Inherint contradictions teaching Faith Alone

[GodsGrace]

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Again, I believe that is misrepresenting Luther and what he meant by "faith alone." He is speaking only of justification. I provided a link that shows what Luther taught and he taught that a true believer would do works. Luther taught what Jesus taught on this issue.


You're agreeing with everything I have stated, so I'm not sure why it seems you're posting like we disagree. I know of no Christian church that teaches no works are ever necessary. I'm sure they're out there, but they're probably pretty fringe.

It seems to me that we're disagreeing....because you and the other 2 members here state that we WANT to do good works...
I'M saying that good works are NECESSARY.

Good works is what Jesus taught and preached.
I'll bring up
Matthew 18:23-35 NASB
23 "For this reason the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his slaves.
24 "When he had begun to settle them, one who owed him ten thousand talents was brought to him.
25 "But since he did not have the means to repay, his lord commanded him to be sold, along with his wife and children and all that he had, and repayment to be made.
26 "So the slave fell to the ground and prostrated himself before him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you everything.'
27 "And the lord of that slave felt compassion and released him and forgave him the debt.
28 "But that slave went out and found one of his fellow slaves who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and began to choke him, saying, 'Pay back what you owe.'
29 "So his fellow slave fell to the ground and began to plead with him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will repay you.'
30 "But he was unwilling * and went and threw him in prison until he should pay back what was owed.
31 "So when his fellow slaves saw what had happened, they were deeply grieved and came and reported to their lord all that had happened.
32 "Then summoning him, his lord said to him, 'You wicked slave, I forgave you all that debt because you pleaded with me.
33 'Should you not also have had mercy on your fellow slave, in the same way that I had mercy on you?'
34 "And his lord, moved with anger, handed him over to the torturers until he should repay all that was owed him.
35 "My heavenly Father will also do the same to you, if each of you does not forgive his brother from your heart."
The above is about forgiveness....
But the King took back his forgiveness of the slave when he also did not forgive the debt of another slave.
I suppose we could lose our justification.
But I don't want to get into a debate about OSAS.
It does seem to illustrate that God wants us to behave in a certain manner.
Jesus said it:
Matthew 7:12
12 "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.

Saying that no works are necessary after justification, is just as wrong as saying works are necessary for justification. If someone doesn't want to please God by doing the good works that were prepared beforehand for believers, then they simply cannot be saved.

Agreed.
This is the point I made above.
Then you and I agree.
Good works/deeds are necessary after justification.
No works = No justification was accomplished

Seems the other 2 posters will not state this.

Did you check the link I provided? It's a PDF of a book from 1969, but this is from it:

'4. Sanctification frees the believer to do good works. Sanctification involves more than cleansing or purifying the human vessel. This cleaning is for a purpose. According to Luther, sanctification equips the believer for Christian service. Luther had indicated, "The indwelling of Christ, redeems us from the bondage of Egypt (sin) makes us free, gives us power to do good." In a striking picture Luther illustrates the believer's ability to perform good works: "Just so no one becomes a bishop by doing the works of a bishop, but after he has been made a bishop, he does the works of a bishop. So the works of faith do not make faith, but faith does the works of faith." Gerrish interprets Luther's freedom: "In Luther's theology the Christian has been freed from the necessity to merit salvation and thus freed for the opportunity to serve his neighbour (without an eye to self-salvation or self-sanctification)."'

Perfect.
I like the statement that sanctification cleanes/purifies the human vessel.
What do you believe?:
When I attended the Nazarene denomination it taught that God sees Jesus and not the saved person.
This would be the idea of the dung being covered over with white snow.
I see sanctification more as BECOMING more pleasing to God and becoming cleaner with time.
I see it as a reality instead of a "cover".
The NT does state that we are to PUT ON Christ...
but to save us....not to hide our faults.
(this could be debated too)

Yes, that was central to his teaching, and central to the Reformation, but it must be understood correctly within the context of justification. I have stated nothing that he would disagree with. He was against the Catholic teaching that one must do good works in order to be justified, making it grace plus works for salvation.


