"Justification in James 2:14"
Are we saved by works?
Article by Dr. Charles Bing
Are we saved by works?
Article by Dr. Charles Bing
Does James 2:14 teach that works are a necessary component for salvation?
Many would answer that James is not saying works are a necessary requirement for salvation, but a necessary result of salvation. Others object that this still makes salvation contingent upon works. How can this passage be reconciled to salvation by grace through faith alone as Paul teaches in Romans chapters 3-5 and Ephesians 2:8-9? Some observations follow.
There is every indication that the readers to whom James was writing were already Christians [i.e., they were believers who had previously put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, totally apart from their own works or human effort, etc.]. They were born from above (James 1:18), they possessed faith in Christ (James 2:1), and they are called "brethren" (James 1:2, 19; 2:1, 14; 3:1; 4:11; 5:7,10, 12, 19). In addition, even the hypothetical someone in James 2:14 is identified as "one of you" in James 2:16. James assumes there may be individuals among his Christian readers who can have faith without works, who were not living out their faith in practical ways [by meeting the needs of their fellow believers in the church].
[Editors Note: In order to correctly interpret the book of James, it is essential to recognize that James is not writing to unbelievers, or to so-called "professors" but to saved people - those who were already believers in Jesus Christ and who had been born again by the Spirit of God. The immediate context, before and after James 2:14, as well as the entire context of the book, makes this clear. Important: See James 1:2, 1:9, 1:12, 1:16, 1:18, 1:19, 2:1, 2:5, 2:12, 3:1, 3:13, 4:6, 5:7-10, 5:13-16, 5:19-20. Only when we take James 2:14 out of its context, and fail to see James' purpose for writing, can we come to a different conclusion. We must always remember the helpful principle, "A text taken out of its context is a pretext [i.e., a pretense - a supposed, but invalid grounds of proof]."
The context of this section of James is bracketed by the theme of judgment (James 2:13; 3:1). The only judgment of Christians [believers] is the judgment seat of Christ, which is based on the believer's works or lack of works [and rewards or lack of rewards for their works] (1 Corinthians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:10). This fits James's concern exactly.
[Editors Note: The judgment seat of Christ is the place where the believer's life and works are evaluated for the purpose of receiving rewards for Christian service. These rewards are described as "gold, silver and precious stones" as opposed to "wood, hay and stubble." This judgment is only for those who are already saved and secure in Christ. This judgment has nothing to do with going to heaven or hell, it is only in regard to rewards or loss of rewards (See 1 Corinthians 3:12-16).]
In the bible, the word "saved' is often used of Christians [those who are already saved] who are delivered from some undesirable fate (1 Corinthians 5:5). James uses this word of a Christian's possible fate in 1:21, 5:15, and 5:20. It is used in 2:14-26 to refer to a Christian delivered from an undesirable fate at the judgment seat of Christ such as having his works burned (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) and losing his reward (2 John 7-8). Thus the profit James speaks of is not salvation [in the sense of getting saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone], but advantages accrued in this life and the next.
James is not concerned with the reality of his readers' faith, but the quality (James 1:3, 6; 2:1; 5:15) and usefulness (1:12, 26; 2:14, 16, 20) of their faith. James is not saying faith will manifest itself in works, but that without works faith is useless or unprofitable in this life and the next. James' main concern is that his readers [who are already believers] become doers of the Word (James 1:22) (which is the same as being a doer of the work who will be blessed in what he does - James 1:25). For example, faith that perseveres in trials earns a reward from God (James 1:3-12); and faith that is merciful to others receives God's mercy at the judgment seat of Christ (James 2:8-13). But faith [i.e., the believer's faith in daily living] that does not work is "useless" towards these blessings and "useless" in helping others (James 1:26; 2:20 in some versions). The word dead should therefore be understood as useless or unprofitable [for helping others] rather than non-existent.
