But there is an even larger factor that will affect how you interpret James, and that is your own preconceived ideas about grace and law.

How do you read James?

If you see things primarily in terms of right or wrong, you will see law in all James does. This is because a legalistic mind-set is preoccupied with doing the right thing and demanding right of others. You will read Acts 15 and ask, must the Gentiles do the three things that James requires? You will read Acts 21 and ask, was James right or wrong for suggesting the purification rite to Paul? You will see the law but miss the lives that James was trying to save.

A legalistic mindset feeds on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Someone with this mindset will put principles ahead of people. It doesn’t matter that others, such as the legalistic Jews of Jerusalem, are going to hell; it only matters that they are seen to be doing the right thing.

We are not to eat from that tree but the Tree of Life who is Christ. The question for us who are under grace is, what will bring life to these people? What will it take to turn a sinner from the error of his ways and save him from death? The issue is not right versus wrong, but life versus death. Consequently, someone with a grace mindset doesn’t hesitate to heal on the Sabbath. A grace mindset will even send a free man to the temple with an offering and a shaved head. To paraphrase Paul, “if acting like a slave is what it takes to turn slaves into free men, I’ll do it!” (1 Co 9:19).

In a world of sin and death, how do we recognize someone living under grace? They are willing to become all things to all people so that by all possible means some might be saved.

Jesus went into the houses of sinners; Peter went to Cornelius; Philip went to Samaria; Paul went to Antioch and countless synagogues; James presumably went to the temple. When Paul visited James, he went to the temple too. What’s the common thread? They all went to places where the kingdom of God had not fully come. They went there because if you want to win the lost you have to go to where the lost are.

A grace tag-team

Paul and James were men whose lives had been transformed by an encounter with Grace Himself. Paul spent the rest of his days preaching to those without the law, while James spent his in the most legalistic city on earth. When it came to reaching Jews for Jesus they were of the same mind: acting like one under the law is the best way to reach others living under the law (1 Co 9:20). Who are we to second-guess them? If you want to reach out to Jews, you’re going to have to visit the synagogue.

Wisdom is proved right by her actions. As a result of James’s strategy in Acts 21, Paul got to testify about Jesus in Jerusalem and Rome (Acts 23:11). He got to speak before ordinary people as well as kings and governors. It was like Jesus was giving Jerusalem one more chance to repent. After the uproar that Paul caused, no Jerusalem Jew could claim that they hadn’t heard the gospel of grace. Even the religious elites in the Sanhedrin were given the opportunity to repent. Sadly it seems that only a few of them did.

James’ message of grace

Critics claim that James didn’t say much about grace. Maybe, but just look at the man’s heart! He could’ve flaunted his freedom in Christ taunting the Jews for their faith in an obsolete covenant. He could’ve had spent his days shooting sacred cows. Instead, he showed great sensitivity in dealing with those in his city. His actions speak louder than words and they declare “grace for the Jews!”

Do you appreciate the challenge that James was facing? Years ago I tried to talk to an orthodox Jew in Jerusalem, but he flinched, rejecting me as an uncircumcised Gentile. He wouldn’t say a word to me. Then, as now, religious Jews are fiercely proud of their heritage. They are proud of Moses and confident of their religious performance. They believe God will accept them because they are Abraham’s children, even as they reject Jesus (Jn 8:39-42). To such people James preaches a simple message:

“God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (Jas 4:6)

Ultimately this message cost James his life. In AD62 James was condemned by the Sanhedrin for breaking the law. They took him to the top of the temple and ordered him to renounce Christ. When he didn’t they threw him off. With his dying breath he said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” In death, as in life, James exhibited amazing grace.

Although James wrote for a specific audience, his story is relevant for all of us. By the grace of God, James was transformed from a Christ-hater into a man who prayed for his enemies. There is nothing under the sun that can account for such a radical change. Look at James and you will see God’s fingerprints. You will find evidence of supernatural, life-changing grace.
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Here are the links to all the posts in this series on James the apostle:
- James: The misunderstood apostle
- Did James understand grace? 6 reasons to say yes!
- Acts 15: Grace defeats law in Jerusalem
- Acts 21:17-26

“Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law.” (1 Co 9:19-20)

No one thinks that Paul was confused about grace. I’ve never heard anyone say that Paul mixed grace with law. So how is it that when Paul acts Jewish we think, “he’s being strategic in his witness,” but when James does it we think “he’s preaching mixture”? When Paul writes a whole chapter urging believers not to eat food sacrificed to idols (1 Cor 8) we think he’s being wise and considerate, but when James writes a single verse saying the same thing (Acts 15:29) we think he’s preaching law. Go figure!

Most people think James was confused about grace for no other reason than that’s what we’ve always been told. But as I explained in Part 1 of this study, we really don’t know much about James. Even so, the balance of evidence suggests that he and Paul were very much on the same grace page (see Part 2). In Part 3 we looked at the decisive role James played in the Jerusalem Council of Acts 15. In what was one of the most significant church discussions in history, James clearly identified himself as being firmly in the grace camp. But what are we to make of his words in Acts 21?

The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law.” (Acts 21:18-24)

What is going on here? One moment James et al. are praising God for what He had done through Paul’s ministry, but the next they are wringing their hands over a rumor that Paul is telling foreign Jews to abandon the law. James wants to send a message to the Jews that Paul, like any good Jew, is living in obedience to the law. Surely this is evidence that James did not fully understand the gospel of God’s grace?

Three choices

Once again we are faced with three choices. Either James was preaching law, grace, or mixture. If you think James was preaching law as a means for salvation, how do you account for the fact that he praised God for Paul’s report? The Gentiles were being accepted by God through grace alone. They weren’t getting the law preached to them because James had earlier decided this wasn’t the right thing to do. It is unthinkable that James could trust in the law yet rejoice over grace. They are mutually exclusive options.

So then he must’ve been preaching mixture – a little law plus a little grace. But how then do we account for Paul’s behavior? Paul had dedicated his life to testifying to the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24). Paul was highly sensitive to mixture. When Peter got a little confused about grace, Paul opposed him to his face (Gal 2:11). Paul would let nothing muddle the message of grace. So why didn’t he confront James in this passage? Because James was not preaching mixture.

So what was James doing? What was his motive for suggesting the purification rite and why did Paul go along with it?

Houston, we have a problem

To understand James we need to understand the people he was trying to reach. James identifies them in the passage above:

“You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.” (Acts 21:20)

We are so performance-minded in the modern church that we think James is bragging about the numbers of people getting saved, but there’s more to it than that. Look at how the Message Bible translates this verse:

“Just look at what’s been happening here – thousands upon thousands of God-fearing Jews have become believers in Jesus! But there’s also a problem because they are more zealous than ever in observing the laws of Moses.” (Acts 21:20 MSG)

James is describing Jewish believers who still lived under law. Perhaps because of their cultural heritage they had not yet received the revelation of God’s all sufficient grace. They had some understanding of the work of Christ, but they were still trusting in their observance of the law. This was a big problem in the Jerusalem church where some of the believers still identified themselves as Pharisees (Acts 15:5). Some of the legalistic believers had even gone out to other nations – against James’s wishes – spreading their message of religious works (Acts 15:24).

