What is Biblical Faith?

A Biblical Exploration of One of the Most Important Themes in the Bible.

Sneak Peak:

“At this point, a clear note should be made to highlight why James labors this point so adamantly, and why this blog post is even being written. The reason why understanding the nature of Biblical faith is so significant is because the issue of salvation is at hand. In 1:21, James commands his readers to receive the word implanted “which is able to save your souls.” Here again in 2:14 he begs the question: “Can that faith save him?” The difference between Biblical faith and all other misconceptions that are called Biblical faith is the difference between salvation and judgment, between eternal life and eternal destruction. This truth is no light matter and is of upmost importance.“

Introduction:

For Christians, faith in Christ is the most central defining mark of who they are. Throughout the Scriptures, faith is a constant theme as well. In Genesis 15:6, Abraham “believed in the LORD; and He reckoned it to him as righteousness.” Habakkuk declared: “But the righteous will live by his faith” (cf. Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38a). John 3:16 announces, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.” Ephesians 2:8-9 summarized salvation this way: “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.” Finally, Hebrews 11-12 commends Old Testament saints, and really all who have gone before Christians of any age, to believers as examples of faith to imitate.

Many more Scriptures could be quoted to demonstrate the emphasis on faith in the Bible, but that is not the primary purpose of this post. The purpose is to answer: What is faith biblically? After all, if the salvation of our souls is dependent on faith, then having a clear, biblical understanding is not just significant; it’s crucial. Therefore, this post will seek to answer the question of what faith is by:

Confronting common misconceptions about faith
Constituting a clear, Biblical understanding of faith
Considering major Biblical discussions surrounding faith
Comparing Biblical caricatures to affirm the Biblical understanding of faith

1. Confronting Common Misconceptions

If a survey was taken for random individuals to give a definition of faith, various descriptions would certainly be the result. If the popular understanding of faith had to be characterized, the words passive and blind would readily come to mind. For many people, faith is contrary to activity and sight. After all, Ephesians 2:8-9 does say “not as a result of works,” and even 2 Corinthians 5:7 states: “for we walk by faith, not by sight.” The essence of faith is trust, and what demonstrates trust more than passive and/or blind faith?

Therefore, being passive, faith does not do anything in the life of the individual. Once the individual starts to do anything, faith ceases to be in effect, and “works” take over. This passivity is observed on a practical level in those who are always waiting for God to miraculously solve all their problems instead of putting into practice the obedience to which God calls them (which often times would solve their problems). A simple illustration is that of the college student who failed to be obedient and study for their final exam and in prayer turns to God hoping that He will somehow miraculously implant all the answers into his head. After all, God could do that if He wanted! In reality, God’s will and expectation was for this student to be obedient and study. This illustration may seem silly, but many professing Christians live their lives this way.

Additionally, being blind, faith does not seek for unknown answers, because once logic and intellectual reasoning come into play, faith takes the sidelines. Again, on a practical level, this blindness can be observed in the common skepticism toward academia in the Christian life, and in the unequipped Christian cultures who fear those who ask challenging questions regarding their faith. A difference exists in seeking legitimate wisdom for the tough questions and realities of life, and not being content with any answers and wanting to know everything. Yet, some Christians refuse to engage these challenges at all and deem all answer-seeking as sinful and opposed to faith.

However, another misconception of faith is common and likely the most dangerous one of all: mere affirmation. This understanding confuses the object of faith with the exercise of faith. The object is the person/message that is to believed; the exercise is living in conformity with the object and its implications. On a practical level, this misconception can be seen in those who accept the central tenet of Christianity, “Jesus is Lord,” but never live for Him as Lord. They think that since they affirm the object of faith that this affirmation somehow negates the need for the exercise of faith. The acceptance of certain truths is sufficient; no need to live obediently to these truths.

Misconceptions can occur for many reasons: ignorance (a lack of understanding of the truth), deception (misled to embrace a lie), or stubbornness (refusal to admit error and embrace the truth). Yet is the label “dangerous” appropriate for misconceptions? After all, in some cases, people cannot seem to help that they have embraced them. Despite the reasons or circumstances, the answer is YES! Misconceptions must be rightly recognized as dangerous because they ultimately fall short of the real thing. In this context, misconceived “faith” falls short of Biblical faith.

In sum, these three misconceptions of faith (passive, blind, mere affirmation) are common among many professing Christians, whether in their definitions of faith or in their practice. Despite how prevalent these understandings of faith may be, they must be rightly recognized for what they are: misconceptions. Yet, the challenge in overcoming misconceptions is not that they are always flat out wrong, but that parts of the truth are often present. Therefore, to overcome ignorance, deception, and stubbornness, the whole truth must be recognized and embraced.

