One of the most misunderstood passages in scripture is found in James' epistle to the Church.
“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble! But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” James 2:14-24 NKJV
This passage seems to throw off of many well-meaning believer's understanding of the doctrine of grace espoused by the Apostle Paul. We see Paul declare repeatedly that it in not the Law that justifies, we are not saved by works, we are saved by putting our faith in the grace of God, and so forth.
So then how are we to reconcile these two seemingly disparate passages?
Must we conclude that either Paul or James are misguided? Must we accept that one of them missed the heart of the Father?
Friend, I do not believe that to be the case, and I found a few interesting things when reading and researching this letter that seems to indicate that Paul and James were not diametrically opposed. Why is that important, you may ask? Because understanding what James was endeavoring to get at here directly impacts our theology when it comes to grace and understanding all that Jesus has done for us.
Again, we are very familiar in this blog with diving into the writings of Paul and looking at how we are free from ALL aspects of the law. Not free from part of the law, or just the sacrificial system indicated in the law, but the whole law in its entirety. Our focus should be on Jesus and following the Law of Love He taught.
However, as I'm sure you are familiar with, people twisted the grace teaching of the Apostle Paul. Instead of it being grace, grace, and more grace, history tells us that Paul fought on two fronts within the Church - the Judaizers, and those who sought to serve Christ for selfish gain, consequences be damned. In fact, this is what Jesus warned about Mark 8:15, "Then He charged them, saying, "Take heed, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of Herod." Paul and Peter give us similar charges in Galatians 5:1, to not let ourselves be burdened again by a yoke of bondage, and 1 Peter 2:16, to not allow our freedom to be a cloak for evil, vice or maliciousness.
So then, what is James endeavoring to tell us?
James is speaking specifically to those who partook of the leaven of Herod, those who desire to use liberty as a cloak for evil. In other words, grace is not to be a stumbling block in the life of others - it is the true sign of faith in that grace is works that flow from it. This is the same message we have seen Paul proclaim time and time again when he wrote to churches he had never been to in person - I knew your belief in Christ was genuine when I heard of your faith, evidenced by your love. There was an outflow, a work, if you will, of that faith. James is simply saying that if you believe, there will be fruit as proof of your belief, and that fruit is the proof that you have been justified.
But if there isn't fruit in your life, James asserts that it is likely that your faith is dead, because living faith produces fruit.
I ask you today, what fruit are you producing? Is it the fruit that comes from faith in God? Is that fruit, that action, that work, shown in your daily life as you interact with the world around you?
People should be able to see our love as the outpouring of our faith in God.
By Grace,
Dave