All things to all men

How do you tell an orthodox Jew about the good news of God’s grace? I’m not entirely sure, but according to James and Paul, one thing you don’t do is flaunt your freedom by trampling on laws they still value. Do this and you will offend them closing any door you may have had for the gospel.

To reach the lost you have to identify a common ground. You have to speak their language. As Rick Warren says, to catch a fish you have to think like a fish. Both James and Paul wanted to win Jews for Christ and if that meant shaving your head, no problem. It was James’ idea, but Paul had done something similar before (see Acts 18:18). Paul said he was free but fully prepared to make himself a slave to everyone to win as many as possible. This is not hypocrisy. This is the apostolic heart of Jesus identifying with the lost in order to reconcile them to God.

So we begin to see that James was preaching neither law nor mixture. His heart was the same was the same as Paul’s. Both were prepared to identify with the legalistic Jews in order to win them to Christ. In the final part of this series on James – the Misunderstood Apostle, we will pull all the pieces together.
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Related posts:
- Romans 2:13: Justified by the law?
- Grace and law in the Chronicles of Narnia
- Rightly dividing the word: Whose medicine are you taking?

But think, for a moment, about all those who have expressed negative opinions about James. Did any of those people have an encounter with the risen Lord like James did? Were any of them personal friends with Paul, the apostle of grace? Did any of them hear the gospel of grace preached straight from Paul’s mouth? Were any of them martyred for their faith and, if so, did they forgive their killers with their dying breath as James reportedly did?

There is much we don’t know about James. In Part 1 of this study I examined the popular view that James didn’t get grace, at least not initially. But in Part 2, I gave six good reasons why he probably did. Contrary to what you’ve heard, my strong view is that James was Paul’s equal when it came to understanding grace.

How, then, are we to account for his behavior in Acts 15 where he appears to lay law on the Gentile believers?

The Jerusalem Council

Is it a stretch to say that Acts 15 contains the minutes of the most important committee meeting in history? At first glance, this was a meeting about whether the Gentiles needed to be circumcised. But the real issues were much larger. This was the first time the old covenant banged heads with the new in the New Testament church. It was a contest of covenants – law versus grace. Happily, grace won!

Here’s the back-story: Certain men went from Judea to Antioch preaching mixture (“snip the tip”) and the result was a full-blown blarney with Paul and Barnabas. The relevant parties all ended up back in Jerusalem to settle the issue. Those preaching mixture said “the Gentiles must be circumcised and required to obey the law of Moses” (v.5). But Peter stood up and said:

“No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.” (v11)

There is a danger here of missing the Big Point. The small point was this: should the Gentiles be circumcised? But the big point was this: on what basis are all of us – Jews and Gentiles – actually saved? For hundreds of years Jews had been drawing a big fat line between themselves and everybody else. They were separate. They were special. If the Gentiles wanted to join their club, they had to follow their rules. But Peter recognized that God was doing a new thing:

“God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith.” (v8-9)

No longer would God relate exclusively to the law-abiding Jews, for Jesus had died for all men. And if Christ had died for the circumcised along with the uncircumcised, what did circumcision matter? As Paul would later write, “in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value” (Gal 5:6). There was no distinction, said Peter. God, who knows the heart, was already accepting Gentiles without any reference to the law.

And now to James…

After hearing both sides of the argument, James, the leader of the Jerusalem church, announced his decision:

“It is my judgment, therefore, that we should not make it difficult for the Gentiles who are turning to God.” (v19)

James realized that God was doing something among the Gentiles and that his best course of action was to stay out of God’s way. He understood that circumcision and the laws of Moses were an obstacle to receiving the grace of God. In case we should be in any doubt about where he stood, James does five things to show he was 100% with those in the grace group:

(1)    he acknowledges Peter’s testimony of God accepting the uncircumcised and law-less Gentiles (v14)
(2)    he connects the current move of God with Amos’s prophecy describing the new covenant as one relevant to all Gentiles, i.e., those apart from the law (v16-18)
(3)    he rejects the call for circumcision and, by association, the requirement to obey the law of Moses (v19)
(4)    he co-authors a letter to the Gentiles distancing himself from those unauthorized men who had gone out and troubled them by what they said (v24)
(5)    lest his words be lost in translation, James chose to send his letter with “our dear friends Barnabas and Paul” (v25)

This was a devastating blow for those in the circumcision group! They were left with nothing. They had asked for the Gentiles to be circumcised but were now being told that their own circumcision counted for naught. They had asked that the Gentiles be held to the law of Moses, but were now being told that salvation was by grace alone. You can just imagine Paul and Peter high-fiving. Game over. Grace had won!

But what about the three requirements?

Having declared his position on the issue of grace versus law, James makes three requests which are subsequently added to the letter sent to the Gentiles:

“It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell.” (v28-29)

It is astonishing to me that people have used this one verse to infer that James was preaching law. He had just indicated in five separate ways that he is on the side of grace. How more clear could he have been? Yet because of the three small requirements listed at the end of this letter, some have concluded that James was confused about the basis of our salvation.

So what was James thinking? Didn’t he know that 21st century Christians would get confused? We will let James speak for himself:

“Instead we should write to them, telling them to abstain from food polluted by idols, from sexual immorality, from the meat of strangled animals and from blood. For Moses has been preached in every city from the earliest times and is read in the synagogues on every Sabbath.” (v20-21)

James was not laying law on the Gentiles; he was showing grace to Jews.

James knew that there would be a synagogue in every Gentile city. For the sake of the Jews, James asked the Gentiles to be sensitive to these well-known aspects of the law, namely food and sex. Paul was of the same mind. He wrote an entire chapter advising the Corinthians not to eat food sacrificed to idols. Paul wasn’t preaching law to the Corinthians; he was trying to win those who had weak consciences:

“We are no worse if we do not eat, and no better if we do. Be careful, however, that the exercise of your freedom does not become a stumbling block to the weak.” (1 Cor 8:8-9)

James said the Gentiles should avoid sexual immorality. So did Paul (Rms 13:13, Col 3:5) and he got very agitated when they didn’t (1 Cor 5:1). It is a bad witness indeed when believers fool around with sex. It shows that we are still enslaved to our sinful natures and no different from those who live in darkness (Gal 5:19, Col 3:5). Jesus died to make us holy, so live holy.

Finally, we should note that James’ letter to the Gentiles was not actually penned by James, but by the “apostles and elders” (v23). It is as much Peter and Paul’s letter as it is James’s. So if James is preaching law, then so are Peter and Paul. But he’s not and back then no one thought he was. When the letter was read out in the church at Antioch, the people were “glad for its encouraging message” (v30). The grace of God, revealed through James, Peter and Paul, is still encouraging us today.

In Part 4 of this study, we will look at some of the strange things James seems to say in Acts 21.
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Related posts:
- Did James understand grace? 6 reasons to say ‘yes!’
- James: Preacher of grace
- The gospel comes to Laodicea

The good news, though, is that the Holy Spirit did not make a mistake when He inspired James to write his letter to the twelve tribes. As we saw in our study of the Book of James last year, his message is the same as the one Jesus lived and Paul preached.