To illustrate, an individual can only easily spot counterfeits when they are acquainted with the real thing. If you work for a business and accept a counterfeit $100 bill as payment, the excuses, “I didn’t know it was counterfeit,” or “I was led to think that the counterfeit was real,” won’t change the fact that you accepted a counterfeit. Refusal to recognize your error and embrace the truth wouldn’t help to avoid a counterfeit in the future. No matter how much true resemblance a counterfeit $100 bill contains of a real $100 bill, at the end of the day, it’s still counterfeit. Likewise, no matter how much truth misconceptions of faith contain, they are still misconceptions.

Anyways, enough of talking about the counterfeits. Let’s begin to recognize and embrace the real thing.

2. Constituting Biblical Faith

Perhaps the most crucial texts for an in-depth understanding of what the Bible means when it speaks of “faith” or “believing” appear in James 1:21-27 and 2:14-26. Both of these passages can easily be categorized as James’ apologetic (defense) of Biblical faith, with faith being the implied topic in 1:21-27 and explicit in 2:14-26. The relevant aspects of these passages will be examined.

For this discussion, Biblical faith is to be understood as the only kind of faith that the Bible recognizes, especially when salvation is concerned. “Biblical” could also be substituted for “Saving” faith, “True” faith, or “Genuine” faith. In other words, misconceptions that are often accepted as faith (such as passive, blind, or affirmation) will all be demonstrated from Scripture to not be faith at all, despite what people think. The key is to let the Scriptures speak for themselves and accept them on their own testimony, and not our terms. As James advised before his discussion of faith: “But everyone must be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to anger, for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God” (1:19-20).

James 1:21-27 & 2:14-26 – What is Biblical Faith?

Two ground considerations must be set to clarify the discussion of this passage. First, justification for recognizing James’ discussion in 1:21-27 being about faith must be given. After all, any reader of the passage can easily note that the word “faith” is never used in the passage. However, several factors support the fact that James’ topic is faith, albeit implied.

The overall context of James’ letter could be rightly understood as an exposition and encouragement of faith. All the topics he discusses focus on encouraging believers to persevere in times of trails and also to test whether they are truly living in light of the truths they affirm.
In the parallel context, James 2:14-26, James continues to develop the discussion he began in 1:21-27, and in that passage, he very explicitly talks about faith. The word “faith” occurs 11 times and some form of “believe” occurs 3 times, making for a total of 14 uses of different forms of the same Greek root related to faith and believing.
In the immediate context (the passage itself), James uses a word that arguably almost makes the fact that he is discussing faith explicit without using the word itself. He gives the command in 1:21 for his readers to “in humility receive the Word implanted!” Humility is the essence of faith as sinners must come in humble submission before Christ as Lord to be saved, and once saved, continue to live in humble dependence upon His power and presence through the Spirit. Later in the letter, James states, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” (James 4:6; cf. 1 Peter 5:5. Note: different Greek words are used for in James 1:21 and 4:6, but the concepts of humility are synonymous.)

For these three reasons, faith can confidently be understood as the topic of 1:21-27. Second, a clear understanding of what James means by the “word” in the command is important. Although many Christians and commentators could simply assume, the goal is to leave no room for doubt. Naturally, “The Word” could simply be a reference to God’s word in general. However, the context of the letter supports the understanding that the gospel – the word about who Jesus is and what He has done – is specifically in view in James’ command. Evidence in favor of this point include:

The reference to the “Lord Jesus Christ” in James 1:1 and 2:1 reveal that James is writing in light of Christ.
The “word” the readers are commanded to receive in 1:21 must certainly relate to the same “word” mentioned in 1:18 which is related to the concepts of new life and new birth often associated with the reality of the gospel (the word “first fruits” is used in the New Testament to refer to the early church as the first spiritual harvest of the New Covenant).
In 1:21-27, James refers to the “perfect law of liberty” in the same discussion of “the word,” which connects the two ideas since the central discussion is about receiving the word. This same “law of liberty” is mentioned later in 2:12 which is used in contrast to the Law of Moses which cannot set free but only condemn (see 2:9-11). The gospel is a law of liberty which fulfills the higher, “royal” law of love (2:8; cf. Mark 12:29-31; Galatians 5:14).
In 2:1, James refers to what literally reads as “the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ,” which makes faith an objective concept. As an object, faith in 2:1 refers to the content of what is believed, not the act of believing (the same goes for Colossians 2:7 and Jude 3). Therefore, “the faith” should be understood as “what we know about who Jesus is and what He has done,” i.e., the gospel. In other words, James’ command in 2:1 could be understood as, “Do not hold the gospel with an attitude of personal favoritism.” This command is further illustrated by believers who deny the gospel through their actions by drawing sinful, manmade distinctions in the church in favor of riches.

With these ground considerations in place, a discussion of the passage is now possible. When James gives the command to “receive the word implanted” in 1:21, he follows this command by saying, “But prove yourselves to be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.” (1:22) His purpose in giving this conjecture immediately after his initial command is because James does not want the imperative “receive” to be misunderstood. Since the concept of “word” involves communication of knowledge in some manner (reading, hearing, etc.), James’ command could have easily been mistaken to mean to simply have knowledge of, or “hear” the Word only.