Of course, but that is going beyond the definition you requested.


That I'm not sure of. I made that argument recently and although I lean that way, I'm not entirely sure that is correct. It seems like it likely is the case, as a person is already saved, so they're not contributing to their salvation. And disobedience is going to come between oneself and God; it will hinder that relationship. So, obedience should do the opposite, particularly continual prayer and study of the Word. If one has the Holy Spirit, they should automatically want to do good works--works done with the help of the Holy Spirit. Since it is the Holy Spirit who sanctifies, it stands to reason that works are then a means of sanctification, although not the only means. Even then, since it can only be done with the help of the Holy Spirit, sanctification isn't earned. As I stated, or at least implied, we can do what appears to be good works from the outside, but if we're doing it for our glory and not God's, then that wouldn't be a good work and certainly not sanctifying. I'm rambling; I'll stop.

Here is an interesting article: https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevin-deyoung/are-good-works-necessary-to-salvation/


Definitely justification, but with sanctification it seems to be a bit more tricky, like it's both yes and no. Just going to think through this here (there will be some repetition) . . .

First, I believe that salvation in its entirety, from start to finish, is of God. Second, we agree that good deeds are not necessary for salvation, but they are evidence of one's salvation. It seems to me that if one has the Holy Spirit, one would want to do good works, with the help of the Holy Spirit. However, we can also stifle and grieve the Holy Spirit, which suggests we can, as believers, at times choose to not do good works when the opportunity arises, or do them from wrong motives. That moves us in the opposite direction of sanctification.

Agreed.

But, if we were to continually choose to do good works with the Spirit's help, that obedience causes an increase in sanctification. So, in one sense it is imputed, since it is only through the Spirit's help, but in another, in being obedient, there is something we have to do.

I think that for someone to argue that good deeds aren't necessary at all after justification, is essentially to argue against their own belief that they're saved.

Agreed. Maybe I posted too much up at the beginning of this post.
It seems we pretty much agree.
I agree that all of salvation is of God...man cannot do anything on his own...
all is the work of the Holy Spirit working in us.
And, yes, obedience definitely causes an increase in sanctification and also in grace.
God gives us all the grace we can use...the more we n

 

[GodsGrace]

WHAT cannot be by faith alone?

In our language, it would be sanctification....
James calls it justification....we've been down this road before-

IOW
Faith alone is what gets us saved....
I guess what I'm saying is that obeying God....
doing good works for the Kingdom will keep us justified, or saved.

If we don't do the good works...we cannot be sanctified.
If we are not sanctified, we will not be suitable for heaven.

I just posted to another member and I linked the following from
CS Lewis: He explains well what I believe:

Christians have often disputed as to whether what leads the Christian to his heavenly home is good actions or just Faith in Christ. I have no right really to speak on such a difficult question, but it does seem to me like asking which blade in a pair of scissors is most necessary. A serious moral effort is the only thing that will bring you to the point where you throw up the sponge. Faith in Christ is the only thing to save you from despair at that point; and out of that Faith in Him, good actions must inevitably come.

There are two parodies of the truth that have been believed by different sets of Christians in the past. One set was accused of saying that good actions are all that matter, and the best good action is charity…..the best kind of charity is giving money to the Church…..The answer to that nonsense, of course, would be that good actions done for that motive, done with the idea that heaven can be bought, would not be good actions at all, but only commercial speculations.


The other set was accused of saying ‘Faith is all that matters. Consequently, if you have faith, it doesn’t matter what you do. Sin away, my lad, and have a good time and Christ will see that it makes no difference in the end.’ The answer to that nonsense is that, if what you call your ‘faith’ in Christ does not involve taking the slightest notice of what He says, then it is not Faith at all – not faith or trust in Him, but only intellectual acceptance of some theory about Him.

