Faith Sacrifices

James 2:20-24 is one of the most difficult passages about salvation in all of the New Testament. This difficulty becomes evident when we put two passages of Scripture side by side: James 2:24 and Romans 3:28.

In James 2:24 we read that a person is justified by what he does, not by faith alone. Then in Romans 3:28 we read that a man is justified by faith apart from works. So, which is it?

It is helpful to keep the whole context of 2:14-24 in mind. In a sense James 2:24 summarizes the whole book of James. Likewise, in a 47sense Romans 3:28 summarizes the whole book of Romans. So, what are we to do? How are we to understand this? The contrast between these two passages is one of the reasons Martin Luther once called James an "epistle of straw" ("Preface," 362) and that he almost felt like "throwing Jimmy into the stove" ("Licentiate," 317). However, we have no reason to shrink back from either James or Paul because they do not contradict one another. Each of them is writing about the exact same gospel; yet they are writing from different vantage points, and they are addressing different problems in the churches to whom they are writing. I don't picture James and Paul standing toe-to-toe with each other with contrary understandings of the gospel. Instead, they are standing back-to-back with each other fighting two different enemies and together defending a unified understanding of the gospel. Paul is fighting against the false idea that we can earn our salvation with our works (which, by the way, is the same battle Luther was fighting in the Reformation when confronting the teachings of the Catholic Church). James, on the other hand, is fighting against an easy believism that had reduced salvation to intellectual belief. So, which battle are we fighting today? I think the answer is ... both.

Many followers of Christ, whether they admit it or not, think they can work their way to God. As the shepherd of a local church, I want to fight against that idea with everything in me. At the same time, many others believe the idea that we are saved by grace through faith means works are irrelevant to God and obedience is unimportant. I also want to fight against that idea with everything in me.

This passage gives us a picture of a glorious gospel that is received by faith, but this faith is not mere intellectual belief. This is a faith that results in radical obedience to the commands of Christ, and we need to think more about what that kind of obedience looks like.

Some time ago I had the opportunity to preach in Germany. One day while I was there, some guys asked me if I would be interested in playing a pickup game of football with them. I used to play some flag football and loved doing that, so I told them, "Yes, I'm in." I walked with them down to the field only to discover not two goalposts and a brown ball but two goals with nets on them and a white-and-black checkered ball. That's when I realized that their understanding of football is a lot different from my understanding of football. I call their understanding of football "soccer"!

48This is similar to the situation we have with James 2 and Romans 3. Understanding what James and Paul are saying is contingent on understanding how they are using certain words. You can have the same word with different meanings. This is true in all of life, and it's true in the Bible as well. In order to have effective communication, you need to understand what someone means when they use a certain word. As we walk through James 2, we need to stop at key words along the way in order to think about how those words are used in the Bible, oftentimes in different ways. In the process I want us to see that while the words James and Paul are using may initially seem contradictory, in the end these men are both clearly and boldly preaching the same gospel.

Interestingly, James uses Abraham as an example of what he is saying (2:21-23), and when you get over to Paul, guess who he uses as an example? Abraham (Rom 4:1-3)! Abraham is the model of faith for both of these biblical authors, and in Abraham's life, we're going to take the truths James and Paul teach and see them in action.

Two Pictures of Faith

Two Pictures of Faith

James 2:20

Here we read that faith without works is "useless." This is the point James made in 2:14-19, and it's vitally important for us to remember it, especially when we get to verse 24. Remember that in this passage James is not contrasting mature faith with immature faith or lukewarm faith with dynamic faith. No, he's contrasting genuine faith with professed faith that in fact doesn't exist. He is saying some people were claiming to have faith, but, for example, they don't care for the poor, and thus their so-called faith consists of nothing more than what demons have. James is saying this is not really faith. It's dead. It's nothing.