Therefore, in order to provide clarity, he provides a further command for what receiving the word in humility (faith) actually means, contrasting being “hearers” (people who merely have knowledge or understanding) and doers (those who have knowledge and understanding which results in action in their lives). He illustrates these two kinds of people in 1:23-25, describing hearers as forgetfully apathetic and doers as faithfully abiding. This word “abiding” is crucial for James’ point, but its meaning is often misunderstood.

To “abide” carries the idea of dwelling or remaining in a position and not going anywhere. On the surface, this definition would appear to support the passivity that many call faith. However, James’ use of this word cannot be connected with the idea of “not doing anything” because he clarifies his usage of this term immediately in the same verse: “But the one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer (lit. “a doer of work”), this man will be blessed in what he does.” James included in his understanding of abiding the notion of work; simply put, the call to abide is a call to do something that is not simply mental or emotional, but physical action.

Along with James’ use of abide, Jesus’ own command in John 15 (likely where James got his motivation for this part of his discussion) confirms this meaning as well. After giving the initial command to “Abide in Me” in John 15:4, Jesus continued later: “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.” To abide in Jesus is to abide in His love, which He said is only possible through obedience to His commands. Obedience, more often than not, requires doing something in the form of physical action (although obedience also certainly has an intellectual and emotional element as well).

Furthermore, Jesus relates obedience to the concept of “bearing fruit” (15:2, 4-5, 8) which shows evidence that one is truly a Christian (15:8). Interestingly, this is James’ whole point in 1:22 (the same command-word in John 15:8 translated “prove” is used in James 1:22). When Jesus speaks of keeping His commands, He expands later in John 15:12 to say that His (primary) commandment is for His disciples to love one another, which is the precise point that James mentions in 2:1-13, specifically 2:8. These factors demonstrate that James’ discussion of Biblical faith draws on Jesus’ own definition of Biblical faith.

Returning to James, the contrast between the hearers and the doers is the key to the whole passage. The fact that James contrasts two kinds of people, rather than two kinds of “faith,” is important. James does not want readers to walk away thinking that perhaps different kinds of Biblical faith exist that can save, or that one Biblical faith is just superior to the other, but both are still Biblical faith. No. James contrasts these two kinds of people to make it absolutely clear that he means to say that only one of them has Biblical faith, while the other absolutely does not. Hearers, as James describes them, think they have properly received the Word, but they have not. They think they are saved, but they are not. They think they are truly Christians, proven disciples, but they are not. They think they have Biblical faith, but they do not. This is the sad reality.

To summarize, so far James (with Jesus) has clearly established that the act of faith or believing is seen in what one does, and not merely what one knows or feels. Here, the misconceptions of Biblical faith as mere affirmation or passivity are already being called into question. This conclusion is strongly supported by the expanded discussion in 2:14-26 where James continues his apologetic of faith: “What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?”

At this point, a clear note should be made to highlight why James labors this point so adamantly, and why this blog post is even being written. The reason why understanding the nature of Biblical faith is so significant is because the issue of salvation is at hand. In 1:21, James commands his readers to receive the word implanted “which is able to save your souls.” Here again in 2:14 he begs the question: “Can that faith save him?” The difference between Biblical faith and all other misconceptions that are called Biblical faith is the difference between salvation and judgment, between eternal life and eternal destruction. This truth is no light matter and is of upmost importance.

Returning to James’ argument, he follows his question with an illustration: “If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace! Be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is it?” This illustration represents an absurd interaction in which someone seeks to substitute words of compassion to those in need in the place of the act of actually meeting their need. It’s like the husband who says he loves his wife but then never shows it. Or it would be like if Jesus told the paralytic (Matthew 9:1-8) to rise up and walk but did not actually have the Divine power to make it happen.

That’d be crazy, right? Hypothetically, if that did happen, what would the inability to heal the paralytic reveal about Jesus? It would reveal that He wasn’t who He claimed to be and what His actual miracles revealed Him to be. Just as those who have the ability to meet the needs of others but refuse to do so demonstrate that they actually do not have compassion for the needy. All this makes James’ overarching point: Those who say they have Biblical faith, but their lives never demonstrate the actions (“works”) that Biblical faith certainly produces, then they do not have Biblical faith. They may have knowledge and affirm certain truths, perhaps even deep, theological truths, but what they do not have is Biblical faith. This is clear from James’ conclusion: “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (2:17).

James will continue his discussion in verses 2:18-26, but these verses will be saved for the discussion of Abraham, faith, and works in the next section. However, even without these verses, James’ point is unmistakable: Biblical faith is characterized by knowledge of God that produces obedience to God. This understanding of faith, which is undeniably Biblical from cover to cover, stands completely opposed to passive faith, blind faith, or mere affirmation of certain truths. As this section closes, the misconceptions detailed in the previous section will be addressed in light of the truth of Biblical faith.