In James 2:19 the faith of demons also shows the uselessness of faith without works. Their faith could not save them anyway, because it is only a faith in monotheism, not Jesus Christ. The point of their mention is that because they only tremble, they do not do any good works to alleviate a fearful judgment. Their faith is useless to them.
Many recognize that when James speaks of being justified by works (James 2:21, 24, 25) he is not speaking of the imputed justification which saves us eternally as Paul uses the term (Romans. 3:24; 4:5). This would be a contradiction in the Bible. James is speaking of a vindication before others. Paul even recognizes this use of the word justify in Romans 4:2. There are two kinds of justification in the Bible. One concerns practical righteousness that vindicates us before people. The other concerns judicial righteousness that vindicates us before God. James obviously uses the practical sense because Abraham was judicially justified in Genesis 15:6 (James 2:23) before he offered Isaac in Genesis 22 (James 2:21). His vindication by others is seen when they call him "the friend of God" (James 2:23). Thus Abraham's faith was made perfect or mature by this demonstration of his faith (James 2:22).
In James 2:26, James is not saying that faith invigorates works, but that works invigorates faith. It is works which makes faith useful, just as the spirit makes the body useful. The issue in not whether faith exists in a person, but how faith becomes profitable or useful to a Christian.
[Editors Note: At the time Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice to God, He had already been a believer for many, many years. Genesis 15:6 describes His initial justification by faith, while Genesis chapter 22 describes his obedience to God as a believer many years later. At the time, he offered Isaac, He had already been walking with God for a period of 15-30 years!]
Conclusion:
This passage in James is written to Christians [those who had already placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation]. It was written to encourage these Christians to do good works which will make their faith mature and profitable to them and to others. There is no contradiction between James and Paul. When Paul speaks of justification through faith alone, he is speaking of judicial righteousness before God [how a person is first saved and declared 'perfectly righteous forever' in God's sight]. When James speaks of justification by a faith that works, he is speaking of a practical righteousness displayed before other people. In Romans chapters 3-5, Paul is discussing how to obtain a new life in Christ. In James, James is discussing how to make that new life profitable.
If this passage is taken to mean that one must demonstrate a real salvation through works, then works unavoidably becomes necessary for salvation which is a contradiction of Ephesians 2:8-9 [and numerous other scriptures]. Also, there are no criteria mentioned for exactly what kind or how much work verifies salvation. This opens the door to subjectivism and undermines the objective basis of assurance and the promise of God's Word that all who believe in Christ's work alone will be saved [totally apart from their works!].
*GraceNotes are designed for downloading and copying so they can be used in ministry. No permission is required if they are distributed unedited at no charge. For more excellent articles by Dr. Charlie Bing and others, go to GraceLife.org
Many would answer that James is not saying works are a necessary requirement for salvation, but a necessary result of salvation. Others object that this still makes salvation contingent upon works. How can this passage be reconciled to salvation by grace through faith alone as Paul teaches in Romans chapters 3-5 and Ephesians 2:8-9? Some observations follow.
There is every indication that the readers to whom James was writing were already Christians [i.e., they were believers who had previously put their faith in Jesus Christ alone for their salvation, totally apart from their own works or human effort, etc.]. They were born from above (James 1:18), they possessed faith in Christ (James 2:1), and they are called "brethren" (James 1:2, 19; 2:1, 14; 3:1; 4:11; 5:7,10, 12, 19). In addition, even the hypothetical someone in James 2:14 is identified as "one of you" in James 2:16. James assumes there may be individuals among his Christian readers who can have faith without works, who were not living out their faith in practical ways [by meeting the needs of their fellow believers in the church].
[Editors Note: In order to correctly interpret the book of James, it is essential to recognize that James is not writing to unbelievers, or to so-called "professors" but to saved people - those who were already believers in Jesus Christ and who had been born again by the Spirit of God. The immediate context, before and after James 2:14, as well as the entire context of the book, makes this clear. Important: See James 1:2, 1:9, 1:12, 1:16, 1:18, 1:19, 2:1, 2:5, 2:12, 3:1, 3:13, 4:6, 5:7-10, 5:13-16, 5:19-20. Only when we take James 2:14 out of its context, and fail to see James' purpose for writing, can we come to a different conclusion. We must always remember the helpful principle, "A text taken out of its context is a pretext [i.e., a pretense - a supposed, but invalid grounds of proof]."
