Sermon - The Rev. Leah D. Schade
Reformation Lutheran Church, Media, PA
Sept. 10, 2006
The Letter of James, Part Two (Chapter 2)

Today we’re hearing from the second chapter of the Letter of James, and this is the second sermon in our series on this book of the New Testament.  I said last week that this letter is filled with practical advice on how to live your life so that it is a reflection of your faith.  It’s considered a type of “Christian Wisdom” literature because it contains exhortations on practical morality. 

But did you know that Martin Luther did not like this book of the bible?  In fact, he called it “the epistle of straw.”  He disliked this book so much that he said it should be removed from the canon.  Now why would Luther have such harsh words for this New Testament book?  It’s because he believed it contradicted  what Paul wrote in his letters.  The passage we heard today from 2:14-26 is specifically the one he had a problem with.  James wrote, “Faith without works is dead.”   Contrast that with Luther’s favorite words of St. Paul in the Letter to the Ephesians:  "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and it is not of your own doing: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any person should boast" (Ephesians 2:8-9.)

So we seem to have two very different theological opinions on what it is that ushers in the grace of God.  Is it our faith?  Or is it our works?  You hear this question echoed even today.  In fact, we had a discussion about it in our bible study just a few weeks ago.  Someone said, “There are some people who are very generous, compassionate, serve the community, and work for justice -- and yet they never go to church or even profess to believe in God or Jesus.  Then there are those people who go to church who never lift a finger to help the poor, or give an offering, or do anything that gives evidence of their faith.  Which one of those people is God going to let into heaven?”  It would seem that according to Paul, the one who believes is most favored.  According to James, the one who does good works is favored.  Which is it?

Well before we debate this any further, we first have to clarify some terminology and clear up some textual misunderstandings about this word, “works”.  When Paul talks about works, and when James talks about works, they are each referring to two different ideas. 

For Paul, works are acts of religious ritual and adherence to a code of religious law in order to attain merit for oneself.  As an example, remember the story of the Pharisee who gives a sum of money to the Temple just to show off?  His apparent generosity does not come out of his faith, but as an act of ritual that is meant to garner him positive favor according to human standards.  Both Jesus and Paul had a problem with this practice because it amounted to nothing more than an empty observance of a human construct, and actually led people away from faith in God.

Luther observed the same type of “works” in his day when people were coerced into giving money to the church, called “indulgences,” which was supposed to buy them less time in purgatory.  It was not done out of faith in God, but out of fear of a bogus man-made concept.  Luther had a real problem with this practice of works, because it was basically spiritual blackmail. 

What would be a modern-day example of this type of “works?”  Have you seen those television evangelist shows where the host asks you to send in money and assure you that you’ll be in their “power prayer” circle, and that you’ll soon have the healing or the new job or the riches you’ve been waiting for?  That’s the kind of works Paul and Luther would find problematic.  Because it’s twisting an act of faith into a means to fulfill your wish list.  Works, in all these cases, are really all about the performer of the work - not about God at all, except trying to use God to get what you want.

Now when James refers to works, he’s talking about something entirely different altogether.  As we established last week, James is passionate about the “outward expression of inward faith. James’ [has a] strong emphasis on being active in the service of the Lord . . . Evidently he had been confronted by some Christians who maintained that it was only necessary to believe. As long as they had faith, it did not matter how they lived. James clearly rejects this" (Carter).

“James’ use of works is not the outward acts of ritual that Paul is referring to. When James is referring to the works that are motivated by faith, he is referring to acts of mercy, kindness, generosity, etc., that are more typical fruits of the Spirit. For James, works are spontaneous acts of love that spring from the fruits of the Spirit.” (Carter)

In this case, works are not done for selfish reasons or to receive a pat on the back by God or others.  They are done because of hearing and obeying that call to serve others.  It’s like when you fall in love with someone, you want to do something to show that love.  Words just aren’t enough.  You do nice things for them, give them gifts, call them on the phone, care for them when they’re in need.  You are motivated to do these things out of love. 

That’s the same way with faith.  If you just come to church and go through the motions without allowing it to open your heart to act on what God and Christ are moving you to do, it’s like having a body with no breath in it, as James says.

I would have to say that in mainline Protestant churches, we’ve erred more on the side of faith without works than works without faith.  Lutherans in particular have been accused of taking Paul’s and Luther’s stance to the wrong extreme.  There is a danger of using the “justification by faith” phrase as an excuse for not getting up off your duff and doing the work of building God’s kingdom.

