Summary: Faith in Action: The Theology of a Living Faith (James 2:14-26)

This sermon, titled “Faith in Action: The Theology of a Living Faith,” addresses the struggle to live out an action-packed faith rather than one that is merely an “intellectual and private belief system.” It observes that Christians can “know all the right things to say and all the right doctrines to believe, but living it out, is another story altogether.” It challenges the idea that faith is simply “an intellectual agreement to the correct set of facts about Jesus,” asserting that “Faith demands that we take action based on the reality that Jesus is who He says He is right now and that we put His commands into practice today.” The sermon focuses on James 2:14-26 to address the “why and the heart of ‘faith in action.'”

The central tension explored is the relationship between faith and works, contrasting the assurance of salvation by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) with James’s challenging question: “Is faith that does not take action… really faith at all?”

The key theological distinction is made: “Paul was talking about the root, James is talking about the fruit… that good works, which is obedience to the royal law, are the fruit of grace through faith. Salvation and good works come by grace through faith, they are inseparable…“

A Story from 8th Grade: The Worst Purchase I’ve Ever Made

I used to volunteer as a counselor at a summer camp for developmentally disabled adults. Most years, we would take all the campers to SeaWorld in San Diego! It was such a blast.

I remember this particular year, as we were leaving SeaWorld to head back to camp, I realized I had an unspent ten-dollar bill in my pocket. I absolutely had to spend it at the SeaWorld store! Otherwise, what else would I spend it on?

I was perusing the store, but nothing caught my eye. Time was ticking, everyone was getting on the bus to head back to camp—the pressure was on!

But then, suddenly, I stumbled across what seemed to be a hidden gem: an exactly ten-dollar digital camera. (A big deal at that time!) I had to buy it; I’d never owned a camera before, let alone a digital one—only those disposable ones!

So I bought it, and When I got on the bus, I told my cousin Mac about my miraculous find! He said, “Wait a minute! Let me look at that.”

Observing the box, with a pitiful look on his face, he told me: “Mitch, this is not a digital camera. These are the rechargeable batteries for the digital camera!”

I felt so stupid. So ashamed. So betrayed by SeaWorld. That was the most foolish purchase I ever made: camera batteries without the camera! I had to second-guess myself in that moment: Am I really a counselor or a camper here?”

Can you see how worthless a camera battery is without a camera? Can you feel the pain of my purchase? Can’t you also see how worthless is faith without action?”

• “Have you bought a battery without a camera? (Right belief, no action)”
• “Or perhaps do you have a camera without a battery? (Maybe you’re just a good person who does good things, but no faith in Jesus)”

Four Pictures James Employs to Prove Faith & Action Are Inseparable

The four pictures illustrate that God’s grace through faith is the root, and that good works are the fruit by grace through faith as well.

The final, key concluding statement is the analogy used by James to finalize the argument:

“For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.” (James 2:26)

This is rephrased as: “For as a camera apart from its battery is dead, so also faith apart from action is dead.”

The ultimate resolution emphasizes that good works are the result of God’s redemptive power: “It’s God’s grace, through living faith in Jesus that produces good fruit in us, and it is the Holy Spirit that we receive through faith that makes us eager to do good works for Him.”

So for you who are reading today, I’ll ask a rhetorical questions in James-like fashion: What kind of faith do you have?

…and what’s the proof?