At this point in the letter, in light of all that has been said before, Paul is now telling Timothy, his son in the faith, to grow stronger in his faith, to be strengthened in his faith. He says in vs 1, “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.” What Paul is calling for is simply for Timothy to grow stronger in his salvation. The grace that is in Christ Jesus is just another way of referring to salvation, which he said in ch.1 vs 5 he is sure that Timothy had, just as his mother and grandmother had, and which of course Paul himself has.

So by extension, we that are saved are encouraged to grow stronger in our salvation. I think that is a reference to the need for spiritual maturity. To be strong in the faith does not speak of somehow gaining the faith to do greater and greater works, but it means to exercise your faith so that your faith grows stronger, more mature. When we are saved we are said to be born again. But that new life we have is not a static position that we stay in for the rest of our lives. We are not born again to remain infants, or even children in the faith, but our new life should grow, become stronger, and become mature, complete.

As James said in James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have [its] perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” So also Timothy in enduring trials, even persecution, suffering with Paul as he said in chapter one, vs8 saying, “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with [me] in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God…” In that suffering, Timothy’s faith would be matured, he would be strengthened with the power of God.

I’m sure all of us know that in physical exercise we gain strength in our bodies. We go to the gym and put our bodies through a trial, through suffering, in order to gain strength. Strength is not gained by sitting on the couch watching television, eating junk food. If we are to be strengthened, we have to cause our bodies to suffer exertion, fatigue, and soreness in order for our muscles to grow.

There is a fitness guy whose videos I sometimes watch on YouTube. Sometimes I confess I watch videos about working out, rather than actually working out myself. And I get tired just watching this guy’s videos. But this guy’s name is David Goggins. You may have heard of him. He is an ex Navy Seal who used to weigh over 300 pounds, and was in a dead end job, but somehow became motivated to try to become a Navy Seal. In that process he put himself through rigorous training and physical discipline and ended up losing around 100 pounds in three months and eventually made it through Seal training, though it took him three tries to get through what they call BUDS, which is the training school they are required to pass. Since his retirement from the Navy, he has written some books about his perspective on life and his dedication to training. His mantra is “stay hard” or “stay strong.” And it speaks of his dedication to put his body to the test physically every day, and push himself beyond the limits of what he feels like doing, what he thinks he can do, and the result is that he is able to do much more than anyone would think was possible. He has competed in many ultra marathons that were each around a 100 mile or more races.

Now David Goggins is an illustration of physical strength, and the ongoing need for endurance and to keep building on that strength everyday. But Paul is talking about spiritual strength and endurance, and the maturity that we need to be striving for everyday. But the similarity between the physical and the spiritual is this, that maturity or strength or endurance does not happen outside of a struggle, outside of exercise, outside of trials. But persevering in faith through trials produces maturity, or the perfection our faith.

So Paul urges Timothy to “stay strong.” Apply endurance, don’t shrink back from trials, don’t quit, don’t try to sit it out. Christianity is not a life spent on the couch, but it is a life spent in conflict. And in light of that need to be strong, Paul is going to give Timothy four exercises if you will to help him reach that goal of spiritual maturity, of perfection. So we as well can apply these four exercises in order to be strengthened in our faith.

The first exercise is to teach others. If you’ve ever taken an exercise class, it’s very likely that the fittest person in the room is the one who is teaching the class. Paul says in vs 2, “The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also.” One sure way to grow in your faith is to teach others. I suppose it’s true of other disciplines as well. Because when you teach you must first learn the principles for yourself, and then process them in a way that breaks it down so that others can understand it, and then rehearse those principles for them.

There is nothing that hardens and strengthens your doctrine like teaching. Teaching then is an exercise that has a dual benefit, in that it works to strengthen your faith, and it works to strengthen other’s faith as well. And so in a greater sense of the church at large, teaching is the means by which we strengthen THE faith. We build the kingdom of God through teaching.

Notice what Timothy was to teach though. He was to teach the things which you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses. He is referring to the preaching of word of God that he had heard from Paul. The gospel. What in verse 13 of the previous chapter he called “sound words which you have heard from me.” In vs 8 of that chapter he called it the “gospel according to the power of God.”

Listen, teaching that has any life giving or strength giving properties is going to be teaching that is the gospel, sound doctrine, the word of God, which has the power to save souls. It is not teaching that is based on worldly philosophies, or on the wisdom of this world. But it is teaching spiritual words from God, which are powerful, living, and sharper than a two edged sword, able to divide between soul and spirit, joint and marrow. You don’t grow spiritual strength or maturity by teaching worldly fables, or sentimental stories, or psychological self help sermonettes. You strengthen the soul with the word of God.

I ran across a quote the other day by DL Moody which speaks of the relationship between faith and the word of God that I think applies to this. He said, “I prayed for faith, and thought that same day faith would come down and strike me like lightning. But faith did not seem to come. One day I read in the tenth chapter of Romans “So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” I had closed my Bible and prayed for faith. I now opened my Bible, and began to study, and faith has been growing ever since.”

So teaching the word of God is the first exercise to strengthen our faith. The second exercise Paul gives is enduring hardship, which he illustrates by the life of a soldier. He says in vs3 “Suffer hardship with [me,] as a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Notice, he doesn’t say enjoy peace and prosperity with me. He doesn’t say enjoy blessing and perfect health with me. No, iron must be forged in a furnace, and silver must be refined in a fire. Endurance in trials, in testing, is the means of building strength.

Peter spoke of fiery trials that we must go through in 1Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you; but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing, so that also at the revelation of His glory you may rejoice with exultation.”

Paul says embrace suffering along with me. Paul certainly suffered in so many ways for the faith. Paul said in chapter one, for Timothy not to be ashamed of his suffering. And Paul himself was not ashamed of his suffering, because he knew it was not in vain, but for the glory of the gospel.

Soldiers suffer all sorts of hardships for the glory of their country. They suffer tremendously just in training, such as David Goggins went through in BUDS training. Unbelievable physical suffering that they have to endure for the privilege of being able to call themselves a soldier. And then once they have deployed, they must go through the suffering of being separated from their loved ones, being in constant danger, being under attack from the enemy, unable to enjoy the pleasures of life that their friends seem to be enjoying back home.

Paul speaking of his service and his suffering compared it to his detractors in 2Cor. 11:23-28 saying, “Are they servants of Christ?–I speak as if insane–I more so; in far more labors, in far more imprisonments, beaten times without number, often in danger of death. Five times I received from the Jews thirty-nine [lashes.] Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, a night and a day I have spent in the deep. [I have been] on frequent journeys, in dangers from rivers, dangers from robbers, dangers from [my] countrymen, dangers from the Gentiles, dangers in the city, dangers in the wilderness, dangers on the sea, dangers among false brethren; [I have been] in labor and hardship, through many sleepless nights, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. Apart from [such] external things, there is the daily pressure on me [of] concern for all the churches.”

Now most of us will never have to endure the hardships that Paul suffered. But the question is not how much suffering we endure, but whether or not we enlist to serve as a soldier in the kingdom of God. The average Christian today is like the draft dodgers of the 60’s. “Yeah, I’m an American, but I’m not going to fight for my country. I’m going to let someone else suffer as a soldier. I”m not going to Vietnam, I’m going to drop out and sing songs about peace and love instead. Yeah, that’ll work.”

The reason that we don’t want to be soldiers is because we don’t recognize we are at war. We don’t recognize that the enemy is destroying our families and friends. But Paul repeatedly tells us in the scriptures that we are at war. Consider 2Cor. 10:3-4 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.”

And Eph 6:11-12 “Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.]”

So if we understand that we are at war, then it makes sense that we are soldiers, and we should expect some trials due to that conflict. And to that point then, we should have the perspective that Paul gives in vs 4, “No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier.” Entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life. What does that mean? I think it might be explained in another analogy of a runner that is used in Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares [us], and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” The affairs of this life that entangle us might be sin, but they might also be hindrances or weights, that cause us to slow down, to get tired, to become distracted from the race that we have been given to run.

So we suffer as a soldier so that we might please the One who enlisted us as a soldier. If you love the Lord you will try to please the Lord, you will serve the Lord. I think of the soldiers under David, when he was in a long protracted battle, and he said in 2Samuel 23:15-17 “Oh that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem which is by the gate!” So the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water from the well of Bethlehem which was by the gate, and took [it] and brought [it] to David. Nevertheless he would not drink it, but poured it out to the LORD; and he said, “Be it far from me, O LORD, that I should do this. [Shall I drink] the blood of the men who went in [jeopardy] of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did.” How could our love for the Lord demand any less sacrifice, how could we suffer less for our King who has given us life and immortality and an inheritance in His kingdom?

The next exercise for strengthening our faith is illustrated by another metaphor, and this one is of an athlete. He says in vs 5, “Also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.” The idea that is presented here is first of all striving to win, that is expressed in the concept of competes. You play a sport to win, don’t you? That’s the goal. And to win, you must strive. In that sense it’s similar to the battle of the soldier. He is fighting an enemy for the prize which is victory. In the realm of athletics, we strive for victory over our opponent as well.

