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06/03/2026

Faith Without Works?
James 2:14

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?”

Today we begin our study of perhaps the most controversial passages in the book of James—namely, his discussion of faith and works. James 2:14–26 served as a central text during the Reformation debate over the doctrine of justification. Even today, many Roman Catholic apologists will marshal these verses in an attempt to refute the Protestant insistence that we are declared righteous in the sight of God by faith alone in Christ alone.

Rightly understanding James’ teaching in this passage requires us to set it in the context of the entire letter. When we do that, we see that while James certainly highlights good works, he is as committed to the centrality of faith in Christ as is the Apostle Paul. The first teaching that James offers concerns the role of trials in strengthening our faith (1:2–4). James well understands that it is not our good works that save us but rather our reception by faith of the “implanted word”—the gospel (v. 21). He talks about faith as something that we must hold on to (2:1), and he agrees with Paul that faith is a gift given to those whom God has chosen (v. 5; see Eph. 2:8–9). Clearly, then, James understands that those who will receive mercy in the final judgment are those who have trusted only in Christ (James 2:13).

Since faith in the Lord Jesus Christ alone will save us from the wrath of God, we need to know what constitutes true, saving faith. James 2:14–26 helps us immensely here, demonstrating that a mere claim to trust in Christ is by itself insufficient to save us. This is evident right away in verse 14, where James puts forward an individual who “says he has faith but does not have works.” John Calvin notes that James here “speaks of false profession of faith: for he does not begin thus, ‘If any one has faith;’ but, ‘If any says that he has faith;’ by which he certainly intimates that hypocrites boast of the empty name of faith, which really does not belong to them.” James sets forth the example of someone who says that he has faith and yet lacks good works and asks whether “that [kind of] faith” can save him. The expected answer is, “No, it cannot.”

James has already said that we must be doers of the Word and not hearers only, lest we deceive ourselves into thinking that we are right with God (1:22). His teaching on the nature of saving faith in 2:14–26 concretely applies this principle. The one who claims faith but does not do what God’s Word says is only a hearer, not a doer who has really trusted in Christ.

Coram Deo Living before the face of God

Dr. R.C. Sproul writes: “Faith that yields no deeds is not saving faith. The New Testament does not teach justification by the profession of faith or the claim to faith; it teaches justification by the possession of true faith.” Many people claim to trust in Jesus but live lives that are wholly at odds with their profession. Such persons have deceived themselves. May we not be counted among them.

06/02/2026

The Completion of Faith

James 2:20–23

“You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness’—and he was called a friend of God” (vv. 22–23).

Faith as a mere mental assent to propositions of truth offers no benefits to us with respect to our relationship to God, but actual saving faith does good for that relationship. Having stated that “faith” as the affirmation of truths about God without corresponding trust in Him makes one no better than a demon (James 2:19), James in today’s passage appeals to the example of Abraham to demonstrate that saving faith puts us in right relation to God.

James uses Abraham’s example in a different manner than Paul does, although the teaching of the two Apostles is fully compatible. When Paul turns to Abraham and to Genesis 15:6 in particular (Abraham “believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness”), he has in mind the timing of God’s granting a righteous legal status to Abraham. Without a doubt, God granted this righteousness to Abraham apart from works, before Abraham performed the good works of the law (Rom. 4:1–12). When James appeals to Abraham and Genesis 15:6, however, he is not thinking of when God granted a righteous legal status to Abraham but of the moment that Abraham especially demonstrated his right relationship to God.

For James, this demonstration of Abraham’s relationship to God occurred when the patriarch showed himself willing to sacrifice Isaac on Mount Moriah (James 2:20–23; see Gen. 22:1–19). Reflecting on this episode, James notes that Abraham’s obedience fulfilled Genesis 15:6. This work to offer up his son even “justified” Abraham (James 2:20–23). Lest we think that Abraham’s faith was lacking before his offering Isaac, that he had to add his good works to his faith to make it effectual to save, note the priority James places on faith. Abraham’s faith was long present and “completed” by works (v. 22). We could also translate this to mean that his works brought his faith to maturity. Abraham trusted the Lord long before he offered up Isaac, and this faith was sufficient to reconcile him to God before that test. Yet this faith, though sufficient to save, had to grow over time. Being tested, it became more steadfast and attained such fortitude that it could even lead Abraham to obey God in offering the greatest sacrifice ever asked of him: his son Isaac.

