Christians throughout generations have struggled with reconciling statements between Paul and James. Paul teaches salvation by faith they say and James teaches salvation by works. We will take a closer look at their statements and see if we can reconcile their opposing views.
Romans 4:1-5 What shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ’And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.’ Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness.
Galatians 2:16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.
James 2:14-24 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 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? 17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18 But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23 and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness”—and he was called a friend of God. 24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
Funny enough, they both use Abraham has their example. Here are the opposing thoughts more exactly laid out:
Paul: we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ
James: You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.
So how are we to understand James?
James does not say faith alone won’t save you. He says, “can that faith save him?” What faith is he referring to? The claim of faith unsupported by the evidence, “someone says he has faith but does not have works.”
Is James saying that our works are what justify us before God? Not at all, he is saying that our works justify our faith. Not everyone who says they believe something should be believed. If their actions are perpetually and greatly out of line with their professed beliefs we are right to question if they believe what they say they do in the first place. Merely saying we have faith that we don’t really have won’t actually save us.
How do we know if someone is lying about their faith or if they actually have saving faith? They will generally act in accordance with their faith.
Luke 6:43-44 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush.
A tree is recognized by it’s fruits. If you go to an apple tree and all the fruits look good but one apple is rotten, you trust the tree is in good shape and you should simply throw away the bad apple. But if all of the fruit on the tree is rotton, there’s something wrong with the tree itself.
If you hear a report on the news that a major hurricane will hit Florida and you live in the flood zone in a trailer home what would you do if you believed the report? Unless you were suicidal, you would take your belongings and travel out of the area. But what if you thought it was fake news, or old news, or the weather reporter had a track record of crying wolf and being wrong in his predictions. Perhaps you wouldn’t leave the flood zone or you would at least seek other evidence.
If such a person is your dear neighbor and you see them stay in their house while the hurricane is coming, wouldn’t you go and try to convince them that the hurricane is really coming and it’s a major threat? You would do this because you knew by the neighbor’s actions that they didn’t believe the report was real or were hindered from leaving.
Let’s take a more relevant example. If you believe Jesus completely forgave your sins and you are never going to be punished by God, what behaviors could people reasonably expect to see from someone who holds this belief? Perhaps more peace? A stronger willingness to forgive others?
Colossians 3:13 Bear with one another and forgive any complaint you may have against someone else. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.
Luke 7:47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”
This seems to be the very behavior that James is referencing when he makes his point about dead faith.
James 2:12 So speak and so act as those who are to be judged under the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.
Right after he says, “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works?” It seems he’s concerned that because these Jews were continually not acting merciful to those around them, it brought into question if they really believed Jesus forgave their sins.
So then if someone is perpetually unforgiving towards others, do they really believe Jesus forgave them or are they just saying that Jesus forgave them because our culture says it? Or at least, if they do believe, do they really understand it? Do they hold contradicting beliefs that may invalidate that forgiveness? Beliefs such as God forgave me but I will still experience his judgement, or God forgave me but I’m still under the curse of the law?
Sometimes the fact that we don’t live according to our beliefs is because of cognitive dissonance. We believe two things that contradict each other and because of that our actions are inconsistent as well. Other times we don’t act in line with our values and beliefs because of fallen human nature. I may believe Christ forgave me, but I was so hurt by what this person said about me I don’t want to forgive them, at least not right away.
When we disappoint ourselves in this way, it doesn’t prove we don’t hold the values we do. We all behave in ways we ourselves don’t value from time to time. But sometimes it’s the fact that we feel guilty about it, that we wish we could do better, that we seek to make things right or apologize that show we really hold the values we do, even when our actions disappointed ourselves.
The point is, the Bible understands this inconsistency. Our works don’t always line up 100% with our beliefs. That’s why there’s grace. As Paul says,
Romans 7:14-25 We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. 15 I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. 16 And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. 17 As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.
21 So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 22 For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; 23 but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. 24 What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? 25 Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!
So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.
What is Paul’s answer?
Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.
Paul wants to do right. He believes God has good and fair expectations of him, but he is frustrated that sin prevents him from obeying the way he should. Does his disobedience prove that he doesn’t really agree with God’s commands? Not at all, “For in my inner being I delight in God’s law” and “I agree that the law is good.” Yet despite failing, his faith in Jesus saves him from condemnation.
Bringing this back to James. James could not be saying that faith does not save a person or that a person needs to meet a quota of good deeds to be saved. Our faith is not in ourselves or a belief that we are perfect people. It is in fact a belief that I am not a perfect person therefore I need to trust the one person who is perfect and paid for my sins.
James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
What James is saying in chapter 2 is that if we truly rely on Jesus and have faith that he makes us right before God how does it make sense if we are perpetually unmerciful to others? These actions prove that we don’t truly have the faith we claim we do. Remember this is not about being perfectly merciful 100% of the time. It’s realizing that if the vast majority of the time I am chosing willfully to be unmerciful to others, I cannot have the faith I say I do. This is a dead faith, or in other words a lie.
James 2:22-23 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”
We all respond to the beliefs we hold whether good or bad. They cause us to act differently and having certain beliefs lead us to expect certain behaviors. Abraham trusted God’s promise that God would give him a son and many descendants through that son and thus he was expected to not be worried even if he put his son to death. He knew God could not break his promise and was all powerful. He could even raise Isaac from the dead if he had to (Hebrews 11:19). Although Abraham’s actions might seem unreasonable to us, his beliefs made such an action make sense and we may even say was the only logically expected action if God’s pronouncement of him was true. James is making the point that Abraham’s actions were perfecting or “validating” or “proving genuine” his faith. Notice his actions weren’t validating his faith before God, because God had already seen Abraham had faith, but for us worldly skeptics, it erased all doubt in our minds that Abraham did truly believe in God’s promise. So the expectation created from that belief, the behavior that would confirm such a belief was genuine, was fulfilled. So James, who is a wordly skeptic, not an all-knowing God, is using this to rebuke some individuals who say they have faith in Christ but they themselves are unmerciful to others. He’s showing why he has permission to question if their faith is genuine, because it’s not consistent with their unmercifulness.
In conclusion, James is not denying justification by faith only, he is questioning if the people who claim they have saving faith truly have the faith they say they do when their actions betray those beliefs.