What are the works James is eefering to, you guys never answer that and may I remind you, this is essential doctrine. Go baxk, read the xhapter, understand the context and come back and tell us all. What works is James talking about?
The doctrinal discussions cover works of the law, James is talking about something else. There is this pretty good tool for navigating around these minor misunderstandings surrounding essential doctrine, it's called a context, check it out sometime.
Slippery slope and very dispensational. Before you dive into that theological system, you may want to do more study from the Preterist point of view and the overall point that James was making. He was fighting a good fight. Antinomianism. He taught works exemplify justification.The book of James confused me a lot. Everywhere in scripture it says we are saved by faith alone, not works, so I got confused about James 2. I saw some preachers twisting scripture in a way that still did not make sense... Saying things like being saved from man and stuff like that.
So I prayed to God for him to explain to me, and I figured it out! The book of James is talking to the 12 tribes of Israel (James 1:1). The 12 tribes of Israels are also mentioned in the book of Revelation. James is actually a prophetic book, talking to the Jews in the last days during tribulation. This is shown in James 5:3, literally saying that this is for them during the "last days". And we know during the time of Jacob's trouble, the Jews are not saved by faith alone, but by faith and works. This includes enduring until the end, avoiding the mark, and keeping the commandments of God (Revelation 14:12). So this book is not for the church, but for the 12 tribes of Israel, the Jews during the time of Jacob's trouble and tribulation in the last days. It was very eye opening when I realized this and it made a lot of sense.
That's why its important to rightly divide and pay attention who the message is for and really read what it is saying, rather than make a complete theology from one verse in the bible.
Never justified by grace through faith, that is incorrect.
I believe Paul said “works of the law” and not “works” for a good reason.
For a very good reason, which is why I know for a fact James is not talking about the same works. The works James is talking about in James 2 couldn't be more clear from the context, if you ever bother reading it in context.
The New Testament language doesn't talk about being saved by grace and then later by works, it does not exist in the New Testament. Justification by grace through faith is more then a theological phrase, it's the gospel in a nutshell. Grace doesn't stop at justification (being 'reckoned, considered' righteous) it runs throughout the sanctification process and is the key motivator behind the words of righteousness we are called as believers to do. If you fail to bear fruit you are not saved, no one in the New Testament teaches that any stronger then Jesus himself and all the Apostles were unanimous on this foundational point of doctrine.
I read the whole epistle recently, James speaks of good works as important to salvation as faith is, as one without the other is useless, Paul also never says we are justified by faith alone anywhere. And from logical or philosophical standpoint is faith alone justifies us before God then what justifies faith, how do we distinguish false faith from true faith if not by the fruit of good works of faith as James says.
What you did not mention and I can never drag out of people, what is the royal law? Better yet, what was the problem James was addressing? Paul specifically argues for justification by grace through faith as does the entire New Testament, a faith that is apart from works of the law. Salvation is never apart from works of righteousness, that's the whole point anyway, the tree that bears not fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. What works are we talking about here?