Biblical faith is not passive, always sitting around waiting on God to do something extraordinary; often, God calls us into actions with Him, actions that are often the basic, mundane responsibilities of life performed in holiness. Of course, this point does not mean that God never calls us to wait on Him or to be still or to rest in Him, but these concepts do not always have to be entirely passive in practice. James describes the expression of faith as the exercising patience, receiving the word and then putting it into practice, caring for widows and orphans, pursuing holiness, and demonstrating compassion to the needy – all things that require physical actions (“works”) on our part the majority of the time.

Biblical faith is not blind, irrationally trusting in God without good reason. We trust God even in the hardest times not because circumstances always make sense or can be understood, but because we know who our God is (2 Timothy 1:12)! To unbelievers our faith may seem irrational because they lack true knowledge of God. When God is known for who He truly is and known deeply, even the hardest of trials are worth suffering and completely rational in comparison to Him (like Paul’s sufferings; see 2 Corinthians 11:23-33). Here, James calls us to receive the word, which implies that knowledge and understanding are a necessary part of faith; the Bible constantly exhorts God’s people to know Him and to do so deeply (Jeremiah 9:23-24; Jeremiah 33:33-34; 2 Peter 3:18; Philippians 3:10ff; 2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 11:6). The Bible was given by God’s providence and inspiration for this purpose.

Biblical faith is not mere affirmation, substituting the object of faith in the place of the act of faith. Mere knowledge and even affirmation of God, Christ, the Gospel and any other Biblical truth does not save you. As James says in 2:19, even the demons know all these truths! The problem with demons is that although they know the truth about God, they do not submit to Him, and they live in disobedience to God. James uses this illustration to compare “hearers,” whom I call mere affirmers, to demons. Yet, the scary reality of James’ comparison is that he actually makes the point that “hearers” are worse than demons, because at least demons tremble in their disobedience to God. This trembling is something that not even many professing Christians do in their disobedience. So, who is really considered worse off when standing before God in judgment?

In the next section, I will address the supposed tension between Paul and James, their use of Abraham as the model for their arguments, and other Biblical concerns that help provide an understanding of Biblical faith. The result of this discussion will show that Paul and James are not at odds nor contradictory, and also show that Paul would be in absolute agreement with the definition of Biblical faith that James provides. After all, it is the only Biblical faith there is.

3. Considering Biblical Discussions of Faith

Are Paul and James at odds with one another?

Perhaps you never asked yourself this question before, nor thought there was a reason to ask it. So that everyone is on the same page, the problem will be made clear:

Paul:
“For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law.” (Romans 3:28)
“Nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.” (Galatians 3:16)

James:
“Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself” (2:17)
“You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (2:24)
“For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” (2:2)

What makes matters more difficult is that these apparent contradictions are heightened by the fact that both James and Paul utilize the patriarch Abraham as their proof example (Romans 4; Galatians 3; James 2), with Genesis 15:6 being their proof text. Paul says, “no works,” but James says, “yes works,” and they both use the same proof to make their points!

Despite the difficulties that appear on the surface, upon closer examination, Paul and James are not in contradiction with each other. In fact, once the definitions of terms are clearly defined in each of their arguments, they can actually be seen to be in agreement, or at least not even focusing on the same issues to begin with. Clarification needs to be made on Paul’s and James’ use of “works,” their uses of Abraham, and their understanding of faith and justification. Each of these will be discussed separately below.

“Works” in Paul and James

James’ understanding of “works” was discussed in the last section; so now let’s focus on Paul’s understanding of works. As noted above, Paul clearly states that absolutely nobody is justified by works…of the Law. More often than not, Paul modifies his use of “works” with the concept of “Law” (although, admittedly, there are times Paul never mentions the Law, like Ephesians 2:9; this fact will be addressed next). What does Paul mean when he refers to the works of “the Law?” When surveying some other passages in Paul, the meaning of this term becomes quite clear.

Romans 10:3-5: “For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my kinsman according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is blessed over all, God blessed forever. Amen.“

2 Corinthians 11:22: “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they descendants of Abraham? So am I.”

Ephesians 2:11-12: “Therefore remember that formerly you, Gentiles in the flesh, who are called “Uncircumcision” by the so-called “Circumcision,” which is performed in the flesh by human hands – remember that you were at that time excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.“

Philippians 3:4-6: “Although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.”

From these passages alone, the understanding of works of the Law is beginning to take form. These works that Paul speaks of are closely related to the physical Jewish identity markers or privileges established in the Law of Moses, which were mistaken to merit favor from God and guarantee one to be an heir of the promises of Abraham. This point is confirmed in the dilemma that arose in Acts 15: “Some men came down from Judea and began teaching the brethren, “Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.”

