Month: January 2012

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? [18] Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. (James 2:14, 18)

As good students of the word of God, we must be amazed at the perfect congruity of biblical doctrine. We understand there is nothing written in God’s word that is inconsistent with any other part, and this is true because the Holy Spirit is the author of divine scripture. Though men were used as God’s instruments of recording the Word, yet their words were inspired by God. Therefore, when we arrive at a scripture in which one author seems to be in conflict with another, we must recognize the conflict is because of our lack of understanding.

It is because of misunderstanding that some have imagined that Paul and James were on opposite tracks when they expounded on the doctrine of justification. Paul says that we are justified by faith without the deeds of the law (Rom. 3:28) while James asks the question, “Can faith without works save us?” Which of these writers is correct? Are works necessary for salvation or are they not? If this is indeed a conflict between Paul and James, the problem is actually much greater because it also becomes a conflict between Paul and John and Paul and Jesus. Both John and Jesus demand faith that also includes righteous works.

The reality of the matter is that conflict does not exist. John and James wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit as well as Paul, and it goes without saying that Jesus could not be incorrect because He is God. Paul looks at the matter of justification in the sense of the initial act. Is there any specific work or a number of works that we can do that will add up to make us righteous in God’s eyes? The answer is “no” because all of our good works fall short of God’s standard. They are all imperfect and all done with selfish motives. James is not speaking of this initial act; he is speaking of the evidentiary proof of justification. Faith alone saves, but as both Calvin and Luther said, a faith that is alone does not save. Faith always produces good works in the Christian.

We can rephrase James’ question in James 2:14 this way: “What is the profit if a man says he has faith and not works? Can that kind of faith save him?” A faith that does not produce works is not the kind of faith that God gives. And this point is critical to our understanding—faith is a gift from God and the faith that God gives could never be a deficient faith that fails to produce what God intends for it to produce. Here we can interject Paul’s teaching on the grace of God in salvation by quoting Ephesians 2:10. Immediately after saying that we are saved by God’s grace through faith and not by works, he says: ”For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” James stated this exact point only with different wording. True saving faith is one that produces works of righteousness. These works are ordained by God and will not fail to be present. If anyone says he has true saving faith but his faith is not a productive faith, his faith is self-generated not God given.

In their epistles, both James and John include helpful information to differentiate false faith from true faith. The type of faith a person has will determine whether he is truly a child of God. Paul does no less in his epistles as he consistently outlines the kind of conduct that is evident in the lives of true believers. The agreement of these writers is apparent because each conveys the perfect mind of God.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: (James 2:8)

One of most notable features of the epistle of James is the directness of the author’s approach to practical Christian living. In the first chapter, James said, “If you lack wisdom, ask God and He will give it to you.” He said “When you are tempted, don’t blame God because God never tempts anyone.” He said, “Don’t just listen to the word, go and do what the word says.” Those are very straightforward statements without a great deal of exposition to go along with them.

The same is true in the second chapter as James gives practical advice about how Christians should be impartial to others. This chapter begins with an example of how we are often prone to judge the worthiness of people by their prosperity. We show this in the difference we make in the way we treat those that are wealthy as opposed to the poor. These kinds of judgments are purely acts of the flesh and do not reflect the way that God treats us. Imagine if our salvation was dependent upon how much money we have in the bank!

It is the duty of God’s people to imitate the attitudes that Jesus showed in His life. Jesus never dismissed the rich as unworthy candidates for His love but neither did He court them to receive their approval. He spent most of His ministry among poor people and those that were social outcasts. If the rich thought they would receive His attention because they deserved it, He was quick to point out that all are spiritually bankrupt, all stand on level ground at the foot of the cross, and all must come to Him in the same brokenness to receive life from Him.

This is the attitude that is to be reflected in the church. Some believe they should receive more attention because they are able to drop large amounts into the offering plate, and there are many churches that accommodate such people because they trust men to supply the church’s needs rather than God. However, if we are going to imitate Christ, we will accommodate the poor in an equal manner with the rich. This treatment is summed up in James’ characteristically succinct way. The principle is “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It seems kind of odd to say it this way, but do you treat yourself better depending on the worth of your investments? We love and take care of ourselves no matter where we stand economically, so to fulfill the command of scripture towards others, neither will we treat them differently depending upon their material worth.

James goes on to show that mistreatment of our fellows because of economic status is a transgression of God’s law (vv.10-11). This is as much sin as if we were to kill someone or to commit adultery. Sadly, we rarely see it this way. If we recognize it as sin at all, we do not weight it in the same way as we do other sins. James’ point is that all sin transgresses the law and all sin must be dealt with accordingly if we are to be Christ like. We can never pat ourselves on the back and say what fine Christians we are especially if we have disobeyed such a crucial law as find in James 2:8. James calls this a “royal law.” Jesus described it as one of the two foundations of God’s entire law (Matt. 22:37-40).

The next time you see a homeless person enter the church; the next time you see someone dressed a little differently and their Sunday best is not equal to yours, check your attitude towards that person. Are you judging their worth by what they wear? Your greeting of them, your fellowship with them, your care for them, your love for them—all of this speaks to whether you are really doing well. “If you fulfill the royal law…ye do well.”

