p. 2 | 3645 - James and Paul by Editor

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · Jan 23, 1912

3645 — James and Paul

By Editor

It is said that Paul withstood Peter, Gal. 2:11. Now after reading Romans 4 and 5, what do you think would be Paul's opinion of James 2? F.

We can not see how there could be any difference between Paul and James. Paul's withstanding Peter was quite another thing. It did not pertain to Peter's teaching in his epistles God-given, but it pertained to Peter's conduct. The simple fact is that Paul is talking of the necessity of faith in order that we may be saved, faith unto salvation; and James is telling us of just what that kind of faith is. This solves the whole problem. Paul's whole argument in Romans is that there is no possible way of getting rid of our sins of the past, of furnishing any righteousness ourselves to cover that past, but God does it through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And by that same faith, power is given to us so "that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." He expresses the life of the Christian in another place in this way: "For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love." This is the kind of faith of which James is teaching, the faith that works, and if our faith is that which will not lead us to obey God, it is an utterly spurious faith.