But what of James the man? Why are Christians so divided on James himself?

In Part 1 of this study I identified three different opinions that you can have of James. Either (1) he didn’t understand the gospel of God’s grace, (2) at least not initially, or (3) he did. Before you read on, ask yourself, which of these has been my opinion of James?

The common view seems to be that James preached works while Paul preached grace. In other words, they did not agree. Paul said “faith alone” but James said “faith plus works.” You’ve probably heard clever people try to reconcile these statements. Usually they do so by adding to Paul’s words. Well of course Paul meant faith plus works, they say. There are always works associated with faith. Yet on many occasions Paul clearly said it was faith or works (see Rms 9:32 and Eph 2:8-9 for starters). It can’t be both, so which is it?

I addressed the works issue in my earlier study. Today we’re taking a different angle. We’re going to play the man rather than the ball, and my question is this: Did James understand the gospel of grace that Paul preached? Did he personally stand on the radical, pure, unalloyed grace of God? For 2,000 years the answer has been “probably not” or “no” or “maybe a little bit.” I have not read a single commentary that says James fully understood grace.

My view is that James has been misjudged. I admit the evidence is thin, but here are six reasons why I believe James probably did understand grace:

1.    James, like Paul, had a one-on-one encounter with the resurrected Christ (1 Cor 15:7)

Prior to seeing the risen Lord, both James and Paul had been opposed to Christ (Jn 7:2-5). Paul tried to take Christians by force, while James tried to take Christ by force (Mk 3:21). Paul had been an enemy of Christ but became one of his greatest followers. He spent the rest of his life testifying to the gospel of God’s grace (Acts 20:24). We know little about James’ encounter, but why do we assume his transformation was any less remarkable than Paul’s? Think about it: James had a divine encounter with Grace personified! Give God a little credit for the effect He probably had on James.

2.    Paul vouched for James

Only one person in the New Testament called James an apostle and it was Paul (Gal 1:19). After their respective encounters with the risen Lord, Paul became known as an apostle to the Gentiles, while James, like Peter, became an apostle to the Jews (Gal 2:9). Paul and James were long-term friends. On Paul’s first visit, James extended the “right hand of fellowship.” On a later visit James referred to Paul as a “dear friend” (Acts 15:25). Can you really imagine Paul being a long-term friend with a self-righteous grace-killer? Do you think it was possible to be friends with Paul and remain unaffected by his message of radical grace?

3.    Paul never blamed James for Peter’s back-step

Peter withdrew from the Gentiles after “certain men came from James” (Gal 2:12). This makes it sound as if the men were representing James. But Paul clarifies that these men “belonged to the circumcision group” (Gal 2:12) which James opposed in Acts 15. We should not confuse the certain men from James with James himself. Yes, they were in his church, but they held to a different message. James distanced himself from these men when he wrote that “some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said” (Acts 15:24). Paul was not one to shy away from a confrontation. When Peter got a little muddled, Paul opposed him to his face. If James had been preaching mixture, Paul would’ve said so. Yet Paul never says a bad word about James.

4.    James was intimately familiar with Paul’s message

Some have written to me saying that James was ignorant of the gospel of grace that Paul taught, but the Bible says otherwise (see Gal 2:2). Unlike those of us who’ve merely read Paul’s gospel, James heard it straight from Paul’s mouth! And he glorified to God when he learned of its fruit (Acts 21:20).

5.    James did not compel Titus to be circumcised (Gal 2:3)

Yes, James asked the Gentiles to do three things in Acts 15 (more on this in Part 3), but circumcision was not one of them. For any law-abiding Jew, circumcision was the key issue. What was the point of obeying only parts of the law if you refused to be circumcised? Nowhere does James preach circumcision.

6.    Paul submitted to James’ counsel

Paul said if anyone preached a gospel different to his, that person should be condemned to hell (Gal 1:9). If James preached a different gospel from Paul, there’s no way Paul would have gone along with the purification vow in Acts 21. Paul, like any grace preacher, was highly sensitive to mixture. He smelled it out in Galatia from hundreds of miles away. Yet when James says, “go shave your head,” Paul does it! People have said to me that James was still learning about grace, but Paul wasn’t. Acts 21 comes near the end of Paul’s life. It is inconceivable that Paul would’ve done anything to send a mixed message about the cross. His motive for doing go through with the rite must have been the same as James’ motive for suggesting it: he wanted to win Jews. (More on this in Part 4.)

As we will see in the final two parts of this study, there is actually no evidence to suggest James preached mixture, but considerable evidence to suggest he held to grace. This is a radical departure from the traditional view, so let me ask you: are you yet convinced that James understood grace?

Of course it’s perfectly fine to hold a different view from me as long as you are prepared to accept the consequences. The fact is we don’t know for sure what James was like. But one day we will know and if it turns out that I have been wrong about James – that he was, in fact, confused about grace – then he may thank me for thinking the best of him. Afterall that’s what love does – it thinks the best of others (1 Co 13:7).

But if I’m right about James, then those of you who have dismissed him as irrelevant or confused might be embarrassed when you finally meet him.

Just something to think about.

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Related posts:
- How do we pervert the gospel of Christ?
- Watch out for the dogs of law
- Romans 2:13 – Justified by law?

Since that series, however, several readers have written to me to ask about Acts 15 and Acts 21. Stories in these chapters seem to suggest that James did not understand grace well at all. In Acts 15 James seems to put law on the Gentiles by telling them to do stuff, while in Acts 21 James seems concerned that Paul is telling foreign Jews to turn away from the law. Unfortunately, there isn’t much written about James in the Bible, so it’s not hard to draw some very different conclusions about James. Here are three:

(1)    James never grasped grace – at best he was preaching mixture
(2)    James didn’t understand grace initially – he speaks and writes as one on a journey
(3)    James understood grace as well as Paul, but he wrote for a different audience (Jews, not Gentiles)

Why is this important?

Your opinion of James matters a great deal because James wrote part of the Bible. How you view James will inevitably affect how you view God’s word. For instance, if you think that James never understood grace (conclusion number 1 above), it will lead you to reject either grace or James. Neither is a good outcome! If you subscribe to conclusion number 2, you may dismiss his epistle as elementary teaching. You may think, “it’s not for me, I know better.” Maybe you do, but you’re skating on thin ice any time you start second-guessing God’s word. However, if you think James understood grace, as I do, you will heed what he says and be blessed.

As Christians are utterly divided on their view of James, allow me to address these different positions a little more closely.

Conclusion 1: James never grasped grace

If it’s not grace it must be works. If you think James preaches works and this leads you to do stuff to make yourself righteous, then you have set aside grace and made the cross of no effect. The choice seems to be James or Jesus. Martin Luther wasn’t having any of that so he decided to cut James’s epistle right out of his Bible. Problem solved! But it’s never a good idea to reach for the scissors any time you read something you don’t understand.

