AUTOPSY OF A DEAD FAITH by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC
Introduction: Martin Luther, the great German Reformer, in his preface to the New Testament, referred to Book of James as “an epistle of straw.” He had serious doubts about its authorship. He simply reflected the sentiment of some of the time, like Erasmus, that the book/letter’s style was “far inferior” to the other writings in the New Testament, and, in no way, comparable to the works of Paul (See David Gowler, James Through the Centuries). On July 7, 1542, Luther was presiding over the Licentiate Examination of Heinrich Schmedenstede, wherein Master Heinrich had to respond to 46 theses. When it came to the 21st thesis that it was by faith alone that we are justified, Heinrich said, “James is speaking of works as the effect of justification, not as the cause.” To which, Luther responded in the infamous words: “That epistle of James gives us much trouble, for the papists embrace it alone and leave out the rest…I almost feel like throwing Jimmy into the stove, as the priest in Kalenberg did.” He was referring to a story about a priest in Kalenberg who was burning wooden statues of the apostles to keep the room warm when a duchess was visiting. The last statue left was James. As he threw that statue into the stove, he said: “Now bend over, Jimmy, you must go into the stove; no matter if you were the pope or all the bishops, the room must become warm.” What many people don’t know is that in his later editions Luther did not portray James in quite such a negative way. Nonetheless, we come to a controversial yet critical section of the Book of James, and our message is titled, “Autopsy of a Dead Faith.” There are a lot of people who have a wrong understanding of something in the Bible. They are even sincere about what they believe, but they are sincerely wrong.
James 2 (page #1850-1851) 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Background: James has been dealing with our relationship with those around us. Last Sunday we looked at how we judge others based on their external appearances, the sin of partiality. But, James is not through. He is going deeper in our relationship. Christianity is not just about “playing fair.” It is also about helping those in need. Listen again – James 2:14 (page #1850) What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” (Some translations do not have the anaphoric article “that” after “can.” In the Greek it is there.) Can that faith save him? (Meaning – “What benefit is a faith without works? As if we did not hear him the first time, he says it again: Can that faith save him?” This is a very difficult passage. On the first reading, it seems that James is contradicting the Apostle Paul regarding how we are saved. Ephesians 2 8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.”
WHO IS RIGHT???? PAUL OR JAMES. A careful reading of the context helps us to see that Paul and James are not referring to the same thing.
I. THE AUDIENCE OF JAMES AND PAUL
James wrote in the mid-40s to the dispersed tribes of Israel, reminding them to demonstrate their changed lives before their family members and the watching world.
Paul wrote Galatians in the late-40s to the church in Galatia, reminding a mixed fellowship of Jewish background and Gentile background believers not to fall prey to the Judaizers who were trying to take them back to the law, especially circumcision.
II. THE CORRECT MEANING OF WORKS
Illustration: Story of a man who tried to renovate his house before selling. The new buyer was going to tear it down and build a beautiful home.
Application: Are you saved? If yes – that’s wonderful. If no – what are you doing to gain the favor of God? Some people are trying to volunteer to feed the hungry, help in disasters, sing in the church. They are trying to earn points before God. It will not work.
All the religions of the world are trying to work their way up to God – some are walking up and down the street; some drop magazines on your doorstep; some try to pray 5 times a day or try to become martyrs by taking innocent lives.
For e.g. Listen to the story of Charles Spurgeon that great preacher – Spurgeon describes his conversion as follows: “Through the Lord’s restraining grace, and the holy influence of my early home life, both at my father’s and my grandfather’s, I was kept from certain outward forms of sin in which others indulged; and, sometimes, when I began to take stock of myself, I really thought I was quite a respectable lad, and might have been half inclined to boast that I was not like other boys, untruthful, dishonest, disobedient, swearing. Sabbath breaking, and so on. But, all of a sudden, I met Moses, carrying in his hand the law of God; and as he looked at me, he seemed to search me through and through with his eyes of fire. He bade me read ‘God’s Ten Words’,—the ten commandments—and as I read them, and remembered what I had been taught about their spiritual meaning as interpreted by the Lord Jesus Christ, they all seemed to join in accusing and condemning me in the sight of the thrice-holy Jehovah.
For years he remained under deep conviction of sin until one Sunday morning in January 1850 a snowstorm forced him to cut short his intended journey and turn into a Primitive Methodist chapel in Colchester. “The minister did not come that morning; he was snowed up, I suppose. At last, a very thin looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach…He was obliged to stick to his text, for the simple reason that he had little else to say. The text was, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” When he had managed to spin out ten minutes or so, he was at the end of his tether. Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few present, he knew me to be a stranger. Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, “Young man, you look very miserable.” Well, I did, but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued, “and you always will be miserable—miserable in life, and miserable in death—if you don’t obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.” Then, lifting up his hands, he shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin’ to do but to look and live.” I saw at once the way of salvation . . . I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, “Look!” What a charming word it seemed to me! Oh! I looked until l could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which looks alone to HIM . . .
