by Dave Brown
Ye often hear it said ...
"We are saved by faith only."
but James stated in James 2:24:
"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,
and not by faith only."
Check your concordances. Run your computers. See that this is the only place in the bible that the words faith and only fall together in the same verse. Does it say that we are justified (saved) by faith only? How can so many teach this when the bible says just the opposite?
So what about all of the verses that say that we are saved by faith? The only consistent understanding of these verses that harmonizes all of the conditions of salvation taught in the New Testament is that the word faith means a living faith — one that will motivate all of the other conditions. This is validated by James’ definition of the meaning of saving faith in James 2:26: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." What is faith only if not faith without works? James defined faith only to be dead faith — a faith that absolutely cannot save. The faith that is capable of saving cannot be faith only, because it will always motivate obedient actions, i.e., good works. Read Hebrews 11, where all the examples of the people of faith who were acceptable to God demonstrated their faith by being obedient to the true and living God. Religious leaders: stop teaching a plan of salvation that is not the gospel (Gal. 1:8).
Read all of James 2 to see that he was not teaching salvation by meritorious works. The bible is consistent in this regard: we cannot earn our salvation, it is a gift of God (Eph. 2:8; Tit. 3:4-5).
This does not mean that salvation is without conditions, and most people realize that faith is one of those conditions (Jn. 3:16). James is defining the type of faith which God requires. God is not a respecter of persons; He requires the same type of faith of us as he required of Abraham and the righteous men and women of all ages (Heb. 11). That faith must be a living faith. Faith without works is dead (Ja. 2:26) and will avail nothing. When our faith motivates us to do those things that God has prepared for us, these are not our works, they are the working of God (e.g., Col. 2:12).
Many set James 2 aside citing Romans 4, which they believe contradicts this teaching. In reality, both of these passages were given by the Holy Spirit, and so they should be harmonized. This can only be done by realizing that the faith talked about in Romans 4 is a living faith (as exemplified by Abraham), but that the works in Romans 4 are the works of our own doing or the works of the Old Testament law, neither of which proceed out of faith in Jesus Christ. Most agree, if we have the living faith that saves, we will do the works of God. We just need to teach this. “Faith only” does not.