Pedrito Maynard-Reid
You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. James 2:24.
The difficulty this text poses lies in the fact that it seems to contradict the Pauline assertion in Romans 3:28 that a person is justified by faith apart from works. Because James is saying that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone, many Protestants, beginning with Martin Luther, have either relegated James to a lesser place in the canon, while elevating Paul’s theology, or have sought to make both inspired men say and mean the same thing.
Paul and James – A careful reading of each text in its context will reveal that they neither are contradicting each other nor are they speaking to the same issue. Let’s start with Paul. The context of Paul is similar to that of Jesus’ conflict with the legalistic party of the Pharisees. Both these Pharisees and some members of the early Christian Church sought salvation through law keeping. Paul’s argument is that one is not justified by legalistic works (literally in Greek: “works of law”), but by faith.
James’ context is entirely different. He is not involved in a polemic with Judaizers (people who tried to lead Christians back into Judaism) who are attempting to gain salvation by the observance of the law. He is not involved in a theological dispute over Jewish observances. His dispute is ethical. His concern is over deeds and acts of mercy and charity. His “works” have to do with his audience’s attitude to the poor and marginal in society.
The social dimension of faith – The context of James becomes clear when we realize that James 2:24 comes at the end of an extended argument that began in 1:27. James begins with a statement that “true religion” has a social dimension: It involves caring for the poor and marginalized (i.e., orphans and widows). This “true religion” is the equivalent of “works” in 2:24.
As a matter of fact, all of James 2 is an illustration of “religion at work.” In the first half (2:1-13), he illustrates this negatively and condemns those who show partiality to the rich and disdain for the poor. In the second half (2:14-26), James states clearly that “faith” alone does not save – that is, faith without a strong practical component. This is precisely why he begins in verse 14 with the illustration regarding the person who lacks clothes and food. He argues that telling such a person to go and keep warm and be fed without any action by the well-off person is not helpful.
Faith and works are complementary – We must make it clear that James is not teaching justification by works. He is not eliminating the element of faith. His argument is that faith and works (which together form true religion) are complementary and concurrent in the life of the believer. What James is arguing against is a faith that ignores the component of caring for one in need. Thus, a better translation for the phrase in James 2:14 “can faith save him” is “can that faith save him?” “Faith” that is disconnected from ethical works is invalid. In James’ theological system “works” is not a substitute for faith; it is simply the other side of the salvific coin. You can’t have one without the other. Thus James includes the word alone in the sentence in 2:24 – “a person is justified [i.e. in a relationship with God] by works and not by faith alone.”
“James does not deny that a man is declared righteous by faith … However, he does deny that a mere profession of faith alone can justify a man. Good works accompany faith and prove the validity of the faith by which a man is justified. If there are no ‘works,’ it is evident that genuine faith does not exist” (F. D. Nichol, ed. Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary, 7:523.
The most valuable rules for social and
family [interaction] are to be found
in the Bible.
AH 423