The context of this section of James is bracketed by the theme of judgment (James 2:13; 3:1). The only judgment of Christians [believers] is the judgment seat of Christ, which is based on the believer's works or lack of works [and rewards or lack of rewards for their works] (1 Corinthians 3:13; 2 Corinthians 5:10). This fits James's concern exactly.
[Editors Note: The judgment seat of Christ is the place where the believer's life and works are evaluated for the purpose of receiving rewards for Christian service. These rewards are described as "gold, silver and precious stones" as opposed to "wood, hay and stubble." This judgment is only for those who are already saved and secure in Christ. This judgment has nothing to do with going to heaven or hell, it is only in regard to rewards or loss of rewards (See 1 Corinthians 3:12-16).]
In the bible, the word "saved' is often used of Christians [those who are already saved] who are delivered from some undesirable fate (1 Corinthians 5:5). James uses this word of a Christian's possible fate in 1:21, 5:15, and 5:20. It is used in 2:14-26 to refer to a Christian delivered from an undesirable fate at the judgment seat of Christ such as having his works burned (1 Corinthians 3:12-15) and losing his reward (2 John 7-8). Thus the profit James speaks of is not salvation [in the sense of getting saved by faith in Jesus Christ alone], but advantages accrued in this life and the next.
James is not concerned with the reality of his readers' faith, but the quality (James 1:3, 6; 2:1; 5:15) and usefulness (1:12, 26; 2:14, 16, 20) of their faith. James is not saying faith will manifest itself in works, but that without works faith is useless or unprofitable in this life and the next. James' main concern is that his readers [who are already believers] become doers of the Word (James 1:22) (which is the same as being a doer of the work who will be blessed in what he does - James 1:25). For example, faith that perseveres in trials earns a reward from God (James 1:3-12); and faith that is merciful to others receives God's mercy at the judgment seat of Christ (James 2:8-13). But faith [i.e., the believer's faith in daily living] that does not work is "useless" towards these blessings and "useless" in helping others (James 1:26; 2:20 in some versions). The word dead should therefore be understood as useless or unprofitable [for helping others] rather than non-existent.
In James 2:19 the faith of demons also shows the uselessness of faith without works. Their faith could not save them anyway, because it is only a faith in monotheism, not Jesus Christ. The point of their mention is that because they only tremble, they do not do any good works to alleviate a fearful judgment. Their faith is useless to them.
Many recognize that when James speaks of being justified by works (James 2:21, 24, 25) he is not speaking of the imputed justification which saves us eternally as Paul uses the term (Romans. 3:24; 4:5). This would be a contradiction in the Bible. James is speaking of a vindication before others. Paul even recognizes this use of the word justify in Romans 4:2. There are two kinds of justification in the Bible. One concerns practical righteousness that vindicates us before people. The other concerns judicial righteousness that vindicates us before God. James obviously uses the practical sense because Abraham was judicially justified in Genesis 15:6 (James 2:23) before he offered Isaac in Genesis 22 (James 2:21). His vindication by others is seen when they call him "the friend of God" (James 2:23). Thus Abraham's faith was made perfect or mature by this demonstration of his faith (James 2:22).
In James 2:26, James is not saying that faith invigorates works, but that works invigorates faith. It is works which makes faith useful, just as the spirit makes the body useful. The issue in not whether faith exists in a person, but how faith becomes profitable or useful to a Christian.
[Editors Note: At the time Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice to God, He had already been a believer for many, many years. Genesis 15:6 describes His initial justification by faith, while Genesis chapter 22 describes his obedience to God as a believer many years later. At the time, he offered Isaac, He had already been walking with God for a period of 15-30 years!]