So in James we see two pictures of this word faith. First, we see dead faith, which does not save. As we've already seen in James, a person's faith that claims to believe in Jesus for salvation yet ignores the poor at his doorstep is not faith at all (2:14-17). James says this strongly in verse 20. He calls the man with no works a "foolish man!" The Greek word literally means "empty," and James is saying that the person is claiming to have faith without deeds, but the reality is that person has nothing. They don't have faith.

49Second, contrasted with dead faith, James says there is a living faith, which does save. In every mention of faith in this epistle outside of this passage, James is talking about living faith: faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ (2:1) that perseveres through trial (1:3, 6) and avoids favoritism (2:5). Yet in 2:14-24 James introduces imaginary people who claim to have faith without deeds, and James says over and over again that such people don't really have faith. And it's not only James who would not call this true faith; Paul wouldn't either. James and Paul would both say dead faith doesn't save.

So what about you: Is your faith dead or living? Is your faith only about intellectual assent to belief in God or Christ? Or is your faith alive, penetrating, and transforming every part of who you are? This is an eternally important question.

Two Pictures of Righteousness

Two Pictures of Righteousness

James 2:21

After seeing two different pictures of faith, we now turn to verse 21 to see two different pictures of righteousness. The word righteousness is used in various ways throughout Scripture, but two ways in particular are relevant to this passage. In fact, we see both of these understandings of righteousness within Paul's own writings. First, positional righteousness refers to how we stand before God. This is what happens at the initial point of our salvation. When you trust in Christ for salvation, by God's grace you are made right before God. Christ imputes, grants, and clothes you in His righteousness at the moment of your salvation (2 Cor 5:21), and you are made right before God. You, a sinner, have peace with God because of the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

But then Scripture also gives a picture of practical righteousness, which refers to how we live before God. We demonstrate and grow in righteousness in the way we live. These two understandings of righteousness are not totally separate and distinct from each other. Those who are counted as righteous in Christ practically manifest righteousness in their lives as they grow in the likeness of Christ.

So at times in Scripture, righteousness refers to how we stand before God, and at other times it refers to how we live before God. What James means here when he talks about "righteousness" is going to become clearer as we dive deeper into this passage.

Two Pictures of Works

50

Two Pictures of Works

James 2:22-24

So far we've looked at two pictures of faith and two pictures of righteousness. Now we need to consider two pictures of works. James 2:22 says, "You see that faith was active together with his works, and by works, faith was perfected." The word works is sometimes translated "actions" and at other times "deeds." Most of the time these words go back to the same common Greek word ergon. When you see works/actions/deeds in the New Testament, you'll notice that Scripture sometimes refers to works in a positive way, and other times it refers to works in a negative way. Let's start with the negative.

Sometimes Scripture speaks of works fueled by the flesh, which do not honor God. This is the way Paul often talks about works. Paul talks about works of the law done in order to earn favor before God (Rom 3:28). Throughout Romans and Galatians Paul is speaking against people's attempt to attain salvation by their works. In Galatians people were being circumcised, obeying various laws, and abstaining from certain foods—all works done in an attempt to be righteous before God. But Paul says your works done to earn favor before God do not bring honor to God, and they do not save you. You cannot earn your way to God.

This is the danger of legalism, a danger we must always be on guard against. Legalism is believing that being right before God is ultimately a result of doing enough to earn His favor. That is decidedly what Paul is teaching against over and over again—works fueled by the flesh that do not honor God.

But legalism is not at all what James is talking about when he talks about works. James refers to works/deeds/actions 15 times, and every reference he uses is positive. Why? Because every time James talks about works, he is talking about works that are the fruit of faith, which bring great glory to God. When James talks about works, he is talking about God-glorifying obedience: love for the needy, mercy for the poor, care for the impoverished—all driven by the love and mercy of God. These things are the fruit of faith in God. Sometimes Paul talks about works in the same way. In Romans 1:5 he speaks of the "obedience of faith." First Thessalonians 1:3 and 2 Thessalonians 1:11 talk about the "work of faith." And in Galatians 5:6 Paul says, "What matters is faith working through love." So James and Paul are unified on this point. James is not advocating works in the flesh done to earn favor before God, and Paul 51rejoices in works produced by faith that bring glory to God. Both James and Paul see faith and works working together, which is exactly what James says in 2:20-24.

