James
Faith and Sacrificial Love
God credited Abraham, gave him shares
So much more then shares of heaven or God’s belongings
What God gave Abraham was “Friendship”
Friends do things together, they share life together, and they love each other
That is the reward
That is what Abraham’s deeds of faith accomplished for him
You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
Romans 4:23-25 puts it this way
The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
You and I can become friends of God
Abraham chose to love God over everything else
Love is more than words, it is action
The action of love builds friendship
So follow the first and greatest command
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37-38
This is what Abraham did
Faith is the sacrifice of love
Faith and Sacrificial Love
James is building a strong case for…
Faith without works is dead.
He moves on from his first point…
“Being too busy” to do deeds.
James 2:14-17
James being a Hebrew who
is writing to the Jewish people he loves…
Uses Abraham to prove his point.
Abraham, the father of the Hebrews,
and is the father of faith.
Therefore, the promise comes by faith,
so that it may be by grace and may be
guaranteed to all Abraham's offspring —
not only to those who are of the law but
also to those who are of the faith of Abraham.
He is the father of us all.
Romans 4:16-17
Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed
and so became the father of many nations.
Romans 4:18
Faith challenges us to sacrifice.
Sacrifices go back in history, to God’s sacrifice
for Adam and Eve of an animal so they
would have skins to cover their nakedness.
To sacrifice, you have to give up something.
To give up something, you have to have a reason.
Abraham is about to sacrifice his only son.
To give up not only his first born son
(whom he more than likely looked forward
to having before he even married Sarah,
a 100 year old desire and dream)
but his promise and gift from God.
Romans 4:19
I don’t think it is humanly possible for us to
understand the love Abraham had for his son, Isaac.
What would bring Abraham to a deed so profound?
How could Abraham sacrifice the one he loved so much?
Only one thing…
A greater love.
Abraham’s love of God is seen
in the first recordings of his life.
Abraham left his land for a land God had promised.
Abraham’s love for God was a trust in God.
Yet he did not waver through unbelief
regarding the promise of God,
but was strengthened in his
faith and gave glory to God,
being fully persuaded that God had
power to do what he had promised.
This is why
"it was credited to him as righteousness."
Romans 4:20-22
Abraham “did not waver”.
“Abraham considered righteous for what he
did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar.”
You see that his faith and his actions were working together,
and his faith was made complete by what he did.
And the scripture was fulfilled that says,
"Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called God's friend.
James 2:20 -23
It was Abraham’s actions.
Action that gave him credit.
The word “credit” means “to take inventory”.
God took inventory of Abraham’s faith…
The deeds of obedience, believing and trusting in God.
“Abraham believed God”
James 2:23
Believe is the verb form of faith, a noun.
A verb is an action word.
It was the actions of Abraham that God took inventory of...
“…and it was credited to him as righteousness"
James 2:23
This word Righteousness means…
The quality of being fair and impartial.
Or, the value of the shares issued by a company.
“Justification”
"Abraham believed God, and it was
credited to him as righteousness,"
and he was called God's friend.
You see that a person is justified by
what he does and not by faith alone.
James 2:23-24
Friendship is developed through
a relationship of love and trust.
God credited Abraham…
Gave him shares, so much more
then shares of heaven or God’s belongings.
What God gave Abraham was “Friendship”.
Friends do things together.
They share life together.
And they love each other.
That is the reward…
That is what Abraham’s deeds
of faith accomplished for him.
James concludes with this second point on
Faith without works is dead…
You see that a person is justified by
what he does and not by faith alone.
Romans 4:23-25 puts it this way…
The words "it was credited to him" were written not for him alone, but also for us, to whom God will credit righteousness — for us who believe in him who raised Jesus our Lord from the dead. He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification.
You and I can become friends of God.
Abraham chose to love God over everything else.
Love is more than words, it is action.
The action of love builds friendship.
So follow the first and greatest command…
"'Love the Lord your God with all your heart
and with all your soul and with all your mind.'
This is the first and greatest commandment.
Matthew 22:37-38
This is what Abraham did.
Faith is the sacrifice of love.
Scripture Reading
James 2:20-24 NIV
20 You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? 21 Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend. 24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
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