Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
This coming Lord’s Day we are returning to the Epistle of James. Our sermon will come from James 2:21-26. The most remarkable feature of this passage is what the Lord’s brother says about being “justified” in verse 24: “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Now, when we lay this verse up against what the Apostle Paul said about being “justified,” we seem to have a problem: “For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight,” and, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law”—Romans 3:20, 28. It is certainly obvious why some have been confused by this ostensible conflict between Paul and James. But, as we will begin to see on Sunday, the problem is only apparent. In fact, both of these inspired authors are saying the same thing about salvation, yet from different perspectives. Paul and James are responding to different questions regarding salvation and faith in Christ.
As we have seen previously in our studies, James is deeply concerned about the justification of a professing believer’s claim to have faith in Christ. Recall his rhetorical questions in 2:14. James has on his radar screen those members of the Church who provide little, if any, compelling evidence that they belong to Christ at all. They say they have “faith” in Christ. But what is the proof of this claim? How is such a claim justified? And by raising such piercing questions it is clear that, indeed, there should be some evidential support for a person’s profession of faith.
So, this week we will get acquainted with this critical passage. And we will allow the Lord’s own brother to teach us a thing or two about the blessed harmony there is between the Gospel of a works-free salvation, and the gracious life-transformation that inevitably results.
Sunday School Resumes This Week!
Just one more reminder that Sunday School starts up again this week at 9:15 AM!
Connecting With the Catechism
This week we will work on memorizing the following questions from the Westminster Shorter Catechism. Scripture proofs for each answer are provided for further study.
Q4. What is God?
God is a spirit, Whose being, wisdom, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth are infinite, eternal, and unchangeable.
John 4:24.
Job 11:7-9.
Ps. 90:2.
James 1:17.
Exod. 3:14.
Ps. 147:5.
Rev. 4:8.
Rev. 15:4.
Exod. 34:6-7.
Q5. Is there more than one God?
There is only one, the living and true God.
Deut. 6:4.
Jer. 10:10.
Q6. How many persons are in the one God?
Three persons are in the one God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three are one God, the same in substance and equal in power and glory.
I John 5:7.
Matt. 28:19.
I love you all so much, and I can’t wait until we meet together before our Lord and King on Sunday!
Mike