Understandably, the issue of whether or not a person is saved by faith or by works is a very common topic of debate among those seeking God. On the one hand, passages like Ephesians 2:8-9 and Titus 3:3-8 clearly teach that a person is saved by grace through faith, and not by works. Yet James 2:14-26 states that faith without works is dead.
This apparent contradiction in the scriptures should of course raise some serious questions for those who believe in biblical inerrancy, not to mention the countless millions who are staking their eternal salvation on the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
If salvation is to be earned, then those claiming to be saved by faith alone are risking eternal damnation, for both themselves and others, by omitting the obvious works required. Likewise, if salvation cannot be gained through righteous deeds, then those attempting to earn their place in heaven are walking an equally treacherous path.
The question therefore is whether or not the Bible is in conflict on the point of salvation; and whether one's path to eternal life is dependent on works or faith.
In order to answer this question, we must first understand the context of the Book of James.
Chronologically, James is the first book of the New Testament, written to Jewish Christians scattered by persecution somewhere between 10-20 years after the resurrection of Jesus Christ in the year 30-33 AD. Given the persecution facing early Christians at this time, faith, endurance, self-discipline and obedience to God are major themes throughout the book.
Knowing this, the greater context of James 1-2 is exercising faith through living life in obedience to God's word. That said, we find that the Christians in James 2:1-13 were guilty of living a double standard. They were claiming to have faith in Jesus, yet they were guilty of showing favoritism within their community.
After addressing the issue of discrimination in the church, James goes on to say that if a person claims to have faith but their life shows no evidence of faith, then that person's faith is dead and is of no use to anyone. (James 2:14-17) James further elaborates on this in verses 18-25 by comparing the faith of Abraham and Rahab the prostitute, both of whom were shown to have genuine faith by their actions.
Finally, James' closing statement in verse 26 makes his point clear: Faith without good works is like a body without breath; it is dead and useless. Having dead faith, therefore, is not the same as as having no faith. A dead body is still a body. But just as a body without breath is lifeless and inanimate, so too faith without good deeds is also dead and useless.
James is not saying that salvation comes from works instead of faith. He's saying that good works complete a person's faith, giving it life and movement and making it real. If a person's life is devoid of righteousness and good works, then how can anyone else know that that person has faith?
Faith without works is dead, but the inverse is also true: Works without faith are also dead.
In Matthew 7:15-20 Jesus warns his followers to be cautious of false teachers saying: "Just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions." Jesus then goes on to say that many people who do good works and miracles in his name will be turned away from heaven because they never knew him. (Matthew 7:21-23)
It is important to note here that these individuals did many miraculous works in the name of Jesus and even called him "Lord." However, Jesus said that they would still be turned away on the grounds that they did not personally know him, and continued to break God's laws even though they did many mighty works in his name.
In this regard, Jesus himself makes it abundantly clear that salvation comes from knowing and being known by him, and not from good works. Good works are still important—they are the proof that a person has indeed been saved by faith in Jesus Christ. But it is God's grace that saves, not the good works themselves. The Christian's faith is nonetheless made complete by doing good works, which God prepared for us long ago, and by living a righteous life. (Galatians 5:16-25, Ephesians 2:10)
In conclusion, we can see from the greater context of the scriptures that salvation comes not from works, but from grace through faith in Jesus Christ. Righteousness and good works are not a means of earning salvation, rather they are the evidence of salvation.
That said, if a person says that they believe in God and claims to have faith in Jesus but their life and words show no evidence of salvation, then the validity of that person's faith should be seriously questioned. If a person claims to be a follower of Jesus but is living in open sin then their actions show that they don't really know God at all. If a person knows God, then there should be evidence in their life to prove it.
Likewise, a person can appear to know God on the outside by doing and saying all of the right things, when in reality their heart is far from him. Instead of trusting in God's saving grace, they try to earn salvation by doing good works and playing the part of the devoted Christian. But a bad tree cannot produce good fruit. Eventually the person living behind a mask of self-righteousness will be exposed, and all the good works in the world will not be enough to save them in the end.
Salvation therefore is a matter of the heart and depends on the individual and their personal relationship with Jesus Christ. It is between them and God. No one else can make that choice. But once the choice has been made, salvation is assured and the works of a righteous person complete their faith and prove that it is genuine.
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