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Dead Faith Can’t Bless You | Lessons From the Lord's Brother Season 2
February 9, 2026 · 18 min
Rabbi unpacks the powerful message of James - is belief enough? Through the examples of Abraham and Rahab, discover how your own faith can produce lasting spiritual fruit.
Series Discovering The Jewish Jesus February 9, 2026 · 18 min · Discovering The Jewish Jesus
Rabbi unpacks the powerful message of James - is belief enough? Through the examples of Abraham and Rahab, discover how your own faith can produce lasting spiritual fruit. ...more Show the full description Show less Rabbi unpacks the powerful message of James - is belief enough? Through the examples of Abraham and Rahab, discover how your own faith can produce lasting spiritual fruit.
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Rabbi Schneider is equipping the body of Christ, building the church, and evangelizing the world. From the Old and New Testament, learn the biblical roots of Christianity and Jesus' Jewish heritage.
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Faith Without Works Is Dead 0:07 I just think about a lot of people that I know. They're Christians, but their faith isn't alive to the place0:19 where their devotion to Jesus is being greatly manifested in their overall lifestyle. I mean, these are people I love, people that are0:31 committed to going to church, people that are sincere, but yet a lot of times nobody knows that they're believers0:43 except those closest to them because they're not living out their faith in the world by their actions. So James is challenging us and he's saying, faith0:55 without works is useless. He said, what good is your faith if you have no works that are being evidenced by it? What use is it I covered last1:07 time? If you say you believe, but there's no evidence through your mortal body. Because we're gonna be judged, the Bible teaches us, by the deeds that we've done in the flesh.1:19 So saving faith has to be manifest from the flesh. I know we have the story about the thief on the cross. He turned to Jesus at the last moment and Yeshua said to him, today you'll be with me in paradise.1:31 But consider this, the thief on the cross didn't have any opportunity to manifest any works because he was crucified that day. If he would have had an opportunity to be taken off that cross and given1:43 another chance to walk upon the earth, he would have had works because he had a saving faith. There's no such thing with a faith without works. And that's what1:55 James said in James 2 20. Faith without works, he said, is useless. It can't save you. It's not enough, you've heard this before, it's not enough just to believe the right2:07 things. Listen, James continues on. This is really powerful, because we're so much taught that, you know what, we're saved by faith through grace and that nothing else matters. And that's true. We're saved by2:18 faith through grace alone. 100 percent, I am a grace, grace, grace teacher. I was saved by grace. But real faith that is given to2:30 us as a gift from God is alive, and it will be manifest in the world by our works in the way that we live. We'll be alive in Christ. People will see, wow, there's something colorful in the Holy Spirit about that person's2:42 life. They have something I don't have. They see it by the way we live. So James continues to make his point that faith, if it's a real saving faith, will be manifest by obedience and2:54 in your actions, the way that we live and talk and love God. Listen what he says, was not Abraham our father? How was Abraham our father? Because Abraham's the first believer. Right? Jew and Gentile3:06 alike have their father in Abraham, because Abraham was called a believer and was justified before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the father3:17 of all believers, both the uncircumcised and the circumcised. Because Abraham then went on to birth Isaac, and then Isaac Jacob, who became obviously the line of Israel comes through3:29 that that that seed, that bloodline. So Abraham is the father of all believers. So James says, was not Abraham our father, get this now, justified by3:41 works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You say, Rabbi, but we're not justified by works, we're justified by grace through faith alone. That's true. But real3:53 faith is evidenced by works. And if there's no works, the faith you say you have is not saving faith. And so if you really have saving faith, it will be evidenced by your action.4:04 And when you complete faith by your works, when you let faith to reign through you, you'll be blessed. So James continues, was not Abraham our father justified I didn't write this,4:16 he wrote it. You gotta listen what I'm saying. I'm not saying this. I'm reading right out of the word here. Was not Abraham our father justified by works?4:29 That's different than what many of us been taught. Yes, we're justified by grace through faith alone, but real faith is evidenced by work, and works, the the the the obedience of faith completes4:41 the salvation process. We believe in our heart, and then we what? We do something, we confess. If you believe in your heart that God4:53 raised yes from the dead, but it doesn't stop there. Right? It says, and confess. You see your confession completes the saving faith, and confess with your mouth Jesus, Lord, you'll be5:05 saved. Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son in the altar? You see that faith was working with his works And as a result of the works,5:17 faith was perfected. Faith couldn't stay hidden. It had to be outworked by obedience. It says once again, faith was5:29 working with his works and as a result of the works, get it now, faith was perfected. It's not until we cooperate with faith by obedience5:41 that God's blessing is released through and upon our lives. James continues, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, and Abraham believed God and it was5:53 counted to him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Again, it6:05 seems to contradict other portions of scripture. In fact, Martin Luther, the great reformer, the founder of the Protestant Reformation, he didn't think that6:17 the Book of James should be included in the Bible. Because he felt like the writings of James, particularly what I'm teaching on right now, conflicted what with what he so believed to be true, that man was saved by grace6:29 through faith alone. He couldn't wrap his head around what James was saying here. And the reason Martin Luther had such a strong reaction to works is because he came out of the Catholic church, which taught6:40 salvation by works. You could even buy your salvation. So Martin Luther was so upset by this, and he came to the revelation that man was saved by grace through faith that he couldn't wrap his head around6:52 James' writing when James said, you see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of works, faith was perfected. And read it I'm gonna read it again, then I'm gonna go to the Book of Beersheba. And Abraham7:03 believed God, and it was reckoned him as righteousness, and he was called the friend of God. You see, James continues and concludes, that a man is justified by works and not by faith7:15 alone. So I wanna go now to the original context to which James is referring, and that's in the book of beginnings, the book that we7:27 call Genesis or we call Bereshit in Hebrew, to where the Torah records the incident in which James is drawing from.7:39 So I'm going to Bereshit or Genesis chapter number 22 and I'm picking up here in verse 16, where Abraham was obedient to the Lord when7:51 Yud Hey Vav Hey called him to sacrifice his son, Isaac, on the altar on Mount Moriah. So Abraham believed God and he was going to be8:03 obedient to God. He was just about to slay Isaac and God spoke. And Lord said, by myself, I have sworn, declares the Lord,8:15 declares Yod He Vav He, Yahweh. Because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, indeed,8:28 I will greatly bless you and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore. And your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies.8:40 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.8:53 So Abraham's faith was perfected by his works. It wasn't until Abraham acted that God said because you have done this thing Avraham and did not withhold9:05 your son from me, I myself have sworn that I will greatly bless you. And in your seed, Abraham, all the nations of the earth shall be blessed. So you9:17 see, James says, Abraham's works were working with his faith and perfected his faith, and the same is true for you and I. And so James used the example in the beginning of the9:29 chapter, if you see somebody that doesn't have a nickel in their pocket, has nothing to eat, and you say, God bless you, but yet you're not a blessing to them. By doing something to literally help them9:40 in the here and the now, in the natural world, James says, what good is your faith? That's not real faith. And so, this is this is cause for us to continually say, Lord, tell9:52 me how I'm doing. How am I how am I walking? We always walk in in a spirit of self examination. I I strive to, not to walk in a spirit of condemnation,10:05 but examination. Like, Lord, am I living up to my calling? The scripture says that we should walk worthy of our calling. And so James is helping us to do that. He's putting the magnifying10:16 glass of the Holy Spirit on our heart, wanting us to deal with our heart. He got done previously in the chapter talking about mercy. Are we living as people that show mercy? And we10:28 need to monitor, am I showing mercy to people Lord? Or is my attitude full of hate and condemnation or accusation? And when I find myself in a spirit of accusation towards others, I need to repent. Say, God help me, help10:40 me Lord. Help me to walk in your love and your mercy. And similarly now James is helping us to examine our walk with Hashem, Father God, by saying, now listen, let's talk about faith. You say you have faith,10:53 but does the world see that you have faith? Are you living in obedience to God's commands? Okay, let's move on. And so, he uses the example of Rahab the harlot who was justified11:05 by her works when she received the messengers. Remember the spies that we read about in the Torah into her home. And so James concludes this topic by saying in verse 26, for just as the body11:17 without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead. Baruch Hashem. Amen? Blessed be the name of the Lord. Be11:29 encouraged. This isn't to condemn us, this is to help us. Amen? To bring us up to the next level, to let us examine ourselves by the light of the Holy Spirit, to let the Holy Spirit examine us.11:42 You know, David prayed to the Lord in the Psalms. He said, test me, he said, and know me, and find out if there's any impure way in me, and cleanse me, and sanctify me, and11:53 deliver me from all transgression. So this type of preaching beloved, it's not to make you feel bad, it's to help us to separate ourselves