Msg #1713 Faith Without Works

What The Bible Says

Good Samaritan's Penny Pulpit by Pastor Ed Rice

A Bible believer has a great reverence for all sixty-six books of God's revealed Word, but the very first epistle ever written to the Church should hold a special place in our awe. James is that epistle. God wrote us twenty-one epistles, this one was his first. James, the half brother of Jesus himself, wrote it before Gentiles were included in the gospel's outreach. If you do not get the eight things in his outline, get these three, God wrote you an epistle by inspiration, it is the first epistle he ever wrote, and you will not get out of it what he put in it unless you, “Study to show thyself approved unto God.” The eight things are completely interwoven in this epistle. “Faith without works is dead” (2:17). Curiously, his epistle written to Gentiles several years later teaches that “works without faith is dead” (Rom 4:1-5). Faith without discrimination is good. (2:1-9). Society currently teaches that all discrimination is bad, but my parents taught me when it came to my friends discriminating carefully is wise. It is only blind or stereo-typed discrimination that is bad; be sure that all have sinned, and God can save anybody. Faith without trial is fake, and faith with an unbridled tongue is a fire. Faith without receiving is empty lust (4:1-3). Faith without wisdom is vain (1:5-8). Remember the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. James discriminates between Godly wisdom and man's wisdom. A brain forging ahead without God is called philosophy, and it ends up unstable in all his ways. Faith without patience is spoiled-figs, and finally, faith without grudging is real (5:9). Faith that holds a grudge is not pleasing to God, or anybody else. These eight qualities of faith are neatly interwoven throughout five chapters James.

An Essay for week #13 Mar 26, 2017

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