The David Spoon Experience 12-29-23 part 1

A) As we enter into James 2:18, we have the age-old argument between people of works and people of faith. It’s really quite ludicrous. I know. I’m not talking about the singer. If a person has faith, it will be demonstrated in their life. If a person says they have faith, but there’s no evidence of that faith, then it’s just a lot of lip service. It’s not difficult to understand that faith, if you believe in Jesus, will be demonstrated by your life. If there’s nothing to show for it, it’s not—God’s fault.
B) Then, using a very cool argument, James says you show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. I hope everybody is catching that because you can’t show your faith without any deeds. Your saving faith is a faith that’s continually active in the redeeming work of Jesus Christ. It’s not a one and done, and you never think about it again. It's quite the opposite of this. For the saved, you never stop thinking about it.
C) You believe there is a God. You believe that God is one. That’s awesome. James even says good for you, adding a little salt to his sarcasm. He says even the demons believe that. It might be hard to fathom for some people, but Satan believes in God. He doesn’t believe God. He believes in God because it’s impossible to deny God since God is the one who cast him to the Earth. And he can’t escape or do anything without God’s permission. Believing God and believing in God are not the same.
D) The key to the entire argument is simply that faith works together with our actions. Those actions demonstrate the faith that’s inside of us. When Peter put his leg over the boat to step on the water, that was faith in action. Faith, in theory, saves no one. Faith in life saves everyone, as long as it’s faith in Jesus. Prayer, believing that the Bible is actually the word of God when you read it, doing anything for somebody in the name of Christ because it honors Jesus. Any of the fruits of the Holy Spirit being active in your life are the works.
E) It is amazing to note that in this list that James is giving, he brings up Rahab, the harlot. It’s not the typical person you would think of operating in works that have faith since she was a prostitute. But the bottom line is, it wasn’t what she had done that was wrong that God was looking at. It’s what she had done with faith in acting towards God and His people that God counted.