DOUBTING BILL

What if I am not really saved?

-----Let’s imagine a scenario with a man named “Bill.” Bill grew up in a typical American Protestant Church. When Bill was fifteen he said the Sinners Prayer and “gave his life to Christ.” He was baptized that Sunday. Now, 17 years later, Bill has entered a season where he doubts the sincerity of that decision to follow Christ. Now, as he reads James, Bill is concerned, “I am not sure if I am steadfast. What if my faith isn’t real? I am not sure if my good works are really signs of FAITH.” Bill’s concerns are legitimate. He must examine himself. As 2 Corinthians 13:5 says, “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.”

Bill’s concerns are legitimate, but his focus is not.

-----When Bill doubts his faith he, like so many other American Protestants, tries to figure out if he needs to “really, really give his life to Christ.” His pastor, in conforming to the modern style of preaching, at the end of the service likes to get those in his congregation who are professing believers, who have not in any way departed from the gospel, to examine themselves so that if they “never really believed” they can come and say the Sinner’s Prayer and “give their life to Christ again” and then get rebaptized.

-----This practice has mostly yielded doubt and confusion within the congregation, and rightly so. If one has already said the Sinner’s Prayer and it has given no assurance of faith, the repetition of that act can only give lesser and lesser assurance. The fiftieth repetition of the Sinner’s Prayer can in no way give more assurance than the first. And what if all these people realize that the Sinner’s Prayer is not found in the Bible in any form? Then they certainly will be in for a catastrophe as their spiritual legs are knocked right out from under them, and they fall headlong into doubt and frustration.

How should Bill respond to his doubt?

-----Whatever Bill does, he needs to do it all trusting Christ for his righteousness and his peace with God. When he doesn’t think his works are those that God expects from His people he must cling to Christ's righteousness. When he does think his works are those that God expects from His people he must trust Christ's righteousness. When he doubts the truth of his conversion he needs to trust Christ. Instead of thinking, “I don’t know if I really believe,” he must say, “I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24).”

Doesn’t Bill still need to test his salvation?

-----Absolutely, but the apostles did not think about testing in the same regards as we do in America. In America we look at our works and then we want to say, “I am saved,” or “I am not saved.” The apostles wrote with the assumption that believers would test their works and say, “I am acting appropriately as a Christian,” or “I need to repent and act differently.”

Take Colossians 3:1-17 (or about any other passage of the New Testament). Read the passage and ask this question to yourself, “Does it sound like Paul wants his writers to say, ‘I’m not doing that; I must not be a Christian,’ or ‘I’m a Christian; I better do that’?”

If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. [3] For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

[5] Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry. [6] On account of these the wrath of God is coming. [7] In these you too once walked, when you were living in them. [8] But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth. [9] Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices [10] and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. [11] Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all, and in all.

[12] Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, [13] bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. [14] And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. [15] And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. [16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. [17] And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

-----Clearly the reader should say, “I am a Christian; I better do that.” It is true that if you do not seek to do what Paul says you aren’t a Christian, but that’s the very reason you continually, despite your all your failings, seek to do those things.

But what if Bill comes up short?

----- When he “examines [himself], to see if [he] is in the faith” he looks to see if he is striving after what God demands. When he realizes that he is not striving after what he should be striving after he doesn’t despair that his salvation isn’t real. Instead, he repents and continues to seek obedience to God’s word because he trusts that God will continue the work He began in him. All the time Bill stands upon God’s grace, that God has declared him righteous and will not let his soul see perdition.

A final word from Peter. (2 Peter 1:3-11)

-----His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

-----For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

-----Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

James 2:14-26

In this passage James uses the word “faith” in two ways.

------The first is a full reliance on the grace of God (Romans 3:24,25; 4:5) for one's righteousness through the righteous life of Christ. This faith involves the receiving of Jesus Christ as one’s greatest treasure (Matthew 13:4), and desperately clinging to Him for forgiveness, righteousness, and union with God. This faith only comes as the response of a regenerate heart to the goodness of God.

-----The second is mental assent.

-----I will write “FAITH” when it refers to the first definition and “faith” it refers to the second definition. “Belief” or “believe” will be written so as to correspond to one definition or the other.

-----Note: FAITH is always faith, because no one ever truly treasures Christ while rejecting the Spirit of truth. However, faith is not always FAITH because many people believe correctly* and even trust that their righteousness is in Christ but do not treasure or cling to Christ. Rather, they trust and cling to the world (James 4).

----*I do not mean that those with faith (who think they have FAITH but don’t) believe correctly in regards to all things because indeed they must deviate from the truth in some degree in order to believe that they have been born of God. Those deviations are what James has written the book to correct. Those deviations are what he refers to as “deceiving yourselves” in James 1:22.

James 2:12-26

-----So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. [13] For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

-----[14] What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has FAITH but does not have works? Can that faith save him? [15] If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, [16] and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? [17] So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

-----[18] But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your FAITH apart from your works, and I will show you my FAITH by my works. [19] You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! [20] Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? [21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? [22] You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; [23] and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham BELIEVED God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"— and he was called a friend of God. [24] You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. [25] And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? [26] For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

What is the purpose of this passage?

-----Most commentaries say that James is speaking of being justified before men. This is certainly a convenient way to deal with the passage, and it corresponds clearly to verses 18 and 19. I do not think, however, that explanation adequately handles the passage. Justification before men is not James’s point in the immediate context or in the rest of the book. He writes this passage to refute the objection that is naturally raised to his previous statement in verse 13 about judgment. James said, “Judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.” To that some reply, “No, I am justified by faith.”

