#BibleStudy Expressions of Faith James Ch 2. God-talk Without God-acts?



Opening Statement
The spiritual needs of humanity take precedence over the political concerns of culture at large.

Background
I first read that sentence last week in a post by a long-time friend. Dr. Robert Smith is a former pastor, a gifted teacher, a Bible scholar, and a lover of fountain pens and all things Spam. His ability to explain Biblical truths in layman’s terms is a gift. I got permission to use his writing in my Timeless Truth post, “Serving the Gospel,” on 7/2/2020.

My Sunday school class is studying the book of James. The sessions are open discussions of a series of questions I provide. Often, insight from my class members humbles my thoughts on a topic.

I hope by the end of this three or four week (more if needed) series, you have an enhanced appreciation of James’s letter and a desire to address the Opening Statement in a manner you might not have considered before. 

To give rightful credit to Dr. Smith, all quotes from his original “Serving the Gospel” are italicized.

Scripture quotes from James are from Eugene H. Peterson’s “The Message – The Bible in Contemporary Language.” Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson and used as allowed by the author.

God-talk Without God-acts?
 14-17 Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?

18 I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”
Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than 

I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

Issues of social stratification are abundant worldwide. 
  • As soon as one group, be it ethnic, religious, or some other measurable characteristic realizes there is some advantage to being “us” and not “them,” society begins to form layers.

Jews in James’s day considered themselves superior to other inhabitants of their territory regardless of who ruled over them.
  • Since Roman rule was harsh and Roman punishment swift, a caste system developed in the Jewish population. I discussed that last week. 

In this section, James is once again in “in your face” mode.

If you’ve ever been a large city’s downtown area, you probably saw homeless people lining the streets.
  • Blankets, shopping carts, and trash bags filled with bottles and cans are common.

I never carry cash when I walk my dog in the early mornings.
  • I often carry granola bars. 
  • Less common are the times I carry socks or gift cards for fast food restaurants.

When I have one or more of those items with me, I ask God to direct me to someone. Even when I have nothing tangible, I stop, talk, and pray with individuals God directs my route to.

James knew his audience.
The verbiage used in this section is designed to make readers squirm if they were one of those described in verses 14-16.
  • James knows how those with guilty feelings will respond and uses verse 17 as his delivery vehicle.
  • Faith (God-talk) is critical in living the Christian life.
  • Works (God-acts) are natural outcomes of a life of faith.


I chose The Message version for Scripture quotes in this series, but, I have to admit that I’m not a fan of Peterson’s verse 17. Here’s a version with more clout.

17 So you see, it isn’t enough just to have faith. You must also do good to prove that you have it. Faith that doesn’t show itself by good works is no faith at all—it is dead and useless. (Living Bible)
  • While I’d rather have a pork chop instead of a live pig for dinner, there’s not much worth to most dead things.

James uses a familiar item, a glove, to summarize this section. I modified the bold print sentence to match the title of today’s post.

You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. God-talk and God-acts, God-acts and God-talk, fit together hand in glove.


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