James vs. Paul
Justification by faith?
Justification by works?
Or both?
James vs. Paul
James: “Ye see that by
works a man is justified,
and not only by faith”
(James 2:24).
Paul: “We reckon
therefore that a man is
justified by faith apart
from the works of the
law” (Rom. 3:28)
Luther’s View of James
• Martin Luther condemned the Catholic works of
merit and substituted his own system of
justification of “faith alone”
• Luther presented a false dichotomy between
faith (passive) and works (active)
• Luther inserted the word “only” into his
translation of Roman 3:28 in A.D.1522
• Luther called the book of James “an epistle of
straw” and gave the book of James a secondary
status and placed it in the “appendix” of his Bible
• Luther’s teaching of “justification by faith alone”
made its way into the Augsburg Confession
(1530) and Heidelberg Catechism (1563)
Luther’s View of James
• “James has aimed to refute those who
relied on faith without works, and is too
weak for his task in mind, understanding,
and words, mutilates the Scriptures, and
thus directly contradicts Paul and all
Scriptures, seeking to accomplish by
enforcing the law what the apostles
successfully effect by love. Therefore I will
not place his Epistle in my Bible among the
proper leading books” (Werke, XIV, 148)
Luther’s View of James
• “Many have toiled to reconcile Paul with
James … but to no purpose, for they are
contrary, ‘Faith justifies;’ ‘Faith does not
justify;” I will pledge my life that no one can
reconcile those propositions; and if he
succeeds he may call me a fool
(Colloquia, II, 202)
James 2:24
“This verse, then, remains hard, but it is hard
because its teaching is uncomfortable. God is
concerned with our deeds, and they are related to
whether or not we enter the kingdom. It is not
hard because there is any conflict between this
teaching and Paul’s. The two merely sound
contradictory rather than are contradictory. In fact,
a lot of apparent contradiction is due to the
misunderstanding of Paul found in Luther and
perpetuated by those who fail to put Paul into his
proper Jewish background …
James 2:24
“… The James-Paul issue, then, is partially a
misunderstanding of Paul (stemming from the fact
that Luther was concerned with earning his
salvation through penance and pious deeds rather
than with Jewish ritual, thus a reading of Luther
into Paul) and partially a problem of reading Paul
into James. In reality, the writings of James and
Paul demonstrate a relative harmony, combined
with differing spheres of ministry and thus differing
perspectives…” (Hard Sayings of the Bible, 699)
James vs. Paul
• Explanation #1 – James and Paul
contradict one another
• This explanation is maintained by the
skeptics, agnostics, atheists and liberal
theologians
• Answer: James and Paul writing by H.S.
inspiration would not contradict each other
James vs. Paul
• Explanation #2 – James wrote his epistle before
he had time to fully understand what Paul meant
(or, James attacked a misrepresentation of Paul)
• “One thing, however, is certain, that the man
who wrote this passage cannot have read Paul
or understood what Paul’s doctrine really meant”
(E.F. Scott, The Literature of the New Testament,
215)
• Answer: James and Paul writing by H.S.
inspiration would not misunderstand and
misrepresent each other
James vs. Paul
• Explanation #3 – James wrote about faith and
how it demonstrates itself before man, and Paul
wrote about faith and how it justifies us before
God
• God knew Abraham’s faith was genuine because
he saw his heart (Paul); men only knew
Abraham’s faith was genuine when they saw his
good works (James)
• Answer: This is an artificial distinction.
Abraham’s faith demonstrated to God and all
men (Jew and Gentile) how one should be
obedient (Rom. 4:12,23-25).
James vs. Paul
• Explanation #4 – James wrote about the faith of
the godly saint Abraham (after he believed), and
Paul wrote about the faith of an the ungodly
sinner Abraham (before he believed)
• Abraham the sinner came to God by faith only
(the beginning of the Christian life); Abraham the
saint came to God by faith and works
• According to some, we are not saved by works,
we are saved for works
• Answer: Abraham believed and obeyed God the
moment he left Ur and prior to Genesis 15:6
(Gen. 12:1ff,7-8; 13:4,17-18; 14:18-20;
Heb. 11:8)
James vs. Paul
• Explanation #5 – James and Paul used
the word “justify” (dikaiosis, dikaioo)
differently; James and Paul used the word
“faith” (pistis, pisteuo) differently
• Answer: James and Paul use the word
“works” (ergon) differently
– Works of merit (Paul)
– Works of faith (James)
Paul and Faith
• Paul denounces Jewish works of law keeping
(works of merit) in Romans 3-4, not obedience to
the gospel (Rom. 3:1,19-20,27-28; 4:2,4-5,6; see
9:11,30-32; 11:6)
• “Worketh not” does not mean “obeyeth not”
(Rom. 4:5; Heb. 11:8)
• Paul’s contrast is not be between faith and
obedience, but between justification by a law of
faith (grace) verses justification by a law of works
(perfect law keeping, no sin, merit, boasting,
debt) - Rom. 3:27
Paul and Faith
• Paul contrasted…
– Faith and works [of law] (Rom. 4:4-8)
– Faith and circumcision (Rom. 4:9-12)
– Faith and law (4:13-17)
• Paul never contrasted faith and obedience
James and Paul
• Paul preached works in their rightful place
just as much as James (Romans 1:5; 2:610; 6:17; 9:9-10; 10:1-8; 15:18; 16:26; 2
Cor. 9:8; Gal. 5:6; Eph. 2:10; 2 Thess. 2:17;
1 Tim. 6:18; Tit. 2:14; 3:8)
• James preached saving faith in Jesus just
as much as Paul (2:1,5)
• James and Paul were in agreement in
Jerusalem (Acts 15:12-18; Gal. 2:9)
James and Paul
• James and Paul were addressing different
opponents, different contexts, different
“works”
• James was addressing the Jewish Christian
intellectualist (antinomianism, dead
orthodoxy) who merely said he believed
(like demons) but did not work; did not have
an active faith (see “say” in 2:14,16,18)
• Paul was addressing the Jewish Christian
legalist (Pharisaism, self-righteous piety)
who desired to earn his salvation by works
of the law [of Moses]; works of merit (2:1728; 3:1,19)
Life of Abraham
{ life of faith }
Call of
Abraham
75 years old
Gen.12:1-4
Abraham believed
God and
reckoned** for
righteousness
86 years old
Gen.15:6; 16:3,16
11 Years
Quoted
by Paul
in Gal.3:8
Abraham
circumcised
99 years old
Gen.17:1
Abraham offered
Isaac
100+ years old?
Gen.21:5; 22:1
Referred to by
Paul in
Rom.4:9-12,
17-19
Referred to by
James in
Jas.2:21-22
Death of
Abraham
175 years old
Gen.25
13 Years
Quoted
by Paul
in
Rom.4:3,
5,9,22
Gal.3:6
Quoted
by
James in
Jas.2:23
{ The same faith was reckoned for righteousness all through life }
Abraham’s faith was obedient (Gen. 12:4; 17:1; 18:19; 21:33; 22:18)
** “Impute” (KJV) is
from the Gr. logizomai
meaning “to put to
one’s account”
(Rom. 4:6)