May 3, 2019
READING TIME: 2-4 MINUTES
James 2:14-26 – Part 5
Are there two kinds of justification, by faith and by works in James 2:21-24?
There seems to be an apparent contradiction when Paul wrote that Abraham was not justified by works (Romans 4:2), whereas James wrote that he was (James 2:21-24). You’ll be relieved to know this isn’t a contradiction if you understand Paul and James were referring to two different kinds of justification, one before God, and one before man (see James 2:24). The Apostle Paul agrees that there are two kinds of justification. Writing at likely a later time than James, Paul wrote in Romans 4:2, “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something of which to boast, but not before God.” The form of this statement in Greek does not deny the truth of the point under consideration. The phrase, “but not before God,” strongly suggests that Paul can think of a sense in which people are justified by works. But, he insists, that is not the way people are justified before God. In other words, it does not establish their legal standing before Him.
Abraham was justified before God when he left Ur by faith, but at least 30 years later he was justified (or vindicated) before men by his righteous life when God asked him to offer up Isaac on the altar (Genesis 15:6; 22:9; Hebrews 11:8). In 2:21-24, James also referred to two different kinds of justification. In other words, James is not suggesting that there are two conditions for justification, faith plus works, but there is a justification by faith and another one by works, and they are not the same kind of justification.
What was the result of Abraham’s justification/vindication before men in Gen 22? It certainly wasn’t personal salvation, since he was already saved at least 30 years earlier as mentioned above, but according to James 2:22, his faith was strengthened, matured, and perfected by his obedience. The main point of James 2:22 is not the substantiation of faith, but the maturation of it. James was saying that actions work in harmony with faith; it says nothing about whether the good works inevitably result from a supposed genuine faith. Remember, James wrote his epistles to believers. Their eternal salvation was never in doubt. Of course, James would have agreed with Paul that eternal salvation is through faith alone.
I like what Lybrand wrote in his Dmin dissertation, “The combination of faith plus works is not to secure salvation from hell to heaven, but to propel the spiritual growth of the already-saved by giving fullness to a faithful walk with God, and a warning for avoiding ‘death’ through the failure to add works to one’s faith.”
In summary, Abraham was already saved when God asked him to make the ultimate sacrifice of offering up Isaac on the altar, but the maturity and vitality of his faith could only be accomplished by works. As a result of his obedience, he was called God’s friend (compare 2 Chronicles 20:7; Isaiah 41:8). Similarly, Jesus told the believing disciples in John 15:14 that they were his friends if they do what He commanded them. Their eternal salvation was never in doubt, but there was a question about whether they would continue to walk in fellowship and abide with the Lord and as a result, be called His “friend.”
James (in 2:24) does not disagree with Paul. James is simply saying that there are two different types of justification, not just one type conditioned on faith plus works. Justification by faith alone guarantees our eternal salvation, but justification by works results from our obedient behavior and results in Jesus saying, “Well done!”
Sources Used
Dillow, Joseph. Final Destiny: The Future Reign of The Servant Kings: Fourth Revised Edition. Grace Theology Press, chapter 28.
Hart, John F. “How To Energize Our Faith: Reconsidering The Meaning Of James 2:14-26.” JOTGES 12:1 (Spring 1999): 37-66.
Hodges, Zane C. “The Epistle of James.” Grace New Testament Commentary. Ed. Robert N. Wilkin. Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2010.
Lybrand, Fred. “Does Faith Guarantee Works? Rethinking the Cliché.” DMin diss., Phoenix Theological Seminary, 2007, 85.
