Bible Study There are two justifications for Christians

[MisterE]

If you came to a bridge and were told by a guide that it was safe to cross, then the way to have trust in your guide would be crossing it. God is trustworthy, therefore His instructions are also trustworthy (Psalms 19:7), so the way to trust in God is by obediently trusting in His instructions, which is why the Bible frequently connects our faith in God with our obedience to Him. For example, in Matthew 23:23, Jesus said that faith is one of the weightier matters of the law. In Romans 1:5, we have received grace in order to bring about the obedience of faith. In Romans 3:31, our faith upholds God's law. In Psalms 119:30, he chose the way of faith by setting God's law before him. In Revelation 14:12, those who kept faith in Jesus are the same as those who kept God's commandments. In John 3:36, it equates believing in Jesus with obeying him. In Hebrews 3:18-19, it equates disobedience with unbelief. In Numbers 5:6, it describes disobedience as breaking faith.

The way to believe in God is by directing our lives towards being in His likeness through being a doer of His character traits. For example, by being a doer of good works in obedience to God's law we are testifying about God's goodness, which is why our good works bring glory to Him (Matthew 5:16), and by testifying about God's goodness we are also expressing the belief that God is good. Likewise, the way to believe that God is a doer of justice is by directing our lives towards being a doer of justice in obedience to His instructions, the way to believe that God is holy is by being a doer of His instructions for how to be holy as He is holy, and so forth. This is exactly the same as the way to believe in the Son, who is the radiance of God's glory and the exact likeness of God's character (Hebrews 1:3).

Likewise, the reason why there are many verses that say that the way to have eternal life is by believing in the Son and many verses that say that the way to have eternal life is by obeying God's commandments is because God's commandments are His instructions for how to believe in the Son. In other words, God's word is His instructions for how to believe in God's word made flesh.

So the significance of our works in obedience to God's law has absolutely nothing to do with trying to contribute anything towards earning our justification as the result, but rather the significance is that it is the way to have faith, and it is by that faith alone that we are justified.

You are kind of jumping all over the place in your post. Do you really want to argue the Abraham was saved by bringing Isaac to the altar? I am looking for more than a yes or no. support you conclusion please.

 

[GodsGrace]

James 2.24 You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone (NET Bible)

ὁρᾶτε ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον.

Lets start with a corrected translation first before looking at one of the details

You see that a man is justified by works, and not only justified by faith.

James is saying that a by-faith justification is not the only kind of justification there is. There is also a by-works justification. The former type is before God; the latter type is before men.

The key to understanding this verse is the Greek adverb only (monon), which does not qualify the word 'faith' because the form would then have to be mones. As an adverb, however, it modifies the verb justified that is to be supplied in the second clause.

There is no justification that is by-faith PLUS works. You have two justifications that James is writing about.

MisterE
Your conclusion is incorrect.
There is only ONE type of justification.

This idea that one is for God and one is visible and for God is purely non-biblical.

Does the NT teach us that it's necessary for us to show our salvation through good works for MAN?
No. It teaches that we are to respond to God if we wish to be saved.

What James is saying is that FAITH ALONE...or SOLA FIDE....is not a biblical understanding of salvation.
What he's saying is that we are saved by faith initially...
we are justified by God's grace THROUGH the instrument of FAITH.
Just as in the OT,,,it is faith that saves us and not works.

BUT IS IT FAITH ALONE?
So now we're saved.
Is that the end?
No....now we must be sanctified as Paul taught.
James is mixing in this idea of work as being necessary AFTER our justification.

It's NOT necessary for the unsaved to do any good works...
they're lost and one cannot be more lost than lost.

It IS necessary for saved persons to do good works.
All the NT writers make a point of this.

Matthew 5:16 speakingto believers
16Inthe same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.


Ephesians 2:10
10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

Hebrews13:16
16Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.


Galatians 6:9
9And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.


There are plenty more....notice that Paul (and Matthew) is speaking to saved persons...believers.

James is simply saying that we are saved by faith and good works.
If we don't have good works....we probably are not really saved.

 

[Soyeong]

You are kind of jumping all over the place in your post. Do you really want to argue the Abraham was saved by bringing Isaac to the altar? I am looking for more than a yes or no. support you conclusion please.

I took multiple different approaches to show that our works are the way to have faith.

While it is true that Abraham believed God, so he was justified (Genesis 15:6), it is also true that he believed God, so he obeyed God's command to offer Isaac (Hebrews 11:17), so the same faith by which he was justified was also expressed by being an obeyer of God, but he did not earn his justification as the result of our his obedience (Romans 4:1-5). In James 2:21-24, it quotes Genesis 15:6 to support saying that Abraham was justified by his works when he offered Isaac, that his faith was active along with his works, and his faith completed his works, so he was justified by his works insofar as they were expressing his faith, but not insofar as they were earning a wage. Everyone who has faith will be justified and everyone who has faith is a doer of the law, which is how Paul can deny in Romans 4:1-5 that we can earn our justification as the result of our obedience while also affirming in Romans 2:13 that only the doers of the law will be justified.

 

[mailmandan]

In James 2:21, notice closely that James does not say that Abraham's work of offering up Isaac resulted in God accounting Abraham as righteous. The accounting of Abraham's faith as righteousness was made in Genesis 15:6, (also see Romans 4:2-3) many years before his work of offering up Isaac recorded in Genesis 22.

