Faith Alone

I posted this statement on Facebook:

It is Christ’s death alone that can satisfy or propitiate God’s wrath against sinners (Romans 3:25; Hebrews 2:17; 1 John 2:2; 1 John 4:10). Our works of righteousness cannot add to what Christ has already accomplished. This is good news!

A friend of mine questioned the post in particular the phrase In Faith Alone. Not a phrase I had in the Post but non-the-less the thought was communicated in the second sentence.

I have his permission to continue the dialog on this Blog.

Below is his response to my post on August 10 at 8:26 am:

David, I agree. But we shouldn't be lured into complacency with the assumption we are saved and need do nothing more. We find in James 2:24 – "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. Likewise, was not Rahab the prostitute also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another road? For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is also dead."

The Bible can not be any clearer. This is the only place in the whole Bible where you will ever find the words FAITH ALONE together. And what does it say - we are NOT justified by Faith alone. Works are required. Faith alone is un-Biblical. Faith must do something good in ourselves and in our neighbors, or our faith is dead. But remember - it is not our works in and of ourselves alone.

In fact Paul refers to 1 John 5:13 warning us that we should not assume salvation, as God will be the Judge. There is no guarantee of salvation.

1Cor 4:4 – "I am not aware of anything against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me. Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes, who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the purposes of the heart. Then each one will receive commendation from God."

Good discussion David. I love how you help me strengthen my familiarity with the bible!

My Response:

In the First line of your response to my Facebook status you say “I agree. But” then you go on to completely disagree?? It’s ok that you disagree! No need to be nice when discussing essential Christian doctrine! Let us hash it out (in Christian love of course)! Ready to go?

You claim that the Bible never says “we are saved by faith alone”. I wholeheartedly disagree with that assertion! I will show you clear verses that teach the doctrine of Justification by “faith alone”. You rightly say that the exact phrase, "faith alone", occurs only once in James where it says that we are not saved by faith alone. I will attempt to show you what James is trying to convey to his listeners is in complete harmony with the rest of New Testament teaching. If James is contradicting the clear teaching of Justification by “faith alone, it’s fair to ask the question why the "stake in the ground" by Protestants and why were/are they willing to die for this doctrine of Justification by “faith alone”.

Why... because the Bible teaches that we are justified by faith alone, and not by works.

Let's start with the Bible verses that clearly teach this doctrine.

Rom. 3:28-30,         "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. ²⁹Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, ³⁰since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one." 

Rom. 4:5,                "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness," 

Rom. 5:1,                "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," 

Rom. 9:30,              "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith." 

Rom. 10:4,              "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." 

Rom. 11:6,              "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." 

Gal. 2:16,                "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified." 

Gal. 2:21,                I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.

Gal.3:5-6,                "Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? ⁶Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." 

Gal. 3:24,                "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith." 

Eph. 2:8-9,              "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. ⁹Not by works, lest any man should boast." 

Phil. 3:9,                 "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith."

So there you have it. 12 clear versus that show absolutely no justification by works (also works of the Law).  The opposite is taught, justification by faith. Repeatedly we are told that we are not justified by works in any way. Therefore, we are made right with God by faith, not by "faith and our works"; hence, "faith alone". By the way, the word Trinity is not found anywhere in Scripture either, but we know the doctrine is clearly taught in Scripture. Thus we have named it.

Jesus himself taught man by his works could not add or work his way to justification. Remember the amazing story of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Publican). When Jesus told this parable, comparing a Pharisee and a Tax Collector, He had chosen the two most OPPOSITE figures in the entire Jewish community. The Pharisee was held to be the BEST, the most RIGHTEOUS, the most RELIGIOUS, the most HOLY, the most GODLY of all men. Whereas the Tax Collector was looked at as the WORST, FILTHIEST, TRAITOROUS scoundrel imaginable!    

Luke 18:9-14

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men - extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.  I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’ And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!’ I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.”

So who was forgiven? Who walked away a justified?

Answer: The one who believed he could contribute nothing to his salvation.

