five-eighths of a mile. You couldn't carry your bed on the Sabbath day and walk. You know, these were some of the things, the zoos and don'ts, that began to become something that was very, very important to some of them. Not all, but some. And by keeping the oral law, you'd be justified. But Paul, on the other hand, stresses God's acceptance of us through repentance and belief. You know, we read in Romans chapter 3, verse 20, already, So Paul emphasizes justification. He emphasizes God living in us. In other messages, in other scriptures, in other passages, Paul's emphasis is very clear. He stresses that sin still has to be avoided.

It has to be avoided, and that good fruit needs to be produced. We'll look at some of those scriptures in a moment. And that after faith, good works follow.

Let's go over to Romans chapter 6, just a couple of pages, maybe even one page over. And let's notice a few verses here. Romans chapter 6 and verse 1. Romans 6, verse number 1. He says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may be abound?

You know, does grace mean that you can just keep living the way that you've lived all your life?

He says, No! Don't misunderstand. Certainly not. It's very strong here. Certainly not. How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? The message is clear. Stop sinning. Stop breaking the law.

Don't sin.

You know, that's one of the messages of the Days of Unleavened Bread. We examine ourselves to see the sin that's there, and we put it out. We ask for forgiveness, and we make every attempt not to continue to live that lifestyle.

Verse number 3. Don't you know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?

So He talks about that. And He goes on to say, And we were buried with Him through baptism, into death, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. And then we also should walk in a newness of life. So we have faith, but good works follow. We walk in a different way.

Let's go back to Genesis chapter 15 and take a look at this verse that both of these apostles were quoting to support their thoughts on this particular subject. Genesis, right back to the first book of the Bible, Genesis chapter 15 and verse number 6. Both of these apostles quote this same scripture.

Neither of them twisted the scripture, but they had slightly different purposes in quoting the scripture.

Let's pick it up in verse 4 of Genesis chapter 15.

We'll see here that Abram, his name had not yet been changed to Abraham. Here's where Abram is talking to God about his lack of offspring. He's not had a son. And God has promised him a son, which seemed, based on his wife's age and his own, that it was impossible. It seemed completely impossible, at least physically speaking. Verse number 4, And behold, the word of the Lord came to him, saying, This one shall not be your heir. This one that he's referring to was Eleazar of Damascus, who was a steward of his home. He was kind of like a son, but he wasn't from his own loins, someone that he'd given responsibility to. So he said it's not going to be Eleazar of Damascus, the steward. But one who will come from your own body shall be your heir. Verse 5, And then he God brought him outside, and he said, Look now towards the heaven, and I want you to count the stars, if you can number them. And I'm guessing back then the atmosphere was a little different. So when you saw the stars, you saw a lot more than what you see today. And he says, Count the stars if you're able to number them. And he said, So shall your descendants be.

Verse 6, And he believed in the Lord, and the Lord accounted it to Abram for righteousness. Now there's the scripture that both of these apostles are quoting as verse 6. You know, this is the one that Paul and James talk about here. And I think there are three or four other times in the New Testament. It's quoted as well because Abraham is the father of the faithful. So what he did at that moment, when God gave him this promise, he said this, Well, if God says it's true, then it must be true.

I'm going to believe God. If God says it's true, then it must be true. And this is the scripture that both of them are quoting here. Genesis 15, verse 6. Okay, I'm going to try to make a difficult subject as easy as I can. Paul's emphasis is that Genesis 15 precedes Genesis 17. Paul emphasizes that Genesis 15 precedes Genesis 17. Now what on earth do I mean by that? Okay? I'm trying to make that clear. Let's turn forward to Genesis 17. We've been in Genesis 15. Let's go forward to Genesis 17, verse 9, because something very important happens in Genesis 17. Now his name is Abraham. His name has been changed from a brahm to Abraham. And his entire household, the males in his household, have all been circumcised, which has been a token of a covenant. Let's take a look here. Genesis 17, verse 9. And God said to Abraham, As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep between me and your descendants after you. Every male child among you shall be circumcised, and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.

Now the significance of circumcision at the time of Abraham down to the time of the New Testament really changed. By the time of the New Testament, many Jews were wearing circumcision as a badge of superiority. That's how they were thinking about it. And one of the things Paul had to teach them was, no, no, that wasn't the purpose. Of circumcision was a badge of superiority. That wasn't the reason at all. The purpose of circumcision was really, it depicted a religious responsibility.

