Marks of Authentic Faith
Text: James 1:22-27
Core Idea: Authentic faith not only hears the Word but obeys it, authentic faith transforms every aspect of our lives including our tongues, and authentic faith propels us to move outward – compassionately serving the people in need. This is the kind of faith we’re called to display when we experience the grace of God.
INTRODUCTION
We are going through the book of James – looking at different ways the gospel impacts our lives. And last Sunday, I began by sharing that the reason why we can overcome temptations and persevere through trials is because God gave us a new life in Christ – it’s the idea of being born again which simply means that in and through Christ, we’ve been cleansed from all our sins and given a new heart, a new attitude, a new appetite, and a new ambition. Then James shared that this is made possible through the Word of truth – which is why we were called to receive it humbly. Then what does it mean to live a life that is pleasing to the Lord? How do we know that we are truly born again? Well, today, James will speak of three marks of authentic faith – three characteristics of born-again Christians. So, with this in mind, let’s open up our Bibles to James 1:22-27. Let me read this for us.
22 Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. 23 Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror 24 and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. 25 But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do. 26 Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Amen. This is the Word of God for you today.
The three marks of authentic faith are:
· THE LIFE OF OBEDIENCE
· THE CONTROLLED TONGUE
· THE COMPASSIONATE HEART
1) THE LIFE OF OBEDIENCE
Now, let me actually begin by pointing out that James is not minimizing the importance of biblical knowledge. In fact, he told us to be quick to listen to the Word of God in verse 19 because he knew that our thoughts always precede and determine our actions. Did you hear what I just said? Let me say it again: our thoughts always precede and determine our actions. In other words, we do the things we do not because of what we’re experiencing at the moment but because of the way we have thought and interpreted what we’re experiencing. Our trials become troublesome not because of the trials in themselves but because of the way we perceive those trials – which is why people in the same situation, going through the very same thing can have remarkably different reactions. This is important to note because it tells us the significance of biblical knowledge. The Bible has been written by a loving Creator, a gracious Father who wanted to unpack what is true for His children so that they would know how to properly make sense of life – in other words, it’s meant to give us the wisdom we need to interpret and perceive our lives in such a way that we would honor the Lord in all that we do. No wonder biblical knowledge is essential, not optional. We need to be reminded again and again of the gospel of grace. We need to hear again and again that being a disciple of Christ means to forsake everything and follow Him. We need to be told again and again that God loves us and that He has never left us despite the way we may feel in certain circumstances. And we need to be reminded again and again that our God is good and that He is sovereignly in control over every aspect of our lives. That’s what the Word will accomplish in our lives. The Word of God is a beautiful gift to us from a God of amazing grace that is meant to instruct and strengthen us so that we would persevere and not give up on our journey of faith. We must grow in our knowledge of the Word.
But at the same time, James wants us to know that biblical knowledge alone is not sufficient. Yes, growth in our faith is impossible without accurate knowledge of the Word, but we must recognize that having a wealth of biblical knowledge alone does not guarantee spiritual maturity. So, he says in verse 22, “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” Then this is the first mark of authentic faith: the life of obedience. Those who have been transformed by His grace don’t just hear but act on God’s Word. This is true because God isn’t just after our minds – He’s after our hearts. And He’s not just after our hearts – He’s after everything that makes up us. The Word was given to us not just to lay claim on our brains, but also to capture our hearts and transform every aspect of our lives. No wonder Pastor Paul Tripp said, “Truth not lived is truth not believed.” We must do what it says.
