TEXT : JAMES 2:14-26 and ROMANS 3:21-31
One of the most debatable subjects I use to ask to myself from the time I became Christian is the issue between Faith and work. It always come to my attention the questions like, how does my work affects my faith and even goes down to how is it affects my salvation.
Being brought up in a culture such as in the Philippines where work is being much given importance and emphasis make me realize that even our mentality has been significantly influence by it already….
Many have question or ask me… How important is good work is, in relevance to salvation and is our faith really enough?., is salvation really relying on faith alone and what are the significance of our good work, is this really being counted for?
As we study our main subject for today. Allow me to give you some of my personal insights as we reflect on what the bible say about Faith and Works.
Let me entitle our study for today …. ( Complementing the Contrary – Drawing the line between faith and works. )
Upon these verses we have read for today, a very Great question has arises….
How to reconcile Paul and James?
As everyone might know Paul, in his epistles to the Romans and Galatians, seems to assert the direct contrary things to what James have laid down here…….., saying if often, and with a great deal of emphasis,
( Rom. 3:28 ) that we are justified by faith only and not by the works of the law.
If you will read both writings you may wonder…Bakit nga ba ganon?, Paul on the other side is telling that it’s all about Faith and while James seems to be saying the opposite
Reading this in a shallow manner might lead us to thinking that way but again as a reminder / guideline to everyone…..
We are not to break one table of the law, by dashing it against the other, neither must we break the law and the gospel into pieces, by making them clash with the other, Scriptures does not and is not supposed to contradict itself but on the opposite and as always, they are supposed to compliment each other…
Pero ang tanong ngayon ay paano? ( Question now ) …seemingly they are both coming from different position or location, from a different angle.
We’ll the answer is in fact they are…….. Let’s study it closely
I. The Contrary
When Paul says that a man is justified by faith, without the deeds of the law (Rom_3:28), he plainly speaks of another sort of work than James does, Meaning …He was describing a different form of work…but is not of another sort or form of faith.
Paul speaks of works wrought in obedience to the Law of Moses; He referred these before those who valued themselves so highly upon on that they rejected the gospel (look at Rom. 10)
I mean, if we study the case of Paul, we will understand that he is defending the issue to people who question the validity of faith. Defending to people holding to their mosaic laws…..Remember that during that time a lot of people are trying to put more emphasis on their culture and their practices .following what Moses have written but neglecting what it ought to be…..kung baga, they were the type of people claiming that because of their good works they are brought to holiness…yun yung understanding nila
But with James, He basically speaks of neglected works, works that are supposed to be done in obedience to the gospel. Work as the proper and necessary effects and fruits of sound believing in Christ Jesus.
He basically defends the issue to those people naman na who thought that faith alone is enough, Mga extremist people who just simply thought that no importance on work at all.
Let us now look more on …..
II. The Comparison
Those who cry up the gospel so as to set aside the law, and those who cry up the law so as to set aside the gospel, are both wrong
Paul does not only speaks of a different form of works from those insisted on by James, but he speaks of a quite different use that was made of good works based from what he urged and intended. Paul had to do it with those who depended on the merit of their works in the sight of God, and thus he might well make them of no manner of account.
James, on the other hand had to do with those who cried up on faith, but would not allow works to be used even as evidence; they depended upon a bare profession, as sufficient to justify them;
Basta sa kanila OK na yung may faith sila, yung naniniwala sila, miski walang manisfestation..sila yung mga taong ganun ang pag iisip…kaya nga James have told them …
You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
Anong sabi?, sabi miski daw yung mga demons have the same belief and infact mga nanginginig pa.
And with these he insisted the necessity and vast importance of good works.
Now let us focus on …..
III. The Connection
Analyzing now the two situations,
We can see that Paul and James are concerned to magnify the faith of the gospel, at which alone could save us and justify us;
In terms of Justification,
Paul talks about a persons being justified before God, He speak the Justification God offers for those who only Believes in Christ Jesus and purely on the account of redemption that is in Him
While James speaks of our faith being justified before men: “Show me thy faith by thy works,” , “let thy faith be justified in the eyes of those that behold thee by thy works;”
And putting it up all together, thus we see now that a person is justified before God by faith, but the faith is justified before men by its good works.
So what then….
IV. The Conclusion
If we study closely the history and the background of both scenarios we will find out that both great men of God are defending the scripture not against each other, but against two different and opposing views.
Considering that they both have different audience.
Paul magnifies it by showing the insufficiency of any works of the law before faith, or in opposition to the doctrine of justification by Jesus Christ;
While James magnifies the same faith, by showing what are the genuine and necessary products and operations of it
Paul may be understood as speaking of that justification which is inchoate, talking about the stage of faith that places us in a justified State.
While, with James, he discusses the type of faith where in it’s already in the process….. Progressing na kung baga ……Growing Faith
After understanding the difference between these two verses on two different occasions and having said all these things, the Question now is; How is these two views now supposed to compliment.
How does our work support our faith and how does Faith justify our work
V. The Compliment
As I personally and strongly believe, Faith and works can be compared in parallel to the idea of
“Cause and effect”
Just like what I have drawn down, I believe that it is our
Faith acting on our cause and Work as being the effect
The cause that affects Abraham to work and offer his Son Isaac was his Faith
The reason we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior is because of our faith and the works that follows after shows what effect our faith can brought us up.
We response because of reason and our reason is our faith
When we accept the Lord Jesus, our “Saving faith” has been triggered and our work follows to prove it.
As same into our salvation the effect of our faith causes us to surrender our life to him and accepted Him as our Lord and Savior
But as we grow in our Christian life, we continue to walk in our “Growing Faith” accompanied by and presented by our Good works…Remember the prayers petitions like…”Lord, Increase our faith”, or “Lord, strengthen my Faith”
Paul’s focus on justification is in the sight of God while James is justification in the sight of Men
Think about this
Can we have good works without faith? The answer is definitely!!!
But could we proclaim true faith without the manifestation of good works after? Certainly Not!!!…
Salvation is Through Faith alone, and through faith we have been made justified in the sight of God.
But Genuine Faith needs to be proven by good works, in order not to be justified in God’s sight but in the sight of Men,…….. for what purpose? For them to believe and follow the same faith for God.
With Faith at work,
Bro. Adel
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