Both FAITH and WORKS are divinely provided and are found in every true believer!

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Countless people have been confused over the centuries, even today, about what the apostles Paul and James say about the relationship between FAITH and WORKS for our justification. Because of the importance of the doctrine of justification, we must understand the teaching of James 2:14-26 to know which is the only way we can be saved. By faith or by works or by both of them without misunderstanding or misinterpreting the scriptures. Paul said in Romans 3:28 and other places about being justified by faith alone: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." James states in James 2:24: "You see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." Some see James' verse that we are justified by faith plus works. In fact, the teachings of Paul and James do not contradict each other. Each addresses different issues and problems in the believer's life before and after salvation, and they apply the term justification differently. 

Apostle Paul wrote, "For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." (Romans 4:2-3). James wrote, "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 2:21-25).  By reading these verses, it sounds like James is saying that Abraham is justified by works, while Paul is saying that he is justified by the grace of God through faith, without works, but only by faith. James does not argue against salvation by faith alone, but against salvation that is alone, without good works and obedience to God. The Hebrew man Abraham and the Gentile woman Rahab, whom James mentioned (James 2:21-25), were able to put into action their faith, which pleased God and resulted in justification. This means they were accounted before God as righteous. In other words, their faith brought them works that could not have been accomplished without it. The Bible states,"For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."" (Romans 1:17) and "not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, " (Titus 3:5). Paul is talking about the works we did before our salvation and James talking about the works after our salvation.

We are saved by the grace of God through faith and not by works. "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9). "And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work." (Romans 11:6) The minute we add any works to grace, grace is not any longer grace. "if righteousness come by the law (works), then Christ is dead in vain." (Galatians 2:21). We cannot put grace and works together for salvation. Only you can be saved by grace. You must know that the grace is exclusively Christian. Nobody else besides our Lord Jesus Christ teaches salvation by grace. In this world, there are only two religions. One spelled "do," and the other spelled "done." When Jesus died on the cross, he said, "It is finished." That means our debt, which we owe, is paid in full and offers us salvation through faith. "It is gift of God not of works, lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians 2:9). In this verse, Paul says that doing good things before we are saved will not save us, but James says that after we are saved, our faith will lead us to do good works (James 2:14-26). Both of them state separate truths, which tell us that GOOD WORKS will not result in SALVATION, but SALVATION will result in GOOD WORKS.

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Paul states: "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:10), "...they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." (Acts 26:20), "Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another—to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God." (Romans 7:4). Paul and James do not contradict each other at all. They both tell us that good works are part of sincere faith. 

Dr. Adrian Rogers tells us: "There is no contradiction between being saved by trusting the Lord and faith without works is dead. They are heads and tails of the same coin.
What Paul is talking about in Romans 4 is justification before God. What James is talking about is justification before men.
God knows when we are justified by trusting Christ. But people cannot see that we have trusted Christ  All people can see is what we do and how we live. People cannot see our faith. People can only see our works.
Paul is talking about being justified before God. Paul is talking about the root of our salvation. James is talking about the fruit of our salvation. The fruit is the proof of the root.
Paul is talking about inward justification. James is talking about outward demonstration.

Paul is talking about the provision of salvation. James is talking about the proof of salvation.
Paul is talking about the means of salvation. James is talking about the marks of salvation.
We are saved by faith alone, but the faith that saves is never alone.
We’re not saved by faith and works but by faith that works. "to do good works" (Ephesians 2:10)
James is saying that we can’t claim to believe in God and salvation by grace if there hasn’t been a dramatic change in our lives. If your religion hasn’t changed your life, then you better change your religion. We do what we do, not in order to be saved, but because we have been saved.
James is talking about a dead faith... dead faith is profitless (James 2:14), fruitless (James 2:15-19), and lifeless (James 2:20-26)..." 

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James is not saying we are justified by faith plus works, but the person genuinely justified by faith will have good works and not continue living in sin, showing no fruit of righteousness. James is talking to Jewish Christians and challenging them, as followers of Jesus Christ, to not just "talk the talk but to walk the walk." James's passage (2:14-26) does not disconnect salvation from faith. He never says that faith is not essential for salvation. He never claims works are required to gain or keep salvation. The fact is that we are only saved by faith, but genuinely saving faith cannot be separated from the evidence of good works. The Word of God teaches us a person to be saved must exercise "true saving faith" in Christ. God uses faith to bring individuals into a saving relationship with Him. The famous theologian B.B. Warfield said, "The saving power of faith resides thus not in itself, but in the Almighty Savior on whom it rests...It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but that Christ saves through faith."  Paul wrote grace "is the gift of God...lest anyone should boast." (Ephesians

2:8-9). This means no one can take partial credit for his redemption. The "Prince of Preachers." Charles Spurgeon said salvation is "all of grace."

