Faith & Works - James vs. Paul

There are many people today who do not understand what is written in the bible, mainly because they read it through a certain lens and do not believe Paul when he wrote, “all Scripture is breathed out by God.” (2 Timothy 3:16) If we as Christians are to believe that Scripture is the Words of God in written form, as Paul suggests then there should be no contradictions correct, as “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind.” (Numbers 23:19) However there appears to be just such a contradiction between two of the writers of the New Testament. Both Paul and James paraphrase Genesis 15:6 which states that Abraham “believed the LORD, and he counted it to him as righteousness.” Yet both apostles take this to different ends, James says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (James 2:24) Paul holds to something appearing to be totally different, “to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” (Romans 4:5)

Well that proves it, the Bible is not inspired right? Well being a bible believing Christian I don’t think so. We must look at the texts more closely along with Paul’s other writings. If scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35) then these two must coincide somehow. Both James and Paul quote Genesis 15:6 thus we must ask if James is correcting Paul, or if he is correcting an abuse of Paul. These are two very different things, yet if we are to believe that both what Paul and James wrote was scripture and breathed out by God then we must state that the latter is true, which scripture agrees with.

Paul was not a foolish man, he understood that His teaching of grace alone would be abused and twisted by some false brothers. This is why he wrote in Romans 3:8, “And why not do evil that good may come?—as some people slanderously charge us with saying. Their condemnation is just.” And Romans 6:1,2 “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? By no means!”

In Galatians 5:13 Paul tells us, “For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.” Does this mean that we are justified however we must work to be justified? Is grace simply the starting point from which we work to be fully saved? Is that what Paul meant?

No, if we look back a few verses to Galatians 5:6 we see James and Paul in harmony “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.” Note that it is not the works that count for anything but the faith working through love. It is not faith plus works rather it is the correct type of faith that counts with God. What is the correct type of faith, the faith that justifies? Faith from which love flows.

That is what James was trying to correct in the churches he was writing to. Faith without love is useless, it is the sort of faith that at best the demons have. 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?” Note the concern of James is not the works, but the faith. If I simply believe yet do not love can I be saved, as James later asks, “If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?” (v.15;16) According to James such faith is dead, as it does not work through love. James addresses this dead faith in other ways, those with perfect doctrine such as the demons (v.19) and useless faith that is empty (v.20). These passages agree with Paul that faith that does not work through love is dead, useless, and cannot justify anyone as it has no life.

As I previously stated both Paul and James quote Genesis 15:6 (cf. James 2:23, Romans 4:3), both state that it is the belief, the faith that is reckoned as righteousness. However James also makes reference to where Abraham’s faith is tested on Mount Moriah in Genesis 22:1ff, stating that if your faith does not work through love and you simply have correct doctrine, the faith of the Demons, dead faith, that which does not work through love, and useless faith which is idle, empty, or ineffective it will not stand God’s testing of faith. However one must understand what was being tested; it was the faith of Abraham. This was not where Abraham was justified though, that was back in Genesis 15:6.

Therefore in James 2:21 which states that Abraham was justified by works, James means something different from when Paul denies that man is justified by works (Romans 3:28; 4:2; 4:5) If asked the following question, does the ongoing and final reckoning of Abraham’s righteousness depend on works as the evidence of true faith? Both James and Paul would answer the same way. Yes. However if you asked how an ungodly person become justified and receive the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus as a gift? Both would answer as James did in James 2:23 “believe God, and it will counted to him as righteousness" (paraphrase mine)

To ask if justification is dependent upon works of love in order to have a final right standing with God, Paul will answer no, if by works of love you mean anything done to show that we deserve God’s blessings. James will answer yes, if by works you mean evidence of faith or fruit such as that Abraham’s obedience showed on Mount Moriah.