The Bible really seems to clinch the matter when it puts the two things together in one amazing sentence. The first half is ‘Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling’ – which looks as if everything depended on us and our good actions: but the second half goes on, ‘For it is God who worketh in you’ – which looks as if God did everything and we nothing.

I am afraid that is the sort of thing we come up against in Christianity. I am puzzled but I am not surprised. You see, we are now trying to understand, and to separate into water-tight compartments, what exactly God does and what man does when God and man are working together. And of course, we begin by thinking it is like two men working together, so that you could say, ‘he did this bit and I did that.’ But this way of thinking breaks down.

God is not like that. He is inside you as well as outside: even if we could understand who did what, I do not think human language could properly express it. In the attempt to express it, different churches say different things. But you will find that even those who insist most strongly on the importance of good actions tell you that you need faith; and even those who insist most strongly on Faith tell you to do good actions…..(Culled from Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis)
source: https://hilltopthoughtsvalleystreng...faith-vs-works-the-two-blades-of-my-scissors/

 

[GodsGrace]

Because you’re not hearing us say you don’t need to do good deeds in order to receive the imputation of God’s righteousness. You stop hearing what we’re saying at ‘you don’t have to do good deeds’.

J....I've stated several times that I'm speaking to AFTER salvation.
If you would just answer a simple question,,,
Are we required, through the teachings of Jesus, to do good works?

He taught that to be properly judged in our favor...
we need to do good deeds.
John 5:28-29 THOSE WHO DO GOOD DEEDS TO A JUDGMENT OF LIFE.

Paul also stated that we will be judged by what we do.
Romans 2:6 GOD WILL RENDER TO EACH MAN ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.

We need FAITH to be saved...
then we need good deeds.

It sounds like you and mailmandan are saying,"sure we do good deeds because we WANT to,,,
but we don't HAVE TO."

I'M saying that we HAVE TO.

 

[GodsGrace]

Not enough for what?

Same reply:
Not enough for sanctification.
Not enough to be saved....
If we do NOT do good works, as Jesus instructed,
we will not ultimately be saved.
Jesus spoke to our behavior in His teachings...
as did Paul.

It's getting very late here...not going to post scripture...
I'm sorry. We all know it.

 

[GodsGrace]

Yes. But does that mean we are made righteous by those good works/deeds? Can it only mean that? Why can it only mean that?

Made righteous.
What does made righteous mean?

We are DECLARED righteous at our salvation from satan.
Justified
Giustificare = latin
TO MAKE RIGHTEOUS

What does it mean?
We are now saved.
Do we go on living as before?
No. It could be overnight,,,it could take years,,,but there's a transformation that must take place.
Romans 12:1-2

Do we actually become transformed?
One denomination I attended taught that the dung (us) is covered with white snow (Jesus).

So what do YOU believe?
Are we just covered with the white snow...
or do we have to stop being dung and change?

Maybe this is at the crux of the matter.

 

[Jethro Bodine]

obeying God....
doing good works for the Kingdom will keep us justified, or saved.

No. That's the works justification gospel condemned in scripture:

3Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh? Galatians 3:3

You remain justified/saved through your continued faith in God's forgiveness.

God's forgiveness is what makes you saved, not your works.

 

[GodsGrace]

Nobody is arguing against doing good deeds.

What we do not agree with you about is why we need to do good deeds.

OK
So why is it so difficult to reply YES to my question?
Why do I not have a problem answering YES, but you and mailmandan do?

I'm telling you what I've been telling Dan for years now.
This idea that we do good works because we want to sounds too close to
the idea that we don't have to do good works if we don't want to, but all is just fine
because Jesus did it all and all we need is faith.

THIS IS WRONG.