In fact, James went so far as to say that hearing God’s Word without obeying God’s Word is self-deception. They’re deceived in thinking that merely hearing God’s Word is sufficient evidence of saving faith – that it’s a sure sign of our maturity. But James makes it clear that they’re wrong. James tells us that if all we have is Scripture knowledge (even if that’s extensive), if this knowledge isn’t accompanied by obedience, we are deceiving ourselves. Brothers and sisters, I pray that we would have the eyes to see how dangerous and deadly this is to our faith. In fact, the longer we’ve been Christians, the more vulnerable we are to fall into this trap because it’s so easy to grow in our knowledge of Scripture without giving the same attention to the application of Scripture. Now, it’s true that we will always know more than we actually live out. But let’s not use that as an excuse – let’s pay careful attention so that we make every effort to close that gap (the gap between what we know and what we apply) – close that gap more and more every single day. This is not legalism because we’re not doing this to earn our salvation – we do this because we have been saved. Then out of our reverence for God, out of our desire to be more like our Father, let’s do what it says.
Now, because James wants to make a lasting impression of this truth, he provides us with this startling illustration. Verse 23, “Anyone who listens to the Word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like.” Let’s think through this a little more because it will greatly help us understand James’ point. When we wake up in the morning, one of the things that we all do is take a look at ourselves in the mirror. Why? To see the damage that the night has done to our physical appearance. Now, I don’t think any of us has ever doubted the accuracy of what we see in the mirror because we know that it will always confront us with what we actually look like – our mirrors won’t lie to us. So, even if we don’t like the way we look, we won’t blame the mirror – we’ll just adjust ourselves to what we see in the mirror. Then in the same way, James is inviting us to consider the Bible as a mirror for our lives because it will accurately reveal who we really are and the true state of our hearts. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the Word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.” It will always expose the true thoughts and purposes of our hearts.
Now, why is it important to know that the Bible exposes our true self? Because sin always blinds. We have no problem seeing the sins of our friends and family, but we’re often surprised when someone else points out our sins because we’ve been deceiving ourselves to think that we’re not that bad – that we’re relatively good. Just like the man in James’ story, we forgot who we really are. But the truth is that as long as sin is present in our lives, there will always be inaccuracies in the way we see ourselves because our sin blinds us. Then it may be hard to hear this, but we are more sinful than we think – we are more deserving of God’s wrath than His blessings. We are deceived – which means that we need the Bible to open our eyes so that we may see ourselves clearly. Then we should do with the Word what we do with our mirrors every day. Just as we would stand before a mirror when we wake up, before we sleep, and everything in between, we ought to immerse ourselves in the Word of God every moment of our lives – humbly submitting to its heart-revealing confrontation, running to God for His saving, forgiving, and empowering grace, and allowing it to transform us so that we would joyfully, faithfully live out the truth that gives us life.
In fact, that’s exactly what James says in verse 25, “But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it – not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it – they will be blessed in what they do.” The word “continues” in Greek also means “to remain.” So, if you’re serious about growing in grace, you should continue to remain in His Word. If you’re feeling defeated by secret sins, you should remain in His Word. If you struggle with anger, if you’re paralyzed by fear or overwhelmed by discouragement, if you seem to lack meaning and purpose, you should remain in His Word – because as 2 Timothy 3:16 says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Then friends, are you investing your time in the Word today? Are you immersing yourself in the Word? If not, what is the biggest obstacle that prevents you from doing this? Identify it and actively respond against it. That’s what it means to look intently into the Word of God – it’s not casually reading when we have the time. No, we must constantly turn our posture toward it, lean toward it, and make every effort to conform our minds and hearts toward it over and over again knowing that it will make us more like Christ.