WHEN YOU COME TO HIM AND ADMIT THAT YOUR GOOD WORKS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH, THEN HE SAVES YOU BY FAITH AND GIVES YOU THE STRENGTH TO DO GOOD WORKS.
We are still not out of the woods. WHAT ARE THE GOOD WORKS ACCORDING TO JAMES? James 2 (page #1851) 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. Some people have come to this passage and tried to claim that A CHANGED LIFESTYLE IS AN EVIDENCE OF TRUE FAITH. They say – if you still have sin in your life, then you were never saved to begin with. Or they say: If you are still struggling with sinful old habits, then you need to get saved.
They say: Do you get angry, lust, envy, covet, unforgiving, then you are not saved.
IT IS TRUE THAT YOUR BELIEF DOES AFFECT YOUR BEHAVIOR. IF YOUR BELIEF HAS NOT CHANGED YOUR BEHAVIOR, THEN YOUR BELIEF NEEDS TO RE-EXAMINED.
WHEN YOU GET SAVED, SOMETHING HAPPENS IN HERE AND YOU CANNOT DO AS YOU DID BEFORE.
HOWEVER, THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS PASSAGE IS SAYING. CHRISTIANITY IS NOT JUST ABOUT “I DON’T DO THIS AND I DON’T DO THAT.”
Application: If that is all there is to it, I don’t think anyone is saved in this building. Because sometime in the past 24 hours we all have been guilty of some sin. Furthermore, there are a lot of people out there, who have a better handle on their anger and attitude. What does that mean?
THE TEST OF TRUE SALVATION IS NOT A CHANGE IN BAD BEHAVIOR. IT IS A CHANGE IN HOW YOU TREAT OTHERS.
Application: The real test of being a Christian is not whether or not I get angry or why do I still have bad thoughts. The real test is when I hear someone in need, do I do something to help or do I walk away?
- DO I GIVE A SERMON OR DO I GIVE THEM SUPPER?
- DO I INVITE THEM IN THE LIVING ROOM OR DO I TAKE THEM TO THE KITCHEN?
- DO I OPEN MY BIBLE OR DO I OPEN MY FRIDGE?
JESUS AFFIRMED THIS! Matthew 25 31 “When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32 All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33 And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on His right hand, “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’ 41 “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42 for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43 I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45 Then He will answer them, saying, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Background: This does not mean that you can be saved if you volunteer at the soup kitchen or give money to the disaster victims or help the orphans. You are only saved when you trust in cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, here’s the test – if you are saved, you will go help those in need.
- YOU DO NOT HELP PEOPLE SO YOU CAN GET ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN.
- YOU HELP PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU ARE ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN.
- YOUR PRIORITIES HAVE CHANGED.
Application: I am not doing things to earn points but since Jesus has changed my heart, motives, desires – I want to do everything possible to help others come to know Christ and go to heaven with me. My treasure is not here. It is in heaven. Stop trying to send people to hell because they are still struggling with some sin.
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKS IN YOUR FAITH
Background: Here comes a hypothetical argument by James.
James 2:18 (PAGE #1851) But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”
Meaning: This person is saying – “Look, we are all different. You are the working kind, and I am the Bible Study kind. You pray and I work.” James answer to that: “Sorry – you cannot separate faith from works.”
“Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” The point is YOU CAN’T. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Faith is not just right, orthodox belief.
Background: James brings up 2 illustrations to prove his point.
James 2 (page #1851) 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
| Abraham | Rahab |
| Man | Woman |
| Jewish | Gentile |
| Patriarch | Prostitute |
| Somebody | Nobody |
Abraham thought that Isaac was the Promised One who would have to die for the sin of the world. Rahab was willing to die for her family. 26 “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” HOW DO I KNOW THAT YOUR FAITH IS REAL? WHEN I WATCH YOUR ACTIONS.
Application: Why is ministry important? Because it gives you the opportunity to verify your faith (not get you into heaven). Are you saved? Does it show?
