Back to Course

James and 1, 2, and 3 John

  1. Lesson One
    Overview of James
    18 Activities
    |
    1 Assessment
  2. Lesson Two
    James and Scripture
    19 Activities
  3. Lesson Three
    1 John
    21 Activities
  4. Lesson Four
    2 and 3 John
    21 Activities
  5. Lesson Five
    Proto-Gnosticism
    13 Activities
  6. Course Wrap-up
    Course Completion
    1 Activity
    |
    1 Assessment

Participants 5

James and 1, 2, and 3 John James and Scripture In Front | Paul and James on Justification: Works and Faith
Lesson 2, Activity 18

In Front | Paul and James on Justification: Works and Faith

Lesson Progress
0% Complete

Long before Martin Luther criticized the book of James for its apparent conflict with the teachings of Paul, the early Christian thinker Augustine of Hippo (354-430) offered a resolution in his treatise On eighty-three various questions, written toward the beginning of his ministry. Augustine notes that the perceived tension between Paul’s emphasis on “faith” and James’ emphasis on “works” is really a case of the two men using different definitions and speaking from different sides of Christian conversion. Paul is speaking about justification as something to be attained, and James is speaking about justification as something to be expressed in the lives of believers.

Therefore the opinions of the two apostles, Paul and James, are not opposed to each other when the one says that man is justified by faith without works, and the other says that faith without works is useless: because the former (Paul) speaks about works that precede faith, while the latter (James) speaks about those that follow faith; as even Paul shows in many places. 

– Augustine, De diversis quaestionibus LXXXIII, Liber Unus 76 [MPL 50:89].

The two biblical authors are talking from different sides of justification. Paul is describing how it happens, while James is describing how it looks. They appear to be saying different things about justification, but they’re not saying contradictory things. They’re making different points, and together they provide a more holistic view of the New Testament idea of what it means to be saved. We might chart this relationship between the two books like this:

For both men, faith is expressed in a life of love and godliness. To reinforce this common emphasis, we might refer back to Paul’s letters:

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love. Galatians 5:6 NIV

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:8-10 NIV

 

But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy . . . And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. 
Titus 3:4-5, 8 NIV

Reference and Augustine quote from: Patrick J. Hartin, James, 2003, pp. 166-167.