We believe that the Bible is inspired, infallible, and inerrant because it comes from God. And if God, being perfect, has given us his word, then his word is also perfect — which means that we believe the Bible does not contradict itself.
If we’re going to hold to it and understand it to be the only proper guide for our life, to contain the words of knowledge and truth and eternity, that we can pursue this, and pursue the one who it displays to us, and one day inherit that eternity in him, then we should understand that it has to be perfect in order to tell us these things. And it can’t contradict itself. Which means, if we look at Scripture, and we walk away with an understanding that says, “this says one thing, and over here it says another thing, and those two things contradict each other,” then the problem’s not with Scripture. It’s with us.
So when James says that we are justified by works, and Paul says that we are justified by faith and not our works, then it’s up to us to figure out how God meant the two to fit together.
So what we’re going to do over the next two weeks — this week and next — we’re looking at James chapter 2, verses 10 through 26. But this week I want to focus specifically on this question: does James contradict Paul? And I think once we understand exactly what James is saying, and what Paul is saying, we’ll be able to make better application of it to our lives next week. So this week, we’re studying how these two passages, Paul in Romans specifically and James here in this text, coincide to show us the truth of the Lord.
The Apparent Contradiction
Here’s the perceived contradiction. James tells us in James 2:24, you see that a person is justified by works, and not by faith alone. Paul, though, says in Romans 4:5, and all throughout Romans chapters 3 through 5, the opposite:
And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
So James says a person is justified by works. Paul says the person that does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, that faith, not the works, is counted as righteousness.
Paul says the same thing in other places. Galatians 2:16:
Yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ, so that we also have believed in Jesus Christ, in order to be justified by faith, and not by works of the law, because by works no one will be justified.
Ephesians 2:8–9:
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So how do we bring these two ideas together — James, that works justify us, and Paul, that works have nothing to do with our justification, but that faith is how we receive that justification?
Words Have Context
Before we study that from James 2, I want to point out that when it comes to human language in general, the way you and I talk to each other, words have context, and that context determines what we mean by those words. If you came up to me today and said, “Michael, I love rock,” I can think of four different meanings I could ascribe to the word rock. We could be talking about stones, or a certain genre of music, or what mothers do to their babies in a rocking chair, or Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. You’ve got to determine the context to know what we’re saying to each other.
If we’re not careful about reading James and Paul in their context, we’ll make that same mistake. I think what we’re going to understand when we walk away from reading these words today is that James and Paul are talking in two totally different contexts, and their words — just because they’re the same word — doesn’t mean they’re using them the same way.
So what I want to do this morning is show you that James and Paul are not contradicting each other by showing you three differences in the way that James uses his words and the way Paul uses his. So I hope you’ll join me this morning in opening your Bibles and turning to James chapter 2, and keep a finger in that section of Scripture, and also keep a mark in Romans chapter 3 or chapter 4. We’re going to be going back and forth to those two passages this morning to see three differences in the way that James and Paul use their words.
1. James and Paul Use the Word “Works” Differently
Here’s a definition of works. The Greek word would be ergon, and here’s how it’s defined: a task or set of tasks accomplished by someone. Your mom sets you out to go wash the dishes — she gives you a task to accomplish, and you go work that work when you go and accomplish those dishes. That’s a work to be accomplished by someone.
Romans 3:28, here’s what Paul says:
For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
So you see that Paul uses his word works in a specific context — namely, works of the law. Here’s what I think: James is calling for good works of Christian faith, while Paul is condemning relying on Jewish works of rites and rituals for salvation. Let’s look at those two passages.
First, James 2:14–17:
What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith, but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed or lacking food, and one says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
So when James talks about works here, he’s showing us: look, when people come to you, and you say that you’re a Christian, but they come in need, not having even clothing or food, and you say, “go, find clothing, find food” — now what good is that? That doesn’t help them at all. That doesn’t do anything. If you don’t act, that person doesn’t get their food, they don’t get clothing, and therefore love is not shown to them. That’s the context James is talking in. He’s talking about good works of Christian faith. You’re a Christian, then your action should represent it — by the way that you show kindness to others.
