Tonight’s Heavy Weight Title Fight: Paul verse James

"My power is discombobulatingly devastating I could feel is muscle tissues collapse under my force. It's ludicrous these mortals even attempt to enter my realm." 

It was the third round. Tyson threw a left hook. Holyfield ducked under it. For the two round ups to this point Tyson had been getting pounded. Tyson was going to lose and he knew it. All three judges in the first two rounds had scored Holyfield as the winner. As the two boxer’s bodies came together Holyfield tried to throw a weak body punch. Then Tyson, like a rabid dog, a prodded snake, a wild animal corned with nowhere to go, an immature preschooler, struck and took a whooping chunk out of Evander Holyfield’s ear.

As I read through Scripture it seems like a pretty fair fight most of the time; few punches below the belt or after the bell. There is tension here and there though. Truths exist that seem contradictory at face value and first glance. Paul seems to fight pretty fair for thirteen straight books. Then in the twentieth round of the New Testament James bites his ear off. I read James and am filled with feelings of confusion and doubt, like a boy watching his parents fight, not knowing what side to take, scared. Truth becomes a mist, ungraspable, hard to see, coming and going with the wind. “You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.” I thought “it was by grace you have been saved, though faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—no by works, so that no one can boast.” Foul I cry. The bell rings the fight has been stopped. 

In Ephesians 2 Paul makes it clear that we are “dead” but that God makes us “alive” in Christ. It is by grace though faith we are saved and not works because the glory must be Gods¹. Gods plan in his glorifications does not does not end with our salvation. Salvation is merely a way point along the way. Paul says elsewhere, “Those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified.” This makes it apparent that it is God’s work and not mine and that glorification is the final destination. Note that Paul, in Ephesians two right after stating the doctrine of salvation by grace through faith, states that we were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Paul wants us to know that the power of salvation is God’s and the God’s goal is our good works for his glorification. Moses tells us that work existed before the fall. He says, “God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” It is apparent that James is lent credibility here from Moses and Paul in that both reference work as a good thing: Moses while Adam is still in right relationship with God and Paul closely linked with definitions of salvation though faith.

In James 2 Jesus’ disciple is making it clear that faith by its very nature is accompanied by action. He asks, “What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such a faith save him?” With the word “such”, James is calling into question our view of the kind of faith we should embrace. Definitions, though sometimes subtle, are very important James says. I personally am ok with Paul’s doctrine of salvation through faith but get squeamish when brought before James’ doctrine of faith without works being dead. This tells me that something in my definition of faith is off. In my world I have somehow prevented faith and deeds from being married. Abraham, the father of faith himself, makes is clear that the two are to be married. Paul says, “he did not waiver though unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God. This is why it was credited to him as righteousness.” His faith was married to his giving glory. The writer of Hebrews writes an entire chapter chronicling the marriage of faith and deeds. Over sixteen times he references faith and everytime an action follows. Read it. Abraham didn’t just trust God to bring Isaac back from the dead, he took him up the mountain, gathered the wood, laid him on the alter and raised the knife. The marriage is clear. So what is it in my definition that is skewed, missing, wrong; like a lame animal that limps wherever it goes? 

My disease that leaves me lame is I don’t like doing anything other than what I want to do. I am only willing to trust God for part of his preknowing, calling, justifying and glorifying. I am happy he knew me, called me and justified me, but I want sanctification and glorification to be on my terms. God I don’t trust your plan. I like your fire insurance but not your life plan. Don’t I know that Jesus is the most intelligent, kind, loving and good man I have ever known? I’m not sure I do. I think I am that man. James was right to rebuke me.

1 I appeal to John Piper’s idea that God must love his glory more than anyone.