Our opponent has already been disclosed in previous verses we looked at. “Our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual [forces] of wickedness in the heavenly [places.]” This is our opponent, a competition for the souls of men. To win men and women to the kingdom of God is the goal of this endeavor.

Paul says if you are to win the prize, you must compete according to the rules. What is he talking about here? Is he presenting a template of legalism that we must keep if we are to enter the kingdom of God? No, not at all. What he is saying is that our faith must be according to the gospel of God. The word of God is the law of God, the rules which God has ordained must be kept. For example, Timothy must preach and teach the truth of God, the sound words which he received from Paul, and preach out of a sacrificial love for others, or he will not win the prize, which is the salvation of souls for the kingdom of God. Only the gospel has the power to save souls. There is no salvation in a social gospel, or another gospel which is not founded on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ who died for sinners. So you must fight, or must compete, you must strive by being faithful to the word of God.

The last exercise for the strengthening of faith is found in another metaphor, this time of a farmer. He says in vs 6, “The hard-working farmer ought to be the first to receive his share of the crops.” I have heard this verse used in a variety of ways, almost always without considering the context in which we find it. I am guilty of that as well. But in thinking and considering the full context of this passage, I have changed my understanding of this verse.

But rather than telling you all the ways it is misinterpreted, I want to just focus on what Paul is saying. I think the point he is making here is that if you are to be strengthened in the faith, or matured in your faith, it will be due to hard work. Now that is going to go against the grain of the “by faith alone, by grace alone” crowd. I agree wholeheartedly with Ephesians 2:8 which says, We are saved by grace through faith and that not of ourselves, it is a gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast.”

But most people take that verse out of context as well. Because the very next verse says this; “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” So we are not saved by good works, but we are saved FOR good works. Did you get that? We are not saved by our good works, but we are saved for good works. That means we that are saved have a job to do, a service to perform, a duty that calls.

And as Paul indicates in this metaphor here, that work we are given to do we should work hard at. It requires some effort. Isn’t that what he has been saying all along? Suffer, endurance, trials, discipline, etc all speak of some effort that must be expended on our part in our path of sanctification. Sanctification is not done in an easy chair watching the TBN station, or driving your Mercedes while listening to K Love on the radio.

Paul relates it to a hard working farmer. Now that should prompt us to ask what is the other famous analogy of farming that is found in scripture? Is it not the parable of the sower that Jesus gave? And what was the farmer in that parable sowing? Jesus said the seed was the word of God. Boy, we just can’t get away from the essentiality of the word of God, can we? The sower went out to sow and he sowed the word of God on all the ground in his farm. And some fell on good ground and some fell on bad ground. But the seed which fell on good ground took root and grew up and bore fruit.

Now then, in light of that parable, we can see that Paul is saying that if we work hard at sowing the word of God, then we should be able to see the fruit of that sowing. One thing is for sure, the lazy farmer doesn’t see much of a crop. It takes diligence and hard work to teach and preach the gospel to every living creature. To go into all the world and proclaim the gospel is not something we can do from our living room easy chair.

But just as teaching is a means of growth in the Christian, so is working in the vineyard a means of growing as a Christian. Psalm 126:5-6 says, “Those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful shouting. He who goes to and fro weeping, carrying [his] bag of seed, Shall indeed come again with a shout of joy, bringing his sheaves [with him.]”. Prayer is work. Witnessing is work. And Paul indicates that we may increase our productivity by working hard at it. Increase our production, increase our labor, and the dual benefit is we grow in our faith, and we minister to also grow in faith.

The last statement in vs 7 says, “Consider what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in everything.” Paul gave the previous metaphors without really breaking it down for us as to how to apply it to our faith. But he says that if you consider it the Lord will give you understanding. That means if you meditate on the word, the Holy Spirit will illumine your mind so that you can understand the word. I spoke of this the other night at Bible study. We so often give a cursory reading to a Psalm or a passage of scripture and not really get what it’s talking about. But I said one helpful hint in studying a passage is to read it again and again. The more your read it and meditate on it, the more insight the Holy Spirit will give you. That’s the Holy Spirit’s job by the way. His job isn’t to give you goosebumps, or make the hair on your arms stand up, his job is to give you understanding.

Jesus said concerning the Spirit’s function; John 16:13-14 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose [it] to you.”

I hope if you are a Christian that you will recognize today that is not a static position, but it’s a life that is patterned after the footsteps of Jesus Christ. We don’t just believe in Him, but we follow Him, doing as He did, serving Him, working for the kingdom of God as His ministers. I trust that you will not take lightly these admonitions to you today, and exercise the grace that has been given to you, teaching others the truth of the gospel, working diligently for the kingdom, striving in your proclamation of the gospel so that you may please the One who enlisted you, so you may win the prize, and share in the crop of the harvest of souls.

Many years ago, before I was called into ministry, I used to be an antique dealer. I used to try to explain my work as an antique dealer to people as being very much like a treasure hunter. There was a great allure in looking for treasures, whether in a flea market, or auction house, or someone’s attic. Occasionally, I would find something I used to refer to as a “national treasure.” That may have been an exaggeration, but not always. And when it really paid off financially, I said that I had hit a home run.

I guess everyone can relate to a certain degree with the idea of treasure. Some form of riches or wealth makes us feel tremendous. That’s the appeal of a new car. Even though 99% of the people passing you on the road don’t know who you are, and will probably never see you again, it makes you feel really good to think that they admire your new car, and by extension, they admire you. I suppose that’s the appeal of new clothes, or expensive clothes. Wearing that shirt or outfit that has that expensive label makes you feel more confident, more appealing, more attractive.

Paul is wrapping up the end of his letter to Timothy, in which he has been giving a lot of instructions on how the church is to conduct itself. And included in that are a lot of instructions about the way to use money, or the danger of money’s allure. It’s not that money in and of itself is evil. But what is a potential problem for the believer is that money or wealth or earthly treasure becomes an idol in our lives. Paul said earlier in this chapter that the love of money is a root of evil. It’s being seduced by the allure of what the world treasures, the materialism, the bank balance, the investments you have made, and even the addiction to chasing the latest fashion or the latest technology or automobile or boat.

When Paul talks about being rich in this present world, he is including all those things which the natural man values. All the comforts, the financial independence, the desire for the world’s goods which we think will make our lives more enjoyable, more successful, more rewarding. And so he warns against focusing our attention on gaining more and more of the world’s riches. He warns against the very seductive way that the world appeals to us and draws us after the materialism of the world, and away from pure devotion to the Lord.

So just to make it clear from the outset, when Paul warns against being captivated by the riches of this present world, he is talking about the things that the world values and calls success. It’s not a warning that is given just to millionaires. But it’s something that we all suffer from. And that is an attraction and desire for the things of this world, that we believe will bring us happiness and enjoyment in life.

He closes this last section of his letter then by speaking of two things that we should treasure, that we have been given to be good stewards of. And these treasures are not simply worldly treasures, but heavenly treasures. In other words, these treasures will go with you into eternity where you will live forever. They will provide for you in eternity. Earthly treasures will remain behind when you die. As Paul said back in vs 7 “For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either.” The treasures we accumulate here on earth we will leave on earth, when we pass out of this life into the next. But what Paul wants to assure us of is that if we are good stewards on earth of what we have been entrusted with, it will store up for us treasure in heaven.

So notice vs 17, as he speaks of the first kind of treasure. 1Tim. 6:17-19 “Instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy.”

So first we recognize that he is speaking to everyone of us. All of us are rich in this present world. We all have an attraction to the riches of this world, and to some extent, we have a desire to accumulate more of those riches. We may not call them riches, we may call them living expenses. But we spend the majority of our time and resources acquiring things that we think will make our lives comfortable, enjoyable and successful.

The second thing we should recognize is that Paul is warning against allowing that self interest, desire for self gratification, to unduly influence your life. Our goal in life as Christians should not be that whoever dies with the most toys wins, or whoever has the biggest bank account wins. My translation interprets Paul’s denunciation as being conceited. It’s taking pride in what you have, or how much you have. That’s pride, and pride is sinful. Pride was the original sin. It was the sin of Lucifer before he fell from heaven. Money may be A root of evil, but I would suggest that pride is THE root of all evil.

And when you have an abundance of the world’s riches, you feel pride, you are conceited, and as such you cannot love others as much as you love yourself. Jesus said you should love your neighbor as yourself. But being conceited means you just love yourself. Riches, in whatever shape or form they may take, causes a person to feel they are somehow better than others. I think some Christians think they are more deserving than other people because they have a better work ethic, or they think they are smarter, or they are more of an upstanding citizen than others. But the fact is that none of us deserve God’s grace.

And furthermore, we need to make sure that we don’t confuse God’s grace, or God’s blessing, with acquiring the world’s riches. Christians have a bad habit of referring to a raise, or a new car, or a new house, or some financial windfall, as “God blessed me.” If you are truly saved, then God has indeed blessed you. But the eternal, spiritual blessings He has given you are not to be confused with the mammon of this world. He may have entrusted riches to you. But if so, that is for you to use for the glory of God, not for your own glory.

