Sermon Link: https://youtu.be/ZEVb8Sye154?feature=shared
Sermon Excerpt from James 2:14-26
On October 31, 1517, the world changed with the sound of a hammer. Martin Luther, a monk burdened by the corruption of his time, nailed the Ninety-five Theses to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg. His protest wasn’t just against indulgences—it was about answering the age-old question asked by men like Nicodemus, the Rich Young Ruler, and even the Disciples themselves: What must man do to be saved?
Luther’s cry, and the cry of the Reformation, echoed the voice of truth, the Scriptures: we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. But in James 2, we’re reminded of something vitally important that often becomes forgotten, though we are thankfully saved through faith alone in Christ alone, faith that saves is never alone. A Living faith breathes because the Living God breathes and when it breathes, it breathes works.
In other words, beloved, faith is not mere agreement with a few doctrines, nor is it head knowledge or church attendance. It’s a spiritual resurrection, a mind renewal, and a heart regeneration. It’s an obedience that flows from the love of a new heart! It’s the tree that bears fruit because it is rooted in the rich ground of Christ. So, real faith grows from the heart and through the hands.
James starts us off with a stinging question: “What good is it… if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?” It’s rhetorical. And the implied answer is no. Faith without works is useless, fruitless, and powerless and he goes further by giving a sharp example: a brother or sister is poorly clothed and hungry. And instead of giving them food or clothing, all you give them is the words: “Go in peace, be warmed and filled.” That’s not compassion. That’s cruelty with a smile. Because love doesn’t shrug. It doesn’t send people away with nice thoughts. Love steps in! Love brings the hungry the plate off of our table and the shirt off of our back! Love does not just acknowledge the need. It fills the need.
After all, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. He didn’t stay distant. He came near. And when the Word takes root in your heart, you will go near, too, because He calls you to do so! This is the kind of faith that shows up on Monday morning, beyond Sunday singing and through weekday serving.
James goes deeper: “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” Not broken. Not weak. Dead. Lifeless. Just like a body that doesn’t breathe air is dead, so is a faith that doesn’t breathe works.
Then he drops a shocking, chill-inducing line: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” What James says here is that you can believe in the right God and still be lost. You can believe in the existence of God and even tremble at His power, and yet still have no saving relationship with Him. Because even the demons believe all the biblical truths and doctrines of God, and they’re damned because their knowledge breeds their hatred of God, not love for Him. That’s why saving faith is not just an agreement—it’s affection. It’s not just awareness—it’s allegiance. Real faith loves Christ, treasures Christ, obeys Christ, and imitates Christ. Meaning, it doesn’t just say half-heartedly, “Yeah, I believe in God.” It says with a yearning soul, “I belong to Him and I desire to look more like Him!”
James now calls forward two witnesses: Abraham and Rahab. One was a patriarch. One was a prostitute. But both had living faith. Abraham believed God, and his belief showed when he placed Isaac on the altar. Rahab believed God, and her belief showed when she welcomed the spies and protected them.
James then says something that can be very troubling to some, IF, they do not tread carefully. “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Don’t mistake him, beloved. He’s not saying we’re justified before God by our works. He’s saying that true faith is proven by what it does. We know this from our witnesses, Abraham didn’t just say he trusted God—he obeyed Him because he trusted that God was faithful to His Word. Rahab didn’t just claim to know the Lord—she risked everything because her heart had been captured by the fear and glory of God. Their hands followed their hearts, and their works flowed from their worship. Therefore, faith that saves is a faith that obeys. It’s a faith that gives. A faith that moves. It’s a faith that doesn’t just sit in the pew but walks out of the church and into people’s lives with mercy, grace, and truth.
Furthermore, we also know this with certainty that this is indeed what James means in verse 24 because we interpret Scripture according with other Scripture, not Scripture with logic or feeling. That is an essential practice for our daily study of the Word. It is to ask when we approach similar Scriptures, “Ok, Lord. What else do you have to say about this topic?” And for this, we find that Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-10 that we are saved by grace through faith—not by works—yet we are created in Christ Jesus for good works. Paul speaks of the root, James speaks of the fruit. The Bible does not contradict itself, it completes itself.
And friend, let’s not forget the power of that principle: interpreting Scripture with Scripture is how we keep our theology anchored. James challenges us to test the profession of our faith, and Paul roots us in the provision of God’s grace. It’s not either-or—it’s both-and. Faith alone saves, but saving faith is never alone.
James ends with this image: “As the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” It’s blunt. And it’s true. Just like a corpse doesn’t walk, breathe, or speak, neither does a dead faith. You can dress it up, but it’s still lifeless.
And works without Christ? They’re just religious attempts. Filthy rags that cover up a rotting corpse and an empty performance in that you hit the morals and miss the Master. You can do good things and never be made good. And on the other hand, you can claim to know the Master and still miss the morals in that you speak of grace while stepping in godlessness. You wear the name but not the nature. And you claim Christ, but there is no Cross in your conduct.
Jesus even warned in Matthew 7 that many will say to Him, “Lord, Lord,” and He will say, “I never knew you.” Not because they didn’t work, but because they didn’t love. Not because they didn’t try, but because they never truly trusted.
So the question today isn’t just, “Do you have faith?” The question is, “Does your faith have life?” Is it breathing? Is it moving? Does it love? Does it obey? Because saving faith is not passive. It’s powerful. It makes you new. And when that happens, you will serve, love, give, forgive, weep, rejoice, sacrifice, and speak—not to be saved, but because you are.
So, let faith live, let sin die, let grace empower you, let the Spirit move through you, and let the gospel shine from you. May the works of your hands be the breath of your faith.
Grace be with you.