Many people in church and in this nation have a profession of being a Christian. There are 325 million people in the United States of America. At the last census, 70% claimed to be Christian. 47% Protestant and 25% Evangelical. That's a lot of people. And yet so often, when one says they are a Christian, what they do in their life are poles apart. It is like they have this faith of Christianity, they have the rest of their life, and never the twain shall meet. And this is a problem. It's a problem because it shows a false understanding of Christian faith. It's a problem also because it's destructive to give false assurance to those who think they're believers, and you end up in hell. And it's a problem because too much of the church is rooted in easy believism, that they allow someone to claim Christianity, live an evil, carnal, debauched life, and then say that they're saved. I remember a few years ago, not gonna mention who, there was a world-famous actress and singer, and she started out her career as a gospel singer, but very quickly developed into a very well-known pop singer and movie actress. And her life entirely was characterized by sin. debauchery, sexual immorality, alcoholism, drug addiction, with no evidence of repentance whatsoever. And then she suddenly died. And she had her funeral in a church. And the church funeral was broadcast live on TV and on the internet. And the minister stood up, and said that because she had some faith when she was in her early teenage years, she was in heaven. Yet everyone knew the singer. Her life was full of sin and carnality, and yet this minister was saying, but she had a claim of faith. How destructive that is for the cause of Christ in the gospel. Well, how can we know if our faith is true or discern if it is false? Well, James is helping us here. In chapter 2, verses 1 to 13, he's been speaking about faith as impartial. And now, verses 14 to the end, he's coming to teach the people of God what is true, saving faith. and what is false, dead faith, so that we can discern that those of us who do have saving faith can be assured and comforted. And those who have false faith can see their danger. That on that day, they may say, Lord, Lord, but Jesus will say, depart from me, ye workers of iniquity. I never knew you. So they may know now, and by God's goodness and grace, repent and come to him in true saving faith. So how then can we know if we have true faith? Well, this evening we will deal with verses 14 to 20. And then next week in the evening, we'll look at 21 to the end. So this evening, how can we know if we have true faith? Well, first of all, true faith is not empty. James starts in verse 14. That's the question. Can faith save him? And in the Greek, there's one answer, no. No. Faith cannot save him. We get very anxious here, very worried, because we're Protestants, and we believe in something called Christ alone, grace alone, faith alone. Well, we should be comforted here. James is not speaking about any kind of faith cannot save you, but there's a particular kind of faith that cannot save you. Where it says can faith here, there's a definite article not being technical, basically the definite article is a predicate, and it's basically saying, can this faith save you? What's this faith? The faith that has not works, can this faith save you? And James says categorically, no. If there is a faith that does not have works, It can not save you. That's what James is saying here. That's the Bible. What he's speaking about here is true saving faith. And true faith is not empty. Here, James is speaking about the false believer because they have a claim Though a man say he hath faith. There is a profession of faith, there's a claim here, but this person he's speaking about is not a true believer. Because even though someone may say they're a believer, doesn't actually mean they are. Now we who are reformed are okay and comfortable with this because we understand that some people profess and then they fall away. And we say what the Bible teaches is that what they believe, their faith was not real and not genuine, it was temporary, it was historical faith only, but it wasn't true faith because all who have true faith will persevere to the end and be saved, true. But Armenians don't like that language. They say someone can believe and then not believe, believe and not believe, and so on. But here, we know that someone can claim to be a believer, but yet not. And this faith of the false believer is an orthodox faith. They recognize They accept, they agree to true doctrine. He's not speaking about people who believe in modalism, or people who are denying the deity of Christ. He's speaking about people who believe in good, orthodox things. Verse one, he's talking about the faith which is in the Lord Jesus Christ. These are Bible believers here. And not only that, they're believers in the one true God. But there's a problem with this faith. It's not a faith of trust. It's not a faith of embracing. It's not a faith of giving your whole life up to Jesus Christ. It's a faith of mere intellectual assent. A simple recognition of the truths of Scripture and Christ and nothing else. How do we know that? Verse 19. Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well. The devil also believe and tremble. So the false believer says, I believe. I'm a man of faith. I'm a woman of faith. Well, what do you believe? I believe there's one God. I believe there's one God. And I believe the God. And I believe Jesus as God, and Jesus as the son of God. And James says, you do well. But that's nothing less than the faith of the devils. Are the devils saved? No. Is that all you have? An intellectual agreement, assent? Because that's what the devils believe. As verse 19 clearly states, the devils believe in one God. The devils also believe Jesus is God. Mark 1, verse 24. This is what the devils say. Let us alone. What have we to do with thee? Thou Jesus of Nazareth, art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God. Mark 5, 7. The devil's speaking again. Jesus, thou Son of the Most High God. An orthodox. quote unquote, profession of faith by the devils. James says, you do well, but to the unbeliever, here's what Satan does, what you don't do, and tremble. For the false believer, it's merely an acceptance that doesn't do anything to their lives. Well, the devil's one up on them because they believe in God and yet they tremble. Here's a problem. The false faith, which is merely agreement that Jesus is God or Jesus is the Savior, that there is only one God, that faith is false because it is alone. Verse 17. Even so faith, if it have not, works being alone. Now the word alone here is not actually the word alone. It's a reflexive pronoun, just means himself, itself, herself. And literally it is saying faith, the faith that's dead is by itself. So the faith that is false and dead is one that is by itself. What it's saying here is, this person's faith is simply an intellectual assent of truth. That's it. Nothing else. An agreement of the one true God, an agreement that this is the Word of God, an agreement that Jesus is Lord and Savior. But that's all that it is. It is by itself. It has nothing else accompanying this faith. That's why later, in verse 20, he speaks about, O vain man. This is the false believer. Vain means empty, barren, naked. This is all the false believer has, a naked, empty, barren, by itself, an agreement, a scent of truth. That's it. This faith is false, non-saving, cannot save. Which means implicitly, what is true faith? The opposite. It is not by itself, it is accompanied by other things. It's not empty, but full. And it is not dead, it is alive. And that is the biblical teaching of true saving faith, full, fruitful, alive. Because when God gives faith to the believer and we exercise that faith in Jesus Christ, it's never alone. There is also the accompanying graces. For by grace are ye saved through faith. It is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Faith is a gift of God. And when God gives one of his children faith, it is not itself. It's accompanied by other graces. What other graces accompany faith? Galatians 5.22. Love. Joy. Peace. longsuffering, gentleness, goodness. These things are accompanying the faith. So it's false faith by itself, true faith accompanied by other graces. And the graces will work with the faith and will manifest itself. The chief way true faith manifests itself is love. Galatians 5 verse 6. True faith has love. And this word here, worketh, is where we get the word energy. Love energizes your faith. You can feel pretty weak physically. You may be tired. You've been working all day. And you feel weak and frail. And you've got more activity to do, more things to be done. What do you need? You need energy. strengthening, vitality, to give you extra strength to do your duty. Well, love is the energy of faith. Faith worketh by love. Love energizes, gives vitality, empowers, enables, brings faith into action. And so it is. What is love? Love is an affection of desiring good, care. Love is action, doing. It's not simply, I believe in God. Oh yes I do, says the true Christian, but I love God. I desire His goodness. I desire to serve Him. I deserve to keep the law of God. What is love? When you look at other people and there's an affection, I truly desire to love my neighbor as myself. There's a Christian brother, sister, I truly love them. And that's the fulfilling of the law. Romans 13.10, love is the fulfilling of the law. It's not simply I believe the law. I believe this Bible is true, and I walk away, and it has no effect on my life. False faith. But the true Christian, I believe this is the Word of God, and I love this Word of God. And I love God. I love my neighbor. I love my brother and my sister, and I will desire to do them good. And this is the difference between a false believer and a true believer. False believer, it's simply intellectual assent. Their faith is by itself. It's dead, it's barren, it's nothing. A true believer has other graces in their soul and they love and their faith is energized, activated, worketh by love. But how do you know that you have faith and the accompanying graces? What's the test? Where's the evidence? James tells us. True faith produces good works. Can't escape it. It's crystal clear. Verse 14. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he have faith and have not works? Can this faith save him? No, it can't. Faith without works cannot save. Which means implicitly, faith with works can save. And then later he says in verse 18, there's an objection here. And it's hard to know exactly when does the quotation start and quotation end. There's all sorts of disagreements here. Not gonna go through them all, just gonna give what I believe. Ye a man may say, thou hast faith and I have works, end quotation. Someone is trying to separate faith and works. Because we're all different, aren't we now? We all have different gifts. Someone are governing to be a listening ear. Someone's a doer. Someone's theological. Someone's practical. We like to separate. And the person here, the objector saying, well, you know, we're all different. I have my faith. I have my faith. And you have your works. And we're both Christians. And then James answers and says, no. He says, show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. How do you know that your faith is true just because you see it? No evidence, no proof, no fruit. It's meaningless. Let me show you my true faith by my works. Let me show the evidence of true saving faith by what I actually