James: Living Faith in Action

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Objective

In this lesson, we’ll discover how genuine faith always demonstrates itself through the way we live our lives.

Key Verse

James 2:20: You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

Introduction

The book of James holds a special place in the New Testament because it was written by someone who knew Jesus in the most personal way possible—James was the half-brother of our Lord. During Jesus’ earthly ministry, James and his other brothers didn’t believe in Him. In fact, they thought He was out of His mind and tried to take Him away from the crowds.

John 7:3-5: Jesus’ brothers said to him, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea, so that your disciples there may see the works you do. No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world.” For even his own brothers did not believe in him.

But something dramatic changed after Jesus’ resurrection. Paul tells us that the risen Christ appeared personally to James, and this encounter transformed him from a skeptic into a devoted follower.

1 Corinthians 15:7: Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles.

James quickly became one of the most important leaders in the early church. When the apostles gathered in Jerusalem to decide crucial questions about how Gentiles could become Christians, it was James who offered the final decision. Paul recognized him as one of the “pillars” of the church alongside Peter and John.

Notice the beautiful humility that James shows in how he introduces himself in his letter. He doesn’t call himself “James, the brother of Jesus” or even “James, the leader of the Jerusalem church.” Instead, he simply writes, “James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ.” This tells us everything we need to know about the character of the man who wrote this practical letter.

James wrote primarily to Jewish Christians who were scattered throughout the Roman Empire, probably because of persecution. But his message speaks to every believer who wants to understand what authentic faith looks like. The theme of James is that faith without works is dead. While Paul emphasized that we are made righteous in Christ by faith alone, James emphasizes that genuine faith will always be demonstrated through how we live our daily lives.

Here are the main points we’ll explore together in this lesson:

• The tests that prove our faith is genuine
• The works that demonstrate our faith is alive

The Tests of Faith

Christians in the early church faced terrible persecution for their beliefs. Many lost their jobs, their homes, and even their lives simply because they refused to deny Christ. James wrote his letter to encourage believers who were going through these dark times, wanting their faith to remain strong no matter what tests they faced.

(Notebook Moment: When you think about the most difficult period of your life, how did it affect your relationship with God? Did it make you stronger or weaker in your faith?)

James teaches us that there are two main types of tests that prove whether our faith is genuine or counterfeit. We are tested by suffering, and we are tested by sin.

➤ Testing Through Suffering

The first type of testing comes through the difficult circumstances that God allows into our lives. How should we respond when everything seems to be falling apart around us?

James 1:2-4: Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

This doesn’t mean we should pretend to be happy when tragedy strikes or that we should enjoy pain and suffering. Rather, James is telling us that we can have a deep, settled joy even in the midst of trials because we know what God is accomplishing through them. Just as gold is refined by fire to remove its impurities, God uses the difficulties of life to strengthen our faith and make us more like Christ.

When we don’t understand why certain things are happening to us, God promises to give us wisdom if we ask for it with genuine faith. But James warns us that we must ask without doubting, trusting completely in God’s goodness and wisdom.

James 1:5-8: If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

A faith that wavers back and forth—trusting God one day and doubting Him the next—is not genuine faith at all. True faith remains steady even when circumstances are difficult because it is anchored in God’s unchanging character rather than our changing feelings.

James reminds us that we should depend completely on God rather than on the things of this world that seem so important but are actually temporary. The rich person who trusts in wealth will discover that money cannot protect them from life’s ultimate realities. But the person who trusts in God will find that He is faithful through every season of life.

➤ Testing Through Sin

The second type of testing comes through temptation to sin. A genuine faith will resist the false promises that the world offers us.

James 1:13-15: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

James gives us a clear picture of how sin develops in our lives. First, we are attracted by our own sinful desires. Then we begin to entertain thoughts about satisfying those desires in ways that displease God. Next, we act on those thoughts and commit sin. Finally, sin produces spiritual and often physical death in our lives. This is exactly what happened to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, and it’s the same pattern that sin follows in our lives today.

(Notebook Moment: Can you trace this pattern in your own struggles with temptation? At what point in this process do you think it’s easiest to turn away from sin?)

But James doesn’t leave us hopeless in the face of temptation. He reminds us that God is the source of every good gift, and He wants only what is best for us. When we understand God’s heart toward us, we can trust Him enough to say no to the temporary pleasures that sin promises.

James 1:17: Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

The Works of Faith

Most of James’ letter focuses on the practical ways that genuine faith shows itself in our daily lives. James is not teaching that we are saved by our good works—that would contradict the clear teaching of Scripture that we are saved by faith alone. Instead, he is teaching that real faith will always produce good works just as naturally as a healthy tree produces good fruit.

James uses Abraham as his primary example to illustrate this truth. It’s important that we understand clearly what James means by this, because there is no contradiction between what Paul teaches and what James teaches. Both Paul and James point to Abraham as an example of faith. Paul emphasizes that Abraham was not saved by his works but by his faith in God’s promise. James emphasizes that Abraham’s works demonstrated that his faith was genuine and alive.