Conclusion:
This passage in James is written to Christians [those who had already placed their faith in Christ alone for salvation]. It was written to encourage these Christians to do good works which will make their faith mature and profitable to them and to others. There is no contradiction between James and Paul. When Paul speaks of justification through faith alone, he is speaking of judicial righteousness before God [how a person is first saved and declared 'perfectly righteous forever' in God's sight]. When James speaks of justification by a faith that works, he is speaking of a practical righteousness displayed before other people. In Romans chapters 3-5, Paul is discussing how to obtain a new life in Christ. In James, James is discussing how to make that new life profitable.
If this passage is taken to mean that one must demonstrate a real salvation through works, then works unavoidably becomes necessary for salvation which is a contradiction of Ephesians 2:8-9 [and numerous other scriptures]. Also, there are no criteria mentioned for exactly what kind or how much work verifies salvation. This opens the door to subjectivism and undermines the objective basis of assurance and the promise of God's Word that all who believe in Christ's work alone will be saved [totally apart from their works!].
*GraceNotes are designed for downloading and copying so they can be used in ministry. No permission is required if they are distributed unedited at no charge. For more excellent articles by Dr. Charlie Bing and others, go to GraceLife.org
More About James 2
(This is a short article written by Rob Armstrong as a followup to the excellent article above.)
When people read this passage in James they most often fail to consider the context, as well as the actual events in Abraham's life.
In Genesis chapter 15, Abraham was justified (declared) righteous by faith alone totally apart from his works. He simply believed God's promise and God credited it to him as righteousness. Important: See Genesis 15:5-6 and Romans 4:1-8.
Note: Romans chapters 3&4 explain how a person is saved (declared righteous in God's sight) by faith alone without works of any kind. I encourage you to read these two chapters often (some of you you may even want to memorized these chapters) because they were written to tell us exactly how we are made right with God - yet most people have never read or studied them carefully).
It is important to see that in James chapter 2, James is referring to the events that took place in Genesis chapter 22 when Abraham offered Isaac as a sacrifice to God which took place many, many years after Abraham was already justified by faith in Genesis chapter 15. In Genesis chapter 15, Issac was not even born yet! But in Genesis chapter 22, Issac was as young man (likely between the ages of 15 and 30), who was old enough and strong enough to carry the wood for the sacrifice up the mountain.
By the time the events in Genesis 22 take place, Abraham had been saved (justified) for many years and had been learning to trust God more and more for his daily provision and protection, etc. He was a mature believer who had been trusting God, day-by-day and year-after-year, for 15-30 years! He was also becoming a "friend of God."
When, Abraham offered up Isaac, his faith was justified (i.e., vindicated and demonstrated) before men by what he did - by his works. But long before this, Abraham was justified before God by faith only - without works.
James was written to believers who were already born again (see James 1:2, 1:9, 1:12, 1:16, 1:18, 1:19, 2:1, 2:5, 2:12, 3:1, 3:13, 4:6, 5:7-10, 5:13-16, 5:19-20) but who needed to reach out to, and care for, their brothers and sisters in the church (read the first half of chapter 2). Instead of saying they had faith, James wanted then to demonstrate their Christian faith by their good works to others (not to get saved or prove that they were saved - they were already saved - but to act out their walk of faith by caring for the needs others.) James 2 is talking about how, as believers, we need to live out our Christianity in practical ways by actually serving others, and not just talking about it!
We are justified (declared 'perfectly righteous forever' by God Himself) by faith alone in Christ alone, totally apart from our works. Once we have been justified by faith alone, God's purpose is that we demonstrate (justify and vindicate) our faith before men. God already knows whether someone had put their faith in His Son for their salvation (He is not asking us to prove it), but men cannot see our faith unless we demonstrate it by our works.
It is essential for us to remember that our good works are utterly rejected by God as a means of salvation, but once we are saved by faith alone, we are created to do good works through the empowering Holy Spirit (See Ephesians 2:8-10, Titus 3:4-8, Galatians 5:22-23).
