Not By Faith Alone

Q. What does James mean when he says in Jam.2.14 that a man is not justified by faith alone?

A. On the surface this seems contradictory to the concept that a man is not saved by works, but on faith alone, but it really isn’t when it is understood. Without getting into a deep teaching about salvation, let’s just keep in mind that before the foundation of the world God called and justified us according to His good pleasure and purpose. Works does not enter into it because it was through God’s grace that faith was implanted in our hearts according to His timing, when we were sinners and not even looking for God. We had no thought of salvation up to that point (Rom. 3.9-12, 5.8). Saving faith is planted by the Ruach ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) bringing conviction and a need for the Lord. It looks like we were seeking God but in reality that seeking is the first sign that eternal life has been planted already. Then some human messenger comes along bringing the “Good News” and that life is stirred within us.

The New Birth is entirely the work of God, no works are involved. So, in James 2.14-22 James is talking about 2 different things. If a man says he has faith, which I just described in the above scenario, then he will be doing the works of God, which James already said is found in the Torah (1.25, 2.12). If eternal life is in someone they will be obeying the Torah, accepting what it teaches and walking in them. These are the “good works” described in Scripture. If he says he knows God but doesn’t keep the commandments he is lying (1Jn 2.1-4). True faith will not be without works. Faith cannot be seen until there is something done, an action which gives his faith “substance” or evidence (Heb 11.1).

The reason why works does not justify anyone before God is because justification has already been done by God before we were even born (Rom 8.29-39). It’s a gift of His grace and mercy (Eph 2.8). What James is talking about is the evidence of that faith as seen before men (2.18). What he is saying is if your faith is truly from God, the evidence will be obedience to God’s commandments and that is what he presents to be examined. For instance God says to keep the Sabbath. If you have true faith, you will keep that command. On the other hand, if you say you have faith but you don’t keep the commandment for whatever reason (like it’s been done away with or replaced by Sunday) there is something wrong.

The first person can point to his “good work” of keeping the commandment as evidence that he already possessed eternal life which produced the act of obedience whereas the second person will have no valid evidence on that point. That is what James is trying to say. He is contrasting the “professors” with the “possessors” and the evidence is the works being produced. The works gives evidence of the justification that is already there. Remember, God starts the salvation process when we weren’t even looking for Him or even interested, we were yet sinners (Rom 5.8).

He maintains that status and nothing can separate us from Him or snatch us out of His hand, and He will finish what he has started (Heb 12.2, Jude 24). So, the entire salvation process from beginning to end is entirely the work of God. We do not have one thing to boast about. The works being done is the Lord working through us. We don’t receive justification for them. We are already justified before we even do any works. James is simply saying that there will be true evidence in the life of a believer if he professes that he has faith.