37 Sermon Illustrations on Faith and Works

On a wall in the Vatican, an artist sought to express the relationship between three spiritual gifts. He represented Love as standing up attending to the needs of those around her, and Hope as looking upward with prophetic expectation. Both of them, however, are standing on another form named Faith who has her arms around the cross to which she clings for support. The Finished Work A great many people find it extremely difficult to accept Christ's death on the cross as sufficient ransom for their sins. They want to do something themselves. "But I can't see it," said a certain cabinetmaker to a friend who was trying to show him how the death of Christ completed the work of atonement. At last an inspiration struck his friend, who, lifting the plane, moved as if to plane the top of a beautifully polished table that stood near. "Stop!" cried the cabinetmaker. "Don't you see that's finished? You'll simply ruin it if you use that plane on it," "Why," replied his friend, "that's just what I have been trying to show you about Christ's work of redemption. It was finished when He gave His life for you, and if you try to add to that finished work you can only spoil it. Just accept it as it stands-His life for yours-and you go free."

An old boatman painted the word "faith" on one oar of his boat and "works" on the other. He was asked his reason for this. In answer, he slipped the oar with "faith" into the water and rowed. The boat, of course, made a very tight circle. Returning to the dock, the boatman then said, "Now, let's try 'works'without 'faith'and see what happens." The oar marked "works" was put in place and the boatman began rowing with just the "works" oar. Again the boat went into a tight circle but in the opposite direction. When the boatman again returned to the wharf, he interpreted his experiment in these strong and convincing words, "You see, to make a passage across the lake, one needs both oars working simultaneously in order to keep the boat in a straight and narrow way. If one does not have the use of both oars, he makes no progress either across the lake nor as a Christian.

An old country preacher used to say: "There are two parts to the Gospel. The first part is believing it, and the second part is behaving it." The hearer only is the one who is satisfied with just believing without behaving. That is what James describes as dead faith (James 2:17).

An auditor is one who sits down with the other students, and has the same advantages of learning, but does not have the same responsibilities. When examinations are given, he does not have to take them. He is just an auditor. He may have listened very carefully and have greatly benefited from what he has heard, but he does not have to be checked by his professor. He doesn't have to hand in any term papers or theses. He feels very free when he sees the other duly registered students studying hard while he can take it easy. But the day of graduation comes, and you know what happens then. The one who sat for the examination and had responsibilities as well as duties receives a diploma, a degree, and can be a practicing lawyer, teacher, doctor, businessman, etc. The auditor, however, can have nothing at all, except possibly a certificate showing that he had been physically present in class while the professor gave the lectures on a certain subject.

"There is a difference between merit and means; a schoolmaster may teach a child gratis, and yet the boy must himself take pains to get his learning. There is, moreover, a difference between cause and effect, and the mere order of coming. Mercy is never obtained but in the use of means: wisdom's dole is dispensed at wisdom's gate." (Prov. viii. 34.) This is a very important remark, and tends to screen from the charge of legality those who earnestly exhort men to gospel duties. There is no merit in seeking the Lord; but we may not hope to find him without it. Prayer does not deserve an answer, and yet we are to pray without ceasing, neither may we hope to have if we refuse to ask. The cup must be held under the flowing fountain or it will not be filled, yet the cup does not create the water or purchase it. All the exertion which a man makes in running the heavenly race will not merit the prize of eternal life; but it would not therefore be right for him to lie in bed and hope to win it. The Father freely gives the bread of heaven without money and without price, and yet Jesus bade men labour for it.

G6 ILLUSTRATIONS AND MEDITATIONS. Lord, thou hast taught me to see a great distinction between the idea of meriting thy favour and the truth that earnest effort is necessary to salvation. Help me to work as if my salvation depended on my working, and then keep me trusting in thee alone, as if I worked not at all. Thou givest me all things, the end and the means to that end. That measure of holy labour which I put forth is first wrought in me, and therefore would I be doubly diligent. I would work because thou workest in me, and strive for victory because thou givest me both the strength and the crown.

