But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. [James 2:18-19 NIV]
James is continuing his debate with an imaginary opponent. This verse is the kernel of the theological discussion on whether James is arguing that we are saved by our good deeds. Notice that James uses the word 'show' twice. This is all about how we demonstrate to others that we have faith. Our faith in God is hidden. It relates to our heart - not the organ in our body which pumps blood around our various organs.
“If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
Romans 10:9 NIV
Notice that Paul links both the outward declaration or profession (declare with your mouth) with the inward belief in the heart. He makes no mention of the outward evidence of faith in this verse but James's teaching deals with another perspective. Jews were thinking that a mere profession was all that is required. They believed in one God while the Gentiles all around them had many gods which were not gods at all. Here is the verse which was quoted in the previous Day Share
“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 there was a huge gap between their profession and their conduct. The two did not match.
I would like to provide a summary from William MacDonald's commentary on the subject of justification. This is the word which Bible scholars use to describe how a sinner becomes accepted as 'righteous' in the sight of God. William MacDonald helpfully looks at different aspects of this same truth. Not far from our home in Falkirk, there is a beautiful old building called Callendar House. I have been interested in seeing this house from different viewpoints. In my opinion, it looks better from the rear. It is the same with this truth of justification. In order to understand it fully, we need to view it from various perspectives. I have produced a table based on this commentary.
| Heading | Reference | Explanation |
1. | Justified by grace | Romans 3:24 | We do not deserve to be justified |
2. | Justified by faith | Romans 5:1 | By faith, we accept this gift from God |
3. | Justified by blood | Romans 5:9 | Blood was price which was paid for our justification |
4. | Justified by God | Romans 8:33 | God is the Person who justifies |
5. | Justified by Power | Romans 4:25 | Our justification is linked to the power that raised Christ from the dead. |
6. | Justified by works | James 2:24 | Works are the outward proof of the reality of our faith. |
So there is no contradiction between chapter 2 of James's letter and the teachings of Paul, particularly in his letter to the Romans. These statements simply provide different aspects of the same truth. [This table is based on William MacDonald: The Believer's Bible Commentary: Second Edition, page 3281 of the Kindle Edition].
Comments