So the third warning in this section is don’t put your hope in the riches of this world. Paul calls it the uncertainty of riches. What that refers to is the unreliability of riches. I’m not very well versed in the financial markets, but I do try to read the business news occasionally. And I know that if you invested your money in certain crypto currencies, there was a time not that long ago when you might have seen that investment dramatically increase. But if you continued to hold onto it, today you are looking at a fraction of what it was worth a few months ago. And a lot of earthly riches are like that. They are unreliable. Our money is not worth today what it was a decade ago. The housing market goes up, and then it goes down. The same with the stock market. And one things for sure; no amount of money can buy good health. But the most unreliable thing about riches is that it’s only temporary. You certainly can’t rely upon your riches in eternity. The world’s currency will not spend in heaven or in hell.

Instead, Paul says to fix our hope on God. Now God we can depend upon. We can depend upon His promises. We can depend upon His word. We can depend upon His faithfulness. 2Tim. 2:13 “If we are faithless, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.” We can confidently put our hope in Jesus Christ, because He lives forever, and He never changes. Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Paul says we can hope in God because He richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Not only is God rich, but He provides according to His riches in glory. Phl. 4:19 says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Now to be fair, the context of that verse is in relation to the Philippian’s sacrificial giving. God would provide the means by which they would be able to give sacrificially. So this is not a verse to be taken out of context and used as a pretext to say that God wants you to have a new Cadillac.

What are the riches of God’s glory then? What does that refer to? A description of what are the riches of His glory might be found in Eph 3:16-19 which says “that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; [and] that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.”

So then the riches of HIs glory is the fullness of the Spirit of Christ in you. That Christ may dwell in your hearts, and that you may know the fullness of the love of Christ. That knowledge, that inner power, surpasses knowledge, surpasses worldly riches. It is the riches of heaven which satisfies, which brings everlasting joy. To know the love of God is to be far richer than any billionaire. It is a treasure that is not only good for this life, but will still be of inestimable value in the next life. In fact, it is the only way to appropriate eternal life.

And those riches that we have in Christ should overflow to others. That’s the point of the second set of instructions Paul gives. He says in vs 18, “Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.”

So when Paul says God richly supplies us with all things to enjoy, and then he tells us in the next verse to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, do you suppose that what God richly supplies are the means by which we share and do good works, to be generous, and that we are to enjoy doing these things? I think so.

Consider what he wrote to the Corinthian church in [2Co 9:7-8, 10-11 “Each one [must do] just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed; … 10 Now He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.”

So our good deeds, our generosity, should come out of a grateful heart to God, and it should be out of a heart of joy and not grudgingly. Now we do this because our heart has been changed first of all. Because we are being conformed to the image of Christ, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross so that we might receive salvation. But the added benefit of such generosity is that we store up for ourselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future. What is he talking about? He’s talking about our good works, our generosity, our sharing is in effect our 401k plan for eternity.

I don’t personally have a 401k plan in our church, but I have a little understanding I guess of how it works. Typically, if you work for an employer like the US Government, you put some money from your paycheck every couple of weeks into your 401k and your employer matches that money. On top of that, it’s tax free if you wait until you retire to take it out and in the meantime, it’s accumulating compound interest. A lot of you have made a lot of money in your 401k. And that can be a good thing as a means of saving for your retirement, I suppose.

But I tell you what, having a heavenly 401k is a whole lot better. You do good works here on earth, and when you retire so to speak from this world, and go to the next, you find that God has multiplied and multiplied the interest on your account beyond what you can possibly imagine. Our good works do not earn us a place in heaven, but our good works gain us an inheritance and a reward in heaven.

Jesus said in Mark 9:41 “For whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because of your name as [followers] of Christ, truly I say to you, he will not lose his reward.” We are constantly told in the scriptures that as Christians we are to receive an inheritance in heaven. That there awaits us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison to the things of this world. So then if we truly believe that, we should joyfully look for opportunities to do good, to do good deeds, to be generous, to share, that we may lay up treasure in heaven.

So that being true, Paul says in regards to doing good that it results in “storing up for themselves the treasure of a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is life indeed.” He is not saying that by doing good works you can earn eternal life, as if you can work your way into heaven. But what he is saying is that you should invest in heaven. Eternal life is life indeed. We should be investing in that life, and concerned with storing up treasure in that life, not in this life which is temporary.

Jesus said, in Mat 6:19-21 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Now closely related to the first treasure is the second treasure that we have been entrusted with. A treasure that we are to be good stewards of. And that treasure is the gospel – the scriptures – which lead to eternal life. Paul says regarding that treasure in vs 20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly [and] empty chatter [and] the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”– which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

We have talked about deposits we may make in heaven by our good deeds, now Paul speaks of a deposit that God has made to our account. It is as if God had made a deposit in Timothy’s bank. And he is given a command or charge to protect that deposit, to guard that treasure. That treasure is simply the gospel, which includes all of scripture, which is the means by which we lay hold of that life which is life indeed.

In his next letter, in chapter 3, Paul speaks of the scripture being the means by which one is saved. He says in 2Tim 3:14-17 “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned [them,] and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.” Paul says, “You have known the sacred writings which are able to give you wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ.” Such a valuable treasure, and we are all given stewardship of it.

Years ago I worked in a 5 star hotel as a food and beverage manager. And one of the positions that I hired and trained employees for was a wine steward. They were the guys that were responsible for knowing all about the various wines on the menu, who took care of ordering and storing the wine at the proper temperature, and would open the wine at the table and serve it to the guests. That gives us some idea of what a steward is. He takes care of the scriptures, he knows all the qualities of the scriptures, what scriptures apply best to this situation and which to another. And he is able to dispense the scriptures in the proper way, according to the correct interpretation and application.

We are all called to be Bible stewards. To know it frontwards and backwards. To make sure that it is being interpreted and taught correctly, and applied according to the right context. In the next letter, Paul will tell Timothy, in 2Tim. 2:15-16 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. But avoid worldly [and] empty chatter, for it will lead to further ungodliness.” Here at the end of 1 Timothy Paul speaks of that worldly and empty chatter that leads to ungodliness as “avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge”—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.”

We see that even in many of the religious seminaries today, in a majority of the colleges and universities that claim to be Christian. They have undermined the reliability of the word of God, the truth of God, by claiming a worldly knowledge that contradicts the truth of the scripture. We see that in many of the mainstream denominations that no longer hold to the authority and inerrancy and inspiration of scripture. They claim that the scriptures were written by many different men over sometimes centuries, each adding or taking away from it over time until we cannot be certain who wrote it, when they wrote it, or how reliable it is. They take the word of science over the word of God and say that the world was formed by an cosmic explosion and man and the animals evolved over millions of years. And in many ways like that they undermine the authority of scripture, they detract from the inspiration of scripture, and they end up with a collection of worldly fables that are not to be taken literally and have very little benefit to anyone. It’s no wonder that there is a wholesale departure from the faith today in our culture. Paul says those who have professed such false knowledge have gone astray from the faith. They are unable to be saved, because the scriptures are the means by which we are saved, and the only way to know the truth of God.

So the scriptures are a national treasure which are of inestimable value, for it is the means by which we are able to know God, know HIs will, and know His salvation which gives eternal life, which is life indeed. Paul urges Timothy, and by extension, urges us, to guard this treasure which has been entrusted to you. Proclaim this truth which provides the way to life. Teach this truth which is able to lead us to a saving knowledge of God by faith in Jesus Christ. God’s word is forever settled in heaven. It is eternal. Jesus Christ is the manifestation of the Word of God, and knowing Him is the greatest treasure that we can have in this world or in the world to come.

Paul ends this letter with “Grace be with you.” God’s grace is the manifestation of Jesus Christ to be our Savior, and by faith in Him, we are given forgiveness of sins, the indwelling of the Spirit of Christ, and everlasting life. Grace means gift. Eph 2:8 says “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God.” That gift of God, that gift of the greatest treasure that the world will ever know, has been offered to you. I pray that you will trust in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that you might receive that which is life indeed.

Jesus said I am the way the truth and the life. He said you shall know the truth, and the truth will make you free. He said God is Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and in truth. He said to the Father in prayer, your word is truth. We are saved by believing in the truth. We are sanctified by obedience to the truth. Truth matters.

Truth is important to God, and truth must be important to us. There is not a truth for you and another truth for me. There is not truth for one age, and a different truth for another age. God’s word is truth, and we must believe it, and accept it, and apply it. Whether or not we like it, or think it is relevant.

The truth that Paul is addressing today is one that is vehemently opposed by a large number of so called professing Christians. They don’t accept the words that we read here as truth. At the best, they think that it may have been truth for Paul’s day, but not for our day. At the worst, they think that Paul is a male chauvinistic bigot and we should ignore what he has to say on this subject. But that viewpoint obviously doesn’t believe that all scripture is inspired by God, and thus this passage cannot be disregarded as a man’s opinion. God wrote it, Paul was just the instrument God used to transfer His word to us.

Now the overarching theme of what Paul is writing about in this letter is found in chapter 3 vs 15 which says, “but in case I am delayed, [I write] so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” So truth matters in relation to how we conduct the church. It is God’s church, and so God has the authority to establish it and order it as He wishes. It’s not up to us to mess around and try to circumvent God’s directives in regards to church conduct.

