The Letter of James and the Protestant Doctrine of Justification

The Book of James has always been a source of difficulty for Protestants with regard to the doctrine of justification.  From the way James deals with this subject, it almost looks as though he had in mind the Protestant doctrine and intended to explicitly attack it.

James's discussion of justification looks as though it is a response to or a commentary on St. Paul's discussion of justification in his letter to the Romans.  To some, St. James's ideas appear to directly contradict Paul's.  Martin Luther famously held that James contradicted Paul.  Others have seen the two views as compatible and even complementary.

I think that if we have a proper understanding of Paul's doctrine of justification, we will find James's position to be complementary rather than contradictory to it.  I think the appearance of contradiction stems to a great degree from a misinterpretation of Paul, and particularly the attempt to read Paul's teaching as supporting what I call the Anti-Augustinian interpretation of the Protestant doctrine of justification.  (I discuss the two different interpretations of the Protestant doctrine here.)  The Anti-Augustinian Protestant view holds that we are justified--made right with God--solely by the legal imputation of the righteousness of Christ in such a way as to remove internal sanctification by the Spirit from contributing anything to this.  In this view, our internal moral condition and outward moral behavior has nothing whatsoever to do with whether we are seen as righteous or unrighteous by God; all that matters is whether we have the legal imputation of Christ's righteousness.  (Anti-Augustinians will add that all who are justified are also always sanctified, but they insist that sanctification makes no contribution whatsoever to a person's moral standing before God.)  One need not spend a great deal of time in James before it becomes clear that James will have nothing to do with an idea like this.

Protestants have developed schemes by which they attempt to reconcile James with an Anti-Augustinian Protestant interpretation of Paul.  One of the most popular of these is to say that Paul and James, despite amazing similarities in their discussions, are actually talking about two different things.  Paul is talking about our justification before God--what actually makes us right with God, makes us acceptable to him--while James is talking about our justification before men--how we show men that we are right with God, that God has accepted us.

I do not believe these schemes to reconcile James with an Anti-Augustinian Protestant view are successful.  I think it is clear that James is talking about exactly the same subject as Paul is in his letter to the Romans, and that James is bringing out clearly--as does Paul himself if we read the whole of his letter--the incompatibility of the biblical doctrine of justification with any view that would divorce good works from our moral status before God.  What you will find below is an inline commentary on the Book of James, focusing specifically on elements of James relevant to the doctrine of justification.  My goal is to exhibit James's doctrine of justification from a systematic, careful look at what he actually says in its full context, and so to shed light on what the Bible has to say about the doctrine of justification.

My text is taken from the KJV text on the Bible Gateway website, tweaked and formatted to fit my purposes in this article.  I have printed out the entirety of James's letter, as it is relatively short, in order to ensure as full a context as possible for the examination of key sections.  As I mentioned, however, I will keep my comments, for the most part, focused only on those parts of the text that seem particularly relevant to the doctrine of justification.  I have removed chapter and verse numbers in order to preserve better the flow of the text.

Since I intend to compare St. James's comments with St. Paul's in his Letter to the Romans, and since this commentary on James is intended partly as a follow-up to my inline commentary on Romans 1-8, here is a link to that Romans commentary.

James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting.

My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.

James is concerned with the moral development of Christians.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

Let the brother of low degree rejoice in that he is exalted: But the rich, in that he is made low: because as the flower of the grass he shall pass away. For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass, and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth: so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways.

Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.

We receive "the crown of life" when we love God and continue to love him even through the enduring of temptations.  Eternal life is given as a reward for perseverance in the love of God.

Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.

Sin inherently bears fruit in death.  That is its natural end.

Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God. Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls.

But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.

Blessedness is a reward for those who are not only hearers but also doers of the law.

If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.

A man is not truly pious unless he lives in the love of his neighbor.  Otherwise, his religion is in vain.

My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; and ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts? Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him? But ye have despised the poor. Do not rich men oppress you, and draw you before the judgment seats? Do not they blaspheme that worthy name by the which ye are called?

If ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself, ye do well: But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law. So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. For he shall have judgment without mercy, that hath shewed no mercy; and mercy rejoiceth against judgment.

God will reward us according to our deeds.  He will treat us as we deserve to be treated based on how we have treated others.  If we have been loving towards others and willing to be merciful to them, God will be merciful to us.  The law will judge us, but the law is a law of liberty, for although we are judged according to the morality of our lives, yet that judgment includes God's forgiveness of our sins.

What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.

Faith without good works is just as useless as telling someone "Be warm and well fed!" without actually giving them what they need.  "Faith" here obviously means "belief," for James points out that the demons themselves believe, and it doesn't lead to blessedness for them.  It is not enough to simply believe in Christ intellectually.  We must live out Christ's commands and do good works.

Works demonstrate that there is real, saving faith (as opposed to a dead, merely intellectual faith), because works are the fruit of such faith.

