Harmony of Paul and James on Faith and Works
By D. T. Bourdeau
SAVING FAITH, OR FAITH SEEN IN WORKS. NO. 4.
Harmony of Paul and James on Faith and Works.
We see, then, that James does not contradict Paul. If he does, then he certainly contradicts himself; for he teaches that Abraham was justified by faith when he says (in the same passage), “Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness.” This involved the justification of Abraham, and occurred before Abraham was justified or approved for having offered Isaac upon the altar. If James contradicts Paul, does not Paul contradict himself when he says, “For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified [in the day of judgment, as appears from the connection]”? Rom. 3:13. And does not the Saviour contradict Paul when he says, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned”6(Matt. 12:36, 37)? No contradiction will be seen in any of these cases if the principles we have laid down are regarded, and if all the circumstances that have called forth the sayings we have noticed are duly considered. A man can no more be justified by a dead faith than he can be pardoned and saved by a dead faith. It is even by the faith by which we are justified that we repent unto salvation. No one has ever repented unto salvation without first taking in by faith the love of God through Jesus Christ, and what Christ has done to save man. No one was ever justified by a faith that does not lead men to repentance, and that is not seen in repentance. God never justified a man who had not been sorry for having done evil works, and who had not promised by God’s grace to do the works of righteousness. But some will say, “Was not the thief on the cross justified and saved by a faith disconnected from works?” To which we reply: Tho the thief on the cross did not, for want of time and opportunity, do all the works that God requires of man, yet he did all that he could do to show his faith by his works. He repented, and showed his repentance by laboring, before an immense throng of bitter opposers to Christianity, to persuade the malefactor, who, like him, was being punished for his evil deeds, to repent; and he offered to Jesus a prayer for final salvation, under the same trying circumstances. Luke 23:39, etc. Here was saving faith—faith seen in works, that cost more than they would have cost under ordinary circumstances. And as for the rest of the works that God required of man, God, in this case, accepted the will and good desires for the performance of them. But had this man lived on, God would have held him to the duty of performing those works. And if this man had had his life prolonged, and had persistently and permanently refused to do the works of God, he would have lost his pardon and justification, having disregarded his vows at conversion and blotted out his faith and repentance. Did not the unmerciful servant, of which our Lord speaks in a parable (see Matthew 18), lose his pardon, when, having been forgiven a large debt, he refused to bestow an act of mercy upon—to forgive—one who owed him a comparatively small amount? And when a man loses his pardon, does he not lose his justification? See also Eze. 18:24, etc. Is it not evident that even Christians are in danger of having limited and imperfect views of pardon and justification, and of cherishing the false idea that it suffices to have been pardoned and justified years ago, to be saved at last? The Christian must receive a new justification every time he sins through weakness, while aiming to overcome. If he then refuses to do this, if he refuses to repent, and to do the works that God enjoins upon him, and chooses to practice unrighteousness when the clear light from God’s word relative to his duty shines upon his pathway, will he not lose his first justification and his first pardon, and the assurance from heaven of being saved at last? We are safe only as we, after exercising living faith in Jesus, at our conversion, press forward in doing, by faith, the works that God requires of us, and as we, after our conversion, repent and believe every time we perform evil works, or see defects in our good works. If we do this, cherishing a tender conscience, and keeping faith in constant exercise, our evil works and the defects in our good works will be made up by Christ’s imputed righteousness; our evil works will be fewer and fewer, and our good works will answer more and more to those of Jesus, our blessed Pattern, until we, by grace divine, shall be enabled to do perfectly and naturally what the Lord requires of us to do. If we pursue this course, in the day of judgment, when men shall be justified or condemned by their works (Matt. 12:36, 37; Rom. 2:15), it shall be seen that we, through God’s grace, have wrought works which, considered in connection with Christ’s perfect works (that will then be counted as ours), will enable the righteous Judge—the Judge of all mankind—to pronounce us as just as angels and as the dear Redeemer. In our probationary state faith is made prominent, because we need it to wash our robes of character in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:13, 14), to secure pardon, put on Christ’s righteousness, and do the works of God. In the day of judgment, when the work of faith shall have been accomplished, works (first those of Christ, wrought for us, and received by faith, then ours wrought by faith) will be made prominent, and will be made the rule by which to determine whether men can be pronounced just, or in harmony with God’s holy law,—the perfect and unchangeable standard of justice or righteousness. And as men will finally