Faith, of course, is not an end in itself. Its purpose is to restore our relationship with the Lord. It became especially evident that Abraham was friends with God when he obeyed God, and thus the purpose for which faith exists was fulfilled (v. 23).

Coram Deo Living before the face of God

John Calvin comments, “[James] intended to show what sort of faith that was which justified Abraham; that is, that it was not idle or evanescent, but rendered him obedient to God.” Very clearly, James does not teach that we are declared righteous by faith and works. Instead, works prove our faith and that we have become friends with God. We cannot claim friendship with God if we do not obey Him.

06/01/2026

The Preciousness of Faith

1 Peter 1:6–7

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

As Christians, we have an indestructible and eternal inheritance that will be our full possession at Christ’s return (1 Peter 1:3–5). This inheritance is the new heaven and earth where righteousness dwells, where pain and sorrow will be no more (2 Peter 3:13; Rev. 21:1–22:5). All who have trusted in Christ will surely receive this inheritance. As Peter notes, we are guarded by God’s power through faith until the day when we take hold of it. Ultimately, our omnipotent Creator preserves us in our faith. We must continue to believe, but we do so because of His work in us (Phil. 2:12–13).

The Apostle in today’s passage states that we rejoice “in this”—that is, our inheritance (1 Peter 1:6). Peter’s words could also be translated “in whom,” and it is likely that Peter states that we rejoice both in Christ and in the inheritance that He has purchased for us. Indeed, what makes our inheritance so wonderful is that it is in and through Christ, and our eternal joy will be found in our being with Christ and seeing Him as He is (1 John 3:2).

What makes Christian joy so remarkable is that our rejoicing occurs in the midst of various trials (1 Peter 1:6). The Christian life is blessed, but it is not easy, for suffering characterizes the life of faith from conversion until we enter glory (Acts 14:22). This does not mean that the Christian life is only trials and tribulations; rather, in following Jesus, we inevitably open ourselves up to attacks from the world, the flesh, and the devil. Moreover, because we know that the world is fallen from its original goodness, we are more grieved by the evils that we see than are those who do not know Jesus.

Verse 7 of today’s passage says that we rejoice in our trials because we know that the pain has a purpose—the testing and refinement of genuine faith. Gold is precious and refined by fire, but one day it will perish. Faith, however, is more precious. It can be tested but not destroyed by the fires of our trials, for God is sovereign over our trials and active in them for our good and His glory. Dr. R.C. Sproul comments: “God uses the iniquitous afflictions wrought by human hostility for the ultimate well-being of His children. . . . [His] hand is in earthly trials that are unjustly foisted upon us by wicked people. The hand of God trumps the evil intent of those who wound us, and He uses, in His gracious providence, those various experiences of affliction and pain for His glory and for our ultimate edification.”

Coram Deo Living before the face of God

The Venerable Bede writes that “once we have entered our eternal reward, the years we spent suffering here below will seem like no time at all.” Our faith, in fact, will receive praise, glory, and honor from God Himself, as Peter says (1 Peter 1:6–7). We must therefore labor for God’s kingdom, for that which is eternal, and not merely for the things of this world that perish.

05/31/2026

https://open.spotify.com/episode/30d0S0axieGTPVyou4v0Fh?si=AOD62yEBRMCHDwXCxfkYNw

The FBI Pulpit · Episode

05/31/2026

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-fbi-pulpit/id655035207?i=1000770436218

Podcast Episode · The FBI Pulpit · May 31 · 1 sec

05/30/2026

Read Ezra 9:1-15 for tomorrow's message with Pastor MIcheal.

05/29/2026

Living Sacrifices

Romans 12:1–2

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service (v. 1).

The Old Testament sacrificial system taught the Israelites that giving to God was an important element of worship, although the sacrifices themselves did nothing to appease or delight God. Based on Abel’s experience, David’s comments in Psalm 51, and other Scriptural teaching, we understand that while sacrifices and offerings are good, what God truly wants from His people is a “sacrifice of praise”—a heartfelt expression of love and honor. This principle of Old Testament worship is carried over to New Testament worship while the sacrificial system, having been fulfilled in Christ, is done away.