So with Abraham as our example, let's ask, "How does all of this work?" According to both James and Paul, faith creates works. James says in verses 22-23,

James quotes here from Genesis 15 and the story of Abraham. There's a progression in Abraham's life to which both Paul and James refer. God enters into covenant with Abraham, and here's how it happens:

God gave Abraham His promise, and Abraham believed God. Abraham's faith in God was credited to him as righteousness. Then we turn to Genesis 22 where God has given Abraham a son, Isaac. In verses 1-2 God tells Abraham to offer his son as a burnt offering. Abraham goes to the mountain with Isaac, raises the knife to sacrifice his only son, and then we read the following:

So when did Abraham first believe God? In Genesis 22? No. Abraham believed God a long time before that. Some scholars say that up to 30 years passed between Genesis 15 and 22. Abraham's faith resulted in works of obedience when God called him to sacrifice his son. And James is saying in chapter 2 that this is the fruit of faith. Just as when you take an apple seed and plant it in the ground, you will one day see an apple tree, so in the same way, when faith is born in a person's heart, it will bear fruit. By its nature faith creates works, and then in turn works complete faith. James says of Abraham in verse 22 that "by works, faith was perfected." Now, what does that word perfected mean? It means "to bring to maturity." Abraham's works matured his faith, brought his faith to its finished goal. James is saying that when we obey God (i.e., when we work), our faith grows up, matures, and is brought to completion.

To apply James's point practically, we might say the more you obey God, the more your faith grows. Faith leads you to obedience, and obedience matures faith. This is a wonderful reality. Works are good when they are the fruit of faith. Consider how this plays out in some of the most basic of Christian actions:

Coming to corporate worship. If you come to a worship gathering fueled by the flesh in order to put on a face before men or to earn favor before God, then this work of worship does not bring honor to God. But if your coming is the fruit of faith, if you believe and love God, and if you trust that He knows what He is saying when He tells us not to forsake gathering together (Heb 10:25), your actions do honor God. When your faith drives you to corporate worship with God's people, leading you to sing spiritual songs, listen to the Word of God, and fellowship with other believers, this is a part of bringing your faith to maturity.

Spending concentrated time in prayer and Bible study. If you are doing these things in the flesh because you feel like this is a religious routine you must do in order to earn favor before God, then this is not a good work. But if you believe your supreme delight is found in God and you want to know Him, hear from Him, and express the longings of your heart to Him, then a quiet time is a really good work.

Caring for the poor. If you do this in the flesh because you feel like you have to in order to earn favor before God, then caring for the poor 53will not bring honor to God. But if you believe God when He says this is important to Him and His people are to spend themselves on behalf of the poor, then you will care radically for the poor, and your faith will be made complete in what you do.

I love what Luther said about faith: "O it is a living, busy, active, mighty thing, this faith. It is impossible for it not to be doing good works incessantly. It does not ask whether good works are to be done, but before the question is asked, it has already done them, and is constantly doing them" ("Preface," 370).

We now move to verse 24, the most controversial verse in this passage: "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone." So what does James mean that we are not justified by "faith alone"? We have to remember that throughout this passage James is talking with imaginary people who claim to have faith but don't really have it. Such faith is dead; it's not really faith at all. Thus, when we get to verse 24, James is communicating the same thing. He's saying, once again, that this kind of faith does not justify. It does not save. Why? Because this so-called faith is not really faith at all. All James is saying is that we are not justified by faith that claims to believe in Jesus but does nothing. This kind of faith is no different from demons' belief, and ultimately it is dead. And to that Paul himself would say, "Amen." When James refers to "faith alone" in verse 24, he is not talking about the same kind of faith Paul talks about or even the same kind of faith he (James) himself talks about in the rest of the book of James, namely, living faith. No, when James says "faith alone" in verse 24, he is referring to the dead, demonic, intellectual faith that he is countering throughout this passage.