Thus for Paul justification by works means gaining a right standing with God based upon the merit of our works, Paul rejects this notion. James on the other had when speaking of justification by works means maintaining a right standing with God by faith alone with the evidences of faith, works of love. However based upon each others definitions they would agree.

We are justified by faith alone but Christ works in us through that faith to make us a new person, a new creation that is works through love. Paul describes this relationship of faith and works in Ephesians 2:8-10 “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.”

The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

Saving Faith - The Intimacy of Subjective and Objective Faith

There is far too often a total misconception of the word “faith” in the Bible. Many liberal theologians will argue that a subjective faith only matters in so much that you believe in something. They see faith only as the subjective believing rather than both that and that which is the belief. It is very easy to see the subjective side of faith however if that faith is not in “the faith” then it is futile. This is clearly evident in texts such as Jude 3 and 2 Timothy 3:8. If we are to “contend for the faith” are we simply to contend that people simply believe something, or do we contend that they believe something specific, namely the Word of God? If it were not an objective faith that we are to contend for then why were Jannes and Jambres disqualified for “the Faith” for opposing Moses?

This is why “faith is the assurance of things hoped for,” that is the promises of God, the objective faith “the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) That is the subjective faith. What is “hoped for” is the object of faith and the conviction is the subjective portion of faith. These two things are intimately related in the nature of Christian Saving Faith. The Heidelberg Catechism states it this way:

It is not only a certain knowledge by which I accept as true all that God has revealed to us in His Word, but also a firm confidence which the Holy Spirit creates in me through the gospel that, not only to others but to me also God has given the forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation, out of sheer grace solely for the sake of Christ’s saving work.

Throughout Hebrews chapter Eleven, often referred to as the Faith chapter we see the intermingling of the subjective and objective faith “By faith we understand [the subjective] that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible [the objective].” (v.3) This is explained in more detail through of the Saints of the Old Testament, “For by it the people of old received their commendation.” (v.2)

First we see that “By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts.” (v.4) It was the subjective faith of Abel in the objective faith of what God had taught about sacrifices and “that without the shedding of blood there can be no forgiveness of sin.” (Hebrews 9:22) Abel’s sacrifice pointed forward toward the coming of Christ and His perfect sacrifice.

Next we see “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God.” (v.5) Here we must remember the words of the text in Genesis 5:24, “Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.” Amos 3:3 states “Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?” If he simply had faith and not the faith then how could he have walked with God? Note that the following verse of Hebrews (v.6) states: “without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists” there is the subjective faith in the first half of the verse and the objective portion in the latter half.

Verses Seven through Eleven speak of the faith of three heroes of the Faith. First we see that Noah believes [subjectively] God’s proclamation of the rains [the objective]. Next we see that Abraham responds to God’s call to go by faith, believing [subjective] in the reward promised by God [the object]. Finally we see the faith of Sarah who believed [subjectively] the promise [the object] of God that she would, in her old age bare a son.

We could continue this for the next thirty-two verses pointing that the subjective faith of these saints of the Old Testament had their subjective faith rooted in the objective truth of God’s promises, “the Faith.” Their faith [subjective] was not simply a feeling, trance, institution, or anything other than trust in that which God revealed.

“And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect.” (v.39-40) Note these Old Testament saints did not receive the fullness of the promise in their lifetimes but instead looked forward to the coming of Christ and what He would do for them, just as we look back at what He did for us. We must remember how this section on faith concludes in Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.”

Christ is the perfecter of our faith, both the subjective and objective. It is in His objective Word that the object of “the faith” which we as Christians profess, giving substance to our objective faith. Subjective faith is not saving faith unless it is intimately involved with the objective faith that is the doctrine of Christianity. (Hebrews 4:2) Saving faith is only saving faith when it is the subjective faith, that is believing, being rooted in the objective faith, that is the Word of God. Therefore I encourage you as the saints of old to look to Jesus as described in the Word of God, “the author and perfecter of our faith” for it is in Him alone that we are made perfect.

Grace and Peace