AUTOPSY OF A DEAD FAITH by Dr. Shah, Clearview Church, Henderson, NC
Introduction: Martin Luther, the great German Reformer, in his preface to the New Testament, referred to Book of James as “an epistle of straw.” He had serious doubts about its authorship. He simply reflected the sentiment of some of the time, like Erasmus, that the book/letter’s style was “far inferior” to the other writings in the New Testament, and, in no way, comparable to the works of Paul (See David Gowler, James Through the Centuries). On July 7, 1542, Luther was presiding over the Licentiate Examination of Heinrich Schmedenstede, wherein Master Heinrich had to respond to 46 theses. When it came to the 21st thesis that it was by faith alone that we are justified, Heinrich said, “James is speaking of works as the effect of justification, not as the cause.” To which, Luther responded in the infamous words: “That epistle of James gives us much trouble, for the papists embrace it alone and leave out the rest…I almost feel like throwing Jimmy into the stove, as the priest in Kalenberg did.” He was referring to a story about a priest in Kalenberg who was burning wooden statues of the apostles to keep the room warm when a duchess was visiting. The last statue left was James. As he threw that statue into the stove, he said: “Now bend over, Jimmy, you must go into the stove; no matter if you were the pope or all the bishops, the room must become warm.” What many people don’t know is that in his later editions Luther did not portray James in quite such a negative way. Nonetheless, we come to a controversial yet critical section of the Book of James, and our message is titled, “Autopsy of a Dead Faith.”
James 2 (page #1850-1851) 14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Introduction: THIS MORNING’S MESSAGE IS THE CRUX OF BOOK OF JAMES – THE FOCAL POINT. We need to have the correct understanding of the passage before us.
For e.g. Reading the instruction manual and misunderstood one direction. It messed up everything else. I was very sincere. But, I was sincerely wrong.
What is my point? There are a lot of people who have a wrong understanding of something in the Bible. They are even sincere about what they believe. Does it make it right? NO. ONLY RIGHT IS RIGHT. This morning’s message will challenge some of us as to what we believe about being a Christian.
James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (Some translations do not have the anaphoric article “that” after “can.” In the Greek it is there.) Can that faith save him?
Background: James has been dealing with our relationship with those around us. Last Sunday we looked at how we judge others based on their external appearances. This is the sin of partiality. James is not through. He is going deeper in our relationship. Christianity is not just about “playing fair.” It is also about how we help those in need.
4 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? (Meaning – What benefit is a faith without works? As if we did not hear him the first time, he says it again:) Can that faith save him?
Background: This is a very difficult passage. On the first reading, it seems that James is contradicting the Apostle Paul regarding how we are saved.
Ephesians 2:8-9 8For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9not of works, lest anyone should boast.
WHO IS RIGHT???? PAUL OR JAMES. A careful reading of the context helps us to see that Paul and James are not referring to the same thing.
I. REMEMBER THE AUDIENCE OF JAMES AND PAUL
James wrote in the mid-40s to the dispersed tribes of Israel. He was reminding them to demonstrate their changed lives before their family members and the watching world.
Paul wrote Galatians in the late-40s to the church in Galatia. He was reminding a mixed church of Jewish background an Gentile background believers not to fall prey to the Judaizers who were trying to take them back to the law, especially circumcision.
II. THE CORRECT MEANING OF WORKS
Application: Are you saved? If yes – that’s wonderful. If no – what are you doing to gain the favor of God? Some people are trying to volunteer to feed the hungry, help in disasters, sing in the church. They are trying to earn points before God. It will not work.
All the religions of the world are trying to work their way up to God – some are walking up and down the street; some drop magazines on your doorstep; some try to pray 5 times a day or try to become martyrs by taking innocent lives.
For e.g. Listen to the story of Charles Spurgeon that great preacher – Spurgeon describes his conversion as follows: “Through the Lord’s restraining grace, and the holy influence of my early home life, both at my father’s and my grandfather’s, I was kept from certain outward forms of sin in which others indulged; and, sometimes, when I began to take stock of myself, I really thought I was quite a respectable lad, and might have been half inclined to boast that I was not like other boys, untruthful, dishonest, disobedient, swearing. Sabbath breaking, and so on. But, all of a sudden, I met Moses, carrying in his hand the law of God; and as he looked at me, he seemed to search me through and through with his eyes of fire. He bade me read ‘God’s Ten Words’,—the ten commandments—and as I read them, and remembered what I had been taught about their spiritual meaning as interpreted by the Lord Jesus Christ, they all seemed to join in accusing and condemning me in the sight of the thrice-holy Jehovah.
For years he remained under deep conviction of sin until one Sunday morning in January 1850 a snow storm forced him to cut short his intended journey and turn in to a Primitive Methodist chapel in Colchester. “The minister did not come that morning; he was snowed up, I suppose. At last, a very thin looking man, a shoemaker, or tailor, or something of that sort, went up into the pulpit to preach. . . . He was obliged to stick to his text, for the simple reason that he had little else to say. The text was, “Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth.” When he had managed to spin out ten minutes or so, he was at the end of his tether. Then he looked at me under the gallery, and I daresay, with so few present, he knew me to be a stranger. Just fixing his eyes on me, as if he knew all my heart, he said, “Young man, you look very miserable.” Well, I did, but I had not been accustomed to have remarks made from the pulpit on my personal appearance before. However, it was a good blow, struck right home. He continued, “and you always will be miserable—miserable in life, and miserable in death—if you don’t obey my text; but if you obey now, this moment, you will be saved.” Then, lifting up his hands, he shouted, as only a Primitive Methodist could do, “Young man, look to Jesus Christ. Look! Look! Look! You have nothin’ to do but to look and live.” I saw at once the way of salvation . . . I had been waiting to do fifty things, but when I heard that word, “Look!” What a charming word it seemed to me! Oh! I looked until l could almost have looked my eyes away. There and then the cloud was gone, the darkness had rolled away, and that moment I saw the sun; and I could have risen that instant, and sung with the most enthusiastic of them, of the precious blood of Christ, and the simple faith which looks alone to HIM . . .