Two Pictures of Justification

Two Pictures of Justification

James 2:24

We've seen there is no contradiction between James and Paul on the fact that living faith produces works, but there is still another big idea at the beginning of verse 24 that needs to be examined. James says a man is justified "by works." In other words, works, in some sense, play into our justification. This leads us to the last word we need to think about: justification.

A simple definition of justification is "to be declared right." As we think about salvation, the picture is that we are declared right before God. But how are we declared right before God? By faith or by works?

54The answer to this question is huge, and the gospel hinges on it. This is where Paul and James both use Abraham to talk about justification, but interestingly they reference different points in Abraham's life. Paul's main point in the book of Romans is that Abraham was justified by faith before he did anything. Before he was circumcised, before he had Isaac, before he was willing to sacrifice Isaac, before all of this, Abraham had faith, and his faith was credited as righteousness (Rom 4:3). But James is emphasizing something altogether different. He is talking about when Abraham was willing to sacrifice Isaac in obedience to God, and James says that Abraham was considered righteous when he did that. In these two perspectives on Abraham's life—one from the standpoint of his initial faith and the other looking back on his life of obedience—separated by some 30 years, we see two pictures of justification.

First, when Paul talks about justification, he is most often talking about initial justification, which is the inception of the Christian's life. When you turn from yourself and trust in Jesus as the only One who can save you, God clothes you with the righteousness of Christ and by His grace declares you right before Him (Rom 4:3-5; Gal 2:16). In Ephesians 2:8 Paul says, "For you are saved by grace through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God's gift." See the danger Paul wants us to avoid: thinking that works are a necessary basis or means of our salvation. Paul in Scripture is calling us to believe in God, not in the sense that demons believe (which James is combating in 2:19), but in the sense that you believe Jesus is the sovereign Lord and King who alone has paid the price for your sins on the cross and who has finished the work of salvation for you so that nothing more is to be added to that work. Believe in Him and be saved. That's what Paul means when he talks about justification in Romans 3:21-26: at the moment you trust in Christ, you are justified before God. But that doesn't mean James is using the word in the same way.

In the Old Testament and in Jesus' teachings, this term justification is oftentimes used in reference not just to the initial point of salvation but to the final judgment where we will stand before God.

In Matthew 12:37 Jesus says, "For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned." The word there for "acquitted" is akin to being "justified." Jesus is saying that by your words you will be declared innocent, and the picture here is of something that will happen in the future at the day of judgment. When we come to 55James, who has already shown us how much he leans on Jesus' teachings and who has already talked about the judgment of God that is coming (2:12-13), it seems clear that he is not referring to initial justification, that is, the time when we first believe and are declared right before God but rather to final justification. Final justification refers to what will happen on the day of judgment when God declares us right in His sight. As opposed to talking about the inception of the Christian's life, James is talking about the confirmation of the Christian's life. This is what happens on the final day when what was declared initially is declared openly.

What James is confronting in his letter is different from what Paul is confronting. Paul wants us to avoid thinking we need to work in order to earn salvation. Then there's the danger James wants us to avoid: thinking that works are not necessary as evidence of our salvation. Again, works are not the basis of our justification. Final justification is not based on our works, but rather James is wanting us to see that when we stand before God on the day of judgment, it will be clear whether we had real, true, and authentic faith or dead, demonic faith.