“But Pastor Schade, what about people who just aren’t roll-up-your-sleeves-get-down-and-dirty kind of Christians?  Are you saying that God’s going to shut them out?”

No, I’m not saying that at all.  But you know there’s more than one way to serve.  And this is where it’s up to the leadership in churches to help parishioners find the way to serve that matches up with the gifts and passions that they do have.  That’s why we have our Director of Lay Ministry, Diane Black, handing out those spiritual gift surveys, which some of you have filled out already.  It’s to help us help you find your niche in this Kingdom-building endeavor.  Some people may be hammer-and-nails type of Christians, while others are needle and thread-types, or teaching types or healing types.  Even our members with limited mobility or physical capabilities can still live out their faith and do good works, by making phone calls, or being part of our prayer chain. 

What James is saying is that if you want a faith that is really alive, you have to exercise it, just like you do with your own body.  Otherwise it will atrophy and wilt like a neglected flower in the garden. 

“But Pastor Schade, what about those people who do perform good works and don’t go to church?  You never did address that question about God’s attitude towards them.”

That one’s a little trickier.  I won’t presume to know the mind of God on that one.  But I can tell you that when the disciples asked a similar question of Jesus, his response was, “Whoever is not against us is for us,” (Mark 9:40). 

And, again, I think that this is a question for churches.  It may be that people are not feeling that call to attend church because most churches aren’t doing the kind of work that people find meaningful.  And I know of churches that have done their best evangelizing when members invite their friends who don’t go to church to help with service projects that really make a difference in people’s lives.  Then those people say, “Gosh, if this is what being a follower of Jesus is about, then sign me up!  This is where the action is!”  You see, in this way, good works can actually lead people to faith.

And as for people of different faiths who do good works, and whether God will extend this grace to non-Christians, I look at a pair like Judea Pearl, a Jew, and Akbar Ahmed, a Muslim, who both received “Purpose Prize” awards.  These are $100,000 grants awarded to innovators and entrepreneurs age 60 and older who are trying to solve social problems in our country.  “After terrorists killed Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, his father, Judea, left his job as a professor at UCLA to team up with Akbar, an Islamic studies professor at American University.  The two travel the country to speak and lead dialogues on religious tolerance, linking their stories to a call for reconciliation and providing a forum for moderate Muslims in the United States,” (Vitez).

Again, “Whoever is not against us is for us.”  Just as James held up Rahab, a non-believer, as an example of faith, so I would argue that we would be hard-pressed to say that people like this are going to be excluded from the grace of God.

And, really, it’s not in our place to pass judgment on the faith of others, is it?  Each of us has enough to do trying to live out our own faith in God on a day-to-day, life-to-life basis.  Which is why I want to leave you with a reflection on faith that I read in this month’s issue of The Lutheran magazine.  It’s written by Valerie Hess, who is the coordinator of music ministries at Trinity Lutheran in Boulder, Colo.  She puts it this way: 

“I’m too old to wear uncomfortable shoes or a comfortable faith.  I don’t have time for a safe, pew-sitting Christianity.  I want to be out on the frontier of my faith, where the Spirit blows more powerfully.  I want to test more of Jesus’ promise to move mountains and heal through his people.  I want to take on more of the big evils of the world in my prayer life . . . Maybe I’ll never go to exotic lands and do mission work, but, then again, maybe I will.  Either way, I can pray my way into systems and institutions and structures that are evil, humanly degrading, and against the kingdom of God.  I can do that for the rest of my life.  That isn’t dependent on my physical state - only on my spiritual state, which always needs to be increasing . . . I [don’t] want to miss the tantalizing glimpses of my destination in the higher elevations as I move further up and further in,” (Hess).

That is the kind of faith that James is challenging us to.  A faith that moves further up and further in.  I say, let’s take him up on this challenge.  Amen?


Sources:

Carter, Rev. John W. (Jack), Internet article. Cedar Rock First Baptist Church, Castalia NC.

Hess, Valerie L., “Passing 50”, The Lutheran, September 2006, p. 3.

Vitez, Michael, “For Goode, retirement with purpose,” Philadelphia Inquirer, Local News, Section B, Tues., Sept. 5, 2006, p. B7).