The apostle Paul shows us how this Biblical emphasis on sacrifice as worship is to be understood in light of the Gospel. In his great theological treatise, the epistle to the Romans, Paul spends the first 11 chapters laying out the Gospel of Christ in great detail. Then he begins chapter 12 with one of his classic “therefores”—his trademark sign that a conclusion is coming. Based on all that he has taught them to this point, Paul “beseeches” the Romans to present their bodies as “living sacrifices.” When Paul speaks of “bodies” here, he is not referring to physical bodies. Instead, he is enjoining the Romans to dedicate their lives to the service of their Savior and Lord, the one who has made the final and complete sacrifice of Himself for them. In light of what Christ has done for them, this is the proper response, the response of gratitude and love. Not surprisingly, Paul says this sacrifice of self is the Romans’ “reasonable service.” Interestingly, however, the phrase reasonable service is sometimes translated as “spiritual worship.” We no longer worship God by making sacrifices of animals. Rather, we worship Him by responding to His sacrifice of His Son by sacrificing our own lives to His service.

As living sacrifices, we bring to God sacrifices of praise, our attempts to express, from the depths of our souls, the highest honor for Him. We do this both orally and as we live in ever-increasing conformity to God’s dictates. We should be striving to use everything we say, do, and even think to bring glory to God. With the sin nature that is in us, we will not reach this goal. But if we are His, if our lives are given over to Him, we will be striving after this goal. From redeemed hearts filled with love, we sacrifice to Him.

Coram Deo Living before the face of God

The New Testament strongly asserts that the Christian life is a process of dying to self and living to God. In this process, our desires become more conformed to His, so that we want what He wants. Can you see this process taking place in your life? Make it a top prayer priority to seek the Spirit’s help to become a living sacrifice for God.

05/28/2026

Doing Good as a Sacrifice

Hebrews 13:16

“Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.”

Sacrifices of bulls, goats, lambs, and other animals have come to an end with the atoning work of Christ on the cross (Heb. 9:1–10:18). However, as we have seen, that does not mean Christians have no sacrifices to offer. Looking back on the great sacrifice of Christ in thanksgiving, we are commanded to continually offer up the sacrifice of praise unto God through Jesus (13:15). Today’s passage reveals another sacrifice that we must offer—doing good and sharing with others (v. 16).

Being part of God’s people has always entailed doing good and sharing what we have. Under the old covenant, for instance, the Israelites were to support their countrymen if they became poor and could not support themselves (Lev. 25:35–38). Proverbs 14:21 pronounces a blessing on those who are generous to the poor. This teaching on sharing with those who are in need carries over into the new covenant. Famously, James 1:27 says that pure and undefiled religion includes taking care of orphans and widows, for these individuals usually had no way to provide for themselves in the first century. Moreover, one of the reasons we are to labor is so that we can “have something to share with anyone in need” (Eph. 4:28).

We could cite many more passages of Scripture that tell us to share what we have with those who are in need. The point is that true Christianity and taking care of others who cannot care for themselves go hand in hand. Sharing with those in need is an essential part of Christian ministry, as virtually every theological tradition has affirmed. And, of course, there are many ways to do so. Our first priority is to help fellow Christians, as we are to do good to everyone but “especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Gal. 6:10). So, we must give to our churches’ deacons’ and benevolence funds and even extend help on our own to others in our churches whom we know have needs. Further, giving does not have to be only of money. Making meals for others, volunteering one’s services for childcare, home repair, yard work, and so on are all ways to do good and share. Even those who do not have a lot of money left over in their budget at the end of the month can volunteer their time and service.

Most Christians well understand this principle, but those who do not should heed John Calvin’s warning in his commentary on today’s passage. He notes that since doing good and sharing are sacrifices to God, we rob God when we do not obey this command.

Coram Deo Living before the face of God

Commenting on today’s passage, John Owen says that doing good at all times means being ready to do good, to follow through on this readiness, and to do so whenever we have opportunity. Having an intention to do good is a commendable thing, but we must follow through. As we are able, let us look for opportunities to do good to others, first to our fellow Christians and then to our non-Christian neighbors.