So what do we do with the verse, James 2:24? Specifically the phrase in James 2:24, "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone." Is there a contradiction? I say no! Because the Bible is God's inspired, infallible, and inerrant Word.  Starting with this presupposition can only lead to one option, which is our understanding of what James is saying in this verse.

Context Context Context

I can't say this enough! Most biblical interpretation errors or apparent contradictions can be easily answered by looking at context.  Never read just one verse! When there is an apparent contradiction in question, try to read at least the whole chapter and not just one verse within the chapter. Some scholars say that you need to read the book in entirety in order to understand context. In the case with this verse James 2:24, understanding the audience that James is writing to is very important. James was the elder for the church in Jerusalem. He was primarily writing to Jews who converted to Christianity. This letter was to encourage them to continue growing in this new Christian faith.  These are the same Jews who just left the old covenant (Law) to the gospel of the new covenant, Grace. James was calling out an extreme view that crept into the Church called, Antinomianism. This extreme view held that through faith in Christ, one is completely free from all Old Testament law, all legalism, all secular law, and all the morality of a society. Another words "do whatever you want because we are covered by Grace." Paul also addresses this very wrong view in Romans 6:1,2 where he says: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?  Let's not get this admonition mixed up with a Christian's position in Christ. Those who have been truly redeemed/justified, have a faith that is alive (more on this later).  On a side note, remember that Gentiles also were brought into this new covenant of Grace (Galatians 3:28). The epistles that Paul wrote were primarily to the Gentile believers. They did not keep the Law of God as directed in the old covenant to Israel. They had their own pagan belief systems before conversion to Christianity.

In this passage, James is clarifying to the church in Jerusalem, primarily Jews, what faith in action looks like. James emphasizes that good actions will naturally flow from those who are filled with the Spirit and questions whether someone may or may not have a saving faith if the fruits of the Spirit cannot be seen, much as Paul describes in Galatians 5:22-23. Can God see faith? Sure, because God can see the heart. Can men see faith? Only if it's true faith. This is because men see the faith by actions of works. Men cannot see the heart like God can. I will attempt to show that James puts to rest the idea that one can become a Christian and yet continue living in sin. Yet completely harmonizing we are Saved/Justified through "Faith Alone" by Grace, Eph. 2:8-9.

James is addressing the issue of a dead faith, a faith that is nothing more than a verbal pronouncement, a public confession of the mind, and is not of the heart. It is empty of life and action. A professing Christian living in sin was never saved in the first place! This is the faith James calls dead.  He begins with the negative and demonstrates what an empty faith is (verses 15-17, words without actions). Then he shows that type of faith isn't any different from the faith of demons (verse 19). Finally, he gives examples of living faith that has words followed by actions. Works follow true faith and demonstrate, that faith, to our fellow man, but not to God. James writes of Abraham and Rahab as examples of people who demonstrated their faith by their deeds.

James is examining two kinds of faith:

1.)    A faith that leads to Godly works.

2.)    And a faith that does not.

One is true, and the other is false. One is dead, the other alive; hence, "Faith without works is dead," (James 2:20). But, he is not contradicting the 12 verses listed above that say salvation/justification is by faith alone. I believe you could easily exchange the word works with obedience. That is really the point James is making.

Furthermore, James actually quotes the same verse that Paul quotes in Rom. 4:3. This is one of the many verses dealing with justification by faith. James 2:23 says, "and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." If James was trying to teach a doctrine of faith and works, which is contradictory to the other New Testament writers, then he would not have used Abraham as an example. It is also interesting to note that the writer of Hebrews in chapter 11 states: "By faith the harlot Rahab did not perish with those who did not believe, when she had received the spies with peace." Hebrews 11:31 (emphasis mine). This further indicates that James was talking about what an alive faith looks like.

This discussion just further illuminates the fact that true saving faith always precedes works.

Hopefully I've done a pretty good job in explaining, what at face value, can be a very difficult subject. You might ask, “Why does it matter”. Can't we all just get along! Let me explain why it matters. But to do so, I need to start at a different point...