do. That's what James is saying here. How do you know your faith is not like the devil's? How do you know your faith is not false? Well, yes, you must believe in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, and we are justified by faith alone. We'll come to that next week. But how do you know your faith is true? James is very, very simple here. Good works. What are the works here? Works are obeying God's commandments by faith and love. Charity. Charity is love in action. You love people, so you act upon it. You help them. You care for them. You provide for them. It's a good work if it's done by faith in Christ. Outside of faith in Christ, God sees it as a filthy work. Stench with pride and polluted by sin. But in Christ, it is a good work. God commands and says, follow me. A good work in faith is, I will follow you, Lord. That's a good work. And God has promised every single one of his people, every true believer, I will give myself to them, work in them by my power, and I will make sure that every one of my people will produce good works." And we all know the classic text. How do we know? Ephesians 2, 8-10. How are we declared righteous before God? How are we made right? How are we forgiven all of our sins? How are we accepted in the sight of God? Faith, no works. By grace are ye saved, through faith and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast." Clear, clear. But here is what God is going to do with your faith. He's gonna produce good works. The next verse says, for we are his workmanship. created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Believer, if you have faith in Christ, you will bear good works, not because of your own strength, not because of your own energy, but because I am in you by grace. I will make you well and to do. And I will produce these good works. You are my workmanship. I'm getting the hammer and nails out, the woods and the planks. I'm smoothing the rough edges. I'm turning the desert into a rainforest. I'm turning a barren tree into a fruitful tree. You once were a bad tree producing bad fruit, but now by my grace, I am forming you as a good tree to produce good fruit. Titus 2, 14. It says that God has given the grace that brings salvation. What does the grace that brings salvation to do? Merely forgiveness of sins? No. Titus 2, 14 speaks about Christ who comes, and it says, who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. He's going to make us desire in our hearts to love God, love people, and produce the fruit of good works. And Jesus says, this peculiar people, they're gonna stand out from the rest of the world. They're gonna be different in their attitude, different in their actions. And as they follow me, serve me, and bear good fruit, it's gonna be like a light to the darkened world. Matthew 5, 16. Let your light so shine before men that they see your good works. And who are they going to glorify? You? No, no, no. Glorify your Father, which is in heaven. Do we see now, Christian, the encouragement, the comfort that if we believe in Jesus Christ and it's true, it's not going to be empty, but it's going to work by love, and God will form you for His workmanship and produce good works. This will happen to everyone as a true Christian. And this is the evidence of true saving faith. Because the creed is not enough. It's the creed and the deed. It's a profession of faith, yes, in the Lord Jesus Christ, in the Bible of the Word of God, but also the deed, the evidence of true faith bearing fruit in good works. And in doing this, the Christian is useful. Twice it uses the word profit. Verse 14, what doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath works and have not? Or have faith and not works? Then he says in verse 16, what doth it profit? The word profit means useful, practical, beneficial. True faith is useful. True faith is beneficial. True faith is practical. You actually see it lived out in your life because you're a new creature. It's not, yeah, I'm a believer, I believe in Jesus Christ. Then none of your life patterns after that. None of your life is changed by that. None of your life is impacted by it. False faith. But through faith, energized by love, God's grace working through you, it is useful, practical, and beneficial. And so, James give an illustration here. And it's the illustration of someone who is a false believer and see how unuseful they are, how unpractical they are, how unbeneficial they are, even though they're a professed believer. Verses 15 to 16. We have the picture. There's a brother or sister. This is a fellow believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. And they have a genuine need. It says here they're naked and destitute of food. Hyperbole here. Basically, they're in desperate need. They don't have good clothing. They're not clothed. They're cold. They're destitute. They're in desperate need here. They're also destitute of food. Could be for any circumstantial situation, they're unemployed, poverty, whatever it is, they are in need of food. And a Christian's gonna walk in here and speak to the brother or speak to the sister that's in need. How will this false believer respond? And one of you say unto them, depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled. This is very pious, religious, faith-filled language. Depart in peace is a Hebrew term to greet and to say goodbye to people. In the Old Testament, you might see it as go in peace or simply peace, shalom. So when you speak to someone, you're saying, go in shalom, which means, may the peace of Jehovah be with you. That's like us saying, God bless you. The Lord be with you. The Lord help you in your need. Then there's a sincere desire here that the person who is naked is warmed. There's a desire here for them who are hungry to be filled. These