05/27/2026

The Way of Sacrifice
by Jeff Steel

Pastor’s Perspective

Paul’s letter to the Romans has been an enormous encouragement to Christians. It is a letter of confidence in the sovereign love of God who, through grace, has entered into a sovereign relationship with man. This God is explained, exalted, worshiped, and trusted in Paul’s letter, which is written with the underlying promise that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church.

For this reason, Paul begins his discourse with those heart-gripping words, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek” (Rom. 1:16). One can imagine the intensity on Paul’s face and the whiteness of his knuckles as he shook his fist in the air at the proclamation of these words. This is the message of Romans—a message of hope in our sovereign union with Christ and the call to be His disciples by taking up our crosses, following Him to Jerusalem, and dying to ourselves on behalf of the world. In covenant, God has shown us the way of sacrifice in order that we might win the world over to His kingdom.

This message is fleshed out for us in the instructions for Christian living that we find in chapters 12–15 of Romans. This is not to say that practical application is lacking in chapters 1–11; these chapters are filled with application. But what we find in chapters 12–15 is the call of the Israel of the new covenant, the church, to continue with what the King of Israel (Christ) accomplished in His ministry on earth, a ministry that continues now in heaven.

In Paul’s letter to the Colossians, he writes a verse that has troubled many scholars over the years, but one that we should not seek to explain away as we grow in our understanding of our union with Christ (e.g., Rom. 11; John 15): “I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ for the sake of His body, which is the church” (Col. 1:24). We need to read Romans 12–15 in light of Paul’s statement here as to what unites him to Christ as a disciple.

Israel was not to be some sort of set-apart and isolated dusty island that was to be forever internally focused. The Israelites were to die to themselves in order to bring all nations into Zion. This is the commission that Yahweh gave Israel as the nation stood about Sinai and received His gracious Word (Ex. 19:5–6). Israel failed in this call. However, Christ Jesus fulfilled it, and He now calls upon the church to live and love as He did in order to win the world. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not some sort of cheap grace, “let-go-and-let-God” message. It is not a message that gives us nothing to do. To be a disciple of Christ is a greater task than what was required in all the laws of the old covenant. In Romans 12–15, we are called to love and submit to God, to authorities, and to one another as Christ did! Love always costs.

This is why Paul says what he does in Romans 12:1–2 and uses this as the springboard to all of his practical theology in the remainder of the letter. Jesus was the bloody sacrifice that was to be offered up once and for all. But what is interesting about so much of the New Testament is its use of sacrificial language for the worshiping believer as well as for the life of the Christian. We find this in Paul’s words “living sacrifice” and “reasonable service.” It is by our worship and our service for the world that we prove what is “that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” This is a bloodless offering that is to continue every week in our worship services and every day as we live the Christian life.

Paul repeats this theme in Ephesians 5:2: “And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.” In our worship and our service to the world, we no longer offer up animals, because Christ’s sacrifice has atoned for our sins, but we become the “sacrificial” offering to God as we love as Christ has loved us. Paul states this truth in Romans 15:16, “… that I might be a minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, ministering the gospel of God, that the offering of the Gentiles might be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.”

This is the Christian love that is the fulfillment of the law. We are called to have the mind of Christ that is shown through humble self-sacrificing love toward one another and those in authority over us. When the church lives and worships in such a light, the Gospel will advance to fill the earth. As Adam was to rule through service in the garden, so we who are in Christ are to rule through our service of the world on Christ’s behalf.

Our righteousness and peace is found within the Gospel concerning the person and work of our Savior. We must not let our liberties or our consciences tear down the work of God’s kingdom, but we must live so as not to give offense and so that the Word of God may not be blasphemed. This was the sovereign work of Christ as set out from the beginning of His ministry—not to please Himself, but to please the One who sent Him. All that we accomplish in this service is the evidence of the grace of Christ working through us, which will result in the nations turning and streaming into the new heavenly Jerusalem.

Jesus said, “ ‘Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends’ ” (John 15:13). Jesus has done this as our righteousness in order that we now may do it for others. As we live sacrificially for Christ, let us remember that the life of a disciple costs; love came at a price and true love always involves true sacrifice.

Dr. Jeffrey H. Steel is a bereavement services manager in Daytona Beach, Fla.