Could I be wrong? What if the few verses you submit, prove your point that we are justified by our works and faith.  What does that mean to mankind?

Let's look to see how we do by "our works."

Are we good? If we attribute our works to justification how do we measure up?

Jesus said: "No one is good but One, that is, God" Matthew 19:17

Jesus gives us the state of our heart:

For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man.” Mark 7:21-23

This is also reflected in the epistles. Paul writes:

There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, there is none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless; there is none who does good, there is not even one. Romans 3:10-12

The Bible clearly communicates that by nature man is not good.

In fact, the bible tells us what God thinks of our works (righteous deeds ). They are like “Filthy Rags”! Isaiah 64:6

The Test

If we still doubt scripture, we can also take a little test to find out just how good we are.

Here's what to do, evaluate yourself by the 10 Commandments to see how you measure up to God's standard of righteousness.

Have you ever lied (even once--fibs, white lies, etc.)?

Have you ever stolen (the value is irrelevant)?

Jesus said, "Whoever looks upon a woman to lust after her, has committed adultery already with her in his heart." Have you ever looked with lust?

If you have said "Yes" to these three questions (by your own admission), you are a lying, thieving, adulterer at heart; and we've only looked at three of the Ten Commandments.

Perhaps you're thinking that the 10 Commandments were given a long time ago and are not relevant for today...but the bible gives us surety in the New Testament, "that no fornicator (a person who has sex outside of marriage), unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God." Ephesians 5:5(explanation in italics by me).

Have you put God first in your life? Or have you created a false god to suit yourself; a god you feel comfortable with? That is the essence of the first and second commandment? Have you broken those?

I know I had broken all of these! It doesn't matter how good I am from this point forward. I've already broken all the commandments. It doesn’t look like my works are good enough. How about yours?

If God judges you by that standard will you be innocent or guilty on the Day of Judgment? If you're honest and listen to your conscience you know that you will be guilty, and end up in Hell.

This is bad news!

The reality of that should strike terror in your heart!

But wait my friend! There is Good news!

To make clear what an incredible thing God has done for you in the Gospel let's look again to civil law:

You are standing in front of a judge, guilty of very serious crimes. All the evidence has been presented and there is no doubt about your guilt. The fine for your crime is $250,000 or life imprisonment, but you haven't two pennies to rub together. The judge is about to pass sentence...he lifts his gavel, when someone you don't even know steps in and pays the fine for you. The moment you accept that payment, you are free to go. Justice has been served, the law has been satisfied, and what's more, the stranger who paid your fine showed how much he cares for you. His payment was evidence of his love. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).

That's what God did for you, in the person of Jesus Christ. You are guilty, He paid the fine 2,000 years ago. It is that simple. The Bible puts it this way: 'He was bruised for our iniquities...Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the Law being made a curse for us...God commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us.'  Then Christ demonstrated he was God, rose from the grave, and defeated Death.

It was no small thing for Jesus to die for us. The only thing that would satisfy the demands of Eternal Law/Justice was the suffering death of the sinless Son of God. What love God must have for you! He suffered unspeakable agony, so that you wouldn't have to be punished for your sins. His sacrificial death and resurrection mean that you need no longer be in debt to the Law, and God can now grant you everlasting life if you obey Him-death no longer has a legal hold upon those who belong to Jesus Christ.

That my friend is Good news!

God Himself made a way for sinners to be forgiven!

Today, here's what to do, confess your sins to God, repent (turn) from your sins, put your trust in Jesus and his righteousness alone to save you from eternal damnation, and you will pass from death to life. God will give you a new heart with new Godly desires. Only through Christ and his work can God forgive you and grant you the gift of everlasting life.

My Friend,

Grace is truly Grace when we bring nothing. God saves and God gets all the Glory for saving a wretch like me. The outward result of God saving me is, God changing my heart. Out of Gratitude for what he has done for me, I serve him with all I have. True Faith always precedes works.

I hope this helps clarify the doctrine of "Faith Alone".