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James' teaching is clear. Works are not the basis of justification but the necessary fruit of true saving faith. Genuine saving faith produces the fruit of obedience and does more than merely believe; it translates into action. True saving faith involves repentance from one's sin and complete trust in the work of Christ to save one from sin and make one righteous. True saving faith involves the entire person, body, soul, and spirit. Saving faith consists of the mind, the heart, and the will. First, understand the gospel; second, believe the gospel; and third, commit to the gospel, which is the only hope of salvation. Saving faith reaches out and trusts Christ and Christ alone as Lord and Savior. Saving faith puts all its trust in Jesus Christ, and His shed blood rests on God's promises and relies on His power. True saving faith is proven by obedience to God's Word, including willingness to sacrifice for God. In every believer, Jesus changes him from the inside out when He comes in. Genuine faith is expressed through our actions and produces good works. In this case, we can say, "I will show you my faith by my works." (James 2:18). Many people think they are Christians simply because they were born in a Christian home, baptized as babies, raised their hand for salvation, prayed a prayer, or walked down an aisle during an invitation in a church or in an evangelist crusade. Others hope that what they have heard about Jesus is true and that He will save them from God's wrath. It looks like their faith in Jesus is simply "fire insurance" to save them from Hell. This is not true. A person is truly a Christian when he puts his whole trust in Christ alone. A person is only genuinely converted once he has repented and turned from his selfish ways, trusted in Christ, and desires to live like Christ. The person is not a true Christian if genuinely not justified by faith and changed from the Holy Spirit. The converted person has good works and does not continue living in sin but shows the fruit of righteousness.

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Saving faith has three elements involving the entire person coming to Christ for salvation: the MIND (Correct mental knowledge), the EMOTIONS (expression of emotional feelings), and the WILL (personal response by trusting Jesus as personal Lord and Savior). 

The MIND. The basis of the Christian faith is the intellectual understanding of the truth. Before someone can believe in Jesus, he must hear about him and have specific knowledge about Him (Romans 10:14, 15). He must have the correct knowledge because faith is based on knowledge, and knowledge must be based on truth. A person cannot trust in something that has been proven false to him. God gives us the Bible, His Word, to help us to find the truth that God is holy and righteous, and we do not live according to His standards. We are sinners and need a savior, and because God loved us, he sent His own Son to reconcile us to Himself. The Christian life is not intellectualism, but we use the truth to educate and humble our minds. Proper knowledge is necessary for salvation, but an intellectual knowledge of salvation alone will not save him. 

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The EMOTIONS.  True faith involves not only a person's mind but also his emotions, helping him not only to recognize the facts of the gospel but also to deeply believe that they are true.  A person may believe anything the Bible says about Jesus, but the information and the emotional feelings about Jesus do not save him. According to (James 2:19) he is at least qualified to be a demon."You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!" Satan knows all about God, even the plan of redemption, but hates him and does not embrace him. This means that intellectual knowledge and emotional feelings and beliefs are not enough. A person cannot trust his own understanding. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5). Also, Jesus said, "Thou shalt love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind." (Matthew 22:37). The Christian life is not emotionalism and emotional expression and does not save anyone because faith is more than emotional feelings.

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The WILL. It is the essential element of saving faith: an expression of personal response by trusting Jesus. We must not only know with our minds and believe the facts of the Gospel with our emotions, but we must also put our whole trust and dependence on those facts with our will. We don't have saving faith until we completely surrender our lives to Christ and trust Him as both Lord and Savior. A faith that saves is a faith that surrenders to Christ's authority. He recognizes that he is a sinner and cannot save himself but trusts Christ alone. True saving faith involves repentance of one's sin and complete trust in the work of Christ to save one from sin and make one righteous. A person is saved as a result of an act of his free will. True saving faith does not stop at assent, but it trusts in Christ alone for salvation and produces the fruit of obedience to God and good works after salvation. A "faith" without works (fruits) is like a body without breath, totally dead."For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.”(James 2:26)

Jesus said: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." (John 14:15); "He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him." (John 14:21). James, Paul, John, and Jesus all link to genuine, saving faith with obedience to the commands of God.