A member on this thread asked me how MANY good works I have to do, or some such statement. This shows a complete lack of understanding that we are to change and be conformed to Christ and not to this world.
(as much as possible).
Or we're told that we cannot be 100% perfect, so why even try.
Or I hear that our works are as filthy rags.
Charles Stanley used to state that we could commit ANY SIN and still be saved!

Is this what Jesus taught?

I do believe that it's NECESSARY for us to do good works.

 

[GodsGrace]

Disqualified on what basis, that he didn’t do all the works necessary to be justified, or disqualified because his failure to complete his race is an indication of unbelief?

Well you tell me.
Was Paul a believer?
And yet he WAS concerned about being DISQUALIFIED.
Disqualified means to be thrown out.

Let's see the verses NASB
1 Corinthians 9:23-27
23 I do all things for the sake of the gospel, so that I may become a fellow partaker of it.
24 Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.
25 Everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as not beating the air;
27 but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.

Run in such a way that you may win.
What?
Verse 25 an imperishable prize.

 

[GodsGrace]

Paul said nothing of the sort. In fact, he said the exact opposite…

5He saved us, not by the righteous deeds we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of new birthaand renewal by the Holy Spirit - Titus 3:5

Agreed.
We are not saved by righteous deeds that we had done before we were saved.

And scripture explains itself:

Titus 3:1-8 NASB
1 Remind them to be subject to rulers, to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good deed,

2 to malign no one, to be peaceable, gentle, showing every consideration for all men.

3 For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another.

4 But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared,

5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

6 whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,

7 so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

8 This is a trustworthy statement; and concerning these things I want you to speak confidently, so that those who have believed God will be careful to engage in good deeds. These things are good and profitable for men.

Please not that the very verse you posted exhorts us to good works.
....it states that we are TO DO them....
AFTER SALVATION, as shown in verse 7 The hearers were already justified by grace.

Good works: Verse 1, 2, 8

It even states how we're NOT to behave....verse 3

 

[GodsGrace]

What i mean is that there are good works we are all commanded to do.

There are also good works that specific people are called to do. They are not for everyone and a lot of harm occurrs when people do good works that they are not called to do as they step out on their own without the Holy Spirit.

Keeping the ark of the covenant steady on a cart seems like a good thing to do right? Well apparently not.

Don't know what you mean by your last sentence.
I already replied to ALL good works.
ALL GOOD WORKS are appreciated by God.
Do you believe that Jesus was teaching us to bring a piece of heaven right here on earth?
When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God....did He not mean that He was attempting to make this
a better world?

 

[GodsGrace]

Christ's finished work of redemption along with God's grace is God's part and faith is our part. I don't believe in universalism or salvation by works. *Synergism is affirmed by both the Catholic Church, and Eastern Orthodoxy. Enough said. We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto/for good works that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10) Nothing there about being saved by good works. Case closed.

No, this was not about these many people not being obedient enough. These many people had the wrong foundation and were trusting in their works for salvation (Matthew 7:22) instead of in Jesus Christ alone. Sound familiar? Their hearts were not right with God, so their "attempted external obedience" (apart from the righteousness of God which is by faith and the blood of Christ - Romans 3:24-28; Philippians 3:9) was still stained with sin. Hence, practice lawlessness.

Matthew 7:21 - Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.

John 6:40 - For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. These many people were make believers.

As we read on in Matthew 7:24-27, we find two different foundations with two different results, and not salvation by works, as some would suppose. Each house has a different material upon which its foundation is laid, and each house has a different final outcome. One house is built by a wise man upon a rock, and it stands. The other is built by a foolish man upon the sand, and it collapses.

Those deceived by their own self-righteousness in Matthew 7:22-23 were "outwardly" doing all the things that the righteous would do yet they did not truly know Christ (had no personal relationship with Christ) which stemmed from not truly believing in Him. The rock the wise man builds upon is true righteousness found in Jesus Christ alone. The sand the foolish man builds upon is self-righteousness.