be justified or condemned by their works, so will they finally be judged and rewarded according to their works. Rev. 20:12, 13; 22:12, etc. Should not this consideration alone lead us to use every means that God has put within our reach to do those works that are well pleasing to him who has created us by his Son, and who has given his Son that we might be saved? One thing that is indispensable to the safety and success of soldiers engaged in military operations, is that they occupy a proper position—a position that will shield them from the missiles of death that are aimed at them by the enemy. The same is true of us with regard to God, who, tho forbearing and merciful, will inflict upon us the just penalty of his law, unless we properly relate ourselves to him by taking a right position on faith and works. That position is the one which unites faith and works. The moment we separate faith and works, we occupy a very dangerous position, and have no scriptural reason to expect to be saved. From the points that have already been established, it is evident that there are two most dangerous positions that should be avoided: First, that of those who exalt faith, and discard good works—especially such works as are not agreeable, because the performing of them involves self-denial—and yet expect to be saved by God’s grace, or unmerited favor. Such have not a saving faith, are not entitled to the benefits of God’s grace, and will finally receive the fearful, but just, penalty of God’s law, unless they change their position, and take the safe ground of faith and works. The other position that is to be avoided is that of those who exalt good works and think they can be saved by them without exercising faith in Christ. Such have very limited and imperfect views of the holiness and exalted character of the law of God, do not have a true sense of the heinousness of sin, and place a higher estimate on their efforts and works than does He who searches the reins and the hearts, and weighs the motive of every action in the unerring balances of eternal rectitude. Such think that if they lead lives that are usually termed moral, God, in his great love and mercy, will pass over the slight defects he may see in them. They forget that God is a God of justice, as well as a God of love and mercy. They place too low an estimate on God’s justice, and do not, therefore, see the need of a Saviour. And as their idea of God’s justice is narrow and limited, so their idea of morality is narrow and limited. It is moulded by worldly and selfish principles, and not by the principle of supreme love to God, and does not take in the great moral duties man owes to his Creator, unless it be as a matter of policy, and to please men and receive their honor. And what is that but selfishness? As such do not feel the need of God’s grace, or unmerited favor, through Jesus Christ, they do not receive it, and will surely feel the heavy weight of God’s law at last, unless they heartily repent, believe on Christ, and, by grace divine, do works of righteousness. An Important Testimony from the Saviour on This Subject.
In the following testimony, the Saviour exposes the folly of those who profess to believe in him and yet do not heed his sayings, nor do the works enjoined by his Father’s law, and shows that those are wise indeed who truly believe in him, and pursue an opposite course:— “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. [Here the will of God is synonymous with the law of God, as in Ps. 40:8: ‘I delight to do thy will, O my God; yea, thy law is within my heart.’ It is also Christ who speaks in this text. Compare Ps. 40:6–10 with Heb. 10:5, etc.] Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you; depart from me, ye that work iniquity [or, ye who work or practice lawlessness, or, ye who work against the law. Either of these expressions would better convey the sense of the original]. Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell; and great was the fall of it.” Matt. 7:21–27. Is it consistent for one to avow principles and then demolish them while claiming that they are good? All say that it is not. Yet this is precisely what not a few do with regard to faith and grace. They boast of faith and grace, and flippantly quote such scriptures as the following: “All things are possible to him that believeth” (Mark 9:23); “Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound” (Rom. 5:20); yet, when they are invited to practice certain works which they admit to be good, and to be required of them by the Lord, they will excuse themselves by saying, “It is impossible for any one to do them.” “All things are possible to him that believeth,”7but it is impossible for them to do, even by grace divine, certain works that the Lord requires them to do. Do those who take these conflicting positions have the faith and the grace that they pretend to have? What kind of grace or favor is that which leaves men in their sins, and can not enable them to overcome sin and do the works that God commands them to do? It is a misnomer, a false grace, that can save no one; and so of the faith that goes with it. The grace of God is as pure as his own character. It does not save men in their sins, but “from their sins.” Matt. 1:21. It does not reign through sin, but “through righteousness.” Rom. 5:21. God enjoins no work upon us that we can not by his grace perform. He would multiply his grace unto us (2 Peter 1:2, etc.); and those who possess the true grace of God, and improve upon it, will be “zealous of good works” (Titus 2:11–14). They will cheerfully perform the works that God enjoins upon them in Holy Writ.