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There are plenty of Bible bits which are difficult, and I have a feeling this series could continue forever...so I'm announcing that this week's is to be the last episode for the moment, and we're going to look at something which is absolutely pivotal to the Christian faith. This is perhaps the most important 'Difficult Bible Bit' of them all:

'You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.' (James 2:24)

'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)

'[all]...are justified by his grace as a gift...' (Romans 3:24)

Oh dear

When I first became a Christian I was told that the Bible was flawless, that it didn't even have one single contradiction in it. I hadn't read the whole thing, but I trusted the people who told me so I made an offer to my non-Christian friends at work: 'If you show me a genuine contradiction in the Bible I'll publicly renounce my faith, and will give you £200 in cold, hard cash.' I kept that offer open for two full years, and during that time only one person even attempted for the prize, and he still chose a silly example which was easy to explain away. If only he had found these verses! Here we have two verses which directly contradict one another: is justification by grace, or by works? The Bible cannot make up its mind.

So is it a contradiction?

That's the real question here. If this is a genuine contradiction then what hope do we have in Christianity? If even the manual can't decide on the central message of the gospel, what hope do we have in our age of multi denominations and cults who call themselves Christian? The key to any apparent contradictions in the Bible is to look at the context. Let's look at each in turn (James and Paul), and see if we can uncover this mystery.

James

I'm not going to paste it in here, but you can read the full chapter over here. If you read it through you'll see that James is basically underlining one message: your actions betray your true beliefs. That means that if you spend quality time with your wife, buying her gifts, sending her love messages and so on, your actions betray that you really love her. If you tweak your expense claims and tax returns to get a bit more cash, your actions betray that you really think that money is more important than honesty. James says that faith, without works to prove it, is dead (James 2:17). If you say you believe something, but your works (or lack of them) would not sugges that, you have betrayed the fact that you actually believe something different. James says, 'Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.' (James 2:18) He's telling us that unless we substantiate our claims of faith by our works, all we're doing is confirming that we don't really believe at all!

So James' message, in one sentence, is this: Look at your works, and see what you really believe.

Paul

Paul's line is slightly different. He underlines again and again (I just picked a couple of examples above) that it's all about what Jesus has already done and not about our works. His focus is a step prior to James' words, because he's addressing a different audience. The book of James is targeted at those who say that they believe, but refuse to respond in physical action (be that service in the local church, social action, treating a loved one differently, breaking free from sin, or whatever). Paul's letters, however, are targeted at those who are overly keen to impress others with their good works. This is that guy who complains that these modern praise songs are inappropriate in a church. This is you, if you tithe precisely 10% of your income and tut at those who tithe anything less. This is written specifically for you if you think that you're basically alright and that you can point out flaws in others.

Paul's message, in one sentence, is this: Stop looking at your works, because what you believe is what's really important

What it comes down to

Both authors are saying the same thing, but they're hitting the target from different directions: We are justified by grace alone, our works don't aid with that. But if we truly believe that we deserve eternal punishment for our rebellion against God but that He has sacrificed His only Son in our place that we might be justified by that grace, how can we not respond in good works? This is the true message of Christianity, and here's how we should respond:

• Are you one of those guys who thinks they're basically doing alright and that God's pleased with you? Recognise that you're a filthy sinner and that you desperately need God's grace. It's impossible to please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6) so take your eyes off yourself, and raise them to Him.
• Are you one of those guys who's just a bit too relaxed? Perhaps you believe but you don't serve in your local church. Perhaps you're addicted to some sin or other. Perhaps you haven't been baptised in water. Whatever it is, just do it. Talk to a leader and ask for help.

"Chip Shots from the Ruff of Life" from Tom Kelley

The Curse is Gone