The work of Abraham did not have some kind of intrinsic merit to account him as righteous, but it showed or manifested the genuineness of his faith. (James 2:18) That is the "sense" in which Abraham was "justified by works." (James 2:21) He was shown to be righteous.

Man is saved through faith and not by works (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9); yet genuine faith is (evidenced) by works. (James 2:14-26) Christ saves us through faith based on the merits of His finished work of redemption "alone" and not based on the merits of our works. (Romans 3:24-28)

It is through faith "in Jesus Christ alone" (and not based on the merits of our works) that we are justified on account of Christ (Romans 4:5-6; 5:1; 5:9); yet the faith that justifies does not remain alone (unfruitful, barren) if it is genuine. (James 2:14-26) *Perfect Harmony*

 

[MisterE]

I took multiple different approaches to show that our works are the way to have faith.

While it is true that Abraham believed God, so he was justified (Genesis 15:6), it is also true that he believed God, so he obeyed God's command to offer Isaac (Hebrews 11:17), so the same faith by which he was justified was also expressed by being an obeyer of God, but he did not earn his justification as the result of our his obedience (Romans 4:1-5). In James 2:21-24, it quotes Genesis 15:6 to support saying that Abraham was justified by his works when he offered Isaac, that his faith was active along with his works, and his faith completed his works, so he was justified by his works insofar as they were expressing his faith, but not insofar as they were earning a wage. Everyone who has faith will be justified and everyone who has faith is a doer of the law, which is how Paul can deny in Romans 4:1-5 that we can earn our justification as the result of our obedience while also affirming in Romans 2:13 that only the doers of the law will be justified.

In James 2, the concept of justifications has two distinct usages. One could better be called vindication (before man) and the other justification (before God). The justification (salvation) was seen in Gen 12. In Gen 22 was Abraham's vindication (before man). He demonstrated by his works that he had committed himself to God. This is an oversimplification but true as it is written.

ὁρᾶτε ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον.
monon is an adverb, not a adjective.
you see that a man is justified by works, and not only by faith...

 

[MisterE]

I took multiple different approaches to show that our works are the way to have faith.

Would you like to show that for us in the Bible?

 

[Soyeong]

Would you like to show that for us in the Bible?

I did in post #20.

In James 2, the concept of justifications has two distinct usages. One could better be called vindication (before man) and the other justification (before God). The justification (salvation) was seen in Gen 12. In Gen 22 was Abraham's vindication (before man). He demonstrated by his works that he had committed himself to God. This is an oversimplification but true as it is written.

ὁρᾶτε ὅτι ἐξ ἔργων δικαιοῦται ἄνθρωπος καὶ οὐκ ἐκ πίστεως μόνον.
monon is an adverb, not a adjective.
you see that a man is justified by works, and not only by faith...

What good is vindication before man?

 

[JLB]

To say faith without works is dead is the same as saying faith without love is dead for the works we do unto the Lord are our labor of love for others as in Matthew 25:34-40.

For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Galatians 5:6

 

[MisterE]

I did in post #20.


What good is vindication before man?

That is the post to which I was referring. You provided no proof of one's faith simply by doing works. Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, didn't we cast out demons in your name, etc. There is no evidence that works is how you gain faith. Faith comes by hearing, hearing the Word of God.

How do you explain James 2 instructing us on two justifications? Or, are you doubting that James mentions two
justifications? The adverb monon requires there to be two justifications. This is basic Greek 101.

 

[Eternally-grateful]

I think that we can not look at James 2 without looking at Romans 4. as they appear to be contradicting each other.

Rom 4 - Justified by faith. not works
James 2 - Justified by faith plus works.

these two accounts and words inspired by God must be resolved so they agree..

otherwise. we have a scripture that can not be trusted

 

[MisterE]

I think that we can not look at James 2 without looking at Romans 4. as they appear to be contradicting each other.

Rom 4 - Justified by faith. not works
James 2 - Justified by faith plus works.

these two accounts and words inspired by God must be resolved so they agree..

otherwise. we have a scripture that can not be trusted

James 2 does not address Justification by faith plus works. You have overlooked the adverb monon, and assume it is a adjective. It is definitely an adverb. There is no contradiction here, you will find this in any commentary. James 2 is saying there are two justifications. The justification by works should be translated Vindication by works. Abraham was vindicated when he offered up Isaac. Abraham was saved back in Gen 12, not in Gen 22.

 

[Eternally-grateful]

James 2 does not address Justification by faith plus works.

[/QUOTE]
It was not trying to justify that issue. it was trying to appose a claimed faith vs a living faith.

You have overlooked the adverb monon, and assume it is a adjective. It is definitely an adverb. There is no contradiction here, you will find this in any commentary. James 2 is saying there are two justifications.

I know there is no contradiction. Nor did I say there was one

The justification by works should be translated Vindication by works. Abraham was vindicated when he offered up Isaac. Abraham was saved back in Gen 12, not in Gen 22.

Or maybe Abraham proved his works to himself

James did nto tell us to be fruit inspectors. He spoke to induviduals. If UPI claim to have faith. but HAVE NO WORKS Can faith save YOU.