In other words, these false brethren were claiming that faith in Christ alone was not enough for Gentiles to be accepted; they had to adopt the Jewish customs from the Law as well, or they were not accepted into the people of God. Paul and Barnabas strongly opposed this false teaching, as detailed in the rest of Acts 15 and Galatians 1-2. Interestingly, whenever Paul begins to defend justification, the issues of circumcision (which is the central mark of Judaism and the sign of the covenant given in the Law), is usually present. Therefore, Paul’s understanding of works at this point has a specific focus: Law-based, Jewish identity markers that were often lauded as a sign of merit.

Returning to the previous parenthetical comment, Paul does not always mention the Law alongside his mention of works, such as in Ephesians 2:9, 2 Timothy 1:9, and Titus 3:5. A couple reasons could be given for why this phenomenon happens. One reason could be that by that point, Paul had dealt with the issue enough that anyone who heard from him could assume that “of the Law” was always in view. However, this reason is mere conjecture and uncertain to be the case. The second reason, which is more probable, is that although Paul does not always have Law-specific works in mind, the concept of meritorious acts is always in view, whether in reference to the Law or anything else outside of Christ.

This is supported in many of Paul’s discussions of works. Whether he mentions the Law or not, he mentions the act of boasting in many contexts (see Romans 3:27-4:2; 1 Corinthians 1:26-31; Ephesians 2:9). Therefore, what Paul always opposes is any form of self-righteousness: anything an individual does in their own strength, capacity, righteousness, etc. that they think gives them standing or merit before God. Philippians 3:8-9 provides support for this specific view: “More than that I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith[.]”

The righteousness that Paul finds in Christ is not just a justifying righteousness, but a sanctifying righteousness found in obedience to Christ as one lives according to the resurrection power of Christ through the Spirit. To be clear, whenever Paul speaks of having righteousness, whether it’s justifying righteousness or sanctifying righteousness, he always says that it is from God, not himself (see 1 Corinthians 15:10; Ephesians 3:7, 20; Philippians 2:12-13; Colossians 1:29; also, Hebrews 13:21). This clarification is important, because Paul is never opposed to obedience or pursuing righteousness, as long as it’s through faith in Christ and demonstrated in humility (sounds like James 1, right?).

For Paul, obedience and righteous living as never an issue; major portions of his letters are devoted to calling believers to obedience to Christ and righteous, holy living. What is the issue for Paul is whether this obedience and righteousness is being found in Christ and Christ alone through the Spirit, or whether individuals are pursuing sources external to Christ to try to justify themselves. Again, for many Jews in Paul’s day, this external source was often certain Law-works that were pride markers of their identity as Abraham’s (physical) descendants. They thought this merited them the inheritance and promises of Abraham.

However, Paul’s opposition toward meritorious works does not have to be limited to Jews only; for any individual can fall into the trap of seeking a foundation for righteousness outside of Christ. As Luke (who was a close companion of Paul) described some people that Jesus told a parable to, he described them as, “some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt” (Luke 18:9-14; cf. Luke 10:29; 16:14-15).

Self-righteousness, which is established outside of Christ, and often diminishes the work of Christ (Galatians 2:21) is Paul’s problem. Christ-righteousness, which is received by faith which produces true righteousness that not only justifies but also sanctifies through obedience to Christ in the Spirit, is never Paul’s enemy. In fact, this kind of righteousness, which both justifies and sanctifies, is central to Paul’s gospel (Romans chapters 6-8, 12-16; Ephesians 2:8-10; chapters 4-6; Galatians 5:13-26; Philippians 1:27, 2:1-18; Colossians chapters 3-4; 1 Thessalonians chapters 4-5, etc.).

In conclusion, Paul’s opposition to works is not an opposition to any notion of obedience to Christ in faith, but rather an opposition to any notion of meritorious acts that seek to establish righteousness apart from Christ, diminish the value and glory of the work of Christ, and leads to arrogance before God. This kind of self-righteousness is the epitome of unbelief, which is precisely why Paul says that it cannot justify…because it’s not Biblical faith!

With all these factors in mind, the faith that Paul commands is not contrary to the faith James’ commands. Paul does not say that faith is opposed to obedience; his writings are devoted to telling Christians that their faith ought to produce obedience, if it is true faith. Paul opposes self-righteousness, which is often a stumbling block to Biblical faith and true obedience. Next, further support for the unity of Paul and James will be established in their use of Abraham’s faith and Genesis 15:6.

Paul, James, and Abraham (Romans 4; Galatians 3; James 2, and Genesis 12, 15, and 21).

Paul and Abraham

In Romans 4 and Galatians 3, Paul employs Abraham as His prime example of justification by faith alone. This purpose was two-fold: first, to demonstrate that the truth of the Gospel has its roots in the Old Testament; second, the false teachers that Paul was confronting took pride in being Abraham’s descendants, so Paul took the opportunity to explain what truly makes someone a child of Abraham.

