By Kevin Harris, pastor of the Illawarra Community Baptist Church in Wollongong, NSW
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
James 2:14
Our family was camping in the Dandenongs when a bus full of Catholic priests rolled up. The men were enjoying a day out in nature. I ambled over and struck up a conversation with one of them. I shared with him how salvation is by faith in Christ’s sacrifice alone, without the need for us to work for our salvation. Romans 3:20, Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:5 clearly teach this truth.
His response was to point to James 2:14-26. He made no attempt to reconcile the two. He merely presented this passage as a contradiction, stating that Paul and James disagreed.
Friend, God’s Word never contradicts. Two men who are superintended by the Holy Spirit to pen Scripture have never disagreed.
The seeming contradiction is resolved easily. The Holy Spirit is fighting one heresy regarding salvation through Paul’s epistles, while He guides James to fight a different heresy regarding salvation.
The first enemy of salvation is self-righteousness. It says, ‘I can earn God’s favour by attempting to merit it. Yes, Jesus saves, but I have to be good.’
The second enemy of salvation which James 2 defeats is an empty profession of faith. It says, ‘I prayed a prayer of salvation. I can live however I want now that my salvation is guaranteed.’ But it is a dead faith.
Rather than fighting each other, Paul and James are like two knights guarding a damsel against separate ruffians coming against her from opposite sides.
Here in James 2:14, 16 and 18 we see the word ‘say.’ Dead faith talks a good talk. It makes a profession of faith, but there’s not evidence to back up the claim. He asks, ‘Can [that kind of] faith save him’?
Instead, faith works. Verse 18 twice mentions ‘shew,’ saying ‘Shew me thy faith’! Living faith is not only spoken. It can be seen (‘Seest’ in verse 22 and ‘See’ in verse 24). Living faith impacts a life.
Abraham’s faith of verse 23 occurred when he was between 75 years old and 85 years old (see Genesis 15:6). It was then that he was declared righteous. The evidence of his faith described in verse 21 occurred 30 or more years later in Genesis 22. Clearly, he was saved by faith and not by works.
Vast numbers of people these days fall into one ditch or the other. May God give us the grace to avoid both heresies.
Father, I profess faith in Your Son’s blood to save my soul from the condemnation it deserves. I thank You that You have produced in me a living faith that can be shown and seen by good works. Make it more and more apparent that You are transforming my life into the likeness of Your dear Son, dispelling any doubt that I am Your child. I ask this in the Name of the Lord Jesus, Amen.
This article was written by Kevin Harris Dapto pastor of Illawarra Community Baptist Church.