To be a light, an example. But when we get into the book of Romans, Paul has to make a point. That justification comes on the circumcised and the uncircumcised in the same way. That's what we read in the book of Romans. We talked about that. It was the same way for the circumcised and the uncircumcised. So Paul emphasizes Genesis 15 precedes Genesis 17, and that circumcision came after Abram confessed his faith. Circumcision came after. He had already confessed his faith and belief in God prior to circumcision. And God gave him the promise back in Genesis 15. Now, Paul does not mention Genesis 22.

On the other hand, James emphasizes that Genesis 15 precedes Genesis 22. What on earth do I mean by that? What happens in Genesis 22? We're going to go there. Let's go over and turn to Genesis 22. We're not going to read the whole chapter. We don't have time for that.

But let's turn over there and at least pick up some of the story here. It's a very familiar section, I think, where God calls on Abraham to sacrifice his own son. And this is part of what James refers to. I think Abraham proved an enormous point which confirmed that he is the father of the faithful and he was willing to do it. Remember, at the very last minute, he's just about ready to thrust in the knife. And then in verse 11, an angel of the Lord called to him from heaven.

He said, Abraham, Abraham. And he said, I'm here. Here I am. And he said, don't lay your hand on the lad or do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me. James emphasizes here, his emphasis is that Abraham believed and then he followed through with something. Back in Genesis 15, he believed in God and then in Genesis 22, he follows through, he acts on the belief.

The sacrifice of his son was a pretty significant thing. It was bigger than maybe anything that I've ever gone through or you've ever gone through. I think he would have rather died himself than to sacrifice his son. This was something that was huge. I'm going to quote here a little bit from William Barkley. I don't know if you're familiar with some of his commentaries. They're very good. I don't agree with everything that he says, but some of them are very good in some places. And this is from the letters of James and Peter by William Barkley. I'm going to quote here from page number 74.

He says this, and I quote, there's a difference between James and Paul. William Barkley seems to understand. They begin at different times in a Christian's life. Paul begins at the very beginning of a Christian's life. He begins at the very beginning. He insists that no man can ever earn the forgiveness of God. The initial step must be from the free grace of God. A man can only accept the forgiveness which God offers him in Jesus Christ.

I'll have to interject here a little bit here. I think it's important that we understand that the New Testament Scriptures also talk about that there needs to be fruits, meat, for repentance. But fruit, meat, for repentance doesn't mean that we earn God's favor either in that sense.

He goes on to say, James begins much later in the life of a professing Christian. The man who claims to be already forgiven and in a new relationship with God. Such a man, James rightly says, must live a new life, for he is a new creature. He has been justified. He must now show that he is sanctified. And with that, Paul would have entirely agreed. I like the way that William Barkley puts this. He says, and I quote again, The fact is that no man can be saved by works.

No man can be saved by works. But equally, no man can be saved without producing fruit or producing works. I like the way he puts that. No man can be saved by works, but equally, no man can be saved without producing works. Let's go back to James now. Back to James chapter 2. One more time. A little bit more background here and thought. I'm hoping we're beginning to see that the opposition that Paul was faced with was different than the issue or the opposition that James was faced with.

There was a different heresy that each one of them had to deal with. They were different ideas and they were both engaged in a battle, in a sense, for the truth. Let's go back to James chapter 2 and we'll pick it up here in verse number 14. James chapter 2 and verse number 14. James says, What does it profit, my brethren? If someone says he has faith but he does not have works, can faith save him?

What does James mean by faith here? I think he was beginning to have to address an understanding here. That there was an opposition that was beginning to think that faith was nothing more than an intellectual belief in God. I think we can see that from the context here, an intellectual belief.

But does that belief change the way that you live, I think is the question that James is beginning to ask. Does it change the way that we live and does it make us different? Does it make us more like God? Does it make it more like Jesus Christ? James has in mind, I think, that kind of thing. That just simple intellectual belief is not enough and he begins to address a problem that was beginning to come in the church. Simple intellectual belief. Notice verse 15. He's trying to tell us that faith is more than that.

Verse 15, If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food and one of you says, Depart in peace, be warmed and filled, but you don't give them the things which they need. What does it profit? Verse 17, Thus also faith by itself, if that's all it is, is an intellectual belief in God, if it doesn't have works, it's dead. He's pretty straightforward about it, isn't he? It's dead. Good will isn't enough is what James is saying here. You know, just words, you know, depart and God bless, but we don't do anything.

