Works vs. Faith ~ James vs. Paul

For centuries, James 2:14-26 has been an extremely controversial verse in Bible as it appears to set the teaching of James at odds with the teaching of Paul (Galatians 2:16 and Romans 3:28). In essence, James writes that if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds then his faith is dead. He says a man cannot be justified by faith alone. Paul on the other hand seems to defend the opposite. Paul says that men are justified by faith not by works. Men are saved by faith alone. This internal contradiction or inconsistence is problematic for those who believe the Bible to be a single infallible composition. How can two authors of the Bible be teaching opposite messages?

There have been a variety of interpretations that attempt to answer this question. Some scholars say that the two authors were in fact in disagreement but both of their positions are defended in the Bible because each side is applicable at different times a readers life. Sanders set James and Paul in such great opposition that it forces readers to choose one or the other. Another possible interpretation is that they agree deep down but on the surface they disagree. This can be explain by looking further into each author's intention and use of vocabulary. Some scholars say that the whole discussion and attempt to try and reconcile the views is fruitless because Paul is so adamant about his position he would never agree with James. A common interpretation is that works are the essentially the 'fruit' of the faith, which is the 'root.' Robert Rakestraw says that this last interpretation is simply not enough to alleviate the tension that is found between the two authors. 

When we look at the isolated texts we can see that both authors use the same three terms: faith, works and justify. They both use Genesis 15:6 as scriptural support of their individual arguments. In Genesis 15:6 Abraham is declared righteous by God as a result of his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac. In addition to this example James mentions Rahab's righteousness a second example from the Old Testament. Rahab, a Gentile prostitute, was declared righteous by God after she hid Israel's spies in her house. When we look at the texts in the wider context they are consistent with each author's general message. Paul speaks repeated of faith and how men are saved by faith alone and not by works. He emphasises that obeying the Jewish law is no longer the source of salvation and that it no longer needs to be followed as it was before. James' epistle teaches of the importance of showing your faith their your merciful and compassionate behaviour towards other humans. James says that without this compassion deeds one's faith is dead and cannot save them. Thus, we can see the dilemma. Paul says that we no longer need to do works because all that matters is our faith and James says that unless we do works our faith means nothing. 

Scholars including Rakestraw, Bauckham, Moo and McKnight have attempted to resolve the dilemma by looking more closely at what each author meant by using certain terminology and by considering the context in which each author was writing. Although each of the scholars just mentioned has their own specific take on the discussion they share a general understanding that Paul and James actually did agree deep down. It was only on the surface that they appear to disagree. This surface disagreement arises because Paul and James are addresses very different audiences. In a sense they are speaking to opposite ends of a spectrum. Although they use the same words they each place a different meaning behind them. It is commonly assumed that James has a shallow understanding of faith and that Paul's understanding is much deeper and richer. Some say that James doesn't value faith as much as Paul does and that likewise Paul doesn't value works as much as James does. However, when considering their audience it becomes clear that they may in fact be seeing eye to eye and instead of fighting each other they are actually standing back to back, each fighting different 'enemies' but defending the same truth.

Miniver Cheevy

Paul worked with Gentiles and he saw that they were able to convert and be justified by God without having to follow the Jewish law and complete works such as circumcision in order to be justified. There was a forceful opposition to this believe however that came from a Jewish legalists who believe that obedience to the Jewish law was the only was to assure salvation. Jewish status, gained by birth, meant that many Jews just assumed they were guaranteed salvation provided that they carried out the Law. They did not appreciate the need for a deep faith that was a personal relationship with God. 
James on the other hand was working with Christians who had perhaps heard Paul's message and been assured that as long as they had inner faith that was all that mattered. They believed they needn't do anything else. This resulted in many people calling themselves Christians but not acting in the compassionate way that Jesus had taught and they became indifferent to those in need. It has also been suggested that perhaps James was writing to a group of people who were not interested in complex theology like that seen in Paul's teachings but rather they needed practical guidance.

Thus, we can see that Paul was talking to a group of people who were so rigid on following the Law, believing it would save them, so he needed to emphasise the importance of faith. When Paul spoke of 'faith' he was talking of a deep personal that inspired an individual to live their life in obedience to God. When he spoke of 'works' he was referring to the legalistic works of the Jewish Law that people had to follow. 
James was talking to a group of people who believed that believing certain things about God and saying they had faith was all they needed to be saved. When James said 'faith' he was referring to an intellectual acceptance of facts about God. When he said 'works' he meant merciful and compassionate deeds in obedience to God. This is the point where people accuse James of having a superficial understanding of faith compared to Paul. However, according to Rakestraw this is not at all the case. He claims that James had a very high appreciation for faith and he was aiming to elevate it, not downplay it. James understood faith in the same way that Paul did, as a personal reliance and trust in God and his promises. The faith that James was claiming to not be enough was the faith that was simply claimed or intellectual. James and Paul both believed that a true faith that is mature and deep would naturally produce good works. James explains that the works are included in this true faith and therefore are a reliable sign or symptom of it. If one does not have good works then the faith that they have is dead. 'Dead' does not been that it does not exist. Dead implies that something used to be alive but no longer is. Dead means something is useless and barren. Thus, one can proclaim a faith that is intellectual but because it will not produce good works it is not mature, it is not perfect, and it therefore is useless not only to other people but also for salvation.

Paul and James both mention Abraham. Paul claims that Abraham was declare justified by God before he was circumcised and before aqedah when he bound his son Isaac. This is Paul's proof that what Abraham did, did not determine whether or not he was righteous. James however says that it was the aqedah moment when Abraham was justified. Their disagreement on this point is not as great as it may appear. They are not disagreeing over whether is Abraham's faith or his works that justify him, their discussion is over when the justification occurs. Pauls says that the works that Abraham did before his conversion do not save him. It is at the moment of his conversion, the moment when he gains faith, that he is justified. He is moved from the sinful life into a Holy life. James would agree that the works before conversion do not count towards salvation. When James speaks of 'works' he is referring to the works that occur after conversion. It is these works that perfect the faith and makes a person righteous and justified. They appear to be disagreeing because they are using justified in two separate ways. Paul is referring to the instant of conversion. The person at that moment is now seen as justified before God. It is a reference to salvation and the end times. At the final judgement that person is declared justified because of that conversion moment when they confessed a life changing personal faith. James is speaking of a justified life that God can acknowledge while a person is still alive. It is a statement about the 'health' or 'maturity' of a person's faith. James includes his example of Rahab in addition to this mention of Abraham. Holloway suggests that by including her, a common prostitute, James is reaching out to the everyday person who may feel intimidated if asked to live up to Abraham's example. 

Kenosha Bible Church

Scholars have tried to identify which author wrote first in order to determine if the letters are confronting one another. If Paul's letters were written first it seems likely that Paul may have read them and then felt the need to respond to counteract the perversions of Paul's message about faith that would follow. This seems likely because some of the verses in James don't seem to make much sense until they were looked at in relation to Pauline texts which illuminate them. If James was written first it is more likely that Paul was not responding to James but rather going off on his own reflective exploration that led him away from Jewish tradition and thus presented him as in opposition to James. Their shared language does not serve as evidence to their interaction either because such language was common in early Christian circles.

In conclusion, Paul and James appear to be disagreeing on the surface because they are addressing difference audiences but deep down they do agree on the significance of a rich personal faith that naturally includes good works. Neither author wishes to promote only faith or works. It is not a matter of faith or works but rather it is a question of faith with/without works. They both defend the significance of both. Paul was teaching people who needed faith to be emphasised and James' audience needed to be spurred on to let their faith mature into good works.