*Only those who truly believe in Him are wise and hear the words of Jesus and properly act on them. *The foolish man twists the words of Jesus and acts on their own self-righteous works system and calls that acting on the words of Jesus.

Those who are born of God are doers of the word, yet we are still not saved by works. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) Believers do good works because they glorify our Father in heaven, and they are good and profitable to men. We are shown to be righteous by works (James 2:24) and not accounted as righteous by works. (Romans 4:2-6)

You know Dan....I'd like to stop posting to you.
Know why?
Because some new Christian reading along is going to get the idea that WORKS ARE DREADFUL AND NOT TO E DONE OR WE DON'T TRUST GOD ENOUGH.

This is NOT the Christian faith that Jesus taught.
Your reply above states clearly that good works/deeds are NOT NECESSARY.

You misunderstand every single verse that I've posted and do not understand it as other Christians do.
You hate the CC and the Orthodox church so much that you cannot see beyond that hatred.

The concept that good works are not necessary is CONTRARY to the Christian faith and
will lead many astray.

And this is all I'll be posting to you.

(till next time, I'm sure)

 

[GodsGrace]

The Catholic Church Teaches Salvation by Works

Dan....stop hating the CC just because YOU had a bad experience with it.
The CC does NOT teach justification by works and I posted a link and a paragraph from the Council of Trent on this.
Why don't you learn what the CC teaches and stop spreading lies about it.

The CC teaches sanctification by faith and works and so does the Protestant side.
Did you forget to check out the link I had posted re a Pew research study? It's not me saying this...
it's Protestantism itself. Persons that read their bible and understand it and know what a righteous and sovereign God we have, know that God commands us to do good works/deeds.
It's just SOME persons that do not want to believe this because they go to a church that teaches
easy believism or cheap grace, as some call it. Maybe Charles Stanley was your pastor or another pastor like him that teaches obedience to God is not necessary because Jesus will save us all anyway, no matte what we do.

Yes. THIS is what you're teaching.
Hidden behind this nonsense of not being justified by works...
as if any Christian believes this, INCL the CC.

 

[Walpole]

Is the Vineyard (the Kingdom of God) for the laborers or for those who do not labor?
---> https://www.biblegateway.com/passage...-2&version=KJV


Is it possible to be in the Vineyard without being a laborer? Who does the will of the Father in the Vineyard? The one who works or the one who doesn't?
---> https://www.biblegateway.com/passage...32&version=ESV


Cheap grace is for those who stand by idle in the marketplace while the laborers work in the Vineyard.
---> https://www.biblegateway.com/passage...atthew+20:1-16


Ergo, only the workers can enter the Vineyard.

 

[mailmandan]

No. That's the works justification gospel condemned in scripture:

3Are you so foolish? After starting in the Spirit, are you now finishing in the flesh? Galatians 3:3

You remain justified/saved through your continued faith in God's forgiveness.

God's forgiveness is what makes you saved, not your works.

Sad but true. The question, "are good works necessary" is a loaded question coming from someone who believes in a works justification gospel that is comdemned in scripture. The pendulum only seems to swing in two extreme directions for these folks. They believe that good works are necessary to either obtain and/or maintain salvation and if you disagree with them, then they accuse you of disregarding good works altogether and preferring instead to sin all you want. Good works are not forced or legalistic for those who are born of God. We are new creations in Christ Jesus and desire to do good works, which are what we are saved FOR but not by.

 

[onlysaved]

Don't know what you mean by your last sentence.
I already replied to ALL good works.
ALL GOOD WORKS are appreciated by God.
Do you believe that Jesus was teaching us to bring a piece of heaven right here on earth?
When Jesus spoke of the Kingdom of God....did He not mean that He was attempting to make this
a better world?

No. Jesus did not come to make life on Earth better. He came to die for sinners. Making the world a better place is a by product of people living according to God's law. Jesus was teaching us how to respond to Him.
I do not believe Jesus was highly concerned about making the world a better place, other than what could be accomplished by the people of God living as they ought to. Again His mission was to die for sinners.

