Faith or Works (Paul vs James)

Recently I’ve had reason to revisit the idea that Paul and James have conflicting views of justification by faith alone. By selecting ‘proof’ verses it is easy to quickly generate more heat than light.

Here are the verses:

James says:

Jas 2:17  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough[for justification] Unless it [faith] produces good deeds, it [faith] is dead and useless.(NLT)

Paul says:

Rom 4:5  But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners. (NLT)

 

The purpose of this article is to show how I understand that Paul and James do not contradict each other about being justified by faith alone. If we have justifying faith it will show up in our lives (sometime) and if it doesn’t then our faith was dead in the first place.

In school two of my favorite instructors told us that Paul and James were not contradictory about faith and works. I was having a hard time with that concept. These men were PhDs in theology, both knew Greek and Hebrew, they had years of experience with faith and God, and I certainly didn’t have the credentials to tell them they were wrong.

I kept asking myself, what are they seeing that I don’t see? Then one day it hit me, Paul was from New Jersey and James was from Missouri. Paul explains how our justification before God is by our faith in what God has already done – God didn’t/doesn’t need any effort on our part. James, on the other hand, is from the ‘show-me’ state, James’ emphasis is on how others can see that we have justification by faith alone. I’ve quoted some James verses highlighting his ‘show me’ emphasis:

Jas 2:14-26 NLT

(14)  What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? (15)  Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, (16)  and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do?

(17)  So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless. (18)  Now someone may argue, “Some people have faith; others have good deeds.” But I say, “How can you show me your faith if you don’t have good deeds? I will show you my faith by my good deeds.”

(19)  You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror. (20)  How foolish! Can’t you see that faith without good deeds is useless?

(21)  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? (22)  You see, his faith and his actions worked together. His actions made his faith complete [visible].

(23)  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. (24)  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone.

(25)  Rahab the prostitute is another example. She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them safely away by a different road.

(26)  Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works.

Paul, being from New Jersey, shows us how God provided justification and that we get the benefit of it when we put our confidence in that work, and we don’t try to make God’s provisions better by our actions. Here are some verses where Paul talks about justification by faith:

Rom 3:21-31 NLT  But now God has shown us a way to be made right with Him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago.  (22)  We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.

(23)  For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.  (24)  Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when He freed us from the penalty for our sins.  (25)  For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed His life, shedding His blood. This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when He held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past,  (26)  for He was looking ahead and including them in what He would do in this present time. God did this to demonstrate His righteousness, for He Himself is fair and just, and He declares sinners to be right in His sight when they believe in Jesus.

(27)  Can we boast, then, that we have done anything to be accepted by God? No, because our acquittal is not based on obeying the law. It is based on faith.

(28)  So we are made right with God through faith and not by obeying the law.  (29)  After all, is God the God of the Jews only? Isn’t He also the God of the Gentiles? Of course He is.  (30)  There is only one God, and He makes people right with Himself only by faith, whether they are Jews or Gentiles.

(31)  Well then, if we emphasize faith, does this mean that we can forget about the law? Of course not! In fact, only when we have faith do we truly fulfill the law.

Paul uses Abraham as an example:

Rom 4:2-5 NLT  If his [Abraham] good deeds had made him acceptable to God, He would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way.  (3)  For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.”  (4)  When people work, their wages are not a gift, but something they have earned.  (5)  But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.

I like these next verses from Paul; they make James’s point perfectly. Abraham was justified by faith, and faith alone (Rom 4.3). Then, after he was declared righteous, he did what God asked, thus proving (showing) that he had faith in God.

Rom 4:9-11 NLT  Now, is this blessing [being acceptable to God]only for the Jews, or is it also for uncircumcised Gentiles? Well, we have been saying that Abraham was counted as righteous by God because of his faith.  (10)  But how did this happen? Was he counted as righteous only after he was circumcised, or was it before he was circumcised? Clearly, God accepted Abraham before he was circumcised!  (11)  Circumcision was a sign that Abraham already had faith and that God had already accepted him and declared him to be righteous—even before he was circumcised. So Abraham is the spiritual father of those who have faith but have not been circumcised. They are counted as righteous because of their faith.

Paul also makes James’s point in Galatians where he says faith needs an expression in love. James, in his book, does not explain how to be a Christian, he doesn’t present the gospel, he assumes that most of his readers are already justified by faith. The example James uses for ‘works’ is a loving act to people that ask for assistance, he does not use a keeping-of-the-law example (Jas 2:15-16). Paul expresses this same idea, thus agreeing with James:

Gal 5:6  For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love.

This is one of my favorite subjects and I could continue writing about it for pages and pages. An example of God’s grace could be like a parent giving their son a house, free and clear. Then, on the first of the month the son goes to the bank to pay the first month’s mortgage payment. The banker must tell him that he cannot make a payment, he doesn’t owe anything – the house is free and clear. The son is to go and live as a home-owner, he does not live to become a home owner.

Summary:

Both Paul and James agree that Abraham was justified by faith alone.

Jas 2:23  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. (NLT)

Rom 4:3  For the Scriptures tell us, “Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith.” ( NLT)

 

Paul says we too are justified by faith alone:

Rom 4:5  But people are counted as righteous, not because of their work, but because of their faith in God who forgives sinners.(NLT)

James says that after we are justified by faith, that faith will not remain alone, it will show up in what we do and if it doesn’t, we didn’t have it in the first place – the faith we claimed to have was dead.

Jas 2:24  So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. (NLT)

Paul also says we should do good things after we’re justified, but not to become or remain justified.:

Eph 2:9-10 NLT  Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.  (10)  For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things He planned for us long ago [works of faith].

Tit 2:14 NLT  He gave His life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us His very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.

The key idea is: God provided us free justification, we accept it by faith (no works). Our justification by God will change our lives, if it doesn’t we have not accepted God’s free gift.

Paul and James agree. Paul emphasizes that we are justified by faith alone, James emphasizes that our justifying faith will not remain alone (hidden) it will show up in the way we live.