On Sunday morning, our plan is to study James 2:14-26, which discusses the relationship between faith and works. Some suggest that what James says in that section of Scripture contradicts what the apostle Paul says elsewhere in the New Testament. For example, Martin Luther, who was a major part of the Reformation Movement in the 16th century, described the book of James as a “right strawy epistle” and claimed that “it contains not a syllable about Christ” because of this perceived problem. It has led some to wonder and ask: should we believe Paul or James?
On the surface, one can understand the concern. Paul teaches that we are “justified by faith apart from works” (Romans 3:28); James teaches that a person “is justified by works and not by faith alone” (James 2:24). Look specifically at the story of Abraham, Paul denies that Abraham was justified by works (Romans 4:2) and defends that he was justified by faith (Romans 4:3, 9); James says that Abraham was “justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar” (James 2:21). Both inspired writers quote Genesis 15:6 but use it very differently (Romans 4:3; James 2:23). Is this a contradiction? Do we have to choose between James and Paul? When we dig a little deeper, we find that this is not a contradiction at all for a few different reasons.
First, Paul and James did not preach different gospels. James, who was a pillar of the church in Jerusalem, gave Paul “the right hand of fellowship” (Galatians 2:9). Paul was welcomed by the apostles and Jerusalem church, which would have included James (Acts 15:4). Discussing a problem where false teachers from Judea insisted that Gentiles be circumcised and keep the Law of Moses in order to be saved (Acts 15:2, 5), James provides a solution that everyone agreed to, including Paul (Acts 15:13-29). James glorified God when he heard all that God had done among the Gentiles through Paul’s ministry (Acts 21:18-19). When a false report circulated that Paul was telling Jews to completely abandon everything in the Law of Moses, James suggested that Paul purify himself with four men who were under a Nazirite vow in the temple and pay their expenses as an expediency in order to prove the report to be false (Acts 21:20-25). Paul obliges (Acts 21:26). As James and Paul interact with one another in the New Testament, they never have any disagreements. Their relationship never has even a hint of conflict and is always presented positively. When we put Paul and James against one another, we are creating a conflict that never existed.
The perceived contradiction between James and Paul arises from the fact that they are speaking in two completely different contexts. They are having two very different conversations. Paul is talking about how a person is saved by God. Paul is discussing initial justification. James, on the other hand, is describing how we are to live as Christians. According to Paul, we are justified by faith. Our justification comes from a complete surrender to and trust in Jesus Christ. Please remember that the passive act of baptism is only salvific if it is “through faith in the powerful working of God” (Colossians 2:12). We cannot do anything to save ourselves, but that does not negate the necessity of obedience and faithfulness. Building off of Paul’s teaching, James presents that our faith and trust in Christ must produce action in our lives. If our faith does not produce action and cause us to obey God daily, then our faith is dead. When context is taken into consideration, Paul and James do not stand in contradiction. They supplement one another.
Another major difference between James and Paul, especially in their discussions of Abraham, is that they are talking about two different kinds of “works.” When I quoted Romans 3:28 earlier in this article, I did not quote it fully. The fullness of Romans 3:28 says, “For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.” Paul wants to make clear that our justification comes from faith in Jesus and not from the works of the Old Testament Law, the Law of Moses. Abraham is used in Romans 4 as an example of that being true. God credited righteousness to his account when he believed God in Genesis 15:6, but he was not circumcised until Genesis 17:23-27. Abraham is a perfect example that justification comes by faith and not works of the Old Testament Law, like circumcision. James, on the other hand, is not talking about works of the Law of Moses. He is talking about works of obedience. He is talking about our faith working in our lives, causing us to serve God and others. While James and Paul use the same word (“works”), they are using it in very different senses.
Should we believe Paul or James? I hope that we realize that this is not an either-or situation; this is a both-and situation. We believe both Paul and James. We believe the same Spirit who inspired both Paul and James. In step with our theme for the year, we believe God who has given us His word that contains no contradictions whatsoever.
-Tyler Alverson
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