They looked at me and these Bahamians said, Ed, when someone is acting crazy, we dont say you are dumb or stupid. We say, hey man, you are doin fool, man. Youre doin fool. I said, Come back one more time. They said, When someone is doing something crazy we say that man is doin fool. James says this throughout this text. James says you are doin fool, man. Because to a lot of us who say we have this strong faith, to a lot of us who say we are bound in belief and we are mature and authentic Christians, James says we are doin fool.
Lets see what he says in James 2:14. Remember the connectivity between faith and works. How much is trust and deeds tethered to one another? Lets get into it.
James says, a lot of you are talking some serious spiritual smack. He says, What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds. Can such a faith save him?
Wow! Now a lot of Christians, a lot of believers, right now are saying, Wait a minute, Ed, this appears to be a contradiction. It appears that James is singing one song and St. Paul, the Apostle Paul, is singing another. Because Paul says, I believe, Ed, if my Bible is right, that we are saved by faith alone. Now our boy, James, comes along and he says its fine to have faith, but you had better show me your deeds, show me your works. What is up? Is God talking out of both sides of his mouth? Is God a cosmic contrarian? I dont get it. I dont understand it. Is there an error in the Bible? This is really wild. This is really crazy. What is the deal? Is it faith alone or works alone? Can you work you way in? Can you be good enough to get to heaven? Im not sure.
According to
Ed Young Pastor that lets track down that thought for a second. In Ephesians 2:8-9 the Apostle Paul said, for it is by grace that you have been saved. The word grace means something we dont deserve. Grace, you have heard it before, is Gods Riches At Christs Expense. It is a gift, Paul says. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith. This word faith means a living, productive trust in Christ. Its not from yourselves, it is from God.
