Some scholars have suggested that there is a clear conflict between the teachings of Paul and James's letter. Paul is the New Testament writer who focuses on salvation by God's grace through faith in Christ alone. James on the other hand has been misinterpreted as saying that faith is not enough on its own to save us from our sins and he emphasises the need for works or deeds. Today's Day Share is intended to have a brief look at this perceived conflict in simple terms.
As Martin Luther and the reformers concentrated on Paul's letters, they found it difficult to come to terms with this letter from James. I am hoping to look at this in more detail in a future blog. [See Day Share entitled "Luther and James's Letter" (dated 13/09/2022]. In our verse by verse exposition, I have tried to consider what James is actually saying in the verses which are commonly quoted as proof of this apparent conflict between James and Paul. The best starting point is Beth Easton's video which you can watch by following this link. Beth does not deal with the apparent conflict between Paul's teaching and that of James but she does deal forcibly with the question of how our faith is demonstrated or tested by our deeds. That is the root of this discussion. So if you start with that clear explanation, the apparent disagreement evaporates. Here is the link to Beth's video entitled "Testing our Faith."
As this is an important subject, there are several Day Shares dedicated to examining the verses from chapter 2 in some detail.
Faith and Deeds 03/09/2022
Paul and James 05/09/2022 [This blog]
Showing faith by my deeds 07/09/2022
Demons are not atheists 09/09/2022
Example of Abraham 11/09/2022
Luther and James's Letter 13/09/2022
Example of Rahab 15/09/2022
Faith without deeds is dead 17/09/2022
Some scholars go a stage further in their suggestion of a conflict between James and Paul. They argue that James is conducting a debate either with Paul himself or a representative or follower of Paul in his argument in Chapter 2 verse 14 onwards. Having read around this subject, I am convinced that there was no evidence of such a conflict between the two apostles. James was writing his letter very early in the history of the church before Paul was writing any of his letters. James does not deal with relationships with the Gentiles because his ministry was to the Jewish Christians who had been scattered as a result of persecution. So much of Paul's writing focuses on issues which had not arisen at the time when James was penning his letter. Also, these scholars are misunderstanding James's style of writing. He is having a discussion with an imaginary opponent in order to make the point to these Jewish Christians who were ignoring the poor and making a fuss of the rich and powerful.
James is presenting a challenge to these Jewish Christians who are convinced that they are alright in God's sight because they have God's law and they know it intimately. This sets them apart from the Gentiles and puts them above these heathens who did not know God's law. They were not putting this law into practice, however. Here is a reminder of what we learned about them in the first chapter with the relevant parts highlighted in bold.
“Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” [James 1:21-22 NIV]
It is clear then that James is accusing the Jews of hypocrisy. They are pretending to be good living (deceive yourself) and they are not obeying the Word of God (not merely listen to the Word). He sums up their sinful practices in two catch-all expressions (moral filth and evil). Paul provides much more detail in his letter to the Romans. Again, I have marked sections in bold to highlight the evil and moral filth
“Now you, if you call yourself a Jew; if you rely on the law and boast in God; if you know his will and approve of what is superior because you are instructed by the law; if you are convinced that you are a guide for the blind, a light for those who are in the dark, an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the embodiment of knowledge and truth— you, then, who teach others, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? You who say that people should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the law, do you dishonor God by breaking the law? As it is written: “God’s name is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” Circumcision has value if you observe the law, but if you break the law, you have become as though you had not been circumcised.” [Romans 2:17-25 NIV]
So Paul is pointing out that despite their claims to know God's law, their lifestyle did not match up to that. They were regarding themselves as a 'guide for the blind' referring to the Gentiles (non-Jews) who were ignorant of God's law. The Jews regarded themselves as superior to the Gentiles but Paul points out that they were hypocrites and ignoring sins in their lives. He tells them that their lifestyle is blaspheming God's name among the Gentiles. I can imagine a pagan worshipper of idols saying, "Look at that Jew. He claims that His God is holy and tries to tell us about our sins - but look at what he's getting up to."
There is a striking similarity therefore between James teaching and Paul's. Here is a reminder of what James is saying about the need for actions or deeds to match their words or their claims to have faith in God.
“What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?”
James 2:14 NIV
So both James and Paul are making the same point - true faith will be evident in moral behaviour.
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