As for my last sentence 2 Samuel chapter 6.

 

[JLB]

In accordance with the OP which is about the term “faith alone”, I believe it’s an inherently an unbiblical phrase as we see that James plainly says…

Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17

With being said, my position is the “works” James is referring to is obedience; which Paul calls “the obedience of faith”.

Abraham was justified by “works” when he obeyed the word from God to offer his son Isaac on the altar.



JLB

 

[Jethro Bodine]

In accordance with the OP which is about the term “faith alone”, I believe it’s an inherently an unbiblical phrase

No, "faith alone" is an entirely Biblical phrase:

24As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone. James 2:24

The problem is when people erroneously equate James' "not by faith alone" argument (James 2:24) with Paul's "righteousness apart from works" argument (Romans 4:6). That's what is un-Biblical. This error gets made so often I have stopped referring to 'justification by faith alone' using the phrase 'faith alone', because I'm not talking about James' argument, and instead use the language Paul uses to describe justification by faith - "righteousness apart from work." I know what people mean when they refer to Paul's justification by faith as 'faith alone', but so many people do not. And so I no longer refer to it as that.

I'm almost to the point of irritation sometimes when I see people insisting James' "not by faith alone" argument is Paul's "righteousness apart from work" argument. No it isn't. They are addressing two different definitions of 'justified'.

 

[JLB]

No, "faith alone" is an entirely Biblical phrase:

24As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone. James 2:24

James plainly says not by faith alone.

 

[JLB]

instead use the language Paul uses to describe justification by faith - "righteousness apart from work."

Paul is making a legal argument to the Jews in Rome, who insisted that Gentiles become circumcised and keep the law of Moses.

That the context of Romans where Paul is dealing with this issue.

Or is He the God of the Jews only? Is He not also the God of the Gentiles? Yes, of the Gentiles also, since there is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered;
Blessed is the man to whom the LORD shall not impute sin.”
Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it accounted? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. Romans 3:29-4:12


So it’s clear, if we consider the context, that there is no contradiction between what Paul teaches and what James teaches.

• For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

Contextually, Paul had the works of the law of Moses in mind when he made this statement.

No one is saved or justified by becoming physically circumcised and doing the works that the law of Moses required.


What James is teaching when he says…

• Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? James 2:21

Is the principle of the obedience of faith, which is what Paul taught also, in the book of Romans.

But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:
Romans 16:26

 

[mailmandan]

No, "faith alone" is an entirely Biblical phrase:

24As you can see, a man is justified by his deeds and not by faith alone. James 2:24

The problem is when people erroneously equate James' "not by faith alone" argument (James 2:24) with Paul's "righteousness apart from works" argument (Romans 4:6). That's what is un-Biblical. This error gets made so often I have stopped referring to 'justification by faith alone' using the phrase 'faith alone', because I'm not talking about James' argument, and instead use the language Paul uses to describe justification by faith - "righteousness apart from work." I know what people mean when they refer to Paul's justification by faith as 'faith alone', but so many people do not. And so I no longer refer to it as that.

I'm almost to the point of irritation sometimes when I see people insisting James' "not by faith alone" argument is Paul's "righteousness apart from work" argument. No it isn't. They are addressing two different definitions of 'justified'.

Amen and well said! Folks who promote salvation by faith + works just cannot seem to grasp the distinction between faith that trusts in Jesus Christ "alone" for salvation (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) and an empty profession of faith/dead faith that remains "alone" barren of works. (James 2:14-24)

The harmony of Romans 4:2-3 and James 2:24 is seen in the differing ways that Paul and James use the term "justified." Paul, when he uses the term, refers to the legal (judicial) act of God by which He accounts the sinner as righteous. James, however is using the term to describe those who would show the genuineness of their faith by the works that they do.