Romans 4 and Galatians 3

Paul’s opening thesis statement is: “What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? 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 credited to Him as righteousness” (Romans 4:1-3) Paul’s point is that the story of Abraham in Genesis reveals that Abraham, who is the forefather of the faith (and the Jews), was declared righteous before God on the basis of his faith. He did not do anything that merited God’s favor nor earned Him the promises that God gave to him.

Beginning with Genesis 12, this fact is corroborated when God calls Abraham from his pagan world to go to a new land God would show him (Genesis 12:1-3). Notice already at this point that Abraham’s faith would be demonstrated in Him understanding what God promises him AND acting obediently to God’s command. Abraham would not have received the promises if he stayed in his homeland with his family. The promises were contingent on Abraham’s obedience to God’s call, which is how his faith is demonstrated. But God did not come to Abraham with the promise because of any merit in him. God came by grace alone. Obedience to God’s call was merely the fruit of Abraham’s faith in God’s promise.

Later, in Genesis 15, as Abraham gets older and knows that the time of fulfillment is reaching an end, he asks God how He would fulfill His promise when he has no son (15:1-3). After all, the number of Abraham’s descendants cannot be great if he doesn’t have any to carry on the inheritance. God reassures Abraham of His promise (15:4-5), in which Abraham’s faith is reassured (15:6), and God establishes a covenant ceremony as a guarantee of the promise (15:7-21).

Paul continued his discussion of Abraham in Romans 4:10-12 with the sign of circumcision. The thrust of the argument is that Abraham did not receive the promise because He was circumcised; rather, He received the promise from God on the basis of his faith and then later took circumcision as a sign of faith in obedience to God’s command. This occurred years after receiving the promise (Genesis 17). In other words, Paul’s argument is that Abraham was like a Gentile when He received God’s promise by faith, and the reception was not contingent on him being circumcised since God did not establish circumcision until years later.

For these reasons, Paul says that Abraham was justified by God apart from the Law of Moses, which did not exist until hundreds of years later (Romans 4:13-15; cf. Galatians 3:15-18). He concluded: “For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the Father of us all[.]” All people, Jew (under the Law) or Gentile (without the Law) must come to God in faith to be recipients of His promises in Christ (cf. Galatians 2:14-16), who is the fulfillment of God promise to Abraham (Galatians 3:15-16).

Paul concluded his main discussion of Abraham in Romans 4 by expounding on Abraham’s faith (4:18-25). In summary, what is important to note is that Abraham being justified by faith is not the same as saying that Abraham was passive, blind, or a mere affirmer. In obedience, Abraham left his homeland and family, went to an unknown land, received the sign of circumcision, and participated in procreative acts with his wife Sarah in order to have the child of promise. Abraham wasn’t passive, he did not sit around and just expect God to miraculously do it all for him. Abraham wasn’t blind, because he received knowledge and understanding of God and His faithfulness and lived by faith in God. Abraham was not mere affirmer, only hearing and accepting the promises but then not doing what God had called Him to do.

As a final note, the fact that Abraham’s faith-produced obedience is put in contrast to Law-obedience demonstrates that Paul’s problem is not against works altogether, but rather a type of meritorious works that many Jews in his day boasted in through the Law. Yet, Christians were not called to find their identity from the Law of Moses; after all, all the Law did was reveal sin and condemn (Romans 4:15; Galatians 3:19-24). They were called to find it in Christ and the New Covenant, which has made the Old Covenant Law obsolete (Galatians 3:25-29; also, Hebrews 8:7-13).

James and Abraham (James 2:21-23)

James’ argument from Abraham utilizes the same proof text as Paul’s (Genesis 15:6; James 2:23). However, James does not employ the same moment from Abraham’s life for his argument. Instead of referring to circumcision, James uses the offering of Isaac to make his case (Genesis 22:1-2); James 2:21). When Abraham was called to offer up Isaac, this call was given as the pinnacle test of his faith in God. God has promised to bless the nations through his offspring; how would God accomplish that without Isaac? Yet, Abraham did not delay, but trusted in God’s faithfulness and went to work (Genesis 22:3-10). In the height of the moment, the LORD stopped Abraham, provided a substitutionary sacrifice, and reiterated the covenant promise to Abraham (Genesis 22:11-18).

James described the event this way: “You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected” (James 2:22). The point is that faith is fully realized, or reaches its culmination, in obedience. Without obedience, faith cannot be proven and is useless, dead, and demonic (which is James’ whole point). In this discussion of obedience, notice that James never mentioned the Law of Moses, circumcision, nor any other meritorious identifications that Paul dealt with.

Thus, James and Paul were not confronting the same specific issue. Paul confronted those who had misplaced faith (in themselves/the Law vs. Christ), while James confronted those who had no obedience at all and had misunderstood faith. If this understanding accurately reflects their perspectives, Paul and James can be understood to not be fighting against each other; rather, they are fighting two sides of a bigger battle about a proper understanding of faith.