are not saying, I don't care. The Lord be with you, my brother. The Lord help you, my sister. I hope you find clothing. I hope you find food. And then there's nothing. Notwithstanding, give them not those things which are needful. They don't actually help. What doth it profit? Their faith, their professional faith is proven false because it has not works. Their faith is useless, not beneficial, Unprofitable, dead, empty, barren. And so though they claim faith, James says they're unbelievers. It's a very solemn thing here. It's not practical. Imagine you out in the streets, You and another believer, they believe the Bible, they say they believe in Lord Jesus Christ, and a fellow Christian, you meet them. Hard times, hard times. And the person you're with has a bag full of sandwiches. And the Christian you know of speaks to them, oh, how you been? I haven't seen you in such a long time. How you doing? It's not going well. I got injured, I lost my job, couldn't pay my bills, and now I can't even afford to feed myself or my family. And the person you are with goes, I'm so sorry to hear that. I'll pray for you. I'll pray. I really hope that God will help you. If there was anything I could do, I would feed you right now, but I can't, I'm sorry. I just can't. And you'll look at, what? You've got a bag full of sandwiches. You're saying you're a believer. That's a brother or a sister in front of you, and you say you're gonna pray for them. You say you really want to help them, and you're not doing anything? Well that person, that person's faith is proven false, dead and empty because it's of no use. Just put the hand in the bag, have a sandwich. Many people have faith they say, many people do. Talk about the Bible, talk about Jesus, talk about theology, talk about what needs to be done. And yet, when there is a genuine need, they're nowhere to be found. You can't rely on them. Sure, they'll say they pray. Sure, they say they care. But their faith has no works. It's naked and empty. It's like someone finding out someone in your own local church is sick. They're struggling. And sure, you could cook a meal and drop it off, but it's 30 minutes away. I don't want to go out of my way. That's what they do all the time, false faith. Someone's in hospital. Struggling. No one to look after the kids. Struggling. You know, I could offer to help, but I already have my schedule, and I like to keep to my schedule. False faith, potentially. False faith. I'm talking about the person who always makes excuses. We all make mistakes and we need to repent of them. I'm talking about a person who always does it, and all their faith is the faith of the devils. That's all it is. I believe the Bible, no good works. I believe in Jesus Christ, no good works. I believe in the communion of the saints, never helping anyone. This person's faith is false, empty, and dead, says James. Which is the opposite to those who have true saving faith. True saving faith. Their faith worketh by love. They care. Sure, they're not perfect. Sure, sometimes they miss a step. Sure, sometimes they are a bit selfish. But, there's a genuine love. Because there's a genuine love, they do try to help when they can. They do endeavor to help the brother and help the sister Their lives cannot be ultimately characterized by selfishness and individualism. But they do try to help. And that's the testimony of true saving faith. That's what Jesus says on judgment day. How were you able to separate the sheep and the goats? Because of what they believe? Yes and no, but also by what they do. Matthew 25, 35, he speaks of the true believers. He says, I was hungry, and you gave me meat. I was thirsty, and you gave me drink. I was a stranger, and you took me in. Naked, you clothed me. I was sick, you visited me. I was in prison, you came unto me. Lord, when did we do that? If you've done it to least of these, you've done it also to me. Your brothers, your sisters, the church, you actually helped in real practical love. You visited, you fed, you did these things. And those who have false beliefs are the ones who didn't, though they profess His name. Acts chapter two and following, you read Acts. How do you see the faith of the church there? Empty? No, Phil. helping one another. They're selling possessions to help one another. There's a famine in Jerusalem. There's a famine elsewhere. There's a collection. It's love in action. It's not sure, oh, I believe in God and the people in Jerusalem are suffering. The Lord be with them. The Lord be with them. And oh, I've got some spare money. Put it into the collection pit. It's someone's having a bad time, they're sick, they're ill, they're in hospital, they've got pressure and anxiety. It's not, the Lord be with them. It's, the Lord be with them and is there anything I can do? How can I help? That's true saving faith. History of church history proves it. The early church, George Muller, Spurgeon. These are people who believed in doctrine, theology, purity. and yet they had faith and love and good works. Spurgeon says, Men have enough practical sense to always judge that if professed Christians do not care for their bodily needs, there cannot be much sincerity in their zeal for men's souls. If a man will give me a spiritual bread in the form of a tract, but would not give me a piece of bread for my body, how can I think much of him? Let practical help to the poor go with the spiritual help which you render to them. If you would help to keep a brother's soul alive in the higher sense, be not backward to do it in the more ordinary way. You have an opportunity of proving your sincerity and gratifying your charity, love. For the boxes will go round at once. Simply saying, are you someone who truly believes in the communion of the saints, love for the brethren, love