Paul’s doing something different. Romans 3:27–31:
Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we hold that one is justified by faith, apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of the Jews only? Is he not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one who will justify the circumcised by faith, and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then overthrow the law by this faith? By no means. On the contrary, we uphold the law.
I hope you’ll see from these verses that Paul, when he talks about works, it seems like in this context he’s specifically condemning reliance upon Jewish rites and rituals for salvation. He’s speaking to a Jewish audience who is so attached to their circumcision and their special rights that set them apart as Jews, distinct from Gentiles, and they’re wanting to say, “Okay, if the Gentiles are going to be a part of this faith, then they’ve got to accept these Jewish rites as well.” Paul is saying, no, no, no, no, no — those things do not make you justified before God. Rather, we need grace. Our salvation isn’t attributed to observance of specific guidelines that the Jews upheld. It’s attributed to the grace that God gives us.
Notice, though, Paul goes on to talk in Romans 4:2–5 about this distinction between works and grace:
If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift, but as his due. And to the one who does not work, but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.
See, now Paul’s getting more general with the way he uses works — more general than specific rites and rituals, because Abraham was prior to these rites and rituals.
So what’s the point? I think Paul, specifically in his context in Romans, is condemning this reliance upon the Jews’ works of rites and rituals for salvation. Don’t depend on those things; depend on Christ, Paul is saying. James is calling for good works of Christian faith.
Now, before we go on, we have to ask ourselves — because here’s what we might be tempted to do: say, “okay, so God justifies us not because of Jewish rites and rituals, but because of our personal works of obedience. That’s why God justifies us.” That’s what we might be tempted to do. “I do right things, I obey God, and because I obey him, I have now achieved the justification promised to me.” But we’ve got to look at the entirety of the New Testament, and I think what we’ll find is Paul might be addressing Mosaic law in Romans, but the principle is the same elsewhere.
Titus 3:3–7, a passage that has nothing to do with the Mosaic law:
For we ourselves were once foolish, disobedient, led astray, slaves to various passions and pleasures, passing our days in malice and envy, hated by others and hating one another. But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace, we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
So in a passage that has nothing to do with the law of Moses, the point is the same: we’re not saved on the basis of any works, whether they be Jewish works or works of obedience. God doesn’t look at us and say, “You’re obedient enough, you’ve passed the test, and therefore now you’re worthy of this justification.” That’s not what happens. We’re saved because God is merciful and kind and gracious.
But James, in chapter 2 verse 24, says you see the person is justified by works and not by faith alone. So maybe you’re pausing now and thinking it still seems like there’s a contradiction there. I’m going to argue with James that that’s not what he means at all — that our works are grounds for our justification before God. That’s not what he means, and here’s why.
2. James and Paul Use the Word “Justification” Differently
Before we can see how he does this, we need to know what justification means. If we break it down to its actual meaning, justification just means to pronounce or declare someone to be righteous. Oftentimes we think of it in terms of our justification before God — God proclaims us righteous. But that’s not the only way it’s used in Scripture in reference to our relationship with God.
Here’s an example. Luke 7:29, Luke records:
And when all the people heard him, even the tax collectors, they declared God just.
You think, wait a minute — I thought God was the one who was supposed to be justifying us. Why are they justifying God? When we understand the meaning — to pronounce or declare someone to be righteous — then we get what it means to justify God. It means these people, the tax collectors, declared God to be righteous. They said, “God, you are righteous,” because of Jesus. That’s what it means that they justified God.
So here’s my argument: Paul uses the word justification to mean that we are declared righteous before God, when Christ’s righteousness is received by faith and not earned by works. James uses justification differently — to mean that our works declare or show our righteousness outwardly before men.
Let me give you another passage before we go to James 2 directly. Luke 16:15, Jesus says of the Pharisees:
You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts.
Clearly, these people were seeking to pronounce themselves righteous before men. They wanted others to see their actions and perceive them to be righteous. Now, justify means that in that context. So when James says that our works justify us, it seems likely that he’s using it the same way Luke does. Let’s see if the context supports this.