-----He is trying to prove that it is not contrary to the teaching of justification by FAITH alone to say that mercy will be given to those who have shown mercy or to say that only those who are steadfast will receive the crown of life (1:12). The reason is that sanctification follows justification of necessity. If sanctification is not present than justification has not occurred. In other words, the faith through which God justifies results in good works. The faith without good works is not justifying.

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has FAITH but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

-----Someone may easily claim that he has FAITH in Christ, but if it is not followed by justification (works) then it is an empty claim. That faith cannot save him. It is like saying that you have compassion but only offering words to alleviate the needs of the poor. That “compassion” is an empty claim no matter how sincerely they think they are compassionate. In a similar manner faith that is not followed by sanctification is not the kind that is born out of a regenerate heart, but it is the empty claim of a dead heart.

But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works. Show me your FAITH apart from your works, and I will show you my FAITH by my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder!” (The end of the quotation is debatable.)

-----Someone could rightly say to demonstrate your foolishness, “You have faith and I have works. Show me your FAITH (if indeed you have more than faith) without sanctification, and I will prove that I have FAITH by showing the sanctification that flows out of it. You believe true things about God. That is good, but is believing the truth really enough? The demons know all about God, and they cannot stand before His wrath.

THE JUSTIFICATION OF ABRAHAM

There are several things to remember in order to understand the remainder of the passage.

-----1. As we have clearly seen, James has not been arguing that works justify but that only FAITH justifies.

-----2. James writes with the understanding that Abraham was justified through FAITH. His audience knows Abraham was justified through FAITH alone, and he expects his words will be understood in light of that truth. James does not write to disprove Genesis 15:6, but to give his readers a greater understanding of it in relation to Genesis 22 (the offering of Isaac).

How was Abraham Justified by works?

-----James explains his meaning with three statements: “faith was active along with his works,” “faith was completed by his works,” and “the Scripture was fulfilled” by his works.

Faith was active along with his works.

-----James does not pick a work that was done to satisfy God’s requirements. Such a work would be contrary to grace and to FAITH, because FAITH trusts God for its righteousness. James picks a work that demonstrated trust in God. Hebrews 11:19 tells us that Abraham offered up Isaac because he believed that God was able to raise the dead. Abraham believed God in the offering up of his son. It was an act of belief.

-----Here, when James says that Abraham was justified by works he doesn't mean that Abraham performed a work that was capable of fulfilling or completing God's holy standard. He means that the FAITH through which he has been justified (Genesis 15:6) was active in that work. When he says, “Abraham was justified by works,” he speaks figuratively as if the act was the same as the faith and thus it grants justification. It is no different than when the other apostles speak as if confession (Romans 10:9) and baptism (Acts 2:38) are grounds for salvation or justification because they are acts of faith and thus inseparable** from faith. When such language is used no one should suppose that baptism and confession grants are meritorious works.

---**There are obvious exceptions to the inseparableness of these things, but they are few and far between in reality.

Faith was completed by his works.

-----James has already shown a concern for completeness in his letter. He told his audience, “Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing (James 1:4).” “Perfect” is “teleios,” the same Greek word translated “completed” in James 2:22. James concern is that his audience’s salvation will be found complete when they stand before God. He knows that it is “the doers of the law who will be justified (Romans 2:13).” Those in his audience who do not repent of their friendship with the world will not be justified when they stand before God. The reason they will not be justified is that those who love the world and forsake God’s law have not been justified.

-----James uses Abraham to illustrate his concern to his audience. Because Abraham sacrificed Isaac he would stand before God justified. This was not because he mustered up enough willpower in Genesis 22 to complete his faith in Genesis 15:6 and thus make his faith FAITH, but because without his works his faith would have been found lacking. Abraham’s works completed his faith in the same way apples complete an apple tree. It is not that an apple tree is half an apple tree before it has apples, but that before an apple tree has apples its nature is in question, and once it has apples it is doing what an apple tree necessarily does.

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The Scripture was fulfilled.

-----James says that when Abraham offered up Isaac “the Scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.'” When scripture is “fulfilled” it means an event has taken place that the scripture declared before hand. The fulfillment of the statement in Isaiah 7:14, “a virgin shall be with child” occurred when a virgin, Mary, was found to be with the child, Christ, conceived of the Holy Spirit.

-----The statement “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” refers to past events. Common sense says that a statement about the past needs no fulfilling, but if a statement about a past event makes necessary demands on the future then that statement could be fulfilled.

-----Moses says about the past, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” or, in other words, “Abraham was justified.” That statement about the past puts a demand on the future: “Abraham will be sanctified.” If Abraham is justified at one moment in time, then he must be sanctified at all following moments up unto his death. For the statement, “Abraham was justified,” to be true, Abraham's sanctification must follow. So when Abraham offered up Isaac [sanctification] he fulfilled the future demand of Genesis 15:6, and thus proved that Genesis 15:6 was true in regards to justification.

You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

-----Here James writes about Rahab as he did regarding Abraham. In the last sentence he returns to the statement, “faith apart from works is dead” as a clue that, although he has been speaking differently in regards to Abraham and Rahab, he has never deviated from his original argument that only FAITH justifies.