their souls, but also whenever they have a genuine need, practically help them. And this is the evidence of true faith. And so here, James is asking us all to test our faith. We may say, we may claim, we may profess to be the Lord's, but does it have works? Do you have good works? Is your faith empty by itself, or is your faith with love? And you can see evidence of God working in you and using you to produce good works. If you have no works to testify of your faith, you may be a false believer. But I know the Westminster Confession, show me your faith by your works. But I know the intricacies of covenant theology. Show me your faith by your works. But I believe in this. I believe in that. I believe abortion is wrong. I believe same-sex marriage is wrong. I believe, I believe. Let me see your love. Let me see your works. If you have no good works at all, know whatever you believe is false, vain, dead. And I implore you that your eyes would be opened up right now by the Holy Spirit, that we would repent of vain faith and see the richness and fullness of Christ, that He transforms someone from darkness to light, from death to life, and He will work in you. and that if you abide in the vine, ye shall bear much fruit. Don't rest in an empty faith, but turn to Christ, forgiveness of your dead faith, and you'll be forgiven entirely of your sins, entirely of your false faith, and he would receive you into the love of his bosom. So if you have vain faith, repent now and turn to Christ for forgiveness. But if you are someone who has faith in Christ and you see love and you see good works, have assurance, have assurance, be comforted. If you see the evidence of a love in action, yes, you may wish you did it more. Yes, you may wish that you will grow in it, but do you see the root of the matter? Have full confidence in Christ that He is doing a work in you. He's in your life. He's dwelling, and He's producing that fruit. Have assurance of true faith. Be encouraged. But if you're a believer, you want to do more. Because you love the Lord. You love his people. You love your neighbor. Well, stir up yourself to do more good works. Because Paul says the grace of God, the work of Christ in our life, doesn't simply produce good works, but it makes us zealous of good works. passionate for good works, full of fire to help. And that can only happen if love is energizing your faith. How does that happen? Well, you need to know to go to Christ. If you want to bear much fruit, you must abide in the vine. It's about fellowship and communion with Christ will produce more affection, more zeal, and then you'll bear more fruit. Are you tired of missing opportunities at times? Are you tired of putting yourself first at times? Are you want to grow and be zealous and produce good works and serve the Lord Jesus Christ and be zealous? How? Biding Christ. Remember how you're naked, but Christ gave you his robes of righteousness. Remember how you are hungry, yet he filled you with his righteousness. Think in providence that you could be naked and destitute and out on the streets like that. But Christ and His powerful sovereignty has given you work, has given you clothing. has given you your health, has given you your home, has given you the food in your cupboards, the food in your fridge and your freezer, the car that you drove here. You're not out of the street. Why? Because of Christ's particular goodness to you. And if you abide and realize that and desire to serve him, your heart will be full of thankfulness. Oh, Lord Jesus, thank you for righteousness. Thank you for filling me. Thank you for my car. Thank you for my home. Thank you for the food. Thank you for my health. Thank you, Lord. How may I serve you? Then in providence, he will put people around you in need. And when there are people around you in need, He'll say, go. Galatians 6, verse 10. Opportunity comes from God. Do good unto all men, but especially the household of faith. And that especially is your local church. Do you see a need? Could you be proactive rather than responsive? Could you cook a meal? Could you visit? Could you just ask around for coffee for fellowship? Could you keep company? What is it you could do? Let opportunity give. I'm thankful for the many men and women here whose faith I have seen evidenced in abundance with good works and love. But may we all do it. Because if we do have true saving faith, we are in love, and we are doing good works, man, what a testimony. What a testimony. Because our light will shine so far before men, they will see our good works, they'll know why we do it, and they will glorify God. And there's a power. Don't you just hate hypocrites? Don't you hate people who say one thing one minute and do the opposite the next? Don't you get tired of Christians professing Christ and they're shacked up with another man or a woman? Destroys the faith. Don't you speak to people in your family, your friends and on the streets who talk about Christians and say, they're all hypocrites. Why are they all hypocrites? Because the ones I know, they live in complete sin and debauchery and never go to church and they say they're Christians and they won't go to church because of that false witness. But yet the opposite's so true. The church that's full of love Full of faith. Full of good works. Harmonizing. That person's in hospital. People are visiting. Providing meals. Providing company. Providing an arm over their shoulder. Providing tears when they need to be weeped with. Rejoicing when they need to be rejoiced with. They're there. Why are they there? Because they're a family and they have true saving faith. That's a testimony. May by God's grace we all have true saving faith, full of the accompanying graces and producing good works. All to the glory of God, let us pray.