You may ask, "How will I know if my faith was real?" And the answer is, "Was there any fruit?" Because if there was faith, then there will be fruit. Paul says Abraham's faith was credited to him as righteousness at the moment he believed. That leads us to ask questions like, "How do we know Abraham's faith was real?" And James tells us Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son in obedience to God. This can only be the fruit of faith. When Paul says, "For we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law" (Rom 3:28), he is saying a man is justified by wholehearted trust in the grace of Christ, not from any work he can do to earn his way to God. And James is in the background saying, "Amen!" And when James says, "You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" (Jas 2:24), he is saying a man is not justified by a cold, intellectual belief in Jesus that even the demons have. Instead, a man is justified by a faith that produces radical obedience and sacrifice. And Paul is in the background saying, "Amen!" If this sounds confusing, we'll try to summarize everything with two truths below.

Two Truths to Remember

Two Truths to Remember

Two truths summarize everything we've seen so far. First, salvation is through faith. We are not saved through works; we are saved through faith. This is particularly what we saw in Paul: Through initial faith in 56Christ, we are made right before God the Father. If you were to ask Paul or James, "How can I be saved?" they would both answer by saying that Christ is the basis for our salvation. James speaks of having "faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ" (2:1). Jesus has done the work. He has conquered sin, and He has purchased righteousness for us, so there is no work for us to do. His work on the cross and in the resurrection is the basis of our salvation. But how is that work applied to my life? The answer is this: faith is the means of our salvation. Trust in the person and work of Christ, and this is how you can be saved (Acts 16:31). Turn from yourself and trust in Him to save you from your sins and to be the Lord over your life, and you will be made right before God the Father. This gives us radical confidence. When God gives you birth through the word of truth (Jas 1:18), you don't ever have to fear anything in this life. You don't have to fear death itself because you are right before God the Father for all of eternity. Salvation is through faith.

The second truth to summarize this passage is that faith works. When Christ gives you spiritual birth, He gives you spiritual life—a life that is radically different and a life that bears great fruit. Look at Abraham: Yes, through His initial trust in God, He was made right before God the Father, but through continual faith in Christ, we walk with God as friend. An easy believism is rampant today in contemporary (so-called) Christianity where all kinds of people are claiming and believing they are right before God the Father, but they have absolutely no interest in walking with God as friend. And James says such people don't have faith; their faith is dead.

This picture of Abraham being called God's friend in James 2:23 is not an exact quote from the Old Testament although it is somewhat similar to descriptions of Abraham in 2 Chronicles 20:7 and Isaiah 41:8 (Moo, James, 139; Blomberg and Kamell, James, 138). Yet the picture is the same as what we hear from the mouth of Jesus when He says to His disciples in John 15:14, "You are My friends if you do what I command you." It is the natural overflow of knowing God as Father to enjoy God as friend. Such faith results in radical obedience. When your faith is in God as Father and as friend, then you do not need to be afraid to obey Him. You do not need to fear His commands. Even when He says to do things that make no sense to us or to the world around us, and even when He calls us to take steps that risk everything, we can obey. Why? Because we trust God wholeheartedly. This is why Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son: because he trusted God. And when we trust God, we 57will follow God sacrificially. We'll sacrifice everything in obedience to His commands.

Reflect and Discuss

Reflect and Discuss

1. How would you respond to someone who says the Bible has many contradictions? How do you think through passages that seem to contradict one another?
2. How is James 2:20-24 consistent with Paul's teaching on justification by faith alone?
3. What's the difference between dead faith and living faith?
4. Explain this statement: We should differentiate between positional righteousness and practical righteousness, but we shouldn't completely separate them.
5. What's the difference between works God approves and works that are an affront to Him?
6. What's the danger of leaving the gospel out of a discussion on the works God requires?
7. What works or spiritual disciplines are you tempted to rely on for a right standing before God?
8. What's the difference between our initial justification and our justification on the last day?
9. What is the basis of your salvation? Why is it so crucial to know this truth?
10. What passages of Scripture would you point someone to in order to show them the kind of fruit God expects from His people?