Paul, James, and Justification

All the previous points come to their culmination in this section as they are applied explicitly to justification. In short, justification is being declared righteous before God. In other words, guilty sinners stand before God and receive pardon and forgiveness for their sin (Romans 5:1) and are no longer under God’s wrath and condemnation (Romans 8:1). For Paul, justification is clearly by faith alone, in contrast to those who seek to find righteous standing through certain merits, especially through the Law. Paul states that the Law of Moses can never justify man before God, because the Law exposes our sinfulness and thus declares us guilty before God. Therefore, individuals can only be found righteous (“not guilty”) before God through the grace offered in Jesus Christ. Apart from Jesus, no justification nor the rest of the benefits of salvation are possible.

For James, salvation comes through faith alone as well. However, James’ point is to demonstrate that “faith” is not an abstract concept; it is something that is active and discernable in the lives of those who have it. When James says that faith without works is dead, he never refers to works such as circumcision, Jewish rites and festivals, nor the Law of Moses. Throughout his letter, he emphasized perseverance through trials (1:2-15); acts of compassion and holiness (1:26-27); impartiality in the church (2:1-12); speech (3:12); righteous wisdom (3:13-18); humility and unity (4:1-12) and many other virtues which are all the fruit of living in light of the Gospel, and commanded by Paul as well in his letters.

What needs to be understood is that salvation or justification are not “merited” through acts of obedience. Rather, Paul and James both argue that individuals come to Christ for salvation in faith, and in faith are justified and saved and receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, and in faith walk forth in newness of life in Christ. This understanding is why James argues that any so-called “faith” that doesn’t result in newness of life is not Biblical faith. Newness of life always proceeds from Christ through Biblical faith, because through coming to Christ the sinner is made new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Who they are now in Christ is no longer the unregenerate sinner they once were, and this dramatic change alone is enough to produce a difference in their lives (Ephesians 4:17-24; Titus 3:1-11).

In short, the obedience both Paul and James describe is not a “do this (obey), and you will get this (salvation).” Instead, the gospel says, “get this (salvation), and you will do this (obey).” Obedience is always a fruit of salvation, because it’s precisely what salvation produces; it’s the whole point (Titus 2:11-15).

4. Comparing Biblical Caricatures

In this final section, a comparison of Biblical Caricatures will be provided to help clarify the previous arguments. For many, factual presentations are often insufficient for grasping a point, so this section will seek to provide an illustration-based approach to highlight to truths of Biblical faith. This approach will be accomplished by examining three kinds of people: The legalist, the licentious, and the Christian. As the final name makes clear, the other two will be deemed not Christian. Of course, this does not mean that Christians will not struggle with some of these tendencies, but they should not be wholly defined by the other two caricatures. This will be discussed at the end of the section.

The Legalist

The problem with the legalists is they have obedience but shallow knowledge. This group is most often represented by the Pharisees in the New Testament, especially the Gospels. They are passionate about obedience to God, down to the most minute details. Yet, when God becomes a man (Jesus) and stands right in front of their faces, they do not recognize Him, and they even kill Him. Why did this happen? Their knowledge of God was shallow, and thus they refused to recognize the truth of Jesus and the gospel. Since their knowledge was shallow, ultimately their obedience was as well. Jesus warned: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things but do not do them” (Matthew 23:2-3).

The root of the problem is self-righteousness, as mentioned in the previous section, which is fueled by their lack of understanding (Romans 10:1-4). They recognize that God requires righteousness and holiness, but they fail to recognize that this righteousness and holiness cannot be found within themselves nor their own efforts. They fail to realize their own sinfulness and thus they see no need to repentant and trust in the grace of God (Luke 18:9-12). In fact, they often find themselves angry at the idea of forgiveness, especially when those who are unworthy receive it (Luke 7:36-50). They fail to understand that this is precisely the point!

In short, their insufficient knowledge and obedience leads to an insufficient righteousness. Thus, Jesus demanded that Christians have a superior righteousness: “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:20). This righteousness is one that does not come from within the Christian but is received and produced by faith in Christ: “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” (Matthew 3:17) Jesus was clear: the legalist will not enter heaven. In discussions of justification, these people appeared to be Paul’s opponents.

The Licentious

The problem with the licentious is that they have knowledge, but shallow obedience. This group is harder to identify with a specific group name in the New Testament, but they are referred to often. Jude described: “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you content earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ” (Jude 3-4).

Notice that Jude says that they understand the grace of God; they have a firm understanding of the truths of grace. They recognize that God forgives all sin and there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ (8:1), and they even recognize their own sin. Yet, despite their understanding of gospel truths, their shallow obedience reveals their lack Biblical faith; despite the fact that they affirm many gospel realities, they lack gospel transformation and obedience and thus have not submitted to Christ as Lord. These are those whom Paul describes multiple times as not inheriting the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Ephesians 5:5-6; Galatians 5:21). They also appear to be James’ primary opponents, who think knowledge of Christ is a sufficient substitute for obedience to Christ.

