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Faith and Works

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Pacific Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Oakland, California · Aug 23, 1877

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 3, No. 33.

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Faith and Works.

By James White

SERMON PREACHED BY ELDER JAMES WHITE, AT BATTLE CREEK, MICH., SABBATH, AUG. 11.
TEXT: Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works. James 2:18.
The drift of the apostle’s reasoning is evidently to show the absurdity of salvation by faith without works. In this connection he conveys the idea that a man shows by his works all the faith he has; or that works are the measure of the Christian’s faith. I have so much Scripture to present on this subject that my comments must be very brief. In fact, I would rather let the apostles James, Paul and John speak upon this subject of faith and works than to speak myself. I will read from the second chapter of James, commencing with verse 10: “For whosoever shall keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all.” What law? Let the next verse answer:—
“For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill.” By law he means the moral code, as he quotes two of its precepts.
“Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.” The moral code, in contrast with the law of types which presented redemption only in figure, is called the law of liberty.
“For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath showed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment. What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?” If James’ brethren were here, we should hear a chorus of voices answer, No, no indeed, faith alone cannot save him. The apostle illustrates:—
“If a brother or a sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled, notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit?” Answer, nothing. “Even so faith, if it hath no works, is dead, being alone.” Will the formalist have works alone? God pity him. Will the fanatic have faith alone? God pity him also.
“Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works. Show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.” Both the formalist, who trusts in his good works, and the fanatic, who trusts in his faith without works, are here rebuked.
“Thou believest that there is one God, thou doest well. The devils also believe, and tremble.” This reference to the believing devils, who do not hold to good works, is a most biting rebuke of the heresy that men may be saved by faith alone. “But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?” Next comes an illustration. An eminent patriarch is introduced to illustrate this great subject of faith and works.
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?” Abraham believed fully, and obeyed. His act in offering Isaac is the measure of his faith. It is said that he was justified by works, faith being understood as the measure of his act in offering his only son. The full statement according to the doctrine set forth by the apostle would be, that he was justified before God because he believed God, and because he obeyed God, and that is the way we may stand justified before God.
“But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass; for he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his”—faith? Did I read that right? “He being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.” I now call your attention to that blessed white-robed throng.
“And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these that are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Rev. 7:13, 14. There is work in washing. What would you think of the washer-woman who should get around her basket of soiled clothing, and then sit down and talk of washing them by faith? It is no less absurd to denounce works and hold that the Christian can believe himself into heaven without obedience. Conversion is to cease to do evil, and learn to do well. Not in our own strength, however, but in the strength of Christ. The washing is done in the blood of the Lamb. The Christian works in Christ. What the formalist does out of Christ is not accepted of God.
Another extreme is seen in those who set aside good works, and hang their hopes of eternal life on a sham faith in Jesus Christ, while their lives are not in harmony with the commandments of God. Which of the extremes is the more dangerous and fatal? God will judge.
How did the unnumbered throng pass through great tribulation up to the shining shore? How did their robes become white? How did they obtain a moral fitness to stand in the presence of the great God and his Son, and of the holy angels? Here is the process, and be assured there is work in it: “These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.” Oh! may the Spirit of God flash the truth home to every mind and heart that hears the living word of God read here this day.
We are living in an age of extremes, and on no subjects are men prone to go to extremes as upon religious subjects. There is one class who see no beauty in Christ. They do not discern the efficacy of his blood. They have counted the blood of the covenant an “unholy [common] thing.” They regard Christ’s atoning blood as of no more value than that of any good man. Here is one extreme, laboring to build up a moral fitness for heaven, leaving Christ out of the question.
Not long since, I heard the statement that the Scriptures say that our righteousness is filthy rags. That expression occurs but once in all the Bible, and that is in Isa. 64:6: “But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.” Is this the language of the living church of Christ, standing in the freedom of the gospel? No, indeed. Read verse 7: “And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee; for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities.” To apply these words to the church of Jesus Christ is the highest insult to our adorable Redeemer and his dear people.
Some people talk as though they had nothing to do but to sit down and wait, and believe that by-and-by a white robe, manufactured, may be, up in heaven, is to be brought forth and put upon men and women to cover the stains of sin that are upon them, as the light falling snow covers the dung-hill. God save us. The white-robed throng came out of great tribulation, and washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. They had worked in Christ, and in him had cleansed their robes of character.
Christ identifies himself with his working people in Matt. 25:34–46: “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in; naked, and ye clothed me; I was sick, and ye visited me; I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
“Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? or athirst, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee? or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” There is doing all through this blessed scripture. If you do these things to the smallest, and poorest, and feeblest disciple of the Lord, you do them to Christ.
“Then shall he say unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.
“Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, When saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee? Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment [because they did not do anything]; but the righteous into life eternal.” And this was because they did something. They believed in Christ, and this was why they worked. Wherever doing is mentioned, there believing is understood. Our works are the measure of our faith.
God will judge men according to their works. “For we must all appear before the judgment-seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.” 2 Cor. 5:10. This text needs no comment. Read also Rev. 20:12: “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened, and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books according to their works. Now, if we are to be saved by faith alone, why are not the angels writing the sum of our faith in the books in heaven as we pass along toward the final judgment? But the dead are to be judged according to their works, which are the measure of their faith.
The reward in heaven is to be according to works. Rev. 22:12: “And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.”
Paul says, in 2 Tim. 4:6–8: “For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith [he is not speaking of his faith alone, but of what he had done], henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day.”
Rom. 2:6: “Who will render to every man according to his [faith alone? No!] deeds. To them who by patient continuance in well doing, seek for glory, and honor, and immortality, eternal life. [This is the reward.] But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile. But glory, honor, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile.”
In the very last book of the Bible there is a most remarkable statement. It is a benediction of the Son of God upon the doers. “Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.” Christ is the speaker. He speaks of his Father’s commandments. Hear ye him, my beloved congregation. Hear ye him, ye doubting souls. Hear ye him, ye who think to enter the pearly gates by faith without keeping the commandments of God. Hear ye the Son of God.
J. W.