James 2:14: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone” — notice this word — “if someone says he has faith, but does not have works, can that faith save him?” Did you notice that word, says? So there’s a profession taking place — we’re claiming to have faith.
Verse 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.”
Verses 22–23: “You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works — and Scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.’”
Here’s the interesting thing about this passage. In James 2:21, he addresses something that took place in Genesis 22, when Abraham offered up his son Isaac as a sacrifice before God. And yet, in verse 23, he quotes Genesis 15 — “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
So what do we see from this? If we understand this properly, Abraham was justified before what James is referencing as Abraham’s work of righteousness — Abraham was justified years earlier, in Genesis 15. And yet James uses Genesis 22 as the evidence of Abraham’s justification. So when verse 22 says that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed — meaning faith was brought to its intended goal — that means the works didn’t justify him before God, but the works justified him in the sense that they gave testimony to his prior faith. That’s why Scripture was fulfilled — Scripture was shown to be true, in that Abraham had the faith that was declared as righteousness, and that outward expression, the obedience to God, gave testimony to that faith.
So when James says that our works justify us, what he means is this: you who do not work, do not show yourselves to be righteous. Rather, you show yourselves to have dead faith. And what is dead faith? It’s not faith at all. You say you’re a Christian, but you’re sleeping around with your girlfriend on the weekends. You say you’re a Christian, but you can’t keep yourself out of the bar. You say you’re a Christian, but you spend all your money on yourself with no consideration of others. James says, brother, if all your faith is, is nothing but this head knowledge, you don’t have faith — that faith is dead.
Paul uses the word justified to show how God pronounces us to be righteous before him — when God looks at us and decides what to do with us, he doesn’t look at our works; he looks at Christ’s work. Those of us who have put our faith in Christ, received him, and are in union with him — God looks at us like he looks at Christ. James uses the word justified to ask this question: when others look at your life, do your works pronounce you to have a living faith?
3. James and Paul Use the Word “Faith” Differently
James 2:14, here’s what James says about faith: “What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith” — he professes that, “I’m a Christian, I have faith” — “but does not have works, can that faith save him?”
What I want you to notice here is this: James distinguishes the faith of verse 14, the one that someone claims they have, from true saving faith. That’s not the same thing, James says. This person has true faith, and this person just says he does — those aren’t the same kind of faith. Here’s how James describes this faith, the one that this person says he has. He describes it three different ways.
Verse 19: “You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe — and shudder!” This belief is not the saving kind of belief. This is the kind that’s just professed. This is the kind that gets the facts right, because the demons, they get the facts right. Is that all your faith is?
Here’s another way he describes it. Verse 20: “Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless?” Is that all your faith is?
Verse 26: “For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.”
So three different ways James describes the faith of James 2:14 — demon faith, useless faith, and dead faith. Those things are not saving faith. So when Paul says that we are justified by faith in Romans 4, he’s not talking about that kind of faith. James isn’t saying that faith doesn’t save. He’s saying that if your so-called faith doesn’t produce this kind of working obedience, you don’t have true faith — you’ve got counterfeit faith.
The Point
So here’s the main point in wrapping up. Faith that is just a profession, and not a conviction, is useless, demonic, and dead — I mean demon-like, because that’s how James describes it. Is your faith useless, demonic, and dead? Because if it is, you’re no better off than the demons themselves.
So, I hope you can see this morning that James and Paul don’t contradict each other, but they actually agree at the heart of their message. There is one way to right standing with God, and it’s Jesus Christ. For those of us who’ve put our faith in Christ — not just saying that we’ve put our faith in Christ, but dying to ourselves and submitting our whole being to him, to live a life full of fruitful obedience and good works — we’re the ones who get his righteousness. Not a righteousness of our own, but one that is a gift.
If that’s not you this morning — whether you claim yourself to be a Christian, or you haven’t made that profession of faith yet, and accepted Christ in the waters of baptism, dedicated yourself to him to live a new life full of works of obedience to him — listen, don’t put yourself in the same category as the demons. Have true faith.