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There is no contradiction between the teachings of the apostles Paul and James. Both FAITH and WORKS are divinely provided and are found in every true believer, but each has its own place and use. When we read all the epistles of Paul in the New Testament and the epistle of James, we find out that we are saved by FAITH and not by WORKS. Before we are saved, our works are not accounted for our righteousness because they are done in the flesh, and it is impossible to please God. Even our most "righteous" works fall far short of God's glory:  "Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin." and "But we are all like an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, Have taken us away." (Isaiah 64:6). The works we did before we were saved have nothing to do with our salvation. Our salvation is"...by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should  boast" "(Ephesians 2:9).  However, the SAVING FAITH produces good works, the works "which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) after our conversion. This kind of works pleases God, and they will be rewarded in heaven according to the promises of the Word of God.

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Let's look at a few scriptures to see what the Bible tells us about FAITH and WORKS.

FAITH

1. What is faith?: "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). Faith, in other words, is the assurance of things we hope for but have not yet received. "Abraham believed God.", "He staggered not at the promise of God," and "And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able  also to perform" (Romans 4:3,20,21). He took God's Word as promised. 

   2. The significance of  faith: "Without faith it is impossible to please him..." (Hebrews 11:6). Without faith, we  may be             kind, friendly, and generous. We may please men, but without faith, we cannot  please God.

   3. Saving faith:  Saving faith is to believe the evidence God gave of His Son. It is the faith which saves us,"Thy faith               hath saved thee..." (Luke 7:50). It is to believe with our heart for salvation in the Son of God and not only have                   knowledge of Him. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son" (1 John             5:11). "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine  heart that God hath raised him         from the dead, thou shalt be saved" (Romans 10:9). Evidence of saving faith is a Christ-like and fruitful life in Christ.

   4. What faith does: Only faith can accomplish the following: "Faith hath saved thee" (Luke 7:50), "Saved through faith"           (Ephesians 2:8), "He that believeth... hath everlasting life." (John 6:47), "Have everlasting life" (John 3:16), "Being               justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Romans 5:1), and "That Christ may dwell in your hearts."                                  (Ephesians 3:17).

 WORKS

1. What works cannot do: We cannot be saved by works: "saved through faith...not of yourselves; [not of works]" (Ephesians 2:8,9), "If righteousness come by the law [works], then Christ is dead in vain" (Galatians 2:21), "Ye could not be justified by the law of Moses" (Acts 13:39), and "By the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified" (Romans 3:20).

   2. The right place for good works:  After we are saved, God requires good works from us. "For we are his                               workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk                     should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10). "Be careful to maintain good works..." (Titus 3:8).

   3. The profit of good works:  God has promised rewards for believers according to their good works. "He will receive a           rereward..." (1 Corinthians 3:11-15), "He shall in no wise lose his reward" (Matthew 10:42), and "I will  make  thee              truler over many things..." (Matthew 25:21). Believers are not saved by works, but totally by faith. However, they                 are rewarded in heaven according to the works they did after they were saved. "God hath before ordained that  we             should walk in them" (Ephesians 2:8-10).

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Grandpa Jackson once had a little rowboat. He carved the word "faith" over one oar and "works" over the other. One day, while his grandson was boating with him, he asked about the words. Grandpa stopped rowing with both arms and then started to row with only one arm. As the rowboat moved in small circles, Grandpa told him, "This is exactly what happens in our Christian life. We need to have both faith and works. Works without faith are worthless, and faith without works is dead. This means we cannot go anywhere, like the rowboat, when we use only one oar and not both. When faith and works are rowing together, they have balance, make progress, and bring blessing."

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Remember that only faith is needed to be saved, and not works, but after salvation, you need to have both in your Christian life.  FAITH and GOOD WORKS keep the believer in good balance. "You shall know them by their fruits... so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit" (Matthew 7:16,17). “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." (John 15:5-7)

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Let us, the followers of Christ, obey the scriptures, do God's will, serve the Lord, and bring forth good fruit to glorify the Lord. "And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work" (2 Corinthians 9:8), "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

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If you are not saved, never believe, as many churches and others teach today that you can earn Salvation by good works or by faith plus good works. The Bible makes it crystal clear. You can only be saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, for the Glory of God alone. "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8,9). You can have complete confidence in your Salvation through the work of the Holy Spirit in you because of what God has done for you. If you believe in good works only to be saved, first, how many good works do you have to do to earn your Salvation? Second, if you can be saved by good works, Christ died in vain according to the Word of God (Galatians 2:21). Do not be a fool. Your works before your Salvation can never save you, only faith in Jesus Christ. "But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God [from a creature of God] to those who believe in His name:" (John 1:12).  Do not delay any longer. Be saved today, become a child of God, and reserve a home in heaven. "He who believes in the Son of God has the witness in himself; he who does not believe God has made Him a liar, because he has not believed the testimony that God has given of His Son. And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may continue to believe in the name of the Son of God. (1 John 5:10-13).

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By Ted Matamis, copyright © 2024. All rights reserved.

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