Now, this would’ve been incredibly relevant to the original readers because they were going through trials of many kinds. When we are in the midst of trials, when we are more aware of the absence of God than the nearness of God, when we are tempted to doubt many things in light of our pain, it becomes incredibly easy to keep our distance from the Word and to compromise in our obedience. We say to ourselves, “Well, God will understand. Because He knows that my pain is incredibly unbearable, He’ll look the other way if don’t read the Bible for some time, if I don’t pray, if I get drunk, if I hate this person, if I doubt God’s goodness, if I cheat, if I lie, if I do this and that.” But brothers and sisters, our pain doesn’t give us the license to do whatever we want. Yes, God will forgive us if we do, but we must realize that we are cheapening His grace when we disobey and use our trials as an excuse to sin. James understands our temptation which is why he doesn’t say, “I’m so sorry for your pain” – but he says, “Do what it says” to this hurting community and to each one of us because he wants all of us to live a life of obedience even in our trials. Now, Pastor Tim Keller gives us a good reason to do this – he said, “Even if we cannot feel God in our darkest and most dry times, He is still there. And so there is no more basic way to face suffering than this: Like Job, you must seek Him, go to Him. Pray even if you are dry. Read the Scriptures even if it is an agony. Eventually, you will sense Him again – the darkness won’t last forever. The strength you need for suffering comes in the doing of the responsibilities and duties God requires.” Brothers and sisters, if you’re in the midst of great trials, don’t give up on reading, studying, meditating, and obeying the Word of God because eventually, you’ll sense His presence again. In fact, it’s the Word that will give you the sight to see that He has never left you. Brothers and sisters, let Him minister to you through the Word of God today.
2) THE CONTROLLED TONGUE
Verse 26, “Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.” I’m not sure if your children do this but Eli at times tries to convince me that he’s not tired when he really is. I could clearly see that he’s about to fall asleep (because he’s yawning non-stop, incredibly grumpy, and his eyes are half closed) but he’s doing everything he can to fight it because he’s really convinced that he’s not tired and he really wants me to be convinced too. He may not have realized it, but you could say that he was self-deceived. He was saying one thing, but his actions show otherwise. Now, in a similar way, James calls the people who consider themselves religious but don’t control their tongue a self-deceiver. These are the people who think that they’re mature and righteous because they keep themselves busy by serving the church in significant ways, but they prove themselves otherwise with their ungodly speech. They may love to sing loud at church, but their lips are constantly slandering people. They may love to read and study the Bible with others, but they also gossip about others. They may love to pray in public, but they secretly put people down and despise them behind their backs. And that to James was a clear sign that they were deceived and that their worship was worthless because he knew that the words we speak are actually a reflection of what’s in our hearts. Listen to what Jesus said in Luke 6:45, “A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart. For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of.” Jesus reminds us that our words aren’t just words – they reveal something about us. If our words are ungodly, we are exposing ourselves to be ungodly at heart. We can do all the right things externally but if our words are not controlled by the Word, we’re exposing ourselves to be unchanged in our hearts. Then let me ask you, “Do your words reflect the grace that you have received in Christ? Do your words build or crush people around you? Do your words comfort or grieve people? Are you more concerned about sounding clever or being encouraging? Are you more concerned about being quick to criticize or quick to forgive?” I don’t know if you’ve noticed but every time I read the passage each Sunday, I always end by saying, “This is the Word of God for you today.” I do this because I want you to know that this is the very Word of God that you’re hearing but I also say this because this really is for you. God has brought you here to hear this truth. God is making eye contact with you and speaking to you. Then how is this text applicable in your life today? How is God convicting your heart to respond to this truth? Think of ways you can apply this today – with your spouse, children, parents, friends, Lighthouse members, co-workers, strangers, and even those who you may not be fond of. How can you speak in such a way that your words would always reflect the grace that you have received in Jesus Christ? Brothers and sisters, we must remember that we cannot say whatever we want, whenever we want, and remain unaffected. When we are ungodly with our words, we will cultivate deception in our hearts, and we will leave scars in the relationships around us. Proverbs 18:21 says, “The tongue has the power of life and death.” Then let us use it to bring life, not death.