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. (James 1:27)

Welcome to the first worship service of Berean Baptist Church in the year 2012. We begin the first day of this New Year in a church service, which should be indicative of our intentions to serve God more faithfully in 2012. Although we enjoy coming together for corporate worship, our service to God must not be confined to the few hours of worship we gather together each week. Worship is an ongoing process each day as we live out the faith of Christ in our daily lives.

The epistle of James enjoins us to have an active faith. James writes in 1:22: “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” Those that claim Christianity because they attend church and listen to preaching have not yet gone far enough to substantiate their claim. If all they do is hear and they believe this enough, they are deceived about the depth of their faith. Real faith causes a Christian to be active in pursuing the good works that God demands from His people.

The example we have from Christ is that of a faithful servant. A servant is not idle; he is always busy about his master’s work; and certainly Jesus was not idle as every day was filled with tasks given by the Heavenly Father. He did not teach simply by His words; He taught by the activity of His life. His disciples listened to His words, but they learned as much from His example as they did from His profound grasp of scripture.

The epistle of James is a great place to study the composition of real faith. James does not teach that we are saved by our works, but he emphatically makes the point that a person without good works cannot be a Christian. If Christ truly lives in the heart of the believer, the evidence of His presence cannot be suppressed. It will make itself known because the desire of every believer is to serve as Christ served. An example of this is given in the 27th verse of the first chapter. ”Pure religion and undefiled before God the Father is this…” and from there follows the examples of a living faith. Visiting orphans and widows and trying to stay out of sin is not the sum total of our religion, and neither does James intend this to be a full definition of pure, undefiled faith. The point is that saving faith always demonstrates itself. It will do much more than what is mentioned in verse 27, but it will not do less.

Does this mean we must seek out orphans and go find widows or else we cannot have real faith? If this were so, then eternal life would be dependent upon orphans and widows! The gist of the message is that wherever we see those in need we must show our love for them. Your orphan or your widow may be a homeless person or a struggling person in this congregation. If you ignore their need, how have you demonstrated the life of Christ in you?

These are the kinds of considerations we must have to serve the Lord in a better way in this New Year. Take your worship beyond the walls of the Berean Church. We worship God by obedience. He wants this far more than your “sacrifice of praise” if it comes from a falsely pious, cold, unconcerned heart (cp. 1 Sam. 15:22). Do your best to make 2012 a year of active obedience not only in attending church, but in being a beacon of the Saviour’s love in word and deed.

Pastor V. Mark Smith

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him. (James 1:12)

Today our congregational reading brings us to the book of James which is one of the most practical books of the New Testament concerning the life of a Christian. Often in the New Testament there are various tests that are given to prove the genuineness of people that profess to be Christians. These tests distinguish true believers from false professors and help us to determine if our faith meets the standard of saving faith.

One of these standards, and surely a most important one, is the test of perseverance. Is our faith capable of withstanding the many types of temptations that assail us or does it wither and die under those hardships? Unfortunately, there are many in our Baptist ranks that deny the doctrine of perseverance and say it is not scriptural to teach that a person must persevere in order to be saved. They claim that preservation is taught but that God requires nothing from the believer but faith in the sustaining grace of God.

We would certainly agree that preservation is a definite promise for believers. Once we have believed our salvation is safe and secure because the ground of our justification is not our works of righteousness but is based upon the imputed righteousness of Christ. However, we also believe that true faith in Christ is demonstrated by the perseverance of believers. It is hard to escape this doctrine when we read verses such as James 1:12. “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life” is a statement of perseverance. The word endureth is translated from a word that means perseverance and some translations use this word in place of endureth to help clarify the meaning. Jesus said in Matthew 10:22, “…he that endureth to the end shall be saved.” This is the same word used by James which means “to persevere.” It is evident that enduring or persevering is connected to our salvation in both of these verses.

An underlying issue that causes certain Baptists to reject perseverance is their failure to grasp the submission of believers to the Lordship of Christ. Inherent in the belief of the gospel is this submission. However, there are those that teach submission is not a part of salvation, which may come later or may not come at all. These types of believers are labeled as true believers but are not truly disciples. Therefore it is possible to be a believer in Christ but not a disciple. This leaves room for the carnal Christian whose faith may not be demonstrated and therefore he may not persevere in the faith. He lives the life of a defeated Christian, but is a Christian nonetheless. Such misinterpretations of scripture are the basis for fantastic soul winning numbers in which professors have never given any evidence of their belief.

We maintain that lack of perseverance is the demonstration of the lack of saving faith. Though a Christian may sin and may backslide, it is impossible that he could be a true believer if his entire life is characterized by sin as his norm. This is clearly taught by John in 1 John 3:2-10. This also accords with the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 10:32-39. Those that do not meet this persevering standard are not truly born of God.

There are temptations that come upon us daily which are the works of Satan. There are trials that come as well which God allows for refining and perfecting our faith. How a person responds to these is the exposure of his faith. Which do you think is the response of true believers? Is it persevering faith or failing faith?

Pastor V. Mark Smith