My strong view is that James did not preach salvation by works any more than Paul did, at least not works as some define the term. When James writes about works he provides clear examples of the types of work he has in mind. When he says “faith without works is dead” (2:20), he refers to the works of Abraham in the very next verse. It is likely that James was thinking of a conversation Jesus had with the Pharisees in John 8. In that passage Jesus clearly distinguishes the works of Abraham from the religious works of the self-righteous Pharisees. Then when James says “a person is justified by works and not faith alone” (Jas 2:24), he refers to the works of Rahab. The point is this: If we define works differently from James, we may miss his meaning and miss grace.

Conclusion 2: James didn’t understand grace at first

This seems to be the view of many scholars and some of my readers. They dismiss his epistle as elementary teaching or primitive Christianity. Was James contradicting Paul? No, they say, for he wrote his letter before Paul had written anything. James, bless his soul, was well-meaning but ignorant. Nice save, but there’s just one problem – we don’t know for sure when James wrote his epistle.

Scholars who say that James was written early tend to argue that James didn’t get grace. Ask them why they think James was written early and they say “because he didn’t understand grace.” Ask them why they think James didn’t understand grace and they say “because he wrote early.” This is circular reasoning. For all we know, James had a copy of Romans sitting on his desk when he penned his own epistle.

But while we don’t know when James wrote his epistle, we do have much more certainty about the timing of Acts 15 and 21. Take a look at James’ words in these two chapters and you might see a man who is little confused about the law. (I don’t see that, but you might.) In Acts 15 James writes to the Gentiles telling them to keep three requirements (abstain from idol food, blood and sexual immorality). Then in Acts 21, he tells Paul to get down to the temple, shave his head, make an offering, and act all legalistic so the local Jews will know there’s no truth to the rumor that Paul has been turning people away from Moses. I will take a closer look at both of these stories in Part 3 and Part 4 of this study.

Who was James?

Last year we looked for grace in the epistle from James. In this series, I want to look at James the man and ask, did James understand the gospel of grace? We don’t have much to go on, but be open to the possibility that James has been badly misjudged, that he’s no more an apostle of works than Paul was, and that he certainly wasn’t the primitive Christian that some have dismissed.

In my next post I will give you six compelling reasons from scripture supporting my view that James did indeed understand the gospel of God’s grace. Stay tuned – it’s going to be good!

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Related posts:
- What about James? (Are we really justified by works?)
- What is the key to James?
- Two religions: Works and blood

Part 1: Works under grace
Part 2: The works of Abraham
Part 3: The works of God
Part 4: The works of Rahab
Part 5: James – preacher of grace

It’s time to put this series to bed. We’ve covered a lot of ground but perhaps there is a verse in James that still troubles you. To help you I want to give you a simple key for unlocking the whole epistle. If you don’t have this key, James is a frustrating book. If you don’t have this key you may be tempted to dismiss James for one of the following reasons.

1. James is preaching salvation by works (so he shouldn’t be in the New Testament)

The problem with this excuse is that there is a grain of truth behind it. In a manner of speaking, Rahab was saved by works. If she hadn’t opened her door to the spies of Israel, she would’ve perished along with the rest of Jericho. But we misread James if we think our works make us pleasing to God. Jesus is pleasing to God. Our work is to believe in the one He sent (Jn 6:29). Our work is to be fully persuaded that He has made us eternally acceptable in the Beloved (Eph 1:6).

Rahab’s work was a fruit of repentance. We see the work, but God saw the change of heart. Along with everyone in Canaan, Rahab believed that God was angry with her. But then Rahab changed her mind about God and decided to trust in His mercy. She humbled herself and God lifted her up. God both saved Rahab (revealing His mercy) and then elevated her to the royal family tree (revealing His grace). Is this a message James preaches? Yes!

“God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and He will lift you up.” (Jas 4:6,10)

2. James is writing for Jews (so it’s not relevant for me)

This is a convenient excuse (particularly if you’re non-Jewish!) but it’s misguided. True, James does identify his audience as “the 12 tribes” of Israel (Jas 1:1). But the gospel is the same for both Jews and Gentiles – there is no difference. We are all one in Christ.

“There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal 3:28-29)

Who is a true Jew? According to Jesus it is someone who does the works of Abraham (Jn 8:39). According to Paul it is someone whose heart has been circumcised by the Spirit and not by the law (Rms 2:29). So if you are a Christian, then you are Abraham’s seed and James is especially relevant for you! You cannot dismiss it!

3. James was not aware of Paul’s gospel (so I know more than he did)

Several readers have written to me saying James was written early in the piece and before the gospel of grace was widely understood. The implication is, “we know the gospel better than James so we don’t need to take James too seriously.” Oh boy.

This excuse is convenient, dangerous, and based on a whole lot of “we don’t knows.” We don’t know exactly when James was written. (On my shelf are several authoritative sources that date James anywhere from AD45 to 150.) We don’t know for sure whether James was written before or after Romans, Galatians or Colossians.

It doesn’t matter a whole lot when James wrote his letter. The real question is this: Was James acquainted with the gospel of grace? As I have explained in this series, I believe he was. And one thing we do know for certain was that he and Paul met on more than one occasion (see Acts 15, 21, Gal 1:19). Luke wrote about it one of these meetings:

“The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. When they heard this, they praised God.” (Acts 21:20)

These weren’t just social visits. Paul said he went to Jerusalem to set before the James and the other leaders “the gospel that I preach” (Gal 2:2). It is true that Paul was the boldest, most prolific preacher of the gospel in the New Testament. But he certainly wasn’t the only preacher of grace. To dismiss an entire book of the Bible on the basis of things we don’t know is reckless. I don’t recommend it.

The key to James

As we saw in Part 1 of this study, there is absolutely no chance you can come under law if you read James through the finished work of the cross. But that’s only half the story. To rightly interpret scripture we also need to consider the audience. Yes, James is writing for Jews and yes that means you even if you’re Japanese or Javanese. But the key to understanding James is this: he has two messages for two audiences. Parts of James are written for saints and other parts are written for sinners.

Like every good preacher, James knows he’s addressing two groups of people. Sinners are rebuked for being adulterous friends of the world in chapter 4, while saints are reminded of their righteousness in chapter 5. Sinners are exhorted to humble themselves and submit to God, while saints are exhorted to pray and turn sinners around. For sinners, Rahab is held up as a model unbeliever. She was living under condemnation but she was smart – she repented. For saints, righteous Abraham is held up as model believer. The issue for him was not salvation but an inheritance which belongs to all of us who are fully persuaded that God will do what He said.

If you’re a saint, it’s silly to think that James is writing to you when he says, “cleanse your hands, you sinners,” (Jas 4:8). And if you’re a sinner holding out against the grace of God, then don’t think James is speaking to you when he writes about the prayers of righteous men (Jas 5:16). Praying doesn’t make you righteous. Jesus does!

Perhaps the best reason why some folk have trouble with James is that they don’t know where they stand with God. Instead of hearing what James has to say to them, they’re getting mixed messages. Another reason is that try and unlock James with an inferior key, such as the three listed above.

