Authentic Faith Works

James 5 covers a broad variety of topics but a common theme is some of the "spiritual" evidences that authentic faith works. While most of James has focused on the outworking of faith in practical acts of servant-love, James 5 addresses four such works that are harder to identify and easier to overlook when we start focusing on "works".

James 5: 1-6: The Work of Justice
James 5:7-12: The Work of Perserverance
James 5:13-18: The Work of Prayer
James 5: 19-20: The Work of Restoration

The Work of Justice (5:1-6)
Come now, you rich! Weep and cry aloud over the miseries that are coming on you. Your riches have rotted and your clothing has become moth-eaten. Your gold and silver have rusted and their rust will be a witness against you. It will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have hoarded treasure!

Look, the pay you have held back from the workers who mowed your fields cries out against you, and the cries of the reapers have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived indulgently and luxuriously on the earth. You have fattened your hearts in a day of slaughter. You have condemned and murdered the righteous person, although he does not resist you.

James illustrates the work of justice by demonstrating the judgment where it is absent. James' condemnation of the rich echoes Jesus' words to the rich man who ignored Lazarus (Luke 16:19ff) and to the rich who knew no suffering (Luke 6:24-26). But it even more strongly echoes the parable of the rich man focused on his wealth (Luke 12:15-21). James, like Jesus, wants his readers to focus on being "rich toward God".

In a way this section is part of the same idea of 4:13-17: Those people who plan a business venture and fail to do what they know is right should instead be aware of their coming judgment because of their mistreatment of workers. In this passage, the rich will experience misery when their riches are gone and their finery, referenced in chapter 2 as a distinguishing mark, is decayed. All they value will be worth nothing except as a witness - their own rusted money with testify against them! Reminding them that they are living in the last days (which began at Pentecost), James levies four specific charges:

• Accumulating wealth to store it up (v. 3)
• Unjust wages (v. 4)
• Lavish, selfish lifestyle (v. 5)
• Condemnation of righteous (v. 6)

It's easy to see why justice is such an important work of faith. Scripture presents God as caring about the laborers in the field; those entrusted with wealth must constantly guard against the tendency to store it up and not do good with it today. Practicing social justice is a good way to protect from selfish uses of money.

The Work of Patience
James 5:7-12 So be patient, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s return. Think of how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the ground and is patient for it until it receives the early and late rains. You also be patient and strengthen your hearts, for the Lord’s return is near. Do not grumble against one another, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be judged. See, the judge stands before the gates! As an example of suffering and patience, brothers and sisters, take the prophets who spoke in the Lord’s name. Think of how we regard as blessed those who have endured. You have heard of Job’s endurance and you have seen the Lord’s purpose, that the Lord is full of compassion and mercy. And above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath. But let your “Yes” be yes and your “No” be no, so that you may not fall into judgment.

"So" - or "therefore" - as a result of God hearing the laborers' cries, they should be patient. God's coming is at hand; this should prompt strengthening of heart to be patient. In the context of patience they are told not to complain against each other; judgment is sure for them just as it is for the rich.

James pulls two examples of patience from the familiar Old Testament scriptures: The prophets, and Job. The "bottom line" lessons of patience is that God is compassionate and merciful. Individuals in difficult times who are practicing the work of patience can rest in His character, and not swear oaths (a special temptation when facing a trial, but an admonition for all of us).

The Work of Prayer
James 5:13-18 Is anyone among you suffering? He should pray. Is anyone in good spirits? He should sing praises. Is anyone among you ill? He should summon the elders of the church, and they should pray for him and anoint him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick and the Lord will raise him up – and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. So confess your sins to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great effectiveness. Elijah was a human being like us, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain and there was no rain on the land for three years and six months! Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land sprouted with a harvest.

James now turns to the work of prayer. Prayer is a work of faith; prayer and works are not mutually exclusive but are in partnership and cannot be separated. One doesn't eliminate or get us "off the hook" for the other. Psalm 50:15 emphasizes that as a result of God answering our cry, we should give increased honor to Him.

James highlights prayer for the suffering and the sick, in the context of the covenant community with spiritual leadership. This prayer results in restoration, raising up, and forgiveness. Because of this, we should confess our sins and pray for each other so healing can come. We see the effectiveness of a righteous man's prayer in the example of Elijah - someone "with a nature like ours". To be clear: Our righteousness comes from Christ. The point is not about the one praying, but about the God who responds! And incredibly, Bob Deffinbaugh points out, even one person's prayers matter:

"God delights in the prayers of His people, but prayer is not a work of man that moves God to action due to the volume or intensity of our efforts. We do not need a 'moral majority' to move God. We do not need to amass sufficient 'prayer power' to see God's hand. One elderly widow, privately praying in her closet, may effectively bring about great intervention from God. Let us have concerts of prayer, but let us not think that God is moved by mere numbers."

The Work of Restoration
5:19-20 My brothers and sisters, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, he should know that the one who turns a sinner back from his wandering path will save that person’s soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

These final verses seem to end abruptly, but really draw the whole section together under the theme of restoration. Prayer and restoration are closely linked, with prayer as a means of restoration. This is a great work indeed to end this book, with its theme of "authentic faith works." Furthermore, paralleling Prov. 10:12 and 1 Peter 4:8, we see that restoration is a reflection of love, which covers a multitude of sins!

Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers all transgressions. (Prov. 10:12)

Above all keep your love for one another fervent, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

This ends the study of James which has dominated my lessons for Module 3A. My final outline of James is below. One more lesson will follow, which will highlight Module 3A lessons and explain why I chose to focus so much on James in these lessons. Thanks for reading!

James: Authentic Faith Works

I. Trials
A. The Product of Testing (1:1-4)
B. The Need in Testing: Wisdom (1:5-11)
C. The Blessing of Testing: Crown (1:12-18)
D. The Attitude during Testing: Obedience (1:19-27)

II. Faith Working through Love
A. The Sin of Partiality (2:1-13)
B. The Necessity of Works (2:14-26)

III. The Fruit of Righteousness
A. The Teacher and the Tongue (3:1-12)
B. God's Wisdom vs. Worldly Wisdom (3:13-18)

IV. The Fruit of Humility
A. A Greater Grace (4:1-10)
B. A New Attitude (4:11-17)

V. Authentic Faith Works
A. The Work of Justice (5:1-6)
B. The Work of Perserverance (5:7-12)
C. The Work of Prayer (5:13-18)
D. The Work of Restoration (5:19-20)