James had to address what was beginning to become thought of as faith was just an intellectual belief.

But he's trying to say, when you really believe in something, you act upon it. You act upon it. Otherwise, it's not real belief. Verse 17, I guess we read that verse 18, but someone will say, you have faith and I have works. He says, show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. He says, the works are the evidence that the faith is there. James is saying, verse 19, you believe that there's one God. Well, you do well, but you know what? So do the demons. They believe the same thing. They believe in God, and yet they tremble. So I think he's making a point here. The demons believe in God. They know he exists. They know he's there. They have an intellectual belief, in a sense, I suppose. But that's not enough.

Verse 20, but don't you know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead. You know, James is fighting a different battle than Paul is fighting. He's addressing a different opposition. You know, if we look at the context, we can see that Paul is addressing people that said, you can be justified by keeping the works of the law, and that's not according to Scripture. And James is saying that according to Scripture, true faith is a real faith. It's a living faith. It's just not an intellectual belief. That's what he was facing. That was the opposition. That was the heresy that was beginning to creep into the church at that time.

So in a sense, they were fighting on different fronts, in a sense, weren't they?

They're fighting different battles. James is looking for fruits, in a sense. He says they need to be there. But in a sense, God is looking for fruits, because he's speaking through James. And what James was beginning to say is that there were people of faith that weren't bearing any fruit. They looked at the tree and all there was was leaves. There wasn't any fruit on the tree.

So James has to address this. No, that's not real faith.

Verse 22, do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works, faith was made perfect?

Verse 23, the Scripture was fulfilled. So there he quotes it again. This is Genesis chapter 15, verse 6.

He quotes it again, Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.

And he was called the friend of God.

So James concerned he's having to deal with practical morality.

You know, God, through James, is saying, looking for fruits, and we're not seeing any.

And he's disappointed. And so is God.

When we profess belief in him and faith in him, and yet we don't follow through with any change of life, or bearing fruit as he talks about in other Scriptures, as Jesus talked about in so many Scriptures of the parables, about bearing fruit.

Paul emphasizes God living in us, having a real belief in what he says is true, but then acting upon it is what James emphasizes.

For James, the two are tightly connected. Faith leads to obedience. And anything other than that is a contradiction.

James believes in a living faith demonstrated in people's lives, and produces fruit.

He gives another interesting example here in verse number 25. We'll take a look at this one.

Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out on their way?

Remember that story? In fact, let's go back. It's in Joshua. Let's go back there just for a moment and notice Rahab's story.

Keep your finger here in James 2 if you haven't already left, because we're going to come back.

Let's take a look here at what is shared in the book of Joshua right after the book of Deuteronomy.

Joshua 2. Rahab is a very unusual person.

In fact, we spent a little time with Rich yesterday, and he was pointing out that in the chronology in the book of Matthew, Rahab is listed in the chronology of Jesus Christ, Rahab the harlot.

She ended up eventually marrying an Israelite and having children that are part of the line of David and, of course, part of the line of Jesus Christ.

Joshua 2. Rahab is actually mentioned in Hebrews 11 also in the faith chapter.

Joshua 2. Rahab is in verse 8. Now before they lay down, she came up to them on the roof.

We're talking about the spies here that were there.

And she said to the man, you know, I know that the Lord has given you the land.

So she's kind of professing her faith here. She believes it. She believes this God of Israel.

She says, I know that this God has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and all the inhabitants of the land are faint-hearted because of you.

Because we've heard how the Lord has dried up the water of the Red Sea for you when you came out of Egypt.

It's amazing. Those stories were circulating. Did you hear what happened?

These people came out of Egypt, the most powerful nation on the face of the earth. Their God brought them out.

Their God parted the Red Sea. They were trapped, and He delivered them through the Red Sea.

And we've heard what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were on the other side of the Jordan, Sihon and Gog, whom you utterly destroyed.

It's interesting how those victories were common knowledge. They were circulating.

And she goes on, and she says she has faith in the God of the spies, verse 11.

And as soon as we heard these things, our hearts melted, and neither did there remain any more courage in anyone because of you.

For the Lord your God, He is God in heaven and in earth beneath. She believed this to be true.

Wow. You know, we can read right over there and say, yeah, we know that God is God. But this was very significant for her.

She hadn't believed in this God up to this point in time. She was a Gentile. She probably had other gods. But now she believed that this God is God. He is the God. That was a confession of faith.

