Chizuk Emunah (Pt 2) Under the Microscope: Chapter 93

James 2:14, to the end of the chapter. The author of this Epistle recommends good works as superior to mere faith, and then he continues, "Was not Abraham, our father, justified by works, when he had offered Isaac, his son, upon the altar? 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."

The opinion here cited meets with the contradiction of Paul, who writes in his Epistle to the Romans, chapter 3:20, "Therefore, by deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified." Again, he says, in the same chapter, verse 28, "Therefore, we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law." In his Epistle to the Galatians, chapter 2:16, Paul repeats the assertion, that faith in Jesus is of greater avail than the observance of the law, by saying, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith in Jesus Christ." At the end of that chapter, he maintains, "If righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." The like doctrine is enforced in chapter 3 from the beginning to the end. Also throughout the Epistle to the Hebrews, chapter 11, it is maintained that faith is preferable to works. See again ibid. verse 17, where it is said, "Abraham, tried by faith, offered up Isaac." Again, ibid. verse 31, "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies in peace." We, Jews, are not anxious to reconcile the discrepancies occurring in the New Testament, and to decide whether more truth is to be found in one than in the other of those opinions. All our aspirations lead us to adopt a mode of life in exact conformity with the Holy Law, which tells us, (Deut 6:25) "And it shall be accounted to us as righteousness if we keep and fulfil all these commands.

Troki hits upon a classic point of contention between the Catholic and Orthodox traditions and Protestantism. What do Paul and James mean by "saved" and what does it mean to be saved by faith or works?

Paul's doctrine of being saved is quite clear. In Romans, he writes "Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God." (Romans 5:9)

"you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord" (1 Corinthians 5:5)

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Ephesians 2:8-9)

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. (Romans 9:3)

The question of "how do I get to heaven?" is prominent in Paul's writing.

because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” (Romans 10:9-13)

Again, in what sense can Paul be talking other than in terms of heaven and hell? Early believers in Jesus were not saved from anything else. They suffered worse than anyone else. They were cut off from their own people group. They faced exile and excision, torture, loss of livelihood, loss of family, and loss of everything that matters in this world.

James, on the other hand, never brings up the topic of how one goes to heaven. His letter reads more like Mussar, which are rabbinic texts on ethics, culture, and self-improvement. Famous Mussar texts include Duties of the Heart, Ways of the Tzaddikim, The Guide to Serving God, Path of the Just, and The Gates of Repentance.

As an interesting aside, rabbis often argue that Christianity is about renouncing the world for heaven, while Judaism focuses on the here and now. The more I read Mussar, the more obvious it is that such a notion is false. The Ramchal in Path of the Just repeatedly emphasizes that our focus should be on obtaining our eternal reward in heaven, not on worldly outcomes. The Maharal also says that the purpose of pain and suffering is to remind us that our real home is heaven, not earth. We are but wayfaring strangers in this world.


Back to James. Take an outline of the book, or even look at the topics, and the context will become obvious.

Testing of your Faith
Hearing and Doing
Do Not Show Partiality
Faith Without Works is Dead
Taming the Tongue
Wisdom From Above
Do Not Be Wordly
Boasting About Tomorrow
Warning to the Rich
Patience in Suffering
Prayer for Faith

All of these are sections on practical living. It is just as wrong to press James for theological precision as it is for me to do the same to the Mussar authors. Their texts are practical guides. As Morpheus states in The Matrix, "there is a difference between knowing the path and walking the path."

In James, your faith alone still saves you, but no faith adequate to bring about salvation will be alone. Imagine walking up to an old locomotive which was powered by coal. You walk up to the locomotive and are greeted by the engineer, who tells you that there is a raging coal fire in the engine. You look up and see no smoke. What would you say about the engineer? I think you would be right to say that he is a liar. If there was a coal fire in the engine, you would see billows of smoke in the air. The smoke is in no way necessary to bring about the fire or to power the train, but it is a necessary byproduct of the process.

Martin Luther had a different take on the issue. He said that we are saved (go to heaven) by faith alone, but not by the faith that is alone!