Henry Krabbendam - James - World Evangelical Alliance

(Motyer, 106) through his readers because of the negative reply that it requires.
“If a person keeps on saying that he has faith but keeps on having no
deeds, can a faith like that, that is, a faith without deeds, save him” (Martin,
80)? The translation “deeds” is preferred to “works” by many commentators
to go on record that James and Paul address totally divergent issues (Johnson,
237; Martin, 80-81; Nystrom, 148). 242 While Paul rejects works, dead products
of the law, as the ground of salvation, James promotes deeds, the living
fruit of faith, as the way of salvation (Grosheide, 1955, 376). Paul insists that
one cannot gain heaven by works, James that one cannot arrive in heaven
without deeds (Zodhiates, II, 13). Paul excludes all works of obedience as basis
for justification, James insists on deeds of obedience as proof of justification
(Moo, 1985, 102).
Paul and James speak both about faith, but as the opposite ends of one
continuum. Paul tackles the issue as to how the ungodly start out being right
with God. Through faith only, without works of the law! The necessity for
unregenerate humans to make only the smallest or slightest contribution to
their foundational acceptance before God would seal their doom. He attacks
folks who in one way or another champion Christ + works, denounces that as
another Gospel and twice (!) pronounces a curse upon them (Gal. 1:8-9).
James addresses the question as to how all those who start out with God by
faith live up to that faith, and end up in the presence of God. Through the
deeds of the law without any shortcuts or reservations! The callous refusal of
any and all humans to pursue the entire law, showing little or no interest to
enjoy the ultimate approval of God, would seal their doom as well. He attacks
folks who are satisfied with a hollow, flippant, mental profession, while replete
with self-destructive sins of commission or omission, denounces this as
self-deluding, and leaves no doubt about the final verdict. Faith on the inside
is and must be manifest in deeds on the outside. Paul speaks about faith in its
germinating phase in the bud, James about faith on display in its manifest development
in full bloom. The bloom of James is clearly nothing without the
bud of Paul, but the opposite is equally true. The bud of Paul is nothing without
the bloom of James. So let it never be said that Paul and James “stand
face to face fighting each other.” Rather, as I already quoted, they “stand back
to back fighting opposite foes” on opposite, but equally crucial, ends of the
spectrum of biblical truth (See Zodhiates, II, 11).
242 However it must be kept in mind, with Moo, 1985, 101-102, (and contra Brosend, 81), that
“Paul and James are operating with an understanding of ‘works’ that is basically similar:
anything done that is in obedience to God and in the service of God.” The difference is “in the
sequence of works and conversion. Paul denies any efficacy to pre-conversion works, but
James is pleading for the absolute necessity of post-conversion works.” In other words, the
difference between “works” and “deeds” is not intrinsic, but simply to emphasize that Paul
and James speak about works in disparate contexts and from diverging perspectives.
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