Articles
“Faith Without Works”
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.
James 2:14-26
The Great Reformation changed the way many people read and interpret Scripture, but not always for the better. Reformers like Martin Luther were reading Romans and Galatians in light of the perversions of the Roman Catholic Church. In those letters, Paul emphasizes that we are not justified by works but by faith in Christ. This seemed to contradict certain practices of the Catholic Church (e.g. the sale of indulgences, a practice that involved the purchase of a certificate to reduce or eliminate punishment for sins in purgatory [another erroneous concept]). Over time, this doctrine of sola fide (faith alone) became so engrained within the minds of those who held to the Reformed tradition that any mention of ‘works’ in connection with one’s salvation would be viewed as heretical.
However, James says in his letter that ‘a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.’ (Jas. 2:24) Are James and Paul at odds? Certainly not. Paul and James were battling two different problems and used similar language in different ways to suit their unique arguments. Like brothers in arms with their backs to each other fending off attacks from either side, they were both ‘fighting the good fight of faith.’ (1 Tim. 6:12) Let’s try to correct this apparent contradiction.
James’ style in this section (James 2:14-26) is called a ‘diatribe’; he introduces an imaginary objector who states his own viewpoint as a foil for James’ argument (18). He attacks the person holding that viewpoint as if he were present (‘you foolish person’, 20); and he appeals directly to his readers to judge the truth of what he is saying (‘you see’, 22, 24). This style strongly suggests that at least some of James’ readers held this incorrect view of faith—that they could be justified by their faith alone, apart from any works.
It is likely that James’ audience had heard Paul’s teaching on ‘justification by faith’ (in Romans and Galatians) but misunderstood it. Properly understood, James and Paul are united in their teaching of ‘faith’ and ‘works’ and their relationship to justification. Any appearance of a conflict is created for two reasons:
- They are using the same term in different ways — ‘Works’ in Paul’s letters to the Romans and Galatians refers specifically to ‘works of the Law of Moses’ by which no one is justified (Rom. 3:28; Gal. 2:16). ‘Works’ in James refers to works of obedience to God, something Paul taught as well (his mission, after all, was to bring about “the obedience of faith” Rom. 1:5; 16:26). These are two completely different things. Paul’s use of ‘works’ is very specific while James’ more generally refers to obedience to God.
- They are seeking to correct different problems — Paul is correcting the view that one can be justified in God’s sight according to the Law of Moses. That is, that the way to be right with God is by keeping the stipulations of the Mosaic covenant (circumcision, kosher diet, rituals, feasts, etc.). But this is impossible, as Paul expertly shows, because no one is without sin and the Law made no provision for sin. James is correcting the view that a mere verbal profession of faith in Jesus is enough to be justified and saved. A faith that does not ‘work’ is bogus and good for nothing.
James argues that ‘faith without works is dead’ (17, 26) and ‘useless’ (20). It does not have the power to ‘save’ (14) or to ‘justify’ a person before God (24). True faith issues in ‘works’ (14, 17); faith works with active obedience and is ‘completed by works’ (22). It is the kind of faith demonstrated by Abraham (21-23) and Rahab (25). It is absolutely vital to understand that the main point of James’ argument, expressed four times (17, 20, 24, 26), is not that works are a kind of second, unrelated addition to faith but that genuine faith naturally works.
The practices of the Roman Catholic Church were wrong and Luther was right to criticize them. But his narrow interpretation of ‘works’ in Paul’s writing was unmerited. We should be careful that in our respect of such historical figures, we don’t become blind to their faults. In the Bible, faith in God and obedience to God go hand in hand. We dare not make the error of thinking that a mere verbal profession of faith, without an accompanying life of obedience to God, can justify us before him. But nor should we make the opposite error by thinking we could ever earn God’s mercy through our obedience, as if God could be put into our debt. We are saved by grace through faith (Eph. 2:8-9).
