James and Paul: Glimmering Facets of Salvation

Introduction

A diamond facet is often described as a window into the diamond. In more simple terms, facets are the flat surfaces cut onto a gemstone and arranged in a geometrical pattern. When light enters the diamond, it refracts off of the intricately placed facets causing beautiful optical effects that make your diamond sparkle and shine. A diamond cutter seeks to angle and arrange the facets in the most advantageous way to ensure the right amount of light enters and reflects from the diamond (www.kenanddanadesign.com).

In a sense the language used to describe different aspects of salvation are like facets of a diamond. They help us peer into the beauty of God’s deliverance of sinners. There are many words used to describe aspects of salvation: Election and predestination, calling, conversion, new birth and regeneration, forgiveness & pardon, substitution & mediation, atonement, propitiation & expiation, justification, imputation, reconciliation, adoption, sanctification, redemption, and glorification.

Over the course of the Christian life, one of greatest joys is learning about how God planned to deliver us, has delivered us, is delivering us and will deliver us. Today, it is our pleasure to compare and contrast James and Paul regarding their use of the word justification.

PRAY

The Contrasting Texts

James 2:14–26 ESV

14 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. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

Romans 3:27–4:5 ESV

27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law. 1 What then shall we say was gained by Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh? 2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” 4 Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due. 5 And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,

The Consistency of Scripture

Before we proceed, there are a couple of possibilities that are not possibilities. Some think James and Paul are contradicting each other. Others believe Paul’s teaching is lesser than James’ or James’ teaching is lesser than Paul’s. Why is it that James and Paul cannot contradict or be considered inferior to each other? God is the author behind the authors.

2 Timothy 3:16–17 ESV

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

1 Thessalonians 2:13 ESV

13 And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.

The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy.

The Challenge of One Meaning

Justified - Both James and Paul use the same word in their arguments. Understanding each uses this word is at the core in seeing how they complement each other instead of contradicting each other.

One approach is to argue that both mean justification as the declaration of righteousness before God in a legal sense. If this is the case, James argues that one is declared righteous by works and not faith alone.

James 2:24 ESV

24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

In contrast, Paul argues that one is justified by faith apart from works.

Romans 3:28 ESV

28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.

This is contradictory. It should be rejected. Therefore, some teach Paul argues that one is not justified by “works of the law” referring to circumcision, sacrifice, washings, and festivals. He does so because he wants to include believing Gentiles as the righteous. In other words, Paul is arguing that we are justified by faith in Christ apart from the works of the law. However, he does not reject being justified by faith and works together.

This brings us back to James. Does James teach that people are declared righteous before God because of faith and works (excluding works of the law)? In other words, James teaches that the basis of our standing before God is faith plus our works. Can faith and works be the basis or foundation of a person’s right standing before God? Can faith and works justify us?

Other things could be mentioned, but there is one main flaw of this argument. When we do good works even as believers, we still have remaining sin. Remaining sin disqualifies these works to right standing before God. Thomas Schreiner writes concerning this, “Faith alone justifies, but only the kind of faith that inevitably produces good works. Now, such good works aren’t the basis of justification; indeed, they can’t be, for one sin makes you a lawbreaker (Jas. 2:10–11). Good works can’t function as the foundation of our justification because God demands perfection, and even after we are converted we continue to sin. James, in fact, says this very thing in the next passage after discussing justification by works: “We all stumble in many ways” (3:2). The word “stumble” means “sin,” as the parallel text in James 2:10 shows. Every one of us without exception—including James (“we all”)—continue to sin. Is he saying we sin only occasionally? Absolutely not. He says we all sin “in many ways.” We don’t just sin in a few ways, but in many. Since sin continues to characterize the lives of believers in remarkable ways, and since God demands perfection, works that justify can’t form the basis of our justification.”

Since believing James and Paul both mean justification in a legal sense has inherit problems, we should seek another resolution.

The Compatibility of Differing Meanings

The most consistent way to understand these passages is that James and Paul are using the same word, but they have different meanings (Give examples). They focus on differing facets, because they are combatting different errors. First, let us learn how each writers is using the word justification. Second, we will highlight how they are correcting the errors of their opponents.

Paul means by justification that believers are declared legally righteous before God based upon the righteousness of Jesus Christ. This comes by faith alone.

Genesis 15:6 ESV

6 And he believed the Lord, and he counted it to him as righteousness.

James means by justification that believers are revealed to be righteous before God and shown to have genuine faith by their works done for God. In others words, their works vindicate them as believers or give evidence that they possess true faith.

Genesis 22:11–12 ESV

11 But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” 12 He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.”

Paul is confronting legalism which teaches that we are made right before God on the basis of works or a combination of faith and works. D. Edmond Hiebert writes, “he (Paul) is combatting a Jewish legalism which insisted upon the need for works to be justified; Paul insists that no man can ever win justification through his own efforts ... Paul was rooting out 'works' that excluded and destroyed saving faith.”

James is confronting a form of antinomianism which teaches that faith is not expressed by obedience or works. MacArthur comments, “James could not be more explicit. He is confronting the concept of a passive, false "faith," which is devoid of the fruits of salvation. He is not arguing for works in addition to or apart from faith. He is showing why and how, true, living faith always works. He is fighting against dead orthodoxy and its tendency to abuse grace.”

To summarize, listen to John Piper, “So when Paul renounces "justification by works" he renounces the view that anything we do along with faith is credited to us as righteousness. Only faith obtains the verdict, not guilty, when we become Christians. Works of any kind are not acceptable in the moment of initial justification. But when James affirms "justification by works" he means that works are absolutely necessary in the ongoing life of a Christian to confirm and prove the reality of the faith which justifies.”

Practical Application

How is one made right with God?

Romans 3:21–26 ESV

21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.

How does one show they are right with God?

James 1:19–27 ESV

19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; 20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. 21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. 22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. 26 If anyone thinks he is religious and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his heart, this person’s religion is worthless. 27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.

Learn and enjoy the glimmering facets of our salvation.

1 Peter 1:3–12 ESV

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, 5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 6 In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, 7 so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory, 9 obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. 10 Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, 11 inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.