Unlocking the Bible is not hard provided you have the right key. Jesus is the key. We need to read the  Bible in light of what Jesus has done. You are either resting in His finished work on the cross or you’re not. In either case, the Bible has good news for you! But the message for those in Christ is not the same as those who are rejecting Christ.

There is life and health in the word of God, but you will come to grief if you swallow medicine that was meant for others. Don’t read the Bible to learn what to do. Read the whole Bible – including James – to discover Jesus.

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Related posts:
- James 2:24
- By which gospel are you saved?
- How to read your Bible without getting confused

“..his epistle shows no trace of the larger revelations of the church and the distinctive doctrines of grace made through the apostle Paul…”

The implication being that James was not on the same page as Paul when it came to the gospel of grace. Their letters do not line up because James did not get it.

I can understand how a superficial glance at one or two verses in James might give you this impression. But do you really believe that 26 books in the New Testament preach the same gospel message while James preaches another? Paul said if anyone preached a gospel different to his, that person should be condemned to hell (Gal 1:9). If James is preaching something fundamentally different from Paul, then the NT writers are a house divided. And if the writers of the Bible do not agree with each other, then the Bible cannot be trusted.

I take a different view.

In this series on James, I have maintained that Paul and James were very much on the same team. I have dropped a few clues here and there, but now it’s time to lay all my cards on the table. To do that I’m going to present some scriptures side-by-side to show that not only were Paul and James on the same wavelength, but they preached the good news exactly as Jesus modeled it. Grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. It is His gospel that the New Testament writers proclaimed.

To give you a quick example, take a look at what Jesus, Paul and James have to say to people who do not perceive their need for God’s grace:

Jesus: “You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev 3:17)
Paul: “Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God…” (1 Tim 6:17)
James: “Now listen, you rich people, weep and wail because of the misery that is coming upon you.” (Jas 5:1)

If wealth is the source of your identity and security, that’s a three-way blast of truth right there. Boom, boom, boom! If you only read the red letters of the Bible, you’re going to get the message. If you only read Paul’s letters, you’re going to get the message. If you only read James’s epistle, you’re going to get the message. You can’t miss it.

And that’s just the beginning.

As we will see in this little safari through scripture, things that were important to Jesus, were also important to Paul and James. Below is a list of 12 statements that you might hear from any grace preacher. Under each statement I have pasted sound bites from Jesus, Paul and James showing their complete agreement on the essential elements of the gospel. They may say things a little differently, but they are saying the same things.

1.    The law is good and demands perfect obedience

Jesus: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them… Be perfect…” (Mt 5:17,48)
Paul: “It is written: ‘Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.’” (Gal 3:10)
James: “Whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (1:10)

2.    The law (which enslaves) reveals our need for Jesus (who frees us)

Jesus: “You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me… Abide in me…” (Jn 5:39, 15:4)
Paul: “Through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” (Rms 8:2), “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Co 3:17)
James: “But he that fixes his view on the perfect law, that of liberty, and abides in it … shall be blessed.” (1:25, Darby)

3.    Your choice: the world or His kingdom

Jesus: “What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul?” (Mt 16:26)
Paul: “Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?…Therefore come out from them and be separate….” (2 Cor 6:14,17)
James: “You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God?” (4:4)

4.    The good news: God offers you His unmerited favor!

Jesus: “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor…  to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Lk 4:18-19)
Paul: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith…” (Eph 2:8)
James: “But He gives us more grace… God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” (4:6)

5.    So trust in the gospel…

Jesus: “Repent and believe the good news!” (Mk 1:15)
Paul: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes…” (Rms 1:16)
James: “Humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you.” (1:21)

6.    …and repent – change the way you think and live.

Jesus: “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock.” (Mt 7:24)
Paul: “I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.” (Acts 26:20)
James: “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says… Faith without works is dead… Submit to God… Come near to God.” (Jas 1:22, 2:17, 4:7-8)

7.    It is not about you – it is God who makes us acceptable…

Jesus: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” (Jn 3:17)
Paul: “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints.” (Col 1:12)
James: “Humble yourselves before the Lord and He will lift you up.” (4:10)

8.    …but don’t delay; there are consequences for rejecting God’s grace.

Jesus: “If you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins.” (Jn 8:24)
Paul: “For God has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed.” (Acts 17:31)
James: “For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant… In the same way, the rich man will fade away…” (1:11)

9.    He wants to live His abundant life through you…

Jesus: “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (Jn 10:10)
Paul: “… how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.” (Rms 5:17)
James: “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights” (1:17).

10.    …giving you victory in all things…

Jesus: “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (Jn 16:33)
Paul: “No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” (Rms 8:37)
James: “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray… The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.” (5:13,16)

11.    …and enabling you to do the mighty works of God.

Jesus: “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these.” (Jn 14:12)
Paul: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Eph 2:10)
James: “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.” (2:22)

12. Now go and tell others the good news of God’s grace!

Jesus: “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” (Mk 16:15)
Paul: “Do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (2 Tim 4:5)
James: “Remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins.” (5:20)

As you can see, James was not marching to the beat of a different drummer. He only wrote two letters that we know about (the other one is in Acts 15), but his message was essentially the same message that Jesus lived and Paul preached.

One last thing: Theologians have long noted that James never quotes Jesus. Except that he did – he just didn’t do it in his letters. In the years just prior to the Roman destruction of Jerusalem, many Jews put their faith in Christ swelling the ranks of the early church. This did not go down well with the Pharisees and scribes, so they seized James and took him to the top of the temple where they threatened to throw him down if he did not declare that Jesus was not the Messiah. When James cried out that Jesus was the Son of God, they cast him down. James didn’t die straight away, so they began to stone him. James died on his knees praying for those who were killing him. His last words were, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

Now who does that remind you of?

I have heard it said that a head injury will turn a decent man into a profane man. There is something about pain which shatters religious masks revealing our true character. So what is it that moves a man to pray for his enemies even as they are stoning him to death? Is it not the supernatural grace of God? Don’t tell me that James didn’t “get it” when it comes to grace, or that his letter is misleading. Read James through the finished work of the cross and you can’t help but see Jesus.

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Related posts:
- What about James? (Are we really justified by works?)
- Two religions: Works and blood
- The gospel comes to Laodicea

“You see then that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Jas 2:24)

In Part 1 of this study we saw how a preacher of works could misuse this verse to drive people back under law. In Part 2 we learned that James and Paul (in Romans 4) were probably both writing in response to something that Jesus had said about the “works of Abraham.” What were these works? Abraham believed and was fully persuaded that God would deliver on His promises, even when reality said otherwise.

A few points to clarify before we press on:

• James quotes Genesis 15:6 when he says that “Abraham believed God and it was credited to him with righteousness” (2:23). What works are listed in connection with Genesis 15:6? Only one: Abraham believed God.
• James, like Paul in Romans 4:3, says that Abraham was counted righteous when he believed and before he was circumcised and before he had tried to sacrifice Isaac.

Now we are ready to study the four most “difficult” verses in James 2:

21. “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
22. “You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23. “And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.
24. “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.”

