Part 1 James 3:1 KJV  [1] “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.”     The word “master” means “teacher.” This word is found fifty-eight times in the New Testament. Jesus was called by this title thirty-one times and used the title Himself eight times. James has a lot to say about the tongue in chapter three. He begins by talking to teachers because they do a great deal of speaking. Teaching is a great responsibility, so we should not be quick to multiply teachers without careful consideration to prayer.       Teaching is one …

James 2:26  [26] “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”     In this verse, James talks about a dead body and a dead belief. They both lack spirit and therefore cannot respond because they are dead. The body lacks the spirit of man, and his faith lacks the Spirit of God. All we have of the man in this verse is dead clay.      When someone dies, we make provisions for the best possible burial. We buy a nice casket, clothe them in fine apparel, prepare the body, and make them …

James 2:25 [25] “Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?”      The testimony of Rahab is that she was a harlot. She was called a harlot in the Old Testament and the New Testament. You can read her story in the second and sixth chapters of Joshua. The Hebrew word translated “harlot” in Joshua can also mean “innkeeper”, but the Greek word in our text means an immoral woman. She ran a guest house of sin. If this were all there was to tell …

James 2:24 KJV [24] “Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.”      D.L. Moody said, “Every Bible should be bound in shoe leather”. This statement had nothing to do with Moody’s past as a shoe salesman, but it was about his devotion to the Lord. Like Abraham of old, he was not saved by faith plus works but by faith that worked! Faith will produce obedience in the life of a believer. The works they do will reveal their faith.      I once knew a man who was a drunkard. He beat …

James 2:23 KJV [23] “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”     The Lord has a lot of children, but He has only a few friends, and Abraham was one of those friends. Exodus 33:11 tells us that Moses was one of His friends. Our verse today takes us back to the covenant that God made with Abraham. He promised that from his seed would come a great nation. Abraham believed God’s promise, and it was counted to him for righteousness.      …

James 2:22 KJV [22] “Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?”     We know that salvation does not come by works. Christ completed our salvation and finished the work at Calvary. However, faith and works are partners together. James teaches this in our verse today. He has been using the life of Abraham to illustrate the great truth of a dynamic faith.       You see, a dead faith produces nothing. It may touch a man’s intellect but never moves his heart. Then there is a demonic faith that touches the emotions. We have …

James 2:21 KJV  [21] “Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?”      When Abraham offered up his son Isaac on the altar, it revealed his faith in God. The offering of Isaac also revealed Abraham’s worship, willingness, and witness. Saying goodbye to his father was one thing but saying goodbye to his son was another. We see several surrenders in the life of Abraham, all of them leading up to this great quest. The offering of Isaac was the ultimate and complete surrender of this great patriarch.      The …

James 2:20  [20] “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?”      The word “vain” can be translated as “empty”. James has already told us that faith without works is dead. His statement here is more of an interrogation than an exclamation, and he wants the vain man to get it! He wants him to know that there is a void in every man’s life that only Christ can fill. Think about this empty or vain man with me for just a moment.      The vain man’s words are empty. He is always talking and …

James 2:19 KJV [19] “Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.”      James continues to warn us against dead faith. He wants our faith in Christ to go beyond the intellect. He wants us to have more than a head knowledge; he wants us to have a heart knowledge. Whenever faith is only in the head, it produces lip service but never a change of lifestyle. The individual has no works to follow his proclaimed faith because it is dead, just like he is.       There is another kind of faith James …

James 2:18 KJV [18] “Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.”      A lost soul is empty inside with a dark void that this world cannot fill. Once an individual places his faith in the Lord Jesus, that emptiness is no longer there. It is forever gone from their life because faith produces a work on the inside. Immediately, the Holy Spirit moves in and begins to dwell in the new convert’s heart. Faith is nurtured by the …