The second chapter of the Epistle by James seems, to my mind, to describe a spiritual wedding. We are "bidden to a marriage;" and, as at the older marriage in Cana of Galilee, the holy Master is present, and consummates the nuptials. The parties to be united are but symbolic personages, and yet are real and life-like too. The bride is young and beautiful, — ever young, and ever clothed upon with light as with a garment. Her face is clear as the day; her look is firm, and yet trustful. She is not of the earth, but heaven-born, and wears her celestial parentage in every lineament of her radiant countenance. Her name is "Faith." She is the daughter of God. And beside her stands one whose lusty form was made for deeds of daring and endurance. He is sinewy and athletic. There is valor in his eye, and "cunning in his ten fingers," and strength in his right arm. He was created to act, to do, to suffer. He was formed for strife and struggle. His name is "Action." With solemn rites, the two are joined in wedlock. They are both to love, and both to obey. They are always to live and move and suffer and conquer together. They are to be the fruitful parents of every thing good on earth. On them, while united, Jehovah pronounces a "blessing" richer than that which gladdened the nuptials of Isaac and Rebekah, or of Jacob and Leah. While united, they are to live and grow and conquer; when separated, they are to droop and perish. For each other, and in each other, and with each other, their days of struggle and victory are to be passed, until time shall be no longer. And so "faith" and "works" were coupled by infinite Wisdom; and in the presence of the world it was solemnly announced, "What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder."

— T. L. Cuyler

From that union have sprung up a glorious progeny. All the mighty deeds which have ennobled and elevated humanity own that parentage. Faith and action have been the source, under God, of every thing good and great and enduring in the Church of Christ: the very Church itself exists through them. Its model men were men of faith and action. Such have ever been God's true evangelists. Such was Luther, the flaming iconoclast of Europe; to-day writing theses and commentaries, and to-morrow translating the Scriptures, or hurling fresh, invective against the black domination of the Man of Sin. Such were Baxter, the indefatigable pastor; Edwards, the perpetual thinker; Neander, the perpetual student; Owen, the perpetual writer; Knox, the untiring reformer; Whitefield, the untiring preacher; and Chalmers, who appears to have been pastor, preacher, writer, thinker, and reformer, all in one. Brethren, such may God honor us in being. A faith sound as that of the Westminster Assembly will not save the dying world, around us unless it flows out into action.

— T. L. Cuyler

Mr. Webster once replied to a gentleman who pressed him to speak on a subject of great importance, "The subject interests me deeply; but I have not time. There, sir," pointing to a large pile of unanswered letters to which he must reply, before the close of the session (which was then three days off), "I have no time to master the subject so as to do it justice." — "But, Mr. Webster, a few words from you would do much to awaken public attention to it." — "If there be so much weight in my word," said Mr. Webster, "it is because I do not allow myself to speak on any subject until my mind is imbued with it." Demosthenes was once urged to speak on a great and sudden emergency. "I am not prepared," said he; and obstinately refused. The law of labor is equally binding on genius and mediocrity. Dr. Haven.

PRACTICE, Superiority of Two architects were candidates for the erection of a temple at Athens. One of them discussed largely on different orders of architecture, and how the temple should be built. The other said, that, "what his brother had spoken, he could do," and was awarded the position.

The eye alone seeth in the body, yet the eye which seeth is not alone; the fore-finger alone pointeth, yet that finger is not alone on the hand; the hammer alone striketh on the bell, yet the hammer that striketh is not alone in the clock; the heat alone in the fire burneth, yet that heat is not alone without the light; the helm alone guideth the ship, yet the helm is not without the tackling. Thus though faith alone doth justify, yet that faith which justifieth is not alone, but joined with charity and good works. Though good works are not the cause why God crowneth us, yet we must take them in our way to heaven, or we shall never come there. Spencer.

A youthful owner of swine had a wealthy uncle. His uncle cribbed corn for the market. One day he told his nephew that he could have all the corn that he could carry in a basket from the cribs, where the men were shelling, across the alley to the barn where the swine were kept. To his uncle’s surprize and delight, the boy took him at his word, and carried corn all day. The boy did this because he had faith in his uncle’s word. The nephew’s faith pleased him when he saw how much corn he had. If the boy had profest belief in his uncle’s promise without acting upon it, there would have been intellectual assent but no real faith.

