A Frustrating Issue

Justified is a legal term that means to be declared righteous. So, let us look at what James is saying in James 2:24.

You see, a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone.

You see, a man is declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone.

Let us take it a step further in order to show the implications:

You see, a man is justified before God by works, and not by faith alone.

You see, a man is declared righteous before God by works, and not by faith alone.

I have looked through numerous commentaries in order to try and get a better understanding of precisely what James is saying here and what he means, but every single commentator bows out and dodges this verse because of their theological bent. God forbid it should contradict their theology and challenge their understanding. For example, in Simon J. Kistemaker's commentary, at the beginning of this passage in verse 14 he writes:

James begins by posing two direct questions which the reader can answer only with a negative reply. Faith without works is useless to man, for it cannot bring him salvation. Does this mean that faith does not save man? Paul writes, "However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness" (Rom. 4:5).

Then, after verse 24, he writes:

James does not say that Abraham was justified because of his faith and works.
God justifies the sinner. That is, the sinner can never justify himself by his own deeds. Nor can man rely on faith alone, for faith without works is dead. James is saying that faith and works go together, that they ought not to be separated, and that faith divorced from deeds does not justify a person.

Notice the contradictions? Sola fide teaches that a man is justified by faith alone without the need or requirement of anything else. In other words, sola fide teaches that a man is declared righteous by faith alone without the need or requirement of anything else. This teaching stands in direct contrast to James 2:24. You cannot say that man is saved by faith alone yet say that faith and works cannot be separated because faith divorced from works does not save a person. Every commentary says essentially the same thing.

I think people are afraid of having their theological pre-suppositions challenged, and having to admit that they have believed wrongly. Every commentary I have read on James 2:14-26 pretty much says the exact same things I have said in a number of previous articles, but when they come to verse 24 they try to get past it as quickly as possible. If our concern is "What do the Scriptures teach?", then should we not be spending more time on this verse rather than trying to sweep it under the rug? What are we afraid of finding out?

Everywhere that Paul speaks of faith and works of the Law, he is addressing Jews who seek to obtain salvation by keeping the Law. This has nothing to do with what James is talking about. Whether James is talking about good deeds or something different, he is not talking about works of the Law.

Also, what is understood by faith? If faith is merely a belief, then it is no faith at all and you will be damned to hell. If faith is a complete and utter trust and confidence in someone or something, there is inherent action involved. If you have complete trust and confidence in someone, what do your actions look like with regard to that person? Think about it. Your actions reveal your utter trust and confidence in them. Noah had complete trust and confidence in God and took Him at His word, obeying Him and building the ark. Abraham had complete trust and confidence in God and took Him at His word, obeying Him and preparing to sacrifice Isaac. Peter had a complete trust and confidence in Jesus, taking Him at His word when He called to him, and obeyed by stepping out of the boat onto the water. The woman with the issue of blood had complete trust and confidence in Jesus that she reached out to touch His clothes.

If faith and works cannot be separated, if one naturally flows from the other, and the other works with the one in order to perfect and complete it, and if faith divorced from works does not declare a person to be righteous, then how can we hold to sola fide and teach dogmatically that man is declared righteous by faith alone apart from works? Both cannot be true. Faith apart from works of the Law, yes! But James is not talking about works of the Law. Having complete trust and confidence in someone is not the same as keeping the law.

James is addressing those who profess to have faith, but have no works. So what does that tell us? It tells us that those who have true and genuine faith do have works. It tells us that anyone who claims to be a Christian and does not demonstrate any works, that we need to question their profession of faith. But sola fide teaches that such a person is saved whether they ever demonstrate any works or not.

I would love to see some theologians study the issue of faith and works (not works of the Law) out from Scripture with the only thought to guide them being, "What do the Scriptures teach?" Forget your confessions, forget your creeds, forget your denominations, forget your systems of theology, forget your traditions; leave your emotions and your opinions at the door. "What do the Scriptures teach?" If sola fide cannot be supported and substantiated by Scripture alone, without eisegetically referring to verses quoted from Paul wherein the context thereof has to do with works of the Law, then the doctrine of sola fide needs to be tossed out the window and the truths of Scripture embraced.

Forget sola fide and your theological bent toward justification by faith alone. What do the Scriptures teach on the issue of faith and works (not works of the Law)? Neither faith by itself or works by themselves can save a person. If a person's trust and confidence is in their faith or their works, they are already damned. Where should our trust and confidence be then? In Christ alone. Jesus should be central to all things. Our eyes should be fixed on Him. We believe Him at His word and we act accordingly. Faith and works together, hand in hand. John Calvin wrote, "Good works are always connected with faith." John Owen wrote, "Obedient faith is what saves."

Is it possible for someone to have works and yet have no true faith? Of course it is. Does this save that person? Of course not. Likewise, a person who believes (or claims to believe) and yet has no works, their belief does not save them. Why do so many Christians desire to divorce faith and works when Scripture makes is abundantly clear that they work together and go hand in hand? Why do we try to pit Scripture against itself rather than let it speak for itself and conform ourselves and our beliefs accordingly? Let God be true and every man a liar.

Theologically speaking, faith comes first because it drives the works. Yet, James makes it perfectly clear that works are working with a person's faith in order to perfect and complete their faith. To use my illustration of someone hanging from a height about to fall, their faith in the person below to catch them drives them to let go, and by letting go they perfect and complete their faith. If they merely have faith in the person below to catch them, but never let go, their faith accounts for nothing! We can conclude this as a fact; that if Noah had trust and confidence in God but refused to build the ark, his faith would have accounted for nothing, and if Abraham had trust and confidence in God but refused to prepare Isaac as a sacrifice, his faith would have accounted for nothing. James tells us that by his doing so, Abraham's works perfected and completed his faith. In other words, his faith was incomplete without his works.

So, Christian, take some time to think about this issue and wrestle with it in your heart and mind. Do not grip the doctrine of sola fide through pride. Challenge it. Challenge yourself. Be like the noble Bereans and search to find out "What do the Scriptures teach?"


I have held to sola fide for years. But when I encountered Scripture saying the exact opposite words (justified...not by faith alone), it caused me to stop and pause. If I am wrong, I want to be right. A majority view, no matter how many years it has been held and taught, does not make that view correct and true. Sola fide originated with Martin Luther who hated the book of James and thought it should be removed from the Bible. I want to believe what Scripture teaches, not what a bunch of men have taught for the past 500-600 years, regardless of how godly they may or may not have been. Godly men make mistakes. I am not afraid to admit when I have believed incorrectly. I have nothing to lose by doing so, and everything to gain. The more I study this topic, the more frustrating it becomes. Especially when most commentators are saying pretty much the same things I have previously said, but then turn around and reject their conclusions as soon as they come to verse 24. It is like the answer is staring them in the face but they do not want to acknowledge it. It is like the commentators are taking 20 steps forward, and then do a 180 and start backtracking. Regardless of what anyone else believes or chooses to believe, this journey is between me and God. I desire to conform my beliefs to His truths, no matter what it means to me. This issue is no different. If sola fide is wrong, I want to know. Why should I pridefully grip a doctrine in my heart that potentially could be Scripturally inaccurate? May other Christians learn to be as I try to be, like the noble Bereans who sought to find out, "What do the Scriptures teach?"