Rev. Mark Wright
New Beginnings Baptist Church
I’d like to share my message from James chapter 2 that I preached this past Sunday morning. The question is: are we 2D Christians or 3D Christians? What is the difference?
1. A 2D Christian is a like picture which has height and width, but no depth. James said in verses 1-16 that if you just say you have faith, but never show you have faith and believe in God you are just like a portrait. It can’t do anything but make a show and hang on the wall. Verse 19 also says if you say you believe in God so do the Devils and they tremble. But the problem is there are no saved Devils.
2. The 3D Christians are the real believers. In verses 20-26, James explains that faith without works is dead. In other words, true saving faith will produce something.
When a person accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and savior the Holy Spirit comes into that person’s heart and saves them. Then the growing process begins with Christ working through the believer and God’s will is being accomplished.
Then James goes on and explains how in verses 21-24 that God tests Abraham. Abraham follows through with his faith test and was willing to offer his only son Isaac, but Abraham is stopped before he follows through with it. But Abraham reckons his son as good as dead and God knew he would obey. Also Isaac obeys his father in being willing to be sacrificed. Isaac is spared, yet God the Father does not spare Jesus from dying on the cross for our sins.
Abraham is the perfect typology of our New Testament salvation. (Romans 4:3) “…Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
Just like today we believe from the heart and repent of our sin and trust what Jesus Christ did on the cross and the shedding of His blood is sufficient to save us .Then James speaks of another person, Rahab the Harlot, who believed and obeyed God. We went from the great Patriarch Abraham to the lowest of low Rahab the Harlot and conclude everyone has to come the same way.
The ground is level at the cross. The last verse in Chapter 2, verse 26 says, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”
Are you for real (3D) or you just like a picture (2D)? Believe and be born again today! God bless you and God go with you.
