8/24/2025: Work It! James 2:14-26 Rev. Dr. Rhonda Abbott Blevins
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not
have works? Surely that faith cannot save, can it? If a brother or sister is naked and
lacks daily food and one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and eat your
fill,” and yet you do not supply their bodily needs, what is the good of that? So faith by
itself, if it has no works, is dead.But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have
works.” Show me your faith apart from works, and I by my works will show you faith. You
believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder. Do you
want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is worthless? Was
not our ancestor Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the
altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and by works faith was brought
to completion. Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it
was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God. You see
that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the
prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them
out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without
works is also dead.
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A priest and a pastor stood near a sharp curve on a busy road holding signs. “The end
is near!” read the priest’s sign, while the pastor’s warned, “Turn around before it’s too
late!”
As he passed by, a jerk in a sports car yelled “Idiots!” and shook his head. Then he
blasted his horn, raised one finger and stomped on the gas. Moments later the clerics
heard the sound of screeching tires, followed by a big splash.
The priest turned to the pastor and said, “Maybe we should change our signs to ‘Bridge
Out’.”
This is the perfect example of a couple of folks who appear to be so heavenly focused that
they’re no earthly good! What good is faith, after all, if it isn’t relevant to the real world . . .
to the here and now?
That seems to be the argument James is making throughout his letter to first Century
Christians scattered throughout the Roman Empire in his letter simply entitled “James” in
the New Testament.
We’ve been reading through James’ letter these past three week in the series I’ve called
“Faith That Shows Up.” Let me offer a brief recap of what we’ve considered together:
In the first sermon, “Faith Under Fire” based on James 1:1-18, we studied how James
encourages believers to find joy in trials, to seek God’s wisdom in uncertainty, and trust in
God’s unchanging character as the foundation for authentic faith.
In the second message, “Just Do It” based on James 1:19-27, we read where James
challenges us to move beyond passive hearing to active doing—listening before speaking,
letting faith manifest in concrete actions, and caring for the vulnerable as the true measure
of pure religion.
In last week’s sermon, “VIPs Only” based on James 2:1-13, James challenged us by
confronting favoritism and prejudice, revealing God’s upside-down kingdom where
everyone receives first-class treatment, calling the church to practice radical acceptance,
check our privilege, and extend mercy without conditions.
Up to this point in the book of James, we’ve learned that genuine faith is tested by trials,
expressed through action, and demonstrated through inclusive love. This is the foundation
for a faith that consistently shows up in every area of life. James is building toward his
central point of his letter which we arrive at in today’s reading: “faith without works is
dead.”
James seems to be pushing back against the notion that life in Christ requires nothing more
than an intellectual assent . . . that nothing more is expected of us than saying “I believe.”
James seems to be saying, “Folks, this is not an either-or proposition; the Christ-life is a
‘both-and’ kind of lifestyle: both faith AND works. Faith without works is . . . dead.” The
image he creates is of a dead, rotting, putrid corpse. Faith without works . . . stinks.
And yet, that’s the kind of faith so many churches propagate. A “feel-good” faith. Show up
on Sundays, get your Jesus-feel-good-fix, nothing demanded or expected throughout the
week until you get your next hit on Sunday.
I don’t think that’s what Jesus had in mind when he died on the cross. In fact, I think it’s
heresy. James pushes against this heresy that’s as old as the faith itself.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but does not
have works? Surely that faith cannot save, can it?
Friends, there is a big difference between a person who claims faith as “fire insurance” (if
you catch my drift), someone who labels themself a Christian merely as a “get out of hell
free” card—there’s a big difference between that kind of faith and a person who
demonstrates a transformative faith. Faith as fire insurance is just spiritual selfishness with
a Bible verse.
Think back to the clerics holding up the signs “The end is near” and “Turn around”—while
they were technically right, they missed the point of what people actually need. James asks
the brutal question: “What good is that?” What good are “thoughts and prayers” in light of
mass shootings when what we need is sensible legislation?
James doesn’t mince words: “Faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.” Not sleeping, not
resting, not taking a break—dead. Faith without works isn’t faith having an off day; it’s faith
that was never really alive to begin with. James is calling out our spiritual small talk and
demanding we “work it” instead of just “word it.”
Now, in verse 20, we see James getting a little spicy as he makes his point.
Do you want to be shown, you senseless person, that faith apart from works is
worthless?
Other translations present it this way:
You fool! Do you want to be shown that faith without actions is useless?
Calm down, James! You’re getting a little fiery there, brother! James then turns to Holy
Scripture to back up his point, which for him at that point was the Hebrew Bible, the Old
Testament. He offers two examples from Scripture . . . two stories of two individuals who
couldn’t be any more different, yet were highly revered among Jews and the Jewish
Christians to whom James is writing.
The first example from scripture he cites is the story of Abraham. Abraham represents the
gold standard of faith in action. Abraham didn’t just believe in God—he bet his life on God.
When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his beloved son Isaac—the child of promise through
whom all nations were to be blessed—Abraham didn’t argue, negotiate, or delay. He got up
early the next morning and headed to Mount Moriah, Isaac by his side. James points out
that Abraham “was justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar.” This
wasn’t about earning God’s favor; Abraham was already righteous by faith. Rather, his
willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrated that his faith was genuine, active, and
transformative. His faith “was active along with his works, and faith was brought to
completion by the works.” Abraham’s belief in God wasn’t just intellectual—it was so real,
so deep, so transformative that he was willing to risk everything he held dear. His faith
worked itself out in the (potentially) most costly way imaginable, proving that genuine
faith always moves from the heart to the hands. At the very last second, God provided a ram
for Abraham to sacrifice instead of his beloved son, sparing Isaac and ending the practice of
child sacrifice for the Hebrew people.
Then James gives us Rahab—and what a choice she is! A Canaanite prostitute who becomes
a hero of faith. Talk about God’s upside-down kingdom! When the Israelite spies came to
Jericho, Rahab could have turned them in for the reward money. Instead, she risked her life
to hide them and help them escape. Why? Because she had heard about Israel’s God and
believed. Her faith wasn’t passive—it was active, dangerous, and costly. James says she
“was justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another
road.” Rahab’s story proves that faith isn’t about your past, your profession, or your
pedigree—it’s about your present response to God. Her faith moved her from spectator to
participant, from bystander to risk-taker. She didn’t just believe in Israel’s God; she acted
on that belief, even when it meant betraying her own city. Her faith worked itself out in
concrete action that saved the lives of the Hebrew spies. Her faith changed history.
James certainly could have cited more examples from Scripture . . . heroes of the faith who
didn’t just say they believed in God, but who put their faith into action in real, tangible ways
that made a difference in the world.
Here’s the thing: the world doesn’t need more people with “End is Near” signs standing out
at The Sound intimidating happy concert goers. The world doesn’t need any more people
who are so heavenly minded they’re no earthly good. The world needs believers whose
faith shows up in concrete, practical, life-changing ways.
Our faith needs to work—in our relationships, our places of work, our community, our
response to injustice, our care for the vulnerable. Friends, if our faith isn’t working, then we
should ask ourselves if it’s working at all.
This week’s challenge isn’t complicated:
• Don’t just believe—behave like you believe
• Don’t just have faith—work your faith
• Don’t just know truth—live the truth
Because faith that doesn’t show up is an empty faith, a dead faith, a stinky faith.
Where will your faith show up this week? At home? At school? At work? At the gym? At the
store? In your community? Pick one setting, and set your intention to live your faith out
loud.
So let us not be like those who hold up signs with religious platitudes, and let us start
building bridges that people can actually use.
Chapel by the Sea, our faith was meant to work. So work it!