To that point then, God has authorized the apostles as His representatives in setting forth the principles which serve as the foundation of the church. Then secondly, God has appointed pastors/teachers to serve the church. All of that was covered in chapter one. Then in chapter 2, we learned that prayer was the primary ministry of the church. And in particular, the men of the church were to lead in prayer.

One of the things we learned as we studied this letter, is that God has ordained different roles, different responsibilities in the church. Not everyone is given the same role, or responsibility. But just like in the armed services of our country, there are different ranks, different roles and responsibilities, so also in the church we have been given various gifts and responsibilities as God sees fit.

So we have seen what God has to say about apostles, about pastors/teachers, about the men of the church’s ministry of public prayer. He says in vs 8, “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.” This exhortation takes the general command for everyone to pray at all times, and specifically instructs the men to lead in public prayer, in every place, that is in each of the churches. They are to lead in prayer, and do so exhibiting holy hands, that is godly behavior without wrath and dissension.

And in the same manner, God has given a certain role and responsibility to women which we pick up in vs 9. “Likewise, [I want] women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

Notice he introduces this verse with the word “likewise.” What that indicates is just as men are required to exhibit a godly life, a life consecrated unto good works, so are the women. He says, at the end of verse 10, “but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.” For both men and women, the requirement and responsibility is the same, living as a godly example, ministering by means of good works. Practicing deeds that match our profession.

Now that’s the principle that Paul is laying out here in these verses. I don’t believe he is saying that women should not style their hair, or wear jewelry, or nice clothes. But what he is saying is that she should be concerned that her adornment is not just external, but internal. She should be known for her good works, and not just for her good looks.

But I also think it goes a little further than that. I think it refers to women not dressing or making themselves up in a way in church especially, in such a way as to deliberately attract attention to themselves. God doesn’t want to have to compete for attention in church with a woman that is bent on showing herself off. Men don’t need any distractions in that department. And women in particular have that ability. So they should dress modestly, discreetly, so as to not attract inordinate attention to themselves.

Peter gives a very similar principle in regards to women’s dress and adornment. 1Peter 3:1-6 says, “In the same way, you wives, be submissive to your own husbands so that even if any [of them] are disobedient to the word, they may be won without a word by the behavior of their wives, as they observe your chaste and respectful behavior. Your adornment must not be [merely] external–braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but [let it be] the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.” So Peter’s emphasis is for women’s spiritual adornment to be seen and not just her physical adornment.

That’s what Paul also expresses: women’s adornment should be internal, and not just external. And in so doing they are submitting to God, and striving to please God. Peter speaks particularly to wives, married women, and the emphasis there seems to be that it is perfectly acceptable that women are to be attractive for their husbands, but there is a danger when they use their beauty or clothing, jewelry and so forth to be attractive to those men who are not their husband.

There is a power that women have over men that is the crux of the problem here. Men are supposed to be strong, to be leaders, defenders, warriors, providers, etc. But men have a weakness which the devil would like to take advantage of. And that weakness for most men is a woman. Make no mistake, I am not excusing men for their weakness, or condemning women for men being attracted to them. I am just stating the facts. But that weakness that men have needs to be protected against.

Most men have that weakness. But many men have many weaknesses. For instance, I know a number of men that have a weakness for alcohol. And for those men, alcohol is something that they are attracted to their ruin. So if they are prudent, if the loved ones of that man are wise, they will mitigate the opportunities to present alcohol to them or put them in a position to be tempted by alcohol. One of the most important strategies for a successful life is to know your weaknesses, and then make sure that you plan accordingly to not be in a situation that affords any opportunity to fall prey to that weakness.

The same thing is what is being taught by this principle here. Paul is saying that man’s weakness for a woman’s attractiveness is something that a man must be protected from in the church. If you obey the command to love one another, then you will set aside some things that might be considered your right, in order to make sure that you do not put a stumbling block in front of another. As Paul said in 1Cor. 8:9 “But take care that this liberty of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak.”

There is also a sense in which women’s external adornment even can become a hindrance to other women in the church. The braiding of hair and wearing of jewelry spoke of a particular fashion in Paul’s day for women to wear jewelry in her hair, an elaborate hairdo made up of braids, in which great wealth would be displayed by fastening jewels and gold ornaments all throughout. The wife of the emperor was said to have worn a million dollars in gold and jewels on her body. And so such vanity and excessiveness has no place in the church and can be a hindrance to other women as well, as they perceive the attention that is gained through such a show of wealth. The church should not be a place for ostentatiousness nor seeking our own glory. But rather we should admire women because of their godliness and good works.

Now as to that weakness that men have for women, I believe it is the underlying reason for this next principle as well. Vs. 11, “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness. But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.” What this principle says in short is that the women are not allowed to teach in the church, nor exercise authority over men. Now remember, these are instructions for the church. In the context of the assembly of believers.

Paul says that explicitly again in 1Cor. 14:34 saying, “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says.” I do not think that Paul is saying that women are not allowed to talk, but they are not allowed to teach, to speak publicly by preaching. And Paul quotes the law in that regard. The law made it clear that the woman was to be subject to her husband, and not the other way around.

And even the very order of creation confirms that principle of subjection. And Paul turns to that as an explanation of this principle in vs 13 saying, “For it was Adam who was first created, [and] then Eve.” God made Adam first, and afterwards, He made Eve from Adam’s rib. He made Eve to be Adam’s helper, not to be his ruler. She completed Adam, and Adam completed her. In marriage they became one flesh, but yet distinct in roles and responsibilities.

Now before you get upset and say that isn’t fair, consider Jesus, who though He was equal with God, was none the less subject to the Father. Phl 2:5-8 “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, [and] being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

Jesus was willing to be submissive to the Father’s will.k They are equal in deity, but different in their roles. And so we must be subject to the authority that God has established. 1Cor. 11:3 says, “But I want you to understand that Christ is the head of every man, and the man is the head of a woman, and God is the head of Christ.” So we all have to be subject to the authority that God has ordained. And the order of creation is evidence of God’s delegation of authority. And the fact that Paul uses a principle established at creation makes it clear that this is not a cultural thing, but a design of God for the sexes from the beginning.

But there is another reason for this principle that a woman is not to teach or exercise authority over a man in the church. And that reason is found in vs 14, “And [it was] not Adam [who] was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.” It’s interesting that in this place only in all the scriptures, it would seem to implicate that the burden of the fall is on Eve, the woman. But I believe that is not what this is teaching. In multiple places in scripture, the sin of Adam is always given as the source of sin, and the cause of the fall.

For instance, 1Cor. 15:21-22 says, “For since by a man [came] death, by a man also [came] the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” And Rom. 5:12 says, “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” So the blame for the fall is on Adam, not Eve.

But at creation, Adam was the one who was told by God not to eat of the tree. Eve was created later and received her instruction from Adam. But what happened was that the role that God had ordained was reversed. Instead of following she chose to lead. Instead of heeding what her husband taught her, she chose to teach.

But there is more. Notice it says that Eve was deceived. That means that Eve was tricked, duped into thinking that what she was doing was good, even though it was the opposite of what Adam told her God had said. Now don’t get me wrong, Eve sinned in what she did. But her excuse was that she was deceived. But Adam went into his sin with both eyes wide open. Adam had to chose between Eve and obedience to God. And true to his weakness, because of his love for her, he chose to obey Eve rather than God. Adam sinned willfully, deliberately. Eve didn’t deceive him, she seduced him.

And that goes back to the principle that I stated a few minutes ago. Man has a weakness for a woman that can be his undoing. There is no better thing, according to Solomon, than for a young man to find a wife. But there can be no worse thing than for a man to capitulate to a woman for the wrong reasons.

So part of God’s protection for the church is to not allow the woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man, because God knows that man is weak in regards to a woman, and will often capitulate to them even if he knows that they are wrong. And truth matters to God. Truth matters to the church. Truth matters to our salvation. And so we dare not take chances in regards to the teaching of the truth. Because when a man is taught by a woman, he is more likely to lose any sense of objectivity because of his weakness for her. He is more than willing in a lot of cases, to chose to obey her rather than God. And so God established a principle regarding pastors/teachers to help mitigate that possibility.

And just to be clear, this instruction of subjection is in regards to marriage and the church. Notice Paul says she is to receive this in all submissiveness. That means not rebelling against God in this. Even though you think you are the exception, submit to God. But it also is not an instruction about politics, or business, or the field of academia or any other human institution. There are plenty of examples in scripture of women who were godly, and yet fulfilled a leadership position. But in marriage and in the church, this principle applies.

Finally, Paul gives an antidote so to speak for this principle. It’s hard for a lot of women to accept this principle. But Paul wants to show a better way for the woman to exercise authority. And so he says in vs 15, “But [women] will be preserved through the bearing of children if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

The woman is not permitted to teach in the church, but she is to teach in the home to her children. It’s God’s will that women should influence men from the bottom up, and not from the top down. She is well equipped to bear and teach children. The woman would be the means by which God would bring Christ into the world to bring about salvation. By being submissive to God’s ordinance, she is able to save souls not by standing in the congregation and teaching, but by bearing children who see her example of a godly life, her faith and love.