This is a type of our relation to God. Faith takes God at his word. “His divine power hath given us all things that pertain to life and Godliness through the knowledge of Him who hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises.” Every gift of God that we accept and use for Him is a new proof of our faith.

Tract passed out at Billy Graham crusade by fundamentalist group. They believe genuine Christians must produce works of righteousness to be saved.

"Faith only" is a lie that has been around since the days of Martin Luther. The "sinner's prayer" is a perversion of theology. Justification is "not by faith only" (James 2:24). There are two types of faith: saving faith and dead faith. Saving faith is an obedient faith. In Hebrews 11 the heros expressed their faith through actions. Saving faith is a faith that acts.

"Faith only" is a dead faith, like the demons have (James 2:19). Ephesians 2:8-9 says salvation is not of works, but it refers to works of merit instead of works of God (Jam 2:21-24). Martin Luther started the "faith only" heresy by adding the word "only" after the word "faith" in his translation of Romans 5:1. Luther also rejected the book of James.

In the book of Acts, converts are told to be baptized to "wash away your sins" instead of just "receiving Jesus."

Sermon in James series. Faith alone? James 2:14-26

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TICKETS FOR HEAVEN

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I. Most people want to be saved.

A. Main feature of most religions and philosophies.

B. Many work hard at it.

C. Most Christian groups - Jesus/God PLUS our hard work.

II. Does James contradict Paul?

A. James has a very practical definition of faith.

B. Comparison with Apostle Paul. (see reverse)

C. Same OT passages, same language, different conclusions.

III. Through different glasses.

A. James and Paul are addressing different problems.

B. What are "works"?

C. Justification is being made right with God.

D. For both Paul and James, faith that produces no good deeds is

IV. The essence of faith.

A. To modern people, faith is private and internal.

B. Faith is never purely mental in Bible.

C. Faith is not merely a private matter.

V. The patriarch and the prostitute.

A. Abraham. 2:21

B. Rahab. 2:25

VI. How does your faith stack up?

Sam Jones once used this illustration: "I go to chop wood and you find me with my ax across my knees and not a chip in sight. You ask, 'Why are you not chopping wood?' I answer, 'I'm waiting until I work up a sweat first; then I'll chop wood.' The best way to work up a sweat is to chop wood."

Faith will not get the job done. It must be followed by works.

A man who claims to have faith without works is like a man who put all his effort into building the foundation of a house and never builds anything on it.

A man who displays great works but claims no faith is like a man who builds a house on sand without any foundation.

Called an “epistle of straw” by Protestant reformer, Martin Luther, the book of James often causes controversy and concern among Christians devoted to the Reformation principle, “salvation by grace alone.” The controversy arises in passages like this: “What use is it, brothers and sisters, if a person says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” (James 2:14). Concern comes when James looks back to father Abraham to illustrate his argument for justifying works: “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,’ and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone” (James 2:21-24). Is the epistle of James really arguing for salvation by works?

Commentators on James also assert that works are a necessary part of salvation. But, they also argue that good works are not done apart from faith, but done in faith; not done instead of faith, but done because of faith. Put simply, the epistle exhorts those who claim saving faith to have a faith that works.(1)

What does working faith look like for James?

“To visit orphans and widows in their distress,” (1:27)

“to keep oneself unstained by the world,” (1:27)

“to fulfill the royal law, according to Scripture, ‘you shall

love your neighbor as yourself,’” (2:8)

“to give what is necessary for a brother or sister without

clothing and daily food,” (2:15-16)

“to be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger,” (1:19)

“to consider it all joy when you encounter various trials,” (1:2)

and “to not hold our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ with an

attitude of personal favoritism” (2:1).

There are many other evidences of working faith throughout the rest of the letter: faith tames the tongue (3:1-12), requires humility (4:10), and endures until the end (5:7).

From what we see in his letter, is James’s view of faith so far off that it deserved Luther’s condemnation?

