Systematic Theology, by Louis Berkhof - New Leaven

were the case, faith would have to be regarded as a meritorious work of man. And this
would be the introduction of the doctrine of justification by works, which the apostle
opposes consistently, Rom. 3:21,27,28; 4:3,4; Gal. 2:16,21; 3:11. We are told indeed that
Abraham’s faith was reckoned unto him for righteousness, Rom. 4:3,9,22; Gal. 3:6, but in
view of the whole argument this surely cannot mean that in his case faith itself as a
work took the place of the righteousness of God in Christ. The apostle does not leave it
doubtful that, strictly speaking, only the righteousness of Christ imputed to us, is the
ground of our justification. But faith is so thoroughly receptive in the appropriation of
the merits of Christ, that it can be put figuratively for the merits of Christ which it
receives. “Faith” then is equivalent to the contents of faith, that is, to the merits or the
righteousness of Christ.
It is often said, however, that the teachings of James conflict with those of Paul on
this point, and clearly support the doctrine of justification by works in Jas. 2:14-26.
Various attempts have been made to harmonize the two. Some proceed on the
assumption that both Paul and James speak of the justification of the sinner, but that
James stresses the fact that a faith which does not manifest itself in good works is no
true faith, and therefore is not a faith that justifies. This is undoubtedly true. The
difference between the representations of Paul and James is unquestionably due partly
to the nature of the adversaries with which they had to deal. Paul had to contend with
legalists who sought to base their justification, at least in part, on the works of the law.
James, on the other hand, joined issue with Antinomians, who claimed to have faith, but
whose faith was merely an intellectual assent to the truth (2:19), and who denied the
necessity of good works. Therefore he stresses the fact that faith without works is a
dead faith, and consequently not at all a faith that justifies. The faith that justifies is a
faith that is fruitful in good works. But it may be objected that this does not explain the
whole difficulty, since James explicitly says in verse 24 that a man is justified by works
and not only by faith, and illustrates this by the example of Abraham, who was
“justified by works in that he offered up Isaac” (verse 21). “Thou seest,” says he in verse
24, “that faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect.” It is quite
evident, however, that in this case the writer is not speaking of the justification of the
sinner, for Abraham the sinner was justified long before he offered up Isaac (cf. Gen. 15),
but of a further justification of the believing Abraham. True faith will manifest itself in
good works, and these works will testify before men of the righteousness (that is, the
righteousness of life) of him that possesses such a faith. The justification of the just by
works confirms the justification by faith. If James actually meant to say in this section of
his letter that Abraham and Rahab were justified with the justificatio peccatoris, on the
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