But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Merely believing in God does not bring justification.  It does not make us right with God.  If we want to be right with God, we must do good works.  We must live righteously.  Faith is completed by works, and without works faith is dead and useless.  Abraham had faith, and that faith was counted to him for righteousness.  But the reason faith was counted to him for righteousness is because it bore fruit in his good works.  It actually made him righteous.  It produced righteousness in him, which expressed itself in his deeds.  Thus, because faith made him truly righteous in his life, God counted him righteous and called him his friend.  So the statement that Abraham was accounted righteous actually came true--or was fulfilled--only when faith actually produced good works and thus made Abraham a friend of God.

Note that it is not that faith by itself, without works, made Abraham righteous and a friend of God, and works were only important because they showed to human beings that Abraham was already accepted by God.  James here tells us that Abraham and Rahab were justified, were made right with God, by faith and works, not by faith alone.  Faith made them righteous, producing good works in them, and so became alive and not dead, worth something rather than worthless, and so they were righteous before God and God called them friends.  There is nothing here about demonstrating something to men that is already true before God.  It is true that works show that saving faith is present, but here James says that works complete faith, making it actually effective in reconciling us with God.  It's not that faith is fine by itself before God, as if faith without works is all that God cares about in terms of counting a person righteous, but works come in simply because humans can't see faith unless it is shown in good works.  It's that faith is not fine by itself before God or before men, because faith is dead without works and doesn't justify.  It's not that faith justifies by itself and works are only important as indicators of whether or not faith is there, like rising mercury in a thermometer indicates to us that heat is present, so that works don't actually have anything to do with our right standing before God but are important merely as evidence of the existence of faith.  It's that faith does not actually bring about our right standing before God until it produces good works in us.  Works are what complete faith and make it effective and not dead, so that we can be righteous and friends of God.

My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. Condemnation comes not only to those who lack faith, but also on account of not serving well in one's calling.  It is not only our faith or lack thereof that makes us right or wrong before God; it is also our deeds. For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. Nobody is perfect in this life.  We all sin.  Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.

Sins of the tongue are very serious.  Note that God is not concerned only with whether or not we have faith, but with our deeds (including deeds of the tongue).  Our moral condition is important to God.

Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members? Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not. Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. Living according to the sins of the world makes one an enemy of God.  So it's not just whether or not we have faith that matters to God, as if faith alone, without good works, can make us friends of God.  We are friends of God if we live righteously, but we are his enemies if we live wickedly. Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.  God honors humility, but opposes us if we are proud. Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded. Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.  We must turn from our sins to God, for otherwise he will not draw nigh to us or lift us up.  He is offended by our sins, but if we turn from them we will be reconciled to him.

Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that. But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil. Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you. Your riches are corrupted, and your garments are motheaten. Your gold and silver is cankered; and the rust of them shall be a witness against you, and shall eat your flesh as it were fire. Ye have heaped treasure together for the last days. Behold, the hire of the labourers who have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth: and the cries of them which have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of sabaoth. Ye have lived in pleasure on the earth, and been wanton; ye have nourished your hearts, as in a day of slaughter. Ye have condemned and killed the just; and he doth not resist you.

God warns of judgment that will come upon the wicked.  It's not just about whether or not we have faith.  If we live morally wicked lives, we will reap the evil consequences of that in our punishment.  Merely having faith will not save us, for God cares about our actual moral condition as well and will treat us according to whether or not we are actually righteous.  Being right with God and his moral law--being justified, and being a friend of God--is not just a matter of faith alone, but is very much based on works.

Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh. Grudge not one against another, brethren, lest ye be condemned: behold, the judge standeth before the door. We will be judged by our works, so we should take care to avoid evil and do good. Take, my brethren, the prophets, who have spoken in the name of the Lord, for an example of suffering affliction, and of patience. Behold, we count them happy which endure. Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord; that the Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy.

But above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath: but let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. Being false to one's word brings condemnation (the opposite of justification).

Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.  God loves and honors righteousness, just as he hates and punishes wickedness.  It's not just faith, it's works that count. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one convert him; let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins.  When we sin, we are in danger of death.  But if we turn from our sins, we are saved from death.  James said earlier that we all sin; no one is perfect.  But we must turn from our sins.  We must repent, so that we renounce our sins and live a righteous life.  For God will judge us on the basis of whether or not we have lived a righteous life.  A righteous life is not a perfect life, but one that has chosen overall to reject sin and seek holiness.  Sin offends God, and so to have mercy from God we must turn from sin and repent.

James clearly rejects the Anti-Augustinian Protestant doctrine of justification.  He places our moral acceptance with God not in faith alone, not in a legal accounting of righteousness alone, but very much in the actual moral state of our lives and our good works.  This fits in perfectly with what we see in the rest of Scripture.  We are justified by faith because faith unites us to Christ, and in Christ we receive a righteousness that is not only credited to our account but also infused into us, so that we can actually become righteous before God and so be morally acceptable to him and to his moral law.

For more biblical and philosophical argumentation against the Anti-Augustinian position, see here.