And interactions manifest her belief. She has works. What does she do? Well, she shelters the spies.

She acts on her belief that this God is the true God, and she protects the spies of that God. Which was very important at that time. They needed a report back to know what they were going to do.

To have the conquest of that first city in the Promised Land. Now let's go back to James 2.

James 2.

We'll pick it up in verse number 26.

James addressed the heresy that was coming in pretty directly.

He says this, James 2.26. James says, For as the body without the Spirit is dead, So faith without works is dead also.

Wow! Talk about going straight to the heart of the matter.

If you've seen somebody that's died, you know the Spirit leaves them. There's no life there at all.

As the body without the Spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead as well.

You know, if we just profess intellectually, and we don't follow through with a changed mind, with a godly way of life, it doesn't mean anything.

It's dead. It's meaningless, James says.

You know, I gave this sermon last Sabbath in southern Minnesota, and we had several people that came over to our home, and we started to talk a little bit about, How do you show your faith by your works? You know, how is it? Maybe you can think about that, too.

If someone were to ask you, because James is saying without works, faith is dead, how do you show your faith by your works?

How do you encapsulate that in your thoughts or understanding? How would you respond to somebody that says, show me your faith by your works? What does that mean?

So we started to kind of talk a little bit about it, and try to get some feedback from the brethren.

One of the members said this, well, tithing. They talked about the first tithe.

That tithing teaches us obedience through faith, that we trust God. How is it that 90% can be more than 100%? How is it that we're going to trust God to do what he tells us to do?

And that takes faith, and then you act upon that.

And for some, that's a pretty significant thing, is to tithe.

We trust in God, that we do what he asks us to do. Some brought up second tithe. You know, sometimes the situations can be tough, and you're tempted to borrow from that front, rather than leave it alone.

You did to dip into it. And yet, when you don't, somehow things work out, because you trust in God. You believe in God. You act upon it.

Some talked about the Sabbath. You know, we address that as well.

And it's mentioned, I think it's, is it Exodus 31, where it's a test commandment? Is it in Exodus 31? I didn't write that down, but it's a test commandment.

God wants to test us to see whether it will obey that command. And some people have struggled.

I may have shared the story with you in Sri Lanka. Well, there was a time, because the culture's so different there, although it's becoming that way here.

But the culture there is, you almost have to work on the Sabbath to hold a job. That's a typical, important work day.

And there were several, this wasn't me, but there were several brethren that came up to the minister and said, you know what?

We're having a hard time providing for our families. We can't get a job.

And we're wondering if we should work on the Sabbath in order to provide for our families.

And one of the men who was a leader in the congregation said, you know, that minister told us exactly what we needed to hear. God really helped us.

He told us, he said, you know what? Let's go through the scriptures.

And if you can find a scripture that tells me that we should not work on the Sabbath, the scripture's pretty clear, isn't it? She'll not labor on that day. She'll rest.

Have a holy convocation. You should keep that day holy. It's set apart.

If you can show me a scripture that says that it's all right to do that.

And they said, you know, we couldn't find one.

And he said, that's the best thing that he could have told us.

And you know, eventually, brethren, everything worked out. They all got jobs.

There's other people that have lost their jobs because they wouldn't work on the Sabbath. And you may have heard some of these stories, too. They ended up losing their job, but then they ended up getting a different job, and it's a better job.

And it actually got them closer to where their gifts and talents were with better pay.

Or they'd lose their job a second time, and they went on to a job that paid even more.

Because they acted upon their faith. They guided their lives.

One of the deacons in southern Minnesota said this, and you may know who this is because of the story.

But you know, our business has thrived.

You know, when the sun sets early in the wintertime, we put a sign on the door that we're going to be closed at 4 o'clock.

And people say, how can you do that? You're going to lose business. Everyone's open until 5. How can you do that?

Or they close their doors on an annual holy day that falls during the week, on a Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday. They put a sign on them. How can you do that?

Well, they acted upon their belief. And God's blessed their business. They're doing fine. They're doing great.

Their business has thrived. I'll tell you about Norris. Norris, a church member, years ago, this happened years ago, he's dead now.

But Norris was a poor man in Mississippi. Had a large family, had five children. We're talking about a family of seven here.

You know, sometimes they barely made it from week to week financially just to have enough money to have gas in the car to be able to go to services.

It was a week to week thing, often. And one time on Friday night dinner, Sabbath dinner, he confessed to his family. He said, you know what? We don't have enough money to put gas in the car to go to services.