Now, if you’re guilty of having an uncontrolled tongue, I invite you to humbly and quickly repent knowing that we worship the Savior who graciously wants to transform our hearts and our speech. He wants to forgive us and make us holy. So, let’s receive James’ warning and turn to the One who redeems us from the penalty of our sins. And let’s be a church that takes our words seriously. Let’s use our words to encourage one another, to rejoice together, to laugh together, to comfort one another. And when we do fail, which we certainly will, let’s be a church where people can feel safe to confess their sins to one another. But more importantly, let’s also be a church that generously and graciously offers forgiveness to one another knowing that this pleases our God.
3) THE COMPASSIONATE HEART
Verse 27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.” James tells us that those with authentic faith, those who have the Word planted in them turn outward. They learn to become sympathetic and empathetic toward those who are weak and helpless – and learn to take care of those who are suffering in our midst. Just as our Father is merciful and compassionate, so, we, as His children, are called to be merciful and compassionate. Just as our Savior considered not His own interest but the interest of others, so we too are called to consider the interest of others over our own – especially that of orphans and widows. Now, in James’ days, orphans and widows were absolutely vulnerable. They couldn’t provide for themselves. There was no government subsidy for them. There was no orphanage. In fact, they were often abandoned because they were considered a burden to the family. But listen to what Psalm 68:5 says, “A Father to the fatherless, a Defender of widows, is God in His holy dwelling.” Isn’t this amazing? We see God in His holy dwelling, surrounded by countless angels worshiping Him. But what is He doing there? He’s thinking of and looking after those who are in need. When everyone turned their back against them, He turned His whole body toward them – to embrace them, to care for them, to provide for them. Because of His love, the fatherless will now have a perfect heavenly Father and the widows will know His protection. Then how will He accomplish this? Through us. He’s calling us to be the channels of His care – to be the roadway where God’s mercy and compassion can travel to those in need. The gospel that rescues us also teaches us to turn outward and consider the interest of others. So, like our Father and our Savior, we must go to those in need and offer care. Our actions should reflect the heart of God.
Now, this would’ve been a surprising command to the original readers who were going through trials of many kinds – because let’s be honest, we tend to become more inward than outward in our trials. In fact, we feel like we’re justified to care for ourselves when we’re in pain. We feel like God will understand if we spend a little more time to ourselves at the cost of others around us simply because our lives feel overwhelmingly difficult. Now, don’t get me wrong – I understand that our sorrows can run deep in our suffering. You may have experienced losses that are never to be regained. You may have a past that can never be revisited without feeling intense regrets. If this is you, it’s okay to take some time and grieve – and please do so without feeling guilty. Our God is gracious – He understands. He will comfort you and heal you. But He also loves you so much that He won’t allow you to stay there forever – He won’t allow you to fall into the temptation of being consumed with yourself because He knows that it will destroy you. So, at the right time, He will gently call us to turn outward again – to help others that are marked by need.
Then, brothers and sisters, I invite you to take your eyes off yourself and look around you. Look at the people and pay close attention to their stories. Look for ways to care for them and provide for them. And let us humbly obey because this is the evidence of His grace working in our lives. In fact, I believe that this is the very reason why God has brought you here at Lighthouse. God is calling you to serve others here and be served by the people here. Then may we learn to love those who are around us even in our trials for this is how Christ loved us. May we follow in His steps.
CONCLUSION
Lighthouse family, authentic faith not only hears the Word but obeys it, authentic faith transforms every aspect of our lives including our tongues, and authentic faith propels us to move outward – compassionately loving and serving the people in need. This is the kind of faith we’re called to display when we experience the grace of God. Then knowing that no one did this quite like Jesus, let us fix our eyes on Him, the Author and Perfecter of our faith (Heb. 12:2) for He will empower us to live a life of authentic faith.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
1) Are you immersing yourself in the Word? If not, what is the biggest obstacle that prevents you from doing this?
2) What is something that you can do in response to this passage? How can you grow not just in your knowledge of the Word but in your obedience of the Word?
3) What would it mean for you to speak in such a way that your words would always reflect the grace that you have received in Jesus Christ?
Is there anyone in distress in your life? How can you be a blessing to them today?