unto the father and to live in the12:05 light of his word. Well, James continues now with something that's kind of interesting. In the third chapter he says, let not many of you become teachers. Let me say it again. Let not many of you becomeAccountability for Teachers and Bridling the Tongue 12:17 teachers, my brother, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment. But James says something interesting. He said, let not let not many of12:28 you strive to become teachers because teachers are gonna incur a stricter judgment. We're gonna be held to a higher level of accountability.12:41 So I just wanna say to those of you that are teachers, we need to measure ourselves by our calling. We need to walk worthy of our calling because we're gonna come into the light of God's, spirit,12:54 when when we stand before him. And there's gonna be more required of us than it has is going to be required of those that haven't been given as much. The scripture says is to13:06 him that's been given much, much is required. So if you've been given the call or the office of being a teacher, there's more required of you. Your lifestyle and my13:18 lifestyle has to be more disciplined than somebody that's not a teacher. It doesn't mean that we're not all called to be conformed to the image of Christ, we are. But somehow as those that are13:30 leaders, we are called to model Yeshua and Jesus in a way that is excelling beyond someone that is not walking in this13:42 office. So I want you just to open your heart if you teach to recognize that you've been called as a soldier. I mean, a soldier when they enter the army, they have to live a disciplined lifestyle.13:54 I mean, they're all about service to the country. They're all about waking up in the morning and serving their country and the military service that has14:05 enlisted them. And so you and I, especially those of us that are teachers, need to recognize that we don't belong to ourselves. And we can't just go live in a way that we're trying to get the most out of life in terms of14:17 looking to the world. We need to recognize that we are enlisted to model Christ to the world. Let's move on. He said, for we all stumble in many ways, this is the first way that not only teachers14:29 need to to to look at themselves and and and and and examine themselves, but all of us for that matter. For we all stumble in many ways, If anyone does not stumble in what he says, he14:41 is a perfect man and able to bridle the whole body as well. So James is now moving to the topic of bridling what we say,14:52 bridling the tongue. And in the next episode, I'm gonna get more into some of the illustrations that James gives us about this. But here James said, and what I just read, that he that15:04 bridles his tongue is able to direct the course of his entire life just by bridling his tongue. For we all stumble in many ways, If15:16 anyone get it now, does not stumble in what he says, he is a perfect man, now get this, able to bridle the whole body as well. So15:28 if you could control your tongue, you know what's gonna come next? You're gonna get a reign on your thoughts. You can't get a reign over15:40 your thoughts without first controlling your tongue. It's easier to control the tongue than it is to control your thoughts. You start with controlling15:52 your tongue. You don't let anything that proceed out of your mouth that's unwholesome or that you sense is coming, get this now, from a wrong place.16:04 Listen to what I just said. Don't let anything come out of your mouth, my beloved son and daughter in the Lord, that's coming from the wrong place. You can feel16:16 it if you're open to the Holy Spirit. If you're looking to the Lord and willing to allow yourself to be examined by the Holy Spirit, or your heart is open and available to the light of16:28 the Holy Spirit and you're examining yourself in his light, you'll be able to tell when you say something whether it's coming from the right place. Why are you bringing that subject up? Why are you asking16:40 about that person? Is it coming from a pure place? Is it coming from a place of goodness? Or is it coming from a place of jealousy, hatred, pride? It's16:51 gossip. James says if you'll bridle your tongue and only let come out of your mouth what is good, you'll then be able to control your entire body and your thoughts will come into17:03 divine alignment. Yeshua said that which is born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of spirit is spirit. And the apostle Paul17:15 taught that the flesh warreth against the spirit, and the spirit warreth against the flesh. I want you to think about this concept with me for a second as it relates to17:27 the surrendering of our finances to God. For many of us, surrendering our finances to God, it's hard for the flesh. Because in the flesh, we just want to accumulate and build what we17:39 think is a financial foundation, and we don't naturally sometimes trust God. And yet God is calling us to resist the flesh and to resist the natural inclination to hang17:51 on and to hold on, and instead to trust him and to honor him with our finances. And so I wanna just simply encourage you today if your heart is bearing witness with18:03 what I'm saying, honor the Lord with your finances. And if you're being blessed by this ministry, beloved 1, I'd like to ask you today, make an offering to him through d j j.In this video 0:00 Faith Without Works Is Dead12:07 Accountability for Teachers and Bridling the Tongue10:39
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