Now, this is a story that's relayed by one of the children. He had never forgotten it. It's one of the sons, one of the five children.

He said, well, the next morning, dad wakes us up like he normally does. He says, okay, it's time to get ready for church.

He said, wait a minute, dad, you told us that we don't have enough money to go to service today. I put gas in the car to go to services.

He said, I know what I said. Get up and get ready.

And about half an hour before they would normally leave for services, there was a knock on the door. One of the older sons, not in the church, on his own, you know, in his own family, knocked on the door. He said, you know, dad, I heard that you've been struggling financially. Here's a few dollars that'll help you.

And they had money for gas, so they could go to services. But if they wouldn't have gotten up and got dressed and gotten ready for church, they wouldn't have made it on time.

This son has never forgotten this story. It's stuck with him all of his life. It's time to get up and get ready for church. We don't have any money. I know. I know we don't. But get ready.

It's stuck with him all of his life. They acted upon their faith. They acted upon their belief.

These are all possible examples, and you may have your own. We see Rahab. She acted on her belief. She trusted that this was the true God, and she acted upon what she believed to be true.

Brother, when it comes to being made right with God, or justified, if you will, is it of faith, or is it of works?

Paul decries the notion of justification by works. He had to address the perversion of what was beginning to be thought of. He had to correct the misunderstanding of even what the Old Covenant itself said.

He had to address, and really, he had to stand down a spiritual pride that was beginning to be coming into the church.

You know, in a sense, it was a spiritual pride, in a sense, that said, I can win my way into God's favor by doing things.

And God says to Paul, oh, no, you can't. No, you can't.

And the Apostle Paul had to teach some of the Jewish section of the church, in particular, I suppose, that that was the emphasis that they were having. He had to address that. He said, no, you can't do that.

That's not according to Scripture.

James, on the other hand, is facing a sense of different situation, in a way, that could probably be put into words like this, I can have God's favor and do nothing. So we see the opposition that they were each facing, it was a little bit different, wasn't it? It was a little bit different.

And really what we have is two men, in a sense, standing back to back to address the truth of the Scriptures that are coming at it from different directions.

They're having to address different oppositions, but they're standing back to back.

And they're supporting the faith once delivered from Scripture.

And faith is central to what they both advocate, but just what is true faith?

We're going to look at a couple of Scriptures here.

The faith of Jesus Christ is central to both Paul and James. Faith is critical, but faith is also fruitful.

It's more than intellectual belief. It's central, and they both advocate it, as we know.

Let's look at a couple of Scriptures here. I think these are two helpful Scriptures that sum up what I'm trying to say, or what God is trying to say through even Paul and James.

Let's go to Galatians chapter 5 and verse 6. Galatians chapter 5 and verse number 6. Let's see from context here that Paul is talking about more than an intellectual belief as well, but he also addresses the fact that there needs to be some works that are involved here.

Galatians chapter 5 and verse number 6. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything but faith working through love. Faith works. It produces something.

So how are we justified? We're justified by faith, but we're not justified by an empty faith. We're not justified by an unproductive faith, not by faith alone in that sense.

We're justified by faith that is living and produces something.

Last Scripture. Ephesians chapter 2.

Ephesians chapter 2 and verse number 8.

Paul writes this here in this context.

For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. It's not of works.

You know, so we can't be saved by our works, lest anyone should boast.

For we are his workmanship. Notice created in Christ Jesus for good works. So that's part of it, isn't it? If we really believe in God, then we know that He's created in us, as it says here.

It says He's created in Jesus Christ for good works. So good works are going to follow if we have faith in God and what He says.

So is the Bible? Schizophrenic. I don't think so. I don't think so. When we really understand what Paul had to say, it makes wonderful sense that works can't save us.

But we're created for good works. You know, and faith is a starting point, but we're also created for good works, which God has prepared beforehand. So, brethren, when it comes to true faith from the Scriptures, it produces fruit in our lives, in the life of a follower of Jesus Christ. So there isn't any conflict. There's no conflict at all. But these two apostles of God are standing back to back to defend the true faith and the definition of true faith. They aren't in conflict with each other. They have the same conviction. They just have different adversaries that they're facing at the time. You and I have to stand there, too, in a sense to defend the true understanding of what faith is. Real believing faith. Real fruitful faith. A living faith that is at the center of our lives.

Thank you.