"You see then how a man is justified by works, and not by faith only." (James 2:24)
The consistent teaching of Scripture is that works cannot justify us in the sight of God. For example, Paul says that justification happens "apart from works" and to people who "do not work but believe" (Romans 4:4-5). The same apostle elsewhere says, "not by works," (Ephesians 2:8-9), "not by works of righteousness which we have done," (Titus 3:5-7), and, "not according to our works" (2 Timothy 1:9). He routinely rejects any concept of personal merit in salvation, which is consistent with the teaching of Jesus (Luke 5:32). Therefore, the text of James 2:24 cannot be affirming that justification before God is merited in part by good deeds or the occurrence of the word "justify" is the same as that found in Pauline contexts.
James occupies the word justify to mean vindication, or proven. He does not argue against justification by faith alone, but a salvation that stands without any good works to accompany it. In other words, one's lifestyle must be consistent with his profession of faith. It expresses itself in good works because the heart has been regenerated by the Spirit of God. If our Christian testimony is not supported with evidence of good character, then the unbelieving world will have no reason to deem our witness for Christ trustworthy or reliable.
What James is saying is that we demonstrate the reality of our faith by good deeds. Are we going to merely talk the spiritual talk or actually going to walk the spiritual walk (James 2:14-17)? Are we only going to be hearers of the word or doers of the word (James 1:21-22; 26-27)? The question that James addresses is, "Can such faith save a man?" It is not enough to mentally accept the fact that God exists (James 2:19-20). Therefore, James distinguishes between two different kinds of faith. The demons acknowledge that whatever God says is the truth, but are not in fellowship with Him because they lack trust.
The forensic framework of justification posits that good works are the product or result of a genuinely saving faith. James 2:18 especially echoes this theme (i.e. "a man may say...show me...I will show you..."). The language of vindication is even found in James 2:24 (i.e. "You see then..."). Moreover, James provides readers two biblical examples to illustrate his point about the relationship between faith and works (James 2:21-25). The faith of Abraham and Rehab was tested and shown to be the sort that surrenders itself to God. Faith was "perfected" in that it reached its design or end. An analogy is employed to make the point that faith and works cannot be separated from each other (James 2:26). The Christian walk is one that glorifies God.
James occupies the word justify to mean vindication, or proven. He does not argue against justification by faith alone, but a salvation that stands without any good works to accompany it. In other words, one's lifestyle must be consistent with his profession of faith. It expresses itself in good works because the heart has been regenerated by the Spirit of God. If our Christian testimony is not supported with evidence of good character, then the unbelieving world will have no reason to deem our witness for Christ trustworthy or reliable.
What James is saying is that we demonstrate the reality of our faith by good deeds. Are we going to merely talk the spiritual talk or actually going to walk the spiritual walk (James 2:14-17)? Are we only going to be hearers of the word or doers of the word (James 1:21-22; 26-27)? The question that James addresses is, "Can such faith save a man?" It is not enough to mentally accept the fact that God exists (James 2:19-20). Therefore, James distinguishes between two different kinds of faith. The demons acknowledge that whatever God says is the truth, but are not in fellowship with Him because they lack trust.
The forensic framework of justification posits that good works are the product or result of a genuinely saving faith. James 2:18 especially echoes this theme (i.e. "a man may say...show me...I will show you..."). The language of vindication is even found in James 2:24 (i.e. "You see then..."). Moreover, James provides readers two biblical examples to illustrate his point about the relationship between faith and works (James 2:21-25). The faith of Abraham and Rehab was tested and shown to be the sort that surrenders itself to God. Faith was "perfected" in that it reached its design or end. An analogy is employed to make the point that faith and works cannot be separated from each other (James 2:26). The Christian walk is one that glorifies God.
James is not discussing themes such as the blood of Christ or how one gets right with God, like Paul does (Romans 5:1-11). He occupies the term "justify" in the sense of showing a claim to be right or reasonable, which is employed in the same manner elsewhere in Scripture (Matthew 11:19; Luke 7:29; 16:15; Romans 3:4). He focuses on Genesis 15:6 from an evidential perspective. The Apostle Paul in Romans and Galatians deals with the universal scope of man's depravity and its resultant condemnation by God, whereas James addresses the narrower scope of hypocrisy within the church. Paul focuses on justification "in His sight" (Romans 3:20; 4:2).
No comments:
Post a Comment