05/26/2026

No Sacrifice Too Great
by Michael A.G. Haykin

In the final letter that we have from the apostle Paul, written in a lonely prison cell in Rome while he was expecting death for the sake of the gospel, he reminded his closest friend Timothy of the utter necessity of passing on the faith to “faithful men” (2 Tim. 2:2). It bears noting that what Paul envisaged in these words was not simply doctrinal instruction in the essentials of Christianity. Of course, Paul expected the training of future leaders to involve the handing on of doctrine. But, as is clear from a later statement by Paul in this letter, such transmission of the faith also involved the development of lifelong convictions and goals and the nurture of character — making the leader a person of love, patience, and steadfastness (3:10). Timothy knew exactly what Paul was talking about, for this was the very way the apostle had mentored Timothy.

Timothy had joined Paul’s apostolic band early on in what is termed Paul’s second missionary journey, that is, around 48 or 49 AD (Acts 16:1–3). As he traveled with Paul he saw firsthand what Paul later called his doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, and afflictions (2 Tim. 3:10–11). Timothy grew to know and embrace Paul’s theology and doctrinal convictions. He learned that at the heart of all genuinely Christian theology is God: the Father, His Son, and the Holy Spirit. He came to be grounded in the fact that the gospel is centered on the death and resurrection of Christ, the only way that men and women can come into a true and eternally beneficent relationship with this God, the creator of all that exists.

But Timothy also came to follow the way Paul lived, how he made decisions and determined the best use of his time. He learned Paul’s purpose for living, namely, the glorification of God and of His Son, Christ Jesus. Timothy absorbed Paul’s love for the church and compassion for those who were held in the darkness of sin. And he saw the way that Paul responded with patience and perseverance to difficulties and the fact that the apostle did not waver in his commitment to Christ despite persecution and affliction. In short, as Paul and Timothy spent this large amount of time together, Timothy’s soul began to mirror that of Paul, and his mind became increasingly attuned to the wavelengths of the apostle’s thinking (Phil. 2:19–22). This is mentoring.

Here is a pattern of pastoral training that must again shape the way that teaching takes place in our seminaries. The necessity of training the mind naturally requires academic excellence. But as seminary professors, our task is not finished when we walk out of the classroom. We need to get to know our students — their joys and heartaches, their hopes, aspirations, and concerns. They need to get to know us — our goals in life, our passions, and even our weaknesses. And this can only be done, if we, like Paul with Timothy, walk with them and they with us. This sort of theological education demands a transparency of soul and a knitting together of hearts, as well as the kindling of flame in the mind. In a very real sense, this sort of theological education and mentoring is patterned on the incarnation.

The great challenge, of course, in this way of incarnational mentoring is that it takes time. For many professors, time seems to be such a scarce commodity. I vividly recall some thirty years ago when I was doing doctoral studies at the University of Toronto, being told by Dr. Richard Longenecker, then my New Testament professor and in some ways a mentor to me, that if I thought I was busy in the doctoral program, just wait until I was teaching. I didn’t believe him, but he was right. Most seminary professors are busy men: teaching in seminary and in the church, as well as seeking to maintain an academic career and be fathers and husbands, sons, and friends. Where will we ever find the time to mentor as Paul did?

Three years before Basil Manly Jr., one of the four founding faculty of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, committed himself to the task of being a seminary professor in 1859, he stated that the “cause of theological education is one dearer to me than almost any other and I esteem no sacrifice too great for its promotion.” The sacrifices that especially he, James Petigru Boyce, and John Broadus were called upon to make for this seminary are well-known. Most seminary professors today are not called to walk such a road of sacrifice as those men were, but I am convinced that something of the spirit that animated Manly’s words must grip us.

Today, more than in the past, we are aware of the very real danger of our ministries crowding out other areas of vital importance — our devotion to wife and children, for example. Thus, while we cannot echo Manly’s sentiments without some qualification, we can nevertheless affirm the key point he was seeking to make. Leadership in the church is so important that we should be prepared to go to great lengths to see future leaders of the church trained. And that training, if it is to be biblical, must involve mentoring à la Paul! This will, of necessity, take time. But, from the point of view of eternity, it will be time well spent.


Dr. Michael A.G. Haykin is professor of church history and biblical spirituality and director of the Andrew Fuller Center for Baptist Studies at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Ky. He is author of several books, including Rediscovering the Church Fathers, The Christian Lover, and Eight Women of Faith.