We should remember that Paul is writing to Timothy. Timothy’s father is presumed to have died when he was young and he was raised by his mother and grandmother. Paul said of that upbringing in 2Timothy 1:5 “For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that [it is] in you as well.” What becomes clear from that statement is that a godly mother and a godly grandmother brought about the faith of Timothy that worked mightily in him, which helped to change the world for the kingdom of God.

More can be done behind the scenes to affect great results than often is done by those on the stage. And a woman can have a great affect on the world by virtue of the way she raises her children. Some of the men that had the greatest affect on the world were brought up by a godly mother who instilled character and faith in that man from birth. I would not be surprised to find out when we get to heaven, that more people were brought to faith by godly mothers than by godly preachers. And so in this connection it should be clear that though the apostle Paul definitely ascribes a different position or role for women than to men, he does not regard their role to be inferior or any less important than that of men. We are different by design, with different roles and responsibilities. But God has chosen to distribute HIs gifts and graces as He sees fit, so that the church may be complete, lacking in nothing.

Let us be subject to God, and to His design for us, that we might bear the fruit of righteousness as befitting the church of God. That the church might be the pillar and support of the truth, by which, believing, the world might be saved.

We are beginning a new book today which is 1 Timothy. This book is part of a trilogy, made up of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus, which were written to Timothy and Titus by Paul for the establishment of the churches in Ephesus and Crete, and which were to serve as a manual for the operation of all churches among the Gentiles.

It’s tempting to disregard these letters as if they are really only pertain to pastors and deacons and not really applicable to the congregation. But in fact, the sound doctrine of the church is the goal of these letters, that they would know how the church was to operate in alliance with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Paul writes in chapter 3 vs14, “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, [I write] so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.” And part of God’s plan for the church is to have the right kind of spiritual leadership, pastors and teachers, that are faithful to the truth of the gospel.

So that’s the purpose of these letters, to tell Timothy how the church is to be conducted. Now at the outset, we note that Paul introduces himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Vs1 “Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus according to the commandment of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, [who is] our hope, To Timothy, [my] true child in [the] faith: Grace, mercy [and] peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.”

It’s kind of interesting that Paul uses his official title in this letter to a young preacher whom he calls my true child in the faith. We know that Paul was Timothy’s father in the faith, meaning that he led him to the Lord. He brought him to maturity in Christ. And we also know that Paul loved Timothy like his own son. He had traveled extensively with Timothy for many years. So they were very close. You would think that it was a little superfluous, or even prideful perhaps, of Paul to emphasize that he was an apostle.

But considering what Paul was writing to Timothy about, I believe that it was not only an appropriate title, but an important emphasis in order to remind him of his authority in Christ to say the things that he says here. An apostle was a special, one time office, which was given by Christ for the formation and foundation of the church. The apostles had the authority and responsibility to act on behalf of Christ to erect and establish His church.

In Ephesians 4:11-13, Paul says, “And He gave some [as] apostles, and some [as] prophets, and some [as] evangelists, and some [as] pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Notice that the first gift God gave to the church was apostles. They were the foundation of the church.

Paul says in Ephesians 2:19-22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner [stone,] in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” Notice there that the foundation for the church is the apostles. Their doctrine, their teaching, their establishment of the offices of pastor and teachers, their order of conduct, was for the establishment, and the building up of the church to be a holy temple of God.

So Paul writes to Timothy, who he has stationed in Ephesus to act as his minister, his agent, in the establishment of the churches there. Timothy, the young man that has been mentored by Paul, that knows Paul’s doctrine, that has worked alongside Paul to establish churches throughout Asia, that has proven himself faithful again and again. This is the man that Paul uses as the agency of his apostleship to establish the conduct of the church.

So we see here a chain of command; from God to Christ to the apostles to the church. Apostleship is a reference to an office, given authority by Christ, sent by Christ, witnesses of the risen Christ, endowed with the gift of an apostle by the Holy Spirit, and given for the establishment and foundation of the church. So the chain of command is from Christ to Paul to Timothy to the church. That means that there are no modern day apostles. That is a sure sign of a false prophet, to claim apostleship. Because the true apostles spoke with a special one time authority to establish the church. And those that claim to be apostles today are seeking to establish their own doctrine, their own version of the church. And if they call themselves by that title, then we can know for certain that they are false apostles and we should stay away from such people.

Now these false teachers are the primary focus of Paul’s concern in these opening verses. Notice vs 3, “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than [furthering] the administration of God which is by faith.”

These certain men that Paul spoke of, were teaching strange doctrines. We aren’t sure exactly who or how many men that phrase includes, but we can assume that Hymaneus and Alexander, mentioned down in vs 20, were part of that group. In their case, Paul says he was delivering them over to Satan, that they would be taught not to blaspheme. We will explore more fully what Paul meant by delivering them to Satan means next week, but for now we can assume that blasphemy was a part of their strange doctrine that they were teaching.

Another aspect of their teaching was that they gave undue attention to myths and endless genealogies, which gave rise to speculation rather than true faith. The idea that Paul seems to be saying is that these teachers were becoming known for a new doctrine, some new speculation, some new mystery that they claimed had been revealed to them alone. And they gleaned their doctrine from the study of genealogies and myths surrounding certain figures in the scriptures. We know that the Jewish rabbis of that time period were known for a similar type of teaching, and then concocting myths about certain Biblical figures and from some hint or vague reference in scripture, building a doctrine that was not any where supported in scripture. Things like the angels practiced circumcision, or the angels observed the Sabbath. And to make things worse, these fables were written down in the Talmud, which was a Jewish commentary of sorts about scripture, and which after a while were given sometimes more emphasis than the actual scriptures themselves.

We still have such speculative writings today, such as the Book of Jubiliees and some of the books in the Apocrypha. But besides such books as those, today there are more modern day options in the media, with movies about the life of Christ and other so called Christian fictional movies, as well as an untold number of books such as The Shack and many others like it, that portray myths and speculation as spiritual truth and based on Biblical doctrine. And many churches today embrace such nonsense wholeheartedly.

Paul said such things were not to be taught in the church, and that they weren’t to pay attention to such things. People are always suggesting that I read some new book that came out, or watch a new movie about Jesus or Paul, or Joseph, or Moses. I don’t bother with them for the most part. The best of them still fall short of the gospel in most cases. The last time I saw a Hollywood movie about the Bible was the one with Russel Crow playing Noah. I think it was called Noah. And sad to say, it was total garbage from a doctrinal truth standpoint. I recommend when these Hollywood films come out, you will do better to save yourself the $14 ticket and read the book instead. The Bible is God’s word, and it doesn’t need any help or embellishment from Hollywood to make it more relatable.

Ironically, Paul had known beforehand that in due time, these false teachers would arise in Ephesus in the church. In Acts 20 we read, vs17 From Miletus [Paul] sent to Ephesus and called to him the elders of the church. … 25 “And now, behold, I know that all of you, among whom I went about preaching the kingdom, will no longer see my face. … 28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.”

And so it was happening as Paul had warned them. So Timothy was supposed to stay there and quell the insurrection. Because the flock were naive, and were drawn to the theatrical, to the dramatic, and were enthralled by the seeming intellectualism of these teachers. I think naive Christians today are just as easily led astray by false apostles, false teachers, who claim to have a special knowledge, special revelation, special gift of the Holy Spirit, and they teach immature Christians to believe that they are rich in faith, when in fact they are poor. It’s like someone giving monopoly money to children who think they are rich, when in fact, their money is worthless in the real world. A lot of Christians think they are rich in faith, able to command this and bind that, and speak this knowledge and that knowledge, and speak in an angelic language that they don’t even know what they are saying, and they don’t understand that they are poor.

Jesus said to the church in Laodicea, in Rev 3:17-19 ‘Because you say, “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” and you do not know that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire so that you may become rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself, and [that] the shame of your nakedness will not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see. ‘Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline; therefore be zealous and repent.”

So rather than the false teaching which focuses on strange doctrine, unsound myths and fables, things that puff up with false knowledge, rather than edify, in contrast Paul says in vs 4, the goal of the apostles teaching was love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Well, that sounds simple enough, and love sounds innocuous enough. But what does that all mean?

First of all, love is the fulfillment of the law. And secondly, love is the essence of the gospel. Love is the reason that Christ died for us. Love is redemption, where Christ paid the penalty for our sins which was due to us, and took our place by His death on the cross so that the wrath of God was satisfied. In salvation, the love of God is planted in our hearts, so that we love even as He first loved us. We love God, and want to please Him in all that we do. We want to abide with Him, to walk with Him, to follow Him. And we love one another, even as He loved us.

Not everything we call love is really love. Not all love is love. Paul says love is a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith without hypocrisy. The heart is the soul, the mind, emotions and will which are regenerated in salvation, made new, with a new capacity for holiness. Ezekei 36:25 talking about this regeneration of the heart says, ”Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. “Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

So a pure heart is one that doesn’t practice sin, but practices righteousness, and righteousness is defined by the law. A good conscience is a clean conscience, knowing that you have been forgiven for your sins, and then having the Spirit to help you stay away from sin. That produces a good conscience. And that is what constitutes a faith without hypocrisy. A faith that lives in sin is a hypocritical faith. Because Jesus came to save sinners, to deliver us from sin, to cleanse us from sin. So to walk in sin is hypocrisy.