WHEN YOU COME TO HIM AND ADMIT THAT YOUR GOOD WORKS ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH, THEN HE SAVES YOU BY FAITH AND GIVES YOU THE STRENGTH TO DO GOOD WORKS.
We are still not out of the woods. WHAT ARE THE GOOD WORKS ACCORDING TO JAMES? James 2. 15 If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? 17 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
Some people have come to this passage and tried to claim that A CHANGED LIFESTYLE IS AN EVIDENCE OF TRUE FAITH. They say – if you still have sin in your life, then you were never saved to begin with. Or they say: If you are still struggling with sinful old habits, then you need to get saved.
They say: Do you get angry, lust, envious, covetous, unforgiving, then you are not saved.
IT IS TRUE THAT YOUR BELIEF DOES AFFECT YORU BEHAVIOR. IF YOUR BELIEF HAS NOT CHANGED YOUR BEHAVIOR, THEN YOUR BELIEF NEEDS TO RE-EXAMINED.
WHEN YOU GET SAVED, SOMETHING HAPPENS IN HERE AND YOU CANNOT DO AS YOU DID BEFORE.
HOWEVER, THAT’S NOT WHAT THIS PASSAGE IS SAYING. CHRISTIANITY IS NOT JUST ABOUT “I DON’T DO THIS AND I DON’T DO THAT.”
Application: If that is all there is to it, I don’t think anyone is saved in this building. Because sometime in the past 24 hours we all have been guilty of some sin. Furthermore, there are a lot of people out there, who have a better handle on their anger and attitude. What does that mean?
THE TEST OF TRUE SALVATION IS NOT A CHANGE IN BAD BEHAVIOR. IT IS A CHANGE IN HOW YOU SEE OTHERS.
Application: The real test of being a Christian is not whether or not I get angry or why do I still have bad thoughts. The real test is when I hear someone in need, do I do something to help or do I walk away?
DO I GIVE A SERMON OR DO I GIVE THEM SUPPER?
DO I INVITE THEM IN THE LIVING ROOM OR DO I TAKE THEM TO THE KITCHEN?
DO I OPEN MY BIBLE OR DO I OPEN MY FRIDGE?
JESUS AFFIRMED THIS!!! Matthew 25:31-46 31“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. 32All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. 33And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: 35for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’
41“Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: 42for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; 43I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
44“Then they also will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?’ 45Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Background: This does not mean that you can be saved if you volunteer at the soup kitchen or give money to the disaster victims or help the orphans. You are only saved when you trust in cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. But, here’s the test – if you are saved, you will go help those in need.
YOU DO NOT HELP PEOPLE SO YOU CAN GET ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN.
YOU HELP PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU ARE ON THE ROAD TO HEAVEN.
YOUR PRIORITIES HAVE CHANGED.
Application: I am not doing things to earn points but since Jesus has changed my heart, motives, desires – I want to do everything possible to help others come to know Christ and go to heaven with me. My treasure is not here. It is in heaven. Stop trying to send people to hell because they are still struggling with some sin.
III. THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKS IN YOUR FAITH
Background: Here comes a hypothetical argument by James.
James 2:18-26 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.”
Meaning: This person is saying – “Look, we are all different. You are the working kind, and I am the Bible Study kind. You pray and I work.” James answer to that: “Sorry – you cannot separate faith from works.”
Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. The point is YOU CAN’T.
19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Faith is not just right, orthodox belief.
Vance Havner – “Some Christians are straight as a gun barrel and as empty as one.”
Background: James brings up 2 illustrations to prove his point.
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? 22 Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. 24 You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. 25 Likewise, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?
| Abraham | Rahab |
| Man | Woman |
| Jewish | Gentile |
| Patriarch | Prostitute |
| Somebody | Nobody |
26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.
For e.g. How do I know that air exists? Watch things move.
HOW DO I KNOW THAT YOUR FAITH IS REAL? WHEN I WATCH YOUR ACTIONS.
Application: Why is ministry important? Because it gives you the opportunity to verify your faith (not get you into heaven).
Are you saved? Does it show?