The key verse in this sequence is verse 23. Remove this verse and you have a text to support a grace-killing theology of works. (And if you preach works, you’d better put human sacrifice on your to-do list – see verse 21.) But verse 23 cannot be removed! Verse 23 says that Abraham was counted righteous when he believed and before he offered Isaac on the altar. Verse 23 is where James says, “I’m with Paul on this matter of righteousness.”

So why does James confuse us by mentioning the thing Abraham did later at the altar? Why not just say, “Abraham was credited righteous when he believed?” The reason has to do with his audience. Which was who?

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.” (Jas 1:1)

James was writing to Jews. Why is this significant? Because being Jews, they already knew that Abraham was credited righteous when he believed – they were Jewish! They knew the Torah inside and out. So why did they need to be reminded? It’s my conviction that James was writing to address an epidemic of unbelief.

The dynamic duo: Paul and James?!

The traditional view is that Paul wrote about faith and James wrote about works. It’s up to us to balance their teachings and to find a middle ground. Only you can’t put faith in both grace and works. What man calls balance, God calls mixture. There is no middle ground – you’re either resting in faith or you’re engaged in dead works. Anything not done in faith is sin (Rms 14:23). No, the issue is not faith versus works, but faith versus unbelief.

In the beginning of his letter James talks about the testing and proving of your faith. He’s asking, how’s your faith? or are you expressing your God-given faith? God gives us faith for a reason – that we might reveal Him and His will on our planet. When believers step out in faith, heaven comes down. When they don’t, nothing changes. Faith that takes no risks is dead.

What are we supposed to do with our faith? Well, for starters, James says we can ask for things:

1:6 “Let him ask in faith…”

4:2 “You do not have because you do not ask.”

The number one reason why prayers aren’t answered is because prayers aren’t asked. God loves us and wants to reveal Himself to us, but He waits to be asked. When should we ask?

5:13 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray.”

You would think that is obvious, but it’s not. Many suffer in silence. Many just sit there and take it thinking that it is God’s will for them to suffer. James is saying, have a little faith in God! Here’s my paraphrase of James 2:14:

“What does it profit, my brothers, if someone says he is fully persuaded regarding God’s promises but then does nothing about them, never steps out, never takes a risk? Can such ‘faith’ make any difference in his life? Can it sozo (save, heal or deliver) him?”

James makes it clear in this verse that he is talking about more than who’s saved and who’s not. Throughout his letter he lists things we can ask God for, including healing, deliverance, wisdom, indeed, every good and perfect gift which comes from the Father. Why ask?  So that we might be His firstfruits, His trophies of grace, His living testimonies of transforming power (Jas 1:18).

Whose glasses are you wearing?

A performance-oriented believer will come away from James with a list of things to do for God. But one who is standing firm on grace will come away inspired to pursue God and to prove His will through prayer:

5:16-17 “The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. Elijah was a man just like us. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain…” (NIV)

I live in one of the rainiest cities on earth. It seems every Sunday during winter it’s pouring with rain when it’s time to go to church. Yet we never get wet. Why not? Because my 5 year old daughter knows how to rise up in her God-given authority and rebuke the rain. She doesn’t ask God to take the rain away; she just commands the rain to stop and it does. She is fully persuaded that Christ in her has authority over the rain and that it’s not His will for us to get soaked right before church.

Two preachers, one message

I’ve said that Paul and James were on the same page regarding grace. How do I know? Because James says things like “we’re righteous” and “Elijah was a man just like us.” To the Jews, this would’ve been scandalous! How could James compare us to Elijah? Maybe if we dedicated our lives to serving God, maybe one day, if we were really good, we could become like Elijah. But no, James says the great prophet Elijah is like us. We are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. If you thought the prayers of Elijah were powerful, how powerful do you think our prayers will be seeing we are clothed with Christ’s righteousness? Be encouraged – your prayers avail much!

So why aren’t we seeing more miracles? Because we’re not praying for things! We’re not asking! Our faith is locked up inside, reduced to a mere set of beliefs about what God can do, not what He wants to do right now. We dither over questions like “does God allow sickness?” or “is it God’s timing to heal this person?” It’s funny, but Jesus never seemed to be uncertain about these things.

By the way, is James saying that the more we pray, the more likely our prayers will be heard? Does God reward our praying effort? He does not. Jesus told us not to pray like those who think they will be heard “because of their many words” (Mt 6:7). No, James is saying we should pray as a people who are fully persuaded regarding God’s will. When you are fully persuaded your prayers will be bold and effective.

Unbelieving believers

I know you will find this hard to believe, but I have heard of Christians who claim to have faith, but they don’t heal the sick. “Now listen,” as James would say, if you are fully persuaded that God heals the sick, then act on that persuasion and start healing the sick!

5:14: “Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray…”

What so special about the elders? Well hopefully they will be fully persuaded that God wants to heal you! Elders lead by example. I led a church in Hong Kong for 10 years. When sick people walked in I would offer to pray for them like this: “I’m not praying because I’m supposed to pray. I’m praying because I fully expect you’re going to get healed right now.” The person I was praying for might not have been fully persuaded that God heals, but I was, and people got healed – not all of them, but certainly more than would’ve been healed if no one had prayed. That reminds me of something Bill Johnson often says:

“I learned a long time ago that more people are healed when you pray for more people!”

Some people are not entirely sure that God still heals the sick. They’re in two minds about this healing business. They are not fully persuaded. When they pray people don’t get healed and their doubt becomes self-fulfilling. James writes about this:

“Let him ask in faith, with no doubting for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.” (Jas 1:6-8)

What limits our faith? Unbelief, or to use James’ words, doubt and uncertainty. To the degree that you are uncertain about God’s will, to that degree you are handicapped by unbelief. The devil wants you uncertain, but God wants you to be sure about His good will (Rms 12:2). If you’re not sure, then James says, “Pray, ask God for wisdom – and ask confidently! – receive what God gives you, then act on it.”

Finally, James 2:24…

The essence of James 2:24 is this: a believer isn’t one who merely believes God in his heart, he reveals God through his actions. The difference between you and your unsaved neighbor is not just a set of beliefs, it is the life of Christ in you and revealed through you. You not only think differently, you act differently and what you do flows from what you believe. If you don’t believe God heals the sick, you won’t pray for the sick and they won’t get healed. You are no different from your unbelieving neighbor in this regard. But if you do believe that Jesus provided for our healing 2000 years ago (1 Pet 2:24), then you will pray for the sick and you will heal them.

To the church James is saying, don’t just believe God, reveal Him! Speak to your mountain, heal the sick, drive out demons, raise the dead! If you are fully persuaded, that God can heal the sick, but you don’t pray for the sick – something is wrong. Your faith is not being expressed. It’s lifeless, powerless and incomplete. It’s like a fig tree that never bears fruit. If you are fully persuaded that God will do what He promised, then act on it and receive your miracle. Why wait? Abraham didn’t linger. He got up early the next morning and marched off fully persuaded that God would raise the dead.