1John 3:4, 7 says, “Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. … 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous.”

So pure instruction, sound doctrine taught by the apostles produces righteousness, faith without hypocrisy, but he goes on to say in vs 6 “For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

James said, “let not many of you become teachers brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.” But unfortunately, not a lot of pastors and teachers out there take that admonition seriously. Everyone wants to teach, but the problem Paul said is they stray from the purity of the gospel and turn aside to fruitless doctrines. Fruit is the evidence of righteousness, correct? The things they espouse are not fruitful. They don’t produce righteousness. In fact, they produce lawlessness.

Paul says these men want to be teachers of the law. But they don’t understand the law or the things about which they make confident assertions. There are two ways you can teach the law. One is that the law is the means of salvation. Or the other is that there is no more use for the law, it’s to be cast aside. Both are incorrect. I’m not sure which view these men were teaching, but it was an incorrect view. 

Paul tries to set that doctrine straight in vs 8; “But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully, realizing the fact that law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars and perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”

The gist of what Paul is saying is that the law was given to teach us of our need for a Savior. It was given to convict us of sin. Jesus said, ““I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” And the law convicts us as sinners in the sight of God.

Paul said in Romans 7:7, 12 “What shall we say then? Is the Law sin? May it never be! On the contrary, I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, “YOU SHALL NOT COVET.” … 12 So then, the Law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

And in Gal. 3:24 he says, “Therefore the Law has become our tutor [to lead us] to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.” It would seem that the problem with these false teachers in Ephesus was they weren’t concerned about the law, they thought it didn’t apply to them. They were puffed up in their vain imaginations, taking their stand on visions they had seen, some experience that they had, all of which affirmed to them their righteous standing before God.

You know, I believe that’s why so many people are drawn to these charismatic churches where they think they can experience God. They want some sort of experience that gives them assurance of faith, they want some sort of evidence of regeneration which they think they will find in these ecstatic experiences. The fact of the matter is, the evidence of saving faith in Jesus Christ is repentance and regeneration. It’s a new heart, a pure heart, a clean conscience because you no longer desire the things of the world, and an unhypocritical faith, a faith that lives out the righteousness that it professes. In short, the evidence of salvation is sanctification.

That’s why Paul says all these people, the lawless, the immoral, those who practice the abominations of the world, are under the condemnation of the law. The law is good, it condemns sin. It points us to Christ, to recognize our need for a Savior, who took the penalty for our sins upon Himself and transfers His righteousness unto us, that we might be righteous and holy before God.

That is the gospel, that Jesus Christ came to save sinners, to which Paul adds in vs 15, among who I am chief. He claimed to be the formost of sinners. That was before I came along. But by the grace of God, I have been forgiven through the payment for sin of Jesus Christ, I have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, and I have been given new life in Christ, that His Spirit may live in me, that I may do the works of righteousness through His power in me.

Folks, you can’t live a sinless, perfect life by which you gain entrance into the kingdom of God. You can’t do more good than you do bad and so hope that your good outweighs the bad and in the judgment you will get a pass. The law requires that the penalty for all sin, any sin, is death. Rom 6:23 says, “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

You might think, well I am better than most people. I haven’t killed anyone. Look at the sins Paul lists; he goes from worse to less worse. From unholy to murderers to immoral to liars. Jesus said if you hate you are guilty of murder. He said if you look with lust you are guilty of adultery. As a man thinks in his heart, so is he. So under the law we are all guilty and deserving of death. None of us are righteous.

Only one man was righteous. Jesus Christ the Son of God. And by faith in Him and what He accomplished for us through His death we can be credited with His righteousness. I trust that you have repented of your sins, and trusted in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, that you might receive the righteousness which comes on the basis of faith in Jesus Christ. That is the way we can come to know God and be accepted by God.

James has been continuously referring to two dominant themes in his epistle.  Pretty much everything he has said up to this point stems from one or both of these themes.  And I would say that both themes are closely related.  Those themes are wisdom and what he calls our tongue, or to put it in our common vernacular, our speech.

Wisdom and speech are related in that our speech is the evidence of wisdom.  Now he has taught us early on in this epistle that wisdom is from God.  Wisdom is the  knowledge and application of spiritual life which comes from God.  And our speech is one of the primary means of applying that knowledge.  Jesus said, “What is in the heart, comes out of the mouth.” And  Paul said, with the mouth a man confesses what he believes in his heart. Romans 10:9-10 “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.”  

So it’s not enough to just believe, but you must say what you believe and your speech gives evidence of what you believe.  But James tells us repeatedly that it’s possible to say one thing, but do another which shows that you actually don’t believe what you claim.  James says in chapter  2:14 “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”  And you will see that theme discussed again and again in all aspects of our life – this speech that belies our faith.

Now the context for what James is discussing in this section we’re studying today, is found in chapter 3, where James spoke of the tongue being a restless evil which cannot be tamed, and said that from the same fountain cannot come fresh and salt water at the same time, or good speech and evil speech should not coexist in the same mouth.

And of course, the source for that fountain is wisdom.  According to James in chapter 3, there are two types of wisdom – the wisdom which is from God, and the wisdom which is of the world. And so your speech indicates which wisdom you have, and by which wisdom you are living.  

The wisdom which is from the world is our default wisdom.  That is the natural wisdom by which we operate under most circumstances.  That wisdom is what we call science, or education, or human intuition,  or being smart, or just good old common sense.  But James says that the wisdom of the world is demonic in origin.  It does not submit to God, but thinks itself smart enough and able to be independent from God. And according to chapter 3 vs 16, this earthly, demonic wisdom is characterized by jealousy and selfish ambition.

James 3:15-16 “This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, natural, demonic.  For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every evil thing.”

Now to those evil characteristics of earthly wisdom, James speaks in the passage before us. He speaks of jealousy as characterized by slanderous and judgmental speech in vs 11 and 12.  And then he speaks to selfish ambition in vs 13-16 which is marked by pride and arrogance, and then finishes this section with a summary statement about earthly wisdom as being sinful in vs 17 as he closes this chapter.

Let’s look at the first evidence of earthly wisdom then that is jealousy, which is marked by slanderous speech or judgmental speech.  James says in vs 11, “Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge [of it.]  There is [only] one Lawgiver and Judge, the One who is able to save and to destroy; but who are you who judge your neighbor?”

There is in this verse an echo of Jesus’s teaching in His sermon on the mount in which Jesus said, “Do not judge so that you will not be judged. For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you.”

Now the way James speaks of judging is to say it is speaking against another person.  But what he is really talking about there is slander.  Slander is making a false statement about someone else to their detriment.  It’s called character assassination. Jesus’s statement seems to be more broad than that, but I think that it’s more than likely that James gives us the correct interpretation of what Jesus meant by his statement.  It means to judge with evil intent, to condemn, to damn. 

It’s the same kind of attitude which James spoke of in chapter 2, when he said that when you give preferential treatment to the rich man you have become judges with evil motives.  And then he says concerning that quickness to judge others, in vs 13, “For judgment [will be] merciless to one who has shown no mercy; mercy triumphs over judgment.”

It’s important that we understand correctly what James is teaching here concerning judgment.  You often hear people rebuke a pastor or concerned Christian who raises questions about a person’s behavior, by saying, “Do not judge, lest you be judged.”  However, right after Jesus spoke about not judging, He then went on to say beware of false prophets, and that you shall know them by their fruits.  So in that sense, we are to judge others with righteous judgement, basing our judgement by their fruit, by their behavior.  

James is also not telling us that we shouldn’t rebuke others who are sinning. That is a necessary part of evangelism, to tell sinners that they have fallen short of the kingdom of God, that their sin has condemned them to eternal punishment, and that there is a way of salvation for those who repent of their evil deeds.  James speaks to that in the last verse of chapter five, saying, “My brethren, if any among you strays from the truth and one turns him back,  let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.”

But the slanderer is not interested in saving the sinner, but in maligning someone. People tend to think that the way to exalt themselves is to put down others.  So the idea that James is getting at here is the one who condemns with his speech another person, attacking him, speaking ill of him, maligning him, by that which is not necessarily the truth. When you slander someone, you’re not talking about them for their good, but to hurt them, to condemn them. James says this is devilish. 

 It’s interesting to note that in vs 7, when James references the devil,  he uses the Greek word diabolos.  Diabolos is interpreted as the devil, but literally it means the slanderer.  And in vs 11, to speak against someone means to slander them.

In Rev 12:10 we see that description of the slanderer applied to the devil, saying, “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”  Slander is the modus operandi of the devil.  He accuses the Christian before God. And he uses other people to slander one another and accomplish that same purpose.

In addition to doing the work of the devil, James says that the one who judges with evil intentions puts himself above the law, and in effect, puts himself on par with God as a judge. Blind to his own sin, the slanderer is not aware of the seriousness of his error.  Jesus said by what measure you judge, you will be judged.  And so we need to leave judgement to God, and focus on removing the mote out of our own eye, before we focus on the speck in another’s eye.

James says there is only one lawgiver and judge, who, of course, is God.  We all are going to be judged by God for every careless word that we speak.  So if we understood the law properly, then we would all cry out for mercy.  And our salvation is based on mercy, for by the keeping of the law is no one made righteous.  If we depend upon mercy, then how much more should we be merciful to others, rather than to condemn them. 