Romans 4:2-3: If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

James 2:21-24: Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called God’s friend. You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

It is helpful to remember what Paul and James are focusing on. Paul focuses on what God sees in our heart when He declares us righteous. We are justified by faith alone. James focuses on what other people see in our lives. A faith that is genuine will be visible to others through our works.

James teaches us that living faith demonstrates itself in three main areas of our lives: our actions, our words, and our attitudes.

➤ Faith Demonstrated Through Our Actions

True faith should be clearly visible in the things we do. Our actions should be different from what the world does because we are empowered by God’s Word living in our hearts.

James 1:22-25: Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

James teaches that we shouldn’t just hear God’s Word—we should act upon what it tells us to do. He uses the illustration of someone looking in a mirror, seeing that their face is dirty, but then walking away without washing it. How foolish that would be! In the same way, it’s foolish to read God’s Word, see areas where we need to change, but then do nothing about what we’ve learned.

True faith will be seen in practical things such as controlling our speech, helping others in need, and living a pure life before God.

James 1:26-27: Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

The works of genuine faith are those that follow the example of Christ. We should love and help others just as He did. James uses a powerful illustration to make this point.

James 2:15-17: Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

If we see someone in desperate need but only offer them our prayers and good wishes without actually helping them, our faith is not genuine. A living faith is put into action like the faith of Abraham when he offered Isaac, and like the faith of Rahab when she protected the Israelite spies.

(Notebook Moment: Think about someone in your life who has practical needs right now. What specific action could you take this week to demonstrate Christ’s love to them?)

James 2:20: You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless?

➤ Faith Demonstrated Through Our Words

A genuine faith will also be clearly seen in the way we speak. Our tongues should be controlled by the Holy Spirit, and our words should minister grace and wisdom that comes from above.

James spends an entire section of his letter teaching about the power of our words because he knows how much damage can be done by careless or cruel speech.

James 3:5-6: Likewise, the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole body, sets the whole course of one’s life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.

Our words have incredible power to build up or tear down, to encourage or discourage, to heal or to wound. James teaches us that no one can perfectly control their tongue through willpower alone—we need God’s help to speak words that honor Him and bless others.

Christians should never speak harshly against one another or spread gossip about fellow believers. Our words should reflect the wisdom that comes from God rather than the bitter jealousy and selfish ambition that characterize worldly wisdom.

James 3:17-18: But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

➤ Faith Demonstrated Through Our Attitudes

Finally, genuine faith will be clearly seen in our attitudes toward others and toward life in general. Right attitudes will always produce right actions and right words, which is why Jesus placed so much emphasis on the condition of our hearts.

James addresses several specific attitudes that reveal whether our faith is genuine:

We should not treat people differently based on their social class or economic status. James strongly condemns the practice of showing favoritism to wealthy people while ignoring or mistreating the poor.

James 2:1-4: My brothers and sisters, believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ must not show favoritism. Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in filthy old clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?

We should not seek to satisfy our own selfish desires, but should be humble before God and others. James teaches that fighting and quarreling often come from our refusal to submit to God’s will for our lives.

James 4:1-3: What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

We should not trust in ourselves when we make plans for the future, but should acknowledge that our lives are in God’s hands. James warns against the arrogance of assuming that we can control our own destiny.

James 4:13-15: Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

We should not trust in material wealth like ungodly people do, but should remember that riches are temporary while our relationship with God is eternal.

James 5:1-3: Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming on you. Your wealth has rotted, and moths have eaten your clothes. Your gold and silver are corroded. Their corrosion will testify against you and eat your flesh like fire. You have hoarded wealth in the last days.

Conclusion

James concludes his letter by reminding us of two essential characteristics that should mark every genuine believer: patience and prayerfulness.

We should be patient in suffering, just as the Old Testament prophets were patient when they faced persecution for speaking God’s truth. James reminds us of Job, who remained faithful to God even when he lost everything he valued in life.

James 5:10-11: Brothers and sisters, as an example of patience in the face of suffering, take the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. As you know, we count as blessed those who have persevered. You have heard of Job’s perseverance and have seen what the Lord finally brought about. The Lord is full of compassion and mercy.

We should also be faithful in prayer, knowing that God hears and answers the prayers of righteous people. James uses Elijah as an example of how powerfully God responds to the prayers of His servants.

James 5:16-18: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years. Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.

James has been called the “Proverbs of the New Testament” because it is such a practical book that teaches us how to put our faith into action. The letter reminds us that our lives are the most powerful witness we can give to the world about the reality of our faith in Jesus Christ.

When people watch how we respond to trials, how we treat others, how we speak, and what attitudes we display, they should see evidence that Christ is truly living within us. This is not because we are trying to earn God’s favor through our good works, but because genuine faith naturally produces the fruit of righteousness in our lives.

The God who transformed James from a skeptical brother into a devoted servant can transform us as well. As we allow His Word to dwell richly in our hearts and as we depend on His Spirit to guide our daily choices, others will see that our faith is not just intellectual knowledge but a living relationship with the risen Christ.

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