They are like the foolish virgins in Jesus’ parable (Matthew 25:1-13), who were not faithfully (obediently) prepared for the arrival of the groom and His delay (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5). When the time came, they were unfit, and found they were too late to enter into the banquet. This parable represents those who take God’s grace as licentiousness, convince themselves they have plenty of time, and thus fail to be diligent to be faithful. The oil in the lampstands represent righteousness, which the foolish virgins lacked, and could not receive from the wise virgins. They knew the groom was coming, but they did not respond obediently to the occasion and found themselves wanting. Being shut out of the wedding feast is a clear metaphor for being excluded from the kingdom and eternal life. This is the fate of the licentious.

The Christian

The Christian, however, is the one in whom knowledge of Christ and obedience to Christ are brought together in perfect harmony. Knowledge of Christ should flow naturally into obedience to Christ. The more intimate the relationship with Christ, the more obedient they are to Christ, or at least strive to be! In 2 Corinthians 3:18, Paul described this as being transformed into glory by beholding Christ’s glory. In Philippians 3:8-10, he described his desire to know the power of Christ’s resurrection, which motivated him to pursue the goal of perfection, although he knew he wouldn’t reach it until heaven (3:12-21). This is the reality of being transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1-2).

This is James’ point as well. He confronted those who claimed to be Christians but were not doers (1:21-27). He said that true faith is clearly discernable (2:14-26). In other words, others should not have to dig deeply into a Christian’s life to know they are a Christian. The proof of faith should be evident in their lifestyle. Those who know Christ and love Him want to please Him with their lives (John 14:18-31). They are grateful for all that has been given to them, because they know that any practical righteousness they have is the grace of Christ in them (1 Corinthians 1:30-31).

As a closing note about the Christian, the question needs to be answered: What about Christians who find themselves in disobedience, in sin? The reality is, Christians will still sin because they have not been glorified. However, what sets Christians apart from non-Christians, the legalists, and the licentious is another fruit of grace: confession and repentance (1 John 1:9-10). A Christian is not someone who thinks they are perfect, like the legalist, and they are not someone who thinks they can live however they want, like the licentious. The Christian understands they are dependent on grace for forgiveness and obedience. In times of sin, Christian will demonstrate Biblical faith through obedient confession and repentance as they draw into the presence of the Lord, further demonstrating the proof of their faith.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Biblical faith should be understood as knowledge of God that results in obedience to God. Biblical faith is contrary to the often passive, blind, or mere affirming faith that is often promoted among Christians today. To support this definition of Biblical faith, James argued that faith without works (obedience) is dead, and Paul’s discussion of justification by faith was demonstrated to not be in contradiction either. Paul always confronted self-righteous, Christ-diminishing works, whether through the Law or any other means, but never obedience that flows from the new life and salvation that Jesus gives through the Spirit. Biblical faith is not complicated; it is found in the simple call to come to Christ (Matthew 11:28-30)! To drink the water He provides (John 4)! Yet, those who come and drink, must also realize that this means they will never be the same.

Application

A few quick points of application can be drawn from this discussion:

Since Biblical faith is knowledge plus obedience, Christians should always be implored to holy and righteous living. Since transformation is fundamental to salvation, individuals should recognize that following Jesus means their lives will change. They have been born of the Spirit (Romans 8; 1 John 3:7-10) and are a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Therefore, they should be exhorted to live as new creations (Romas 6; Ephesians 4-6; Colossians 3-4; Titus 3).
Obedience to Christ and legalism are not the same. Legalism in the New Testament is often opposed the truth and glory of Christ. As Paul mentioned in Galatians 2:21, legalism often makes the work of Christ pointless; obedience, however, is fully submitted to and dependent on Christ. Therefore, calling Christians to obedience to Christ is not legalism. Legalism is requiring people to be obedient to something external to Christ and His word. The concept of “binding consciences” falls under this point as well. A conscience is only bound when someone is made to feel guilty or convicted for something that is not contrary to Christ or Scripture. To confront someone in legitimate sin, however, is not conscience-binding nor legalistic, so long as its not hypocritical (Matthew 7:1-5; Matthew 23).
Obedience to Christ ought to be determined by the bounds of Scripture. This point is meant to apply to many extra-sacramental traditions which seek to require Christians to observe practices that Scripture does not command, or to practice them in ways that Scripture does not define. Some of the most obvious commands given to Christians are to repent, be holy, make disciples, and the many various “one another” passages (love, serve, forgive, confess sins to, encourage, etc.). Most of these commands have to do with lifestyle and living virtuously through faith in Christ, not traditions. Traditions are not wrong in themselves, so long as they conform to the truths of Scripture rather than superseding them (Mark 7:1-8).