Many have argued that James’s view of faith is markedly different than Paul’s view of faith.(2) But a brief sampling of Paul’s writings presents many similarities. In the letter to the Romans, Paul exhorts the faithful not to be “conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind” (Romans 12:2). That sounds like keeping oneself unstained by the world, doesn’t it? In the same chapter, Paul argues that in light of all God has done for us in Jesus Christ we should “be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; contribute to the needs of the saints practicing hospitality and to be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly; bless those who persecute us, bless and curse not; rejoice in hope, persevere in tribulation, devoted to prayer” (Romans 12:9-21, selected verses). Far from presenting a divergent view of faith, Paul and James seem to argue the same thing. They both argue that the content of faith is not simply holding good ideas, or merely intellectual assent to various propositional truths, or belonging to a certain theological camp -- the content of faith is also found in what faith does with good ideas, how it acts on assumed truths and with its power to transform lives to resemble more and more the image and beauty of Christ.

Seen in this light, the epistle of James offers us a necessary corrective to the thought that saving faith requires nothing of us. Nothing could be further from the truth! Indeed, one cannot help but read James’s letter and see that right action is integrally linked to the claim that one has faith in Christ.

In his own ministry, Jesus demonstrated nothing less than this. His pronouncement that the kingdom of God was at hand was accompanied by evidences of the in-breaking of God’s kingdom: healings, deliverance, inclusion of those excluded from temple worship, and teaching with authority. Indeed, Jesus argued that the prophecy of Isaiah was fulfilled in him: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are downtrodden, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:17-21). If we claim to have faith in Christ, we must go and do likewise. Far from being an “epistle of straw” James reminds us that true faith works in the world and inspires the demonstration of tangible expressions of faith in the daily living of our lives. “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself...for just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead” (James 2:17, 26).

Margaret Manning is associate writer at Ravi Zacharias International Ministries in Atlanta, Georgia.

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1. George M. Stulac, James: The IVP Commentary Series (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 107.

2. Ibid., 11.

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Copyright © 2007 Ravi Zacharias International Ministries (RZIM). Reprinted with permission. "A Slice of Infinity" is a radio ministry of Ravi Zacharias International Ministries.

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[Original illustration at this number was a duplicate of HolwickID #21525]

”Lordship salvation” debates whether good works and repentance are necessary for salvation (=justification). Can Christ be our Savior without being our Lord (Ryrie)? Some insist there is no necessary connection between saving faith and works. In fact, to insist on good works as the evidence of salvation introduces obedience into the plan of salvation, compromising seriously, if not fatally, the freeness of the gospel offer.

Reformation battle cry is, “Faith alone justifies, but not the faith that is alone.” Faith must be more than intellectual assent to some facts. Yet complete commitment is not required for salvation, because genuine Christians can fall into sin. Saving faith includes knowledge of the gospel’s great historical facts, an assent to the truthfulness of them, and a trust in Christ who accomplished them. Repentance involves a change of mind that leads to a change in actions. Most see it as essential to saving faith.

Conclusions:

1. The lordship of Christ must be confessed.

2. This confession must be genuine.

3. Salvation is by faith (repentance is a part of faith).

4. Growing obedience belongs to sanctification, not justification.

5. Christians may backslide, but only for a time.

6. Complete submission to God’s will as necessary to be saved is unbiblical.

(The Gospel of John and the book of Acts oppose this.)

7. “Believe in Jesus, and be saved” is simplest invitation.

When Thomas Olivers, the Welsh cobbler who became noted as a Methodist, itinerant and a hymnist, turned from a reckless life, carousing and incurring many debts, to a profession of a change of heart, he deliberately set about settling his financial obligations, nor ceased until the last penny was paid.

He brought forth fruit meet for repentance. (Text.)

In Glasgow a man who was dying cried out, “Lost, lost, lost!” His mother heard him, and asked, “Is it possible that you have lost your faith in God?” “No,” said he; “I have a hope of Heaven, but I have lost my life. I have, lived twenty-four years, and have done nothing for the Lord.”