We haven’t been called to do works for God, but to do the works of God. The work of God is to believe in Jesus (Jn 6:29). He who believes Jesus saves will be saved and will save others. He who believes Jesus heals will be healed and will heal others. If you are fully persuaded that Jesus is our wisdom from God – that He is our righteousness, our holiness, our redemption, and our victory – it will be evident in how you live.

Faith resides in the heart, but the fruit of faith can be seen. Abraham was credited righteous when he believed in Genesis 15, but his faith was seen when he offered Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22. His faith was made complete or consummated by what he did. Again, this is not a challenge to get busy for Jesus, but to abide in Him. You can bear no fruit by yourself. Only God can do the work of God. Our role is to rest in Him, trust Him, and reveal Him. When we do that His kingdom comes, the blind see, the lame leap, and the dead rise. Sometimes it even stops raining.

So far in this study we have been looking at the faith of righteous Abraham. In Part 4 we will look at the faith of unrighteous Rahab.

Related posts:
- Jesus’ Medicine: Tastes like Ribena
- How do we pervert the gospel of Christ?
- When Heaven Invades Earth, by Bill Johnson

In Part 1 of this study we looked at how James appears to contradict much of what Paul teaches about faith. If you hold James 2 alongside Romans 4 you will see that both chapters use the same Old Testament examples to support apparently different conclusions. Both James and Paul refer to Abraham and they both quote Genesis 15:6. See for yourself:

Paul: “If, in fact, Abraham was justified by works, he had something to boast about—but not before God. What does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.’” (Rms 4:2-3,9)

James: “Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,’ and he was called God’s friend.” (Jas 2:21-23)

It is clear that both Paul and James are impressed by Abraham’s faith. But they seem to draw very different lessons from his example:

Paul: “Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace…” (Rms 4:16)

James: “You see then that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Jas 2:24)

Don’t you find it curious that both James and Paul chose Abraham as their role model and that both of them referred to Genesis 15:6? One could be forgiven for thinking that James was writing in response to something that Paul had said or that Paul was writing in response to something that James had said. But I think they were both writing in response to something that Jesus had said:

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” (Jn 8:39)

Whenever we are confused by an apparent inconsistency in the Bible, we will come to the right conclusion by filtering the “problem” text through life and work of Jesus. So if we want to reconcile Romans 4 with James 2, it will help if we read what Jesus said in John 8.

Who’s your Daddy?

In John 8, Jesus goes to the temple and confronts the Jews on the question of Fathership. Jesus came to reveal His Father, but the Jews refused to believe that Jesus was who He said He was.

“Then they asked him, ‘Where is your father?’ ‘You do not know me or my Father,’ Jesus replied. ‘If you knew me, you would know my Father also.’” (Jn 8:19)

When the Pharisees scorned Jesus for testifying on His own behalf, He replied:

“I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me… my other witness is the Father… I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me.” (Jn 8:16,18,28)

Still the Jews refused to listen. So Jesus warned them that they would die for their sin of unbelief (v.24). At this point some of the Jews changed their minds and put their faith in Jesus (v.30), but the others started making plans to kill Him (v.37). Knowing their murderous thoughts, Jesus said they were just like their father the devil, “a murderer from the beginning” (v.55). Clearly they were slaves to sin who needed to be set free. The Jews replied that they were Abraham’s children and they had never been slaves of anyone. To this Jesus responded,

“If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham. As it is, you are determined to kill me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham did not do such things.” (Jn 8:39-40)

The Jews thought they were special because they were Abraham’s descendents. But Jesus said if they really were children of Abraham, then they would act like Abraham. So what did Abraham do that the Jews refused to do? The short answer is that Abraham believed God. The Jews, in contrast, rejected the Living Word of God even as He stood right there in front of them. Truth had come to set them free but they refused to listen. Their actions testified that they did not belong to God but to their father the devil, “a liar and the father of lies” (Jn 8:44).

When was Abraham born again?

Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness. Here’s a question that will help us with James 2:24: when was Abraham credited with righteousness? Was it after he tried to sacrifice Isaac in Genesis 22? Was it after he was circumcised in Genesis 17? No, it was back in Genesis 15.

“We have been saying that Abraham’s faith was credited to him as righteousness. Under what circumstances was it credited? Was it after he was circumcised, or before? It was not after, but before!” (Rms 4:9-10)

The word of the Lord came to Abraham in Genesis 15, in verses 1, 4 and 5. Abraham “believed the Lord” in verse 6 and was immediately credited with righteousness. On this point James and Paul are in complete agreement. (Actually they are in complete agreement on all points, as I will show you.) So what works had Abraham done when righteousness was credited to him in Genesis 15? Only one – he believed God. What work did Jesus say Abraham had done that the Jews had not done? He believed God.

What exactly did Abraham believe? He believed that God was his shield and his exceedingly great reward. Although Abraham received many promises from God, Genesis 15:1 might be considered The Promise as it foreshadowed the two-fold work that God’s Son would accomplish on the cross – protection (from judgment) and provision (new life in Christ). The shield speaks of God’s mercy (complete forgiveness!) while the reward speaks of the riches of His grace (God Himself – He is the gift!). In other words, Abraham believed in, and eagerly looked forward to Jesus! We know this because Jesus told the Jews:

“Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day, and he saw it and was glad.” (Jn 8:56)

What are the works of Abraham?

Jesus said the Jews were nothing like their father Abraham because they did not do what Abraham did, and what they did Abraham did not do. The Jews rejected Jesus, but Abraham embraced Jesus with joy and gladness, albeit from a distance (Heb 11:13). The works of Abraham are thus identical to the works that God requires of all men:

“Jesus answered, ‘The work of God is this: to believe in the one He has sent.’” (Jn 6:29)

James said that Abraham was considered righteous for what he did. What did he do? Jesus has already given us the short answer (he believed); Paul gives us a longer answer:

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed and so became the father of many nations, just as it had been said to him, ‘So shall your offspring be.’ Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.  Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised. This is why ‘it was credited to him as righteousness.’” (Rms 4:18-22 NIV)

What are the “works of Abraham”? They are believing and being fully persuaded that God will deliver on His promises even when reality says otherwise. When was Abraham fully persuaded? It was in Genesis 15, when God credited him with righteousness. When did we see evidence that Abraham was fully persuaded? In Genesis 22, when he tried to sacrifice Isaac. That’s why James writes “You see his faith and actions were working together.” But God saw Abraham’s faith seven chapters earlier.

What if Abraham had failed the test?

Would Abraham still have been counted righteous if he had not bound Isaac on the altar? Many have asked this, but it’s the wrong question. The right question is, does God ask us to do things that He knows we can’t or won’t do? Does God set us up for failures of faith?

Understand that we are not talking about the ordinary works of the flesh. Sometimes we do find ourselves in situations that are more than we can bear. We try with all our might and struggle with all our energy, yet we fail badly. This happens so that might learn to trust in God who raises the dead and not rely on our own strength or understanding (2 Cor 1:9). But if we are resting in Christ, if we are fully persuaded that God will do what He promised, then you cannot fail. It’s impossible.