James says, “but who are you, to judge your neighbor?”  By that question, he reminds us of the royal law, which is to love our neighbor as ourselves.  If we loved our neighbor as we love ourselves, then we would not slander them, we would not condemn them, but we would show mercy towards them, because that’s what we desire for ourselves.

The next example of earthly wisdom that James discusses is what he called in chapter 3, selfish ambition. Selfish ambition is simply pride, and pride is marked by arrogant speech, which is boasting.  James says  starting in vs 13, “Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, and spend a year there and engage in business and make a profit.” Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow. You are [just] a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away.  Instead, [you ought] to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and also do this or that.”  But as it is, you boast in your arrogance; all such boasting is evil.”

Now again, it’s important to understand what James is saying, and what James is not saying.  He is not saying that it’s wrong to make a business plan.  He is not saying that it’s wrong to have goals.  There are plenty of admonitions in the Bible about preparing for the future.  Or how about the godly example of Joseph whose plan called for saving during the years of plenty for the years to come of famine?  So the problem is not having a plan.

But what James is talking about here is the pride of man that makes plans and boasts as if he were the captain of his destiny and the master of his life.  As if he has all the time in the world at his disposal.  James is speaking of the ludicrousness of taking for granted the fragility of life, and that what you have in life is from God, even to the very next breath that you breathe.  

James says the problem is that you make plans apart from the wisdom of God. You make plans according to the wisdom of the world which is sourced in pride.  But James says, you don’t know what your life will be like tomorrow. As an example of that, I can’t help but think of what life was like before the virus.  We took so many things for granted.  No one could have imagined three years ago what life would be like today.  No one could have imagined the freedoms that would be lost, the businesses that would be closed down, the lives that were lost, the effects on life and liberty that have come as a result of this virus.

I will confess that lately I have felt the effects of it more than ever.  One thing that I’ve become more aware of is my own vulnerability.  I used to think I was bullet proof to a certain extent. I don’t know if it’s my age or my health or a combination of both, but lately I feel vulnerable. I realize more than ever the fragility of life.  We take good health for granted when we are healthy.  And I will say we take our liberties for granted until we lose them.  We take peace for granted in this country.  I pray that we don’t wake up one day to the harsh realities that it seems we are headed for.

James says that it is arrogant to make plans as if God does not control the outcome of the world, as if we can make ourselves rich, we can make ourselves successful, we can do what we want without considering the Lord. Whether the world realizes it or not, everyone is totally dependent upon the mercy of God for their next breath.  Paul said in Acts 17:28, “for in Him we live and move and exist.”

James says that your life is but a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. I’m sure you have all seen the early morning mist that hovers just above the ground on some chilly mornings.  But when the sun comes up it disappears.  It was just vapor.  That’s a picture of the temporary nature of our life.  By the time we start to figure it out, it’s over.

Moses wrote about that in Psalm 90, saying, ‘’ we end our days with a sigh.”  He went on to say “As for the days of our life, they contain seventy years, Or if due to strength, eighty years, Yet their pride is [but] labor and sorrow; For soon it is gone and we fly away.”

So instead of making plans in our arrogance, irrespective of God, instead we ought to say, “if it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”  God is sovereign in our lives.  He has numbered our days. He directs our steps.  Proverbs 16:9 “The mind of man plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps.”

To say that “If it’s the Lord’s will…” is not a mantra that we tack on to our plans, like when we pray “in Jesus’s name, Amen.”   It’s not a way to sanctify our own plans.  But it means to submit to the sovereignty of God in every thing we do.  The Scottish hymn writer Horatius Bonar put it this way; “no part of day or night from sacredness be free.”   Everything we do we do for the Lord.  Even things as mundane as your day to day work are to be done as unto the Lord.  Even our submission to civil authorities is for the Lord’s sake.  Even the love that spouses are to have for one another is to be as unto the Lord.  

To say “If it’s the Lord’s will…” means simply to put the Lord first in your life.  For the Christian, there is no separation between the secular and the sacred.  There must be no distinction between my will and God’s will.  Our will is to do God’s will.  Whatever we do we need to do for the glory of God. Therefore, the Christian should accept the lordship of Jesus Christ in every aspect of our lives, living in obedience to the will of God as revealed in the word of God.

As Solomon’s wisdom tells us in Proverbs 3:5-6 “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;  In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.”

Finally, we come to a summary of this section on earthly wisdom in vs 17. The wisdom of the world produces sin.  James says, “Therefore, to one who knows [the] right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”  There is a wisdom that produces sin.  It’s the earthly wisdom that is demonic, and produces every evil thing.  There are sins of commission which we have looked at, such as pride and slander and boasting.  But there is also a sin of omission, of neglect.  

We have been given wisdom in the word of God.  God speaks to us about what we should do, and what we should not do.  Sometimes it’s easier to focus on what we should not do. Far too often we think we’re ok because we haven’t committed any of the gross sins of the flesh like adultery or murder or so forth. But there are also some things which we should do, and if we neglect to do them, after having been shown the truth, then James says that’s a sin.  To neglect the commandments to love one another, to forgive one another, to edify one another, to pray for one another and other commandments like those, is just as grievous a sin as the sins of commission.

In our study on Wednesday nights we are looking at Revelation, and particularly the second coming of the Lord.  The first coming of the Lord He came to show mercy, but in the second coming the Lord comes in judgment.  And this is what the Lord Himself had to say about that coming, and the judgment which He will render; particularly the judgment He will give to those who knew His will, and did not do it.  

Luke 12:42-48 “And the Lord said, “Who then is the faithful and sensible steward, whom his master will put in charge of his servants, to give them their rations at the proper time?  “Blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes.  “Truly I say to you that he will put him in charge of all his possessions.  “But if that slave says in his heart, ‘My master will be a long time in coming,’ and begins to beat the slaves, [both] men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk;  the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect [him] and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces, and assign him a place with the unbelievers.  “And that slave who knew his master’s will and did not get ready or act in accord with his will, will receive many lashes,  but the one who did not know [it,] and committed deeds worthy of a flogging, will receive but few. From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”

You have been given much this morning.  You have been given the knowledge of God’s will.  I urge you to show wisdom now and do it  – to not just be hearers of the word, but doers of it.  I urge you to submit to the will of God in your life, that the Lord will be sovereign over your plans, over your work, and over your life.  Don’t resist the Lord in pride, thinking that you have plenty of time to serve the Lord later, but for now you want to live like you want.  Don’t believe the false lies of the devil, and give place to pride and selfish ambition.  But rather “Humble yourselves in the presence of the Lord, and He will exalt you.”

The theme of chapter three is that of faith.  James began by speaking about being rich in faith, as opposed to being poor in faith.  Ironically, he says the poor man is rich in faith, and the rich are poor in faith.  But it was evident that James was speaking of a kind of faith that produces love.  Love being the evidence of faith.  And love that is partial to certain people or shows favoritism is not the love which we are to have as Christians.  But we are to love like Christ loved us, which means that our faith has changed our natural inclinations to become like Christ.

James then indicated that faith in Christ changes us so that we desire to keep the royal law, which is to love your neighbor as yourself. So we understand that when James speaks of faith, he is not speaking of just a theological principle, but he speaks of a practical outcome of our faith. Rich faith, which is true faith, is life changing, in that it produces a new nature that produces works that are like Christ – such as by showing mercy.

In this second half of this chapter, James goes on to further develop the principle of faith, by saying that real faith doesn’t stop at just an intellectual assent, but real faith is living, that is active, and working.  If faith doesn’t produce love, then James says that it is not living faith at all, but dead faith.  Perhaps it can be illustrated in the analogy of a tree, that faith is the root and the trunk of the tree, and love is the branches.  The life of the tree requires both root and branches, they cannot be separated.  For it to be living, fruitful,  it requires both.

So James begins this teaching by asking a question, using a style of teaching similar to Jesus which helps to engage the hearer in his reasoning.  He says in vs14, “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?” The way the question is posed gives us a clue to it’s answer.  The answer is no, faith without works is not saving faith, it’s not living faith, any more than a tree that doesn’t produce fruit is a good tree.

Notice something though in the way James frames this question.  He says the one who says, or claims to have faith.  James doesn’t say that he has faith but no works.  He says the man claims to have faith but no works.  That is a huge distinction. The man claims to have faith, but there is no evidence of it in his life. Now if a man actually had real faith, James indicates that he would have works.  Real faith, saving faith produces works as certainly as a good tree, a living tree, produces fruit.  

But notice what James is not saying. He is not saying that good works produce faith, but that real faith produces works. Again, there is a big difference.  James is indicating in his question that this man does not have saving faith, because there are no works to prove it.  So what good is his confession, or his intellectual assent? Can that type of faith which is only an intellectual assent to the truth, can that faith save him.  And the answer is no, he isn’t actually saved, even though he believes, or claims to believe.

To lay elaborate on that possibility, James gives a hypothetical situation, similar to what he began with in vs 1, a hypothetical situation which is set in the church, where we should be known for our Christian love.  He says in vs 15, “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,  and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for [their] body, what use is that?”

