Reading: James 2:14-26
Speaker: Tommy Pratt
Thoughts on Wise Living
“If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.”
Albert Einstein said that. And while the renowned theoretical physicist was no Christian, he certainly knew a thing or two.
My hope is for a happy life. I expect yours is too. But how do we live a happy life according to the genius who developed the theory of relativity? Well, we tie our hopes of happiness to a goal.
There are good goals and bad goals. Earthly goals and heavenly goals. Untold wealth and world domination would land in the first camp. But being a friend of God would most definitely rank as a high heavenly goal. How interesting, then, that as James describes living faith (or faith that works), he brings up Abraham, who “was even called the friend of God” (James 2:23).
To Isaiah, God called Israel the “descendants of Abraham my friend” (41:8). Abraham’s friendship with God was also mentioned by King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles. Thus Abraham is accorded the high honour of being called a “friend of God,” something so singular and so staggering that James still brings it up hundreds of years later.
Taken literally, Isaiah 41:8 can be translated as “Abraham, who loved Me.” And how did Abraham show his love for God? By having faith tied to deeds. The patriarch of Israel was more than an acquaintance of God. More than a companion. He was a friend of God. A chosen soul who shared mutual affection with the Lord of glory. He and his Creator knew and liked each other, they had shared interests, and they wanted to spend time together.
Friendship is not fickle. Scripture says: “A friend loves at all times” (Proverbs 17:17), bad times included. It goes on to say: “There are ‘friends’ who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother” (18:24). But why am I saying all this? Because we must ask why, when explaining true faith, James zeroes in on Abraham, the friend of God.
I think James mentions Abraham to give us a goal. He presents the high watermark in life: friendship with God. Like Einstein understood: “If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or things.” James wants us to live a life of God-given joy. He knows true happiness relates to proximity with God, and holy closeness comes from holy deeds.
There is faith in God, but even the demons believe. There is a knowledge of Christ, but even the devil knows Jesus. Ours is a higher bar. We are to meet Christ in Scripture, then pick up our cross, and follow after Him. There is to be head knowledge leading to heart transformation. Just listen to James when he asks:
“Don’t you remember that our ancestor Abraham was shown to be right with God by his actions when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete. And so, it happened just as the Scriptures say: ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.’ He was even called the friend of God” (James 2:21-23).
We are shown to be saved and in right-standing with God by what we do, not by faith alone. After all, you only know the wind is blowing out your window when you see it moving the trees. Our goal is friendship with God. Works are not the road that get us there, rather faith that works shows we have received God’s friendship. And that deserves a hearty AMEN.