
Does James contradict Paul?
If you read the context of James, I wrote a commentary on James, you will find there is absolutely no conflict between the infamous verse in James about “justification by works” and what Paul specifically said many times, that we are justified by faith alone, NOT by works.
James says, “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
Paul says, “man is not justified by works.”
On the surface those look like contradictory statements, if read out of context. But you see, that is the crux of the matter. I took those verses out of context.
James, writes, “man is justified by works” and that is what is usually quoted. But if you look at the whole verse, in the whole context, you will see a very interesting phrase which is “you see”. Here is the entire verse, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.”
And in the entire context, James 2:14–26, the phrase “you see”, or some form of it, is repeated multiple times. And that is the key to unlocking what James is writing about.
I will cut to the chase by simply asking, is there any way you can show me your faith? Can you take it out of your pocket, put your faith on the table and show it to me, so I too “can see” your faith?
Your answer should be NO.
But James makes the statement about “seeing” someone’s faith. And this is the issue, James says plainly, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I will show you my faith by my works.” Again, can you show me your faith?
So, the question James is asking is about a demonstration of faith, i.e. not saving faith. And a key Hermeneutical key is James statement, “I will show you my faith by my works.” This statement is often overlooked as a Hermeneutical key to the intent of James writing and a key to the context of the point he is making, i.e. he is talking about a demonstration of faith by works, which is made painfully clear in this statement, “I will show you my faith by my works."
Another Hermeneutic key to the context is the larger context of the rest of scripture, which makes it abundantly clear that salvation is never a condition of our works, but rather solely conditional on the work of Christ alone, no work of ours can add to the efficacy of the work of Christ, scripture says, “even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ not by works”, but by grace & faith alone. This is a Hermeneutical key that should be held as a bedrock principle in understanding James in context!
Let’s look at Hebrews 11, which is devoted to the concept of faith being demonstrated by works, to get a better idea of the relationship of faith and works, it starts by saying, “without faith it is impossible to please Him” v. 6.
Let’s look at an example from Hebrews 11, using the same example of Abraham, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance” This verse shows faith came first, then works, so we can as James says “see”, Abraham’s faith demonstrated by his works.
This is the equation under discussion, it is “faith” first, then works, “by going out to a place”. Again, that lets us “see” he had faith, i.e. by faith, then works, he went out. If he did not go out, then we would conclude that he did not believe what God said, or as James puts it, his faith would be dead, i.e. no faith/belief in God’s word.
For more contextual proof of the concept that James is referring to a demonstration of faith by our works, not that works saves, since according to Hebrews that would be getting the cart before the horse, i.e. “without faith it is impossible to please Him”, not “without works it is impossible to please him”.
The example James uses when he makes the statement “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” is about Abraham and Issac, but this event happened in Gen. 22. Yet in Gen. 15:6, which of course is prior to Gen. 22 and is in chronological order also, meaning the events in Gen 15 happened chronologically before the events of Gen. 22, it says in Gen, 15 “Then he (Abraham) believed in the LORD; and He (God) reckoned it to him as righteousness.”
So, Abraham had already been declared righteous by faith before the events of Gen. 22. The Issac incident James quotes is a demonstration of Abraham’s prior justification, mentioned in Gen. 15 or as Paul puts it, “For if Abraham was declared righteous by works, he has something to boast about—but not before God. For what does the scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
And again James, uses the phrase “you see”, “You see that his faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected (as we can see) by works.”
James is just talking about the flip side of the coin, as faith produces works, without the works “we see” they have no faith. Faith and works go together, like heads and tails, but faith always comes first resulting in works, therefore faith is the active agent in the doctrine of Justification, not works, so that “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” It is faith that justifies, and it is faith that precedes any works! But if no works, we can also see there is no faith.
The only way faith can “be seen” as James says over and over again is by works, since faith is an intangible, you cannot pull faith out of your pocket and lay it on the table.
Works is the only way that I “can see” someone is justified. He even says, “You see that his faith was working together with his works”.
James even finishes with “Now Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness”, again that happened before Isaac. Why would he turn around and contradict himself in the same paragraph if he really meant works justify? He did not!
Faith results in works so his point is, if there are no works then that is not real faith that leads to Justification. But just as it says in Hebrews 11, “without faith it is impossible to please Him”, then it lists their works. Faith always comes first, but faith without works is dead, i.e. not saving faith.
So, the book of James is compatible with all of the biblical statements on justification (Salvific) that state that we are justified without works, but the only way that can be seen by other mere mortals is by our works.
We see in what James said about the relationship of faith and works, why Jesus himself said, "Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles? And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; leave Me, you who practice lawlessness.’
Why did Jesus say this, they had works? He said it, because they did not have saving faith in Christ himself, and because they were relying on their works to justify themselves, not having faith solely in Christ and his death for sin as the only sufficient payment for their sin.
This is the dilemma of those who partly rely on works for salvation. The practice of relying on works for salvation devalues the sufficiency of Christ's death alone and his grace alone being the only foundation for salvation. Christ alone paid the penalty of sin for us, no works can pay the penalty of sin, which is death, only death can pay that penalty. And it is only the death of Christ that is sufficient to pay that penalty.
Saying any works are needed, is by that measure devaluing the death of Christ as sufficient for full payment!! As a crude example, if we quantify this error, then let's say for the penalty of sin to be paid 100%, we need to add 20% good works in payment of the penalty, then that means the death of Christ only pays 80% of that penalty. This is what those who rely on works as part of the payment, essentially are saying, i.e. when they imply anyone needs to add good works to salvation from sin.
Christ paid it all, or he did not pay it at all!!!!! But what does scripture say? Christ on the cross said, "It is paid in full", some translate this as "it is finished", but the Greek says, paid in full, which means nothing else is needed or could add to his total and complete payment of the penalty of sin for us!
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