How to Have a Living Faith

How to have a Living Faith
James 2:14-26

Context: James has been building his work on the theme of obedience. In James 1:22 - he warns us to be doers of the word and not hearers only. In Chapter 2, he goes into a discourse on Dead faith and shows us 2 examples of people with dead faith (1) The person who shows partiality (verses 1-4) (2) The person who neglects his brother or sister in need (verses 15 and 16) He now contrasts his examples of Dead Faith with 2
Examples of Living Faith.

Main Point: Genuine faith produces genuine works.

To have a living faith...

1. Distinguish your faith from the Demons (vs. 14-20)
Matthew 5:16

2. Digest how the Old Testament saints were saved (vs. 21-25)
A. Abraham was saved by faith (Genesis 15:6)
B. Abraham offered Issac in Genesis 22.
C. James is not teaching that Faith + Works = Salvation but rather that Faith = Salvation + Works.
D. Other passages to study: Ephesians 2:8-9; Titus 3:5; Galatians 3:11; Romans 4:1-3; Genesis 15:4-6; Joshua 2:9-11; Hebrews 11:31; Gal 3:24

3. Do the works of faith. (vs. 26)
Revelation 2:4-5