Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20060409.htm

PROFITABLY UNDERSTANDING TRAGICALLY MISUNDERSTOOD BIBLE PASSAGES
Part VI: Understanding The James 2:24 Claim That "by works a man is justified, and not by faith only"
(James 2:14-26)
  1. Introduction
    1. A greatly misunderstood verse is James 2:24 that claims: "Ye see how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." The Catholic Encyclopedia (R. C. Broderick, ed., 1987, s. v. "Justification") uses this verse to promote belief that salvation is by faith plus keeping the sacraments of the Catholic Church; it asserts: "We are justified by Christ (cf. Is. 53:11) and by good works, as declared in the Epistle of James (2:24-26)." [emphases ours] Others in Protestant circles or the cults teach one must believe and be baptized in water or speak in tongues or endure to the end to gain eternal life.
    2. However, Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:8-9 KJV that " . . . by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast." [emphases ours]
    3. We thus study James 2:24 in its context of James 2:14-26 for an edifying understanding of the passage:
  2. Understanding The James 2:24 Claim That "by works a man is justified, and not by faith only."
    1. James 2:24 is part of a discussion in James 2:14-26 on "faith and works," cf. Ryrie Study Bible, KJV.
    2. As we view the start of that discussion, we note James 2:14 reads, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him?", and discern James was NOT claiming one is not saved by faith, but that a true faith will yield works, Bib. Know. Com., N. T., p. 825.
    3. Evidence that James here contrasted a true versus a false faith can be seen in the Greek N. T. text itself:
      1. The first time the word for "faith" appears in James 1:14a, it exists without the definite article, hay, though its second appearance in 1:14b is preceded by that article, U. B. S. Grk. N. T., 1963, p. 783.
      2. Thus, James literally wrote: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can the faith save him?" We might paraphrase that last sentence as: "Can THE PREVIOUSLY MENTIONED faith' save him?" (cf. James 2:14 NIV that renders the sentence as, "Can such faith save him?" or the ESV that translates it, "Can that faith save him?" [emphases ours])
      3. Hence, James there critiqued a FALSE KIND of alleged "faith" that is upheld by one who boasts of having "faith" when he shows no evidence that his "faith" even exists due to his lack of works!
    4. Then, we note that the words in James 2:18-19 are all spoken by an opponent of James who agreed that "faith without works is dead", but who belittled faith and elevated works, Bib. Kno. Com., N. T., p. 825f.
    5. Accordingly, at James 2:20-26, James countered his opponent's view that one can have faith without any demonstration that such a faith is REAL as is EVIDENCED by good works (as follows): Ibid., p. 826.
      1. James countered his opponent's idea that faith is not very important by alluding to Old Testament Abraham and Rahab who had true faith as was evidenced by their works , cf. James 2:20-26.
      2. In making this point, James 2:24 was penned to show that a TRUE faith, being EVIDENCED by TRUE WORKS, makes WORKS a NECESSARY ASSOCIATE of REAL JUSTIFICATION; thus, one can say that "by works a man is justified and not by faith only" in that GODLY WORKS indicate a TRUE faith's EXISTENCE, and that a TRUE justification has occurred!
      3. Since we have noted that James is writing in this section to COUNTER an opponent who wrongly minimized faith while exalting works, James 2:24 can not be forced to mean that works contribute to making one become justified [as Catholicism and some Protestants and the cults claim]! Rather, James 2:24 must reveal a man is justified by works and not by faith ALONE ONLY in the sense that the presence of real works mean a real justification exists since a real faith was behind the works!
Lesson: James and Paul actually complemented each other: Paul held man is saved by faith ALONE, not by works, and James taught a TRUE faith will PRODUCE good works! As Ryrie put it, "Faith and works are like a two-coupon ticket to heaven. The coupon of works is not good for passage, and the coupon of faith is not valid if detached from works." (Ryrie St. Bible, KJV, 1978 ed., ftn. to James 2:24)

Application: (1) We must hold that one is justified by God through faith ALONE. (2) Yet, we must ALSO hold that a TRUE belief will produce a CHANGED LIFE, or one has NEVER REALLY BELIEVED! Note how Paul in Ephesians 2:10 revealed that AFTER faith, we are to do good works!