Faith Lasts

James speaks about earthly restoration in verse 19, which is critically important as we work out our faith in community. The work of restoring an erring brother or sister saves souls, for James says it will "save his life from death" and cover sins (v. 20). Of course, God alone does the actual saving (4:12). Yet, as He saves and sustains us to the end, He uses other believers in the process. But this raises an important question: Are Christians in danger of spiritual and eternal death—of not being saved from their sins?

This is where we realize something extremely significant about eternal security. Eternal security is the doctrine, or the truth, that a Christian's salvation is secure for all of eternity. What the whole of the New Testament teaches is that eternal security is always a certainty. When you trust in Christ as Savior and Lord to cover over your sins and make you right before God, you are adopted into His family, and you are His child forever. That is a certainty to which Scripture consistently bears witness. But the question is, How does God keep us in His family? That is, how does God guard us from ever wandering away from Him? How does God preserve our salvation to the end? The answer James gives to the church is, "Through you." Eternal security is accomplished through community. How does God preserve His people? The answer is, in part, through His people. The church is one of the God-ordained means God uses to keep us faithful. God is sovereign, and He does the preserving, but He does it through the church looking out for, caring for, and loving one another to keep one another from sin. This is yet another reason we ought to be involved in the lives of others in the church. God has ordained brothers and sisters who will share life with you to keep you close to Him, to keep you obedient to His commands, and to preserve you until the Lord comes back.

Faith That Works

105We come now to a brief summary of the book of James, and we'll focus on three important themes that have come up in these five chapters.

First, faith that works is only possible by the gracious gospel of Christ. As I was working on this section of James, one of my sons climbed up in my lap and asked if I was working on my sermon. I told him I was, and I asked him what he thought I should preach on.

He said, "Jesus."

So I asked, "What should I tell them about Jesus?"

He said, "Tell them that Jesus said to be kind to others."

I asked, "How can they be kind?"

He responded, "They can share with their friends."

"What can they share?" I wondered out loud.

He said, "They can share their toys and their Mack trucks and their cars and their books and their puzzles and their vegetables."

"Why should they share, buddy?" I finally asked him.

His response? "Because Jesus died on a cross to save them from their sins."

This is it. This is gospel obedience. We obey the commands of Christ throughout the book of James through the power of the One who died on the cross for our sins.

This faith that works is only possible by the gracious gospel of Christ, and second, it is played out in the context of the body of Christ. James repeatedly addresses his hearers as "brothers,"18 which indicates that he is not simply addressing individuals. He is referring to the family of faith gathered together. Faith is lived out together, not in isolation. Whether it is walking through trials, seeking after wisdom, using our tongues, or caring for the poor, it all happens in the context of the body of Christ.

Finally, faith that works is ultimately aimed toward great glory to Christ. May God deliver us from a faith that doesn't work. Not only has Christ died to give us so much more, but the world around us is looking for so much more. What kind of difference does Christ make in your life? Let's show the world a radically different way to live—as salt and light—so that they might see our lives and give great glory to the One who has saved us.

Reflect and Discuss

Works Cited

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Augustine. Confessions. Penguin Classics. Translated by R. S. Pine-Coffin. New York: Penguin, 1961.

BDAG (F. W. Danker, W. Bauer, W. F. Arndt, F. W. Gingrich). A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, rev. and ed. 3rd ed. Chicago/London: University of Chicago, 2000.

Blomberg, Craig, and Mariam J. Kamell. James. Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Doriani, Daniel M. James. Reformed Expository Commentary. Phillips­burg, NJ: P & R Publishing, 2007.

Empty Tomb. "Giving Research." Accessed March 13, 2014. http://www.emptytomb.org/fig1_07.html.

Johnson, Luke K. The Letter of James. Anchor Bible Commentary 37A. New York: Doubleday, 1995.

Keirkegaard, Søren. Attack Upon "Christendom." Translated by Walter Lowrie. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1968.

Keller, Timothy J. Ministries of Mercy: The Call of the Jericho Road. 2nd edition. Phillipsburg: P&R Publishing, 1997.

Laws, Sophie. The Epistle of James. Black's New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 1993.

Lloyd-Jones, Martyn. Revival. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1987.

Luther, Martin. Luther's Works. Edited by Jarislov Pelikan, et al. Philadelphia: Fortress, 1958-1995.

Moo, Douglas J. The Letter of James. The Pillar New Testament Commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2000.

Motyer, J. A. The Message of James. The Bible Speaks Today. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1985.

Muggeridge, Malcolm. A Twentieth Century Testimony. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1978.

108Plantinga, Cornelius. Not the Way It's Supposed to Be: A Breviary of Sin. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1995.

Platt, David. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2010.

__________. Radical Together: Unleashing the People of God for the Purpose of God. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah, 2011.

Ronsvalle, John, and Sylvia Ronsvalle. The State of Church Giving Through 2003. 15th ed. Champaign, IL: Empty Tomb, 2005.

Spurgeon, Charles Haddon. "Before Sermon, at Sermon, and after Sermon." Sermon 1847 in volume 31 of The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Accessed Feb. 6, 2013. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons31.xxxii.html.

__________. "The Final Separation: A Sermon on Matthew 25:32." Sermon 1234 in volume 21 of The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit. Accessed March 13, 2014. http://www.ccel.org/ccel/spurgeon/sermons21.xxv.html.

Stein, Robert H. "Saved by Faith [Alone] in Paul Versus 'Not Saved by Faith Alone' in James." Southern Baptist Journal of Theology 4 (2000): 4-14.

Yun, Brother, Peter Xu Yongze, and Enoch Wang with Paul Hattaway. Back to Jerusalem: Three Chinese House Church Leaders Share Their Vision to Complete the Great Commission. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 2003.

For the discussion of verse 14 below and the options mentioned, see Moo, The Letter of James, 238-42.

The Greek version of the Old Testament is referred to as the Septuagint, or LXX.

For example, see Jesus' reply to His disciples about the man born blind in John 9:1-3.

James refers to his hearers as "brothers" 15 times.