People have written entire books about what Abraham must’ve been thinking the morning after God asked him to sacrifice Isaac. The motivation behind these books is the thought that, gulp, what if God asked me to sacrifice my son? Well don’t panic, He won’t. God sacrificed His Son so you don’t have to sacrifice yours. Because of Jesus we get all the blessings of Abraham without going through what Abraham went through. Yes, you will face trials and tests, suffering and hardship. But if you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus there’s no test you can’t pass, no battle you can’t win! Why not? Because Christ is our victory (1 Cor 15:57), and Jesus never loses, never fails!

If God says “we’re going to the other side of the lake” (Mk 4:35), and you are fully persuaded God will do what He says, then no matter what bad stuff happens along the way, you can rest assured that you are indeed going to the other side of the lake. God said so! Likewise Abraham was fully persuaded that his offspring would come through Isaac. “If Isaac dies without children,” he reasoned, “then God must raise the dead” (Heb 11:19). It absolutely, positively has to happen. People speculate whether Abraham dragged his feet in obeying the Lord, but the Bible says he got up “early the next morning” and went (Gen 22:3). Why would you wait when there’s a miracle on the way? Hesitation can be fatal to faith. Sometimes it’s just better to obey quickly, while faith is strong.

Faith never initiates; faith responds

To summarize Part 1 and Part 2 of this study, we now see that there are two very different ways to work in the Bible. We can work under law or under grace. We put ourselves under law when we look for things we should be doing for Jesus. We remain under grace when we rest in Him and then do what comes naturally. Under law, we initiate. Under grace, we respond in faith to what God is saying or doing. We see Him or hear Him and then we join Him (Jn 5:19). Under law, we work alone. Under grace, we co-labor with Him (2 Cor 6:1). This is how Jesus and Abraham and all the heroes of faith operated. What is the work that God wants from us? He wants us to trust Him, to be fully persuaded that He will do what He said, even when our present reality says otherwise.

And with that firm foundation, we are finally ready to unpackage James 2:24. Stay tuned for Part 3…

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Related posts:
- What about James? (Are we really justified by works?)
- By which gospel are you saved? The gospel of grace!
- Whose medicine are you taking? The dangers of taking scripture out of context

Paul: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Eph 2:8-9)

James: “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him?” (Jas 2:14)

Paul says “faith, not works,” but James says “I will show you my faith by my works” (Jas 2:18). That’s a little confusing. Paul declares that righteousness “comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe” (Rms 3:22). But James says that merely believing is not enough:

“You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe—and tremble!” (Jas 2:19)

And just so we wouldn’t be in any doubt about where he stands on this issue of works, James ends with this:

“You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.” (Jas 2:24, NKJV)

Paul or James? Who’s right?

How are we to reconcile Paul with James? They seem to disagree with one another. One says “faith alone” while the other says “faith plus works.” This inconsistency has caused many believers to scratch their heads and none moreso than Martin Luther. Luther was famously disgusted with the book of James. His solution to the faith versus works problem was to cut James out of the New Testament! In his own translation of the Bible, Luther put James in an Appendix. No James, no problem!

It’s never a good idea to ignore or remove a scripture that we do not understand – let alone an entire book! But what are we to make of James in light of the finished work of the cross? Clearly both Paul and James are preaching good stuff, otherwise they would not be in the Bible together. So any apparent conflict between their messages must arise from a poor understanding on our part.

As we will see in this short study, both James and Paul were preaching pure, undiluted grace. James does not “go further” than Paul. Neither does he detract from the message of grace. Yet there is no doubt that he is calling for our faith to be seen in what we do.

What are the works James is referring to?

James 2 is possibly the most abused chapter in the entire Bible. Those who preach works will use this chapter to tell you that “you must balance grace with works.” Of course they won’t come out and say it in so few words. Instead, they will say things like, “Christ has done his part, now we must do our part.” Or they might say, “you were saved to do good works” before quoting Ephesians 2:10:

“For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”

At this point everybody in the meeting will be nodding their heads because the preacher just quoted something Paul wrote that supports what James wrote, so it must be works after all. I knew this unmerited favor thing was too good to be true. I knew there had to be a catch. Well that’s okay, because I’m more than happy to work for Christ.

And before you know it the whole church will be running back to the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, feasting on the forbidden fruit and trying to impress Jesus with their good works! Instead of resting in Him, they will be working hard for Him.

But before you start trying to out-work Martha, just pause for a second and think this through. Yes, good works are a normal part of the Christian life. But if you believe you must perform for God to be justified or made righteous or acceptable, then you have set aside grace and come back under law. And you know that’s bad right?

Under grace or under law?

There is a lot of confusion today about what it means to live under grace and what it means to live under law. But 50 years ago, in his classic book The Normal Christian Life, Watchman Nee gave this brilliantly simple explanation:

“Grace means that God does something for me; law means that I do something for God.”

The essence of the law is that God requires something from me. The essence of grace is that God provides that which is required. Before the cross people lived under the strict demands of the law. Only one person ever succeeded in fulfilling all these requirements, and He did it all on our behalf. On the cross, Jesus paid the full and complete penalty for our sin setting us free from the curse of the law. Now we live under a new covenant of grace underwritten by God’s own precious blood.

The great tragedy of our time is that while most people know they are cursed if they try to live under the law, many are trying to do exactly that! With sincere hearts they have bought into a lie that says we must perform for Jesus or die trying. They pray, “God help me do the things you want me to do” as if relationship could be reduced to a list of tasks God wants done. People who live like this have put their faith in a perverted gospel and are in danger of setting aside grace. Their identity is not in Christ, but in the things they do for Christ.

Grace and works don’t mix

The truth is that you can’t balance God’s grace with anything we do. Grace is unbalanceable. Jesus went through unimaginable suffering on the cross in order that we might be redeemed from the condemnation of the law. To act as if we could somehow make ourselves righteous in our own strength is to reject as insufficient His perfect sacrifice and insult the Spirit of grace. As Jesus warned the Laodiceans, when you try to earn what He freely offers, it doesn’t please Him, it makes Him sick. Let’s be clear – the works of the flesh nullify grace. They do not mix:

“And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.” (Rms 11:6)

So the wrong way to read James is to think that we must work for God and generally do stuff to make ourselves righteous. Yes, we were created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. But when we abide in Christ, He is the one who does them.

“It is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.” (Php 2:13)

Under law, good works become a struggle and a burden. We do them because we love Jesus but in the end we’ll crash and burn because failure is the inevitable result of living under law. Under grace, good works are easy and the burden is light because He is the One doing the heavy lifting. What is our part in this? Resting in Him, trusting Him, abiding in Him.

Justified by works?

Now that we begin to have a good sense of what “work” looks like in the new covenant, we are ready to unpackage James 2:24:

“You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” (NIV)

This is not a vague call for miscellaneous works of faith. I believe James had something very specific in mind – something that we do that determines whether or not we are saved, justified, and accepted. And we will find out what that is in Part 2 of our study when we look at what Jesus referred to as “the works of Abraham.”

Related posts:
- James 2:24
- Two religions: Works and blood
- The gospel comes to Laodicea