The illustration is set in the context of the church.  Presumably the church is made up of those who are of the faith. In the previous illustration at the beginning of the chapter, we see the possibility in the church of showing favoritism and not true Christian love, depending on the social standing or wealth of someone.  Now in this illustration, we see the example of not necessarily favoritism, but rather neglect, or uncaring disregard for another brother or sister in the church.

The picture James presents is of a desperate person who is without proper clothing or food, basic necessities for life.  And the person who sees them offers them nothing but words, but does not provide anything of substance to supply their need.  Again, James asks the question, “what good is that?”  What use are empty words without providing any help? 

Perhaps in the response of the church member to the needy person there is a hint of the old adage, “God helps those who help themselves.”  Have you ever heard that expression? I think we often use such logic to get off the hook in feeling some obligation to help someone. But is that the way God responds to our needs? No, God doesn’t tell us we need to pull ourselves up by the bootstraps.   But rather, God is merciful, and helps those who cannot help themselves.  Paul says in Romans 5:6 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.”  God shows mercy on those who cannot help themselves, and as those who have received mercy, we should also show mercy on those in need. 

So the question is, what use is it to say you have faith, but ignore the need of a brother?  The answer James gives in vs 17, “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, [being] by itself.”  Dead faith is no help at all.  And James says that faith without works is dead.  James contrasts living, working, active faith, with faith that is dead, lifeless, and fruitless.  Notice, he says if faith is by itself, it’s useless, it’s dead. Faith and action must go together. Even more to the point, faith that is void of works is not real faith at all.  It is dead. Our faith in Christ made that which was dead come to life, and life produces action, it produces works. 

James is really somewhat like a good lawyer, that has built his case, has asked various questions to illustrate his case, and now he calls someone as a witness for cross examination. Vs.18, “But someone may [well] say, “You have faith and I have works.” “Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

Now there is some interpretative confusion about this verse, because the translators can’t seem to figure out when the quotation begins or ends. There is no punctuation in the original Greek.  But I think the best interpretation is to see that this witness is claiming “You have faith and I have works.”  And then the response of James is “Show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.”

The point is that both faith and works are necessary.  This imaginary witness wants to make an either or situation out of faith or works. Heb 11:1 says about faith, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” And  James says you cannot see faith but you can see the evidence of it.  We can’t “see” someone’s faith, but we can see their works. You can’t see faith without works, but  the evidence of their faith is visible in their works.

We hear in this teaching of James the echo of Christ’s statement concerning the fig tree that had no fruit. He said a tree that doesn’t bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. It is good for nothing. So those who claim to have faith but no works will hear Jesus say, “Depart from me I never knew you.”

James then adds an illustration of faith without works as an example of dead faith by pointing to the belief of the demons.  He says, “You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.”  When James refers to believing that God is one, it’s a reference to the “shema” the Jewish prayer based on Deut. 6:4 which says, “Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one.”  It would have been well known by all Jews, and was in a sense their profession of faith. 

But James shows that such a confession without transformation is useless, it’s dead.  And he shows that by the demon’s belief in God.  The demons believe in the reality of God, and at least they are fearful of Him.  And yet they are not saved by that belief.  Therefore, there must be more to faith than just an intellectual assent to the truth. A lot of people claim to believe in God, but they are unsaved. But to believe in faith means there will be a life changing response to the truth which is shown by one’s deeds.

And so James gives a stinging rebuke to the foolishness of that kind of false faith in vs 20 “But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?” If you think that you can believe in God but it doesn’t require a change in your heart, a change in your life, then you are a fool.  If demons are not saved by belief in God, then it should be evident that faith that is only intellectual is not saving faith either.

Now as James develops his case, he goes on to supply evidence for this principle. And the first evidence comes from the life of Abraham.  James says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? 22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”

Abraham was considered the father of the Jews, and the father of faith.  The Jews claimed salvation on the basis of being a child of Abraham. But James doesn’t emphasize physical descent, but the concept of righteousness as the result of faith. Abraham was considered righteous in the sight of God because he trusted Him to the point of sacrificing Isaac, who was the son of promise.

But notice that James says Abraham’s faith was working with his works.  It was not one or the other with Abraham.  If he had faith in God, then he had to trust God enough to obey God, even when it seemed contrary to human reasoning.  This idea of trust is essential to faith.  Trust is believing in the truth, but then acting on that faith, putting your weight of action upon it.

I remember an illustration my Mom made years ago when I was a kid in Sunday School.  She showed us a chair, and said “Do you believe that this is a good chair, that it will support your weight if you sit on it?  And we said “yes, we believe it’s a good chair.”  Then she said, “Then sit on it, and let it support your weight.”  When you believe in the chair, that’s faith, when you sit on the chair, that’s trust.  That’s the elementary explanation of faith and trust.

The theological explanation is a bit more involved. There are three elements of faith in classical theology.  The first is the Latin term notitia:  which means believing in the information. It’s an intellectual awareness. The second aspect of faith is what they call assensus, or intellectual assent. I must be persuaded of the truthfulness of the content.The crucial, most vital element of saving faith is that of personal trust. That final term is fiducia, referring to a fiduciary commitment by which I entrust my life to Christ. Like when we put our money in a bank.  That’s a fiduciary institution.  That’s why a lot of banks are called So and So Bank and Trust.  They take care of your money, and put your money to work so that it makes interest.   

So trusting my life to Christ who will work in my life and give me new life is an essential component of faith.  But a lot of Christians stop at the intellectual part.  They never make it to the trusting part. They don’t put their life in Christ’s hands to use as He sees fit, and so consequently there is no life, no growth, no works. 

Abraham, however, not only  believed but he obeyed, he acted in accordance with God’s word. He trusted God’s promises.  And James says the evidence of Abraham’s faith is  you can see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Works are the evidence of faith.  Without evidence of faith, there is no faith.  Or another way of saying it, is faith works. Faith does not stand alone, but faith works.

But let’s make sure we understand an important distinction that may not be apparent in this translation.  And that is, that it is God who justifies.  Man does not justify himself on the basis of his works.  Man cannot justify himself.  Man cannot save himself by his own merit or his works of righteousness.  The Jews thought that if they could keep the law, particularly certain laws above others, then they could obtain righteousness.  

But Paul said in Ephesians 2:8 “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, [it is] the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.”  At first glance Paul seems to go against  what James is saying.  But not so fast.  Read the next verse.  Paul adds, in vs 10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  So actually Paul says what James says, that faith and works go together.  Faith produces works, and so faith without works is not really faith at all.

The next evidence that James gives from scripture is that of Rahab the harlot.  What a contrast.  First he showed us Abraham the friend of God, the righteous father of the Jews, the father of the faithful.  Now he goes to the other end of the spectrum, to a Gentile, a woman who was a prostitute.  Vs.25 “In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?”

Rahab demonstrated her trust in the God of Israel by hiding the spies and seeking salvation from their God.  You can read about it in Joshua 2:8-13. Her faith was shown to be living faith because it did something. Her belief in the God of Israel would not have saved her if she had not done something with that faith.  Simply believing in the God of Israel was not enough faith, but faith required action.  She acted on that belief which saved the spies, and saved herself.

The lesson from Abraham is clear: if we believe in God, we will do what He tells us to do. The lesson from Rahab is also clear: if we believe in God, we will help His people, even when it costs us something.

So then having questioned various witnesses, and presented his evidence, James then presents his logical conclusion in vs 26. “For just as the body without [the] spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.”  Just as you can have a body with no life ( which is what we call a corpse), so you can have a faith with no life.  And that kind of faith without works is a dead faith, unable to save.

With Christmas around the corner, I can’t help but remember Christmas’s past when I bought one of the kids a toy that was supposed to make some kind of noise, or you turn it on and it would go around in circles on the floor, or something like that.  And inevitably, the wrapping paper comes off and my son or daughter turned on the switch and set the toy on the floor and nothing happened.  And after a minute or two I would feel a tug on my sleeve and look down at this little face that was puckered up about to burst into tears, and hear them say, “Not working.”  The toy didn’t work.  It was not designed just to look at, it was designed to do something, and it didn’t do it.  So the question is, if it doesn’t work, then what use is it?

And that’s what James says here.  Faith without works is dead.  We were designed to work in response to our faith.  Remember what Paul said in Ephesians 2 which we read earlier? “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  We are Christ’s special work of art, that was designed for good works.  And we can only assume that when we don’t work, then we are not really Christ’s.  We haven’t really been remade into a new creation.

We need a faith that works.  A faith that transforms this dead natural man into a living spiritual man.  And that transformation begins when you recognize that you are dead in your trespasses and sins, and you ask for forgiveness and to have the Lord give you new life in Him.  But you have to really mean that; you must want to receive new life, recognizing your old way of life was the way of death.  And because of your faith in what Jesus did to procure your righteousness, God will credit His righteousness to your account, and that righteousness which God gives you results in a regeneration of your spirit, so that you are a new creation, with new desires, and a new capacity for righteousness through the power of the Holy Spirit working in you. That’s a faith that works.  It works out our salvation as we live in the power of the Spirit.  I pray that you have a faith that works. A living faith that will be evidenced by your works.