Anyone who has spent any amount of time discussing Sola Fide knows that James 2 is the most popular talking point for its opponents. Opponents of Sola Fide will lay down James 2:24 as if it is a silver bullet. After all, how can we possibly say we're saved by faith alone when the only verse in the entire Bible in which the words "faith alone" appear tells us a man is justified by works, and not faith alone?
Looking at James 2:24 alone, it's almost understandable why opponents of Sola Fide might argue this way. It genuinely does say a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. Unfortunately (or rather, for us whose works could never merit salvation, rather fortunately), there are several problems with this interpretation.
The first problem is that it fails to distinguish between salvation and justification. In Scripture, wisdom, and even God Himself, are also said to be "justified". In Matthew 11:19 and Luke 7:35, Jesus says wisdom is justified by her children. How is this possible? Wisdom is not a conscious entity, but a metaphysical concept. Furthermore, in Luke 7:29, we read that the publicans justified God. But what right have they to determine whether or not God is worthy to have his sins forgiven and enter the Kingdom of Heaven? Not only is God far too perfect to have sins to forgive, but Heaven is 100% in His dominion. No mere mortal can own any more of it than God Himself allows.
Clearly, therefore, justification and salvation are not the same thing. Which brings us to the second problem: James 2:24 is not alone. No serious Christian will argue as if it is. In fact, one thing all who name the name of Christ ought to agree on is that Scripture is consistent and equally authoritative. James is not some super-Scripture that overrules all others, nor are other areas of Scripture contrary to that which is found in James. Therefore, if the rest of scripture teaches Sola Fide, any interpretation of James that is against Sola Fide must be in error.
Of course, this works both ways. Just as James is not a greater Scripture with the ability to overrule other contrary Scriptures, it is also not a lesser Scripture which is to be overruled by other contrary Scriptures. Therefore, if James opposes Sola Fide, then interpretations of other Scriptures which seem to promote Sola Fide must be erroneous.
So which is it? Are Sola Fide verses, like Ephesians 2:8-10, misinterpreted as presenting Sola Fide, or is James 2:24 misinterpreted as opposing it? We could, as I have in the past, weigh these verses side by side and see which interpretation fits all relevant passages. But for this article, I want to focus almost entirely on James 2, and I won't leave the passage unless it tells me to. As it happens, the accompanying verses give us the context necessary to understand what James 2:24 means by justification. Put simply, the entire context of James 2 is consistency within the Christian faith.
Opponents of Sola Fide rarely, if ever, understand this concept. When they hear us say "you don't need works to be saved", they internally translate it as "you don't need works at all". But no one with true faith will ever believe this, much less preach it. James, in context, is addressing those who, whether they believe it or not, act as if they do. In both word and deed, they live as if they do not have faith, and he is rebuking this folly.
To prove this, simply read it: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (v14-20).
I often feel conflicted as an apologist when expounding on this passage, as I feel like it should be self explanatory. In fact, to me, it is. Long before I started debating this topic, back when I just took it for granted that Christians believe we are saved by faith alone, I read James and have always had the same interpretation. I expound upon it only because for opponents of Sola Fide, it apparently means the opposite of what it very clearly says. Notice, all throughout this passage, James effectively leads his readers through a thought process which he hopes to conclude with "so put your money where your mouth is".
Now, some might pick up on the phrase "can faith save him?", and I could almost level with that reasoning if it wasn't for literally everything else, both in James 2, and elsewhere in Scripture. My simple answer is that the KJV, in which this rendering is found, is somewhat anomalous in this rendering. Other translations tend to clarify the meaning, adding "can his faith save him" (HCSB) or "can such faith save him" (NIV). Even the NABRE renders it "can that faith save him?". The NABRE is a Catholic translation, and the Catholic Church is notorious for its explicit denial of Sola Fide and its anathematising of believers. In other words, if there was a more accurate translation of James 2 that opposed Sola Fide, the translators of the NABRE had every motivation to present it, yet they, too, chose the clarifying translation.
From this, we see that faith is not mere intellectual assent. As James says, even demons believe in the one true God, but they shudder. Conclusion? If we believe, we should be shuddering too. Thus, James says, what good is it if a person says he has faith but doesn't have works? He backs this up with the analogy of a poor man. What good is it to tell him "go in peace"? He's naked, your thoughts won't clothe him. He's hungry, your good wishes won't feed him. He's homeless, he can't take shelter under your words. If you mean what you say, why aren't you clothing, feeding, and sheltering him? At least to the extent the Lord empowers us, we should show our faith by our works. And look, that's exactly what James says in verse 18!
Now, you may remember how I said I wouldn't leave James 2 unless James 2 tells me to. Well, now we get to the part where it tells me to: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (v21-24).
This is the immediate context of James 2:24. James is speaking about a specific example to demonstrate his point. Thus, we can look to the example to see the point he is making. To do that, we must leave James 2 and look at Genesis chapters 15 and 22.
In Genesis 22, we see the "works" to which James refers. Let's read from verse 1 to 22:
"And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him. Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off. And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you. And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. And they came to the place which God had told him of; and Abraham built an altar there, and laid the wood in order, and bound Isaac his son, and laid him on the altar upon the wood. And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said, Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me."
Even in this passage, we see the theme of James 2 shining through in God's response. "for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing..." Abraham's works. Abraham showed his faith by his works, thus justifying him. But here's the question: Justified to who? See, though God says "now I know", we know full well that God is omniscient. He declares the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10), so He knew from the beginning that in "the end", Abraham would not withhold Isaac from God.
But James addresses more than just Abraham's works. He reminds us "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God." (v23). For this, we must turn to Genesis 15. In verse 6, we see that very Scripture: "And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
But what, exactly, was Abraham believing? "After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be." (Genesis 15:1-5).
In other words, Abraham got credit for his faith long before the works in question were even possible. This is why James can say "Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God."
Thus, when Sola Fide is understood, it is clearly seen in James 2. No one who believes we are saved by faith alone would say our works should be alone. This is just not a realistic belief, neither to be held, nor to be preached. Therefore, when opponents of Sola Fide cite James 2:24 against us, as if that's what we are preaching, they have completely missed the point. But believers in Sola Fide (in other words, Bible believing Christians) are entirely comfortable with affirming that faith without works is dead, we are not justified by faith alone, and that Abraham is a brilliant example of this. As Ephesians 2:8-10 tells us, we are saved by grace through faith, not by works, but we are created in Christ for good works, which God has ordained beforehand that we should walk in.
James 2, when read in its proper context and without the tinted glasses of heretical denominations, quite clearly teaches Sola Fide, but in a complete fashion. Sola Fide is a starting point that James finishes; we may be saved by faith alone, but if we are saved by faith alone, we must prove it. Our actions must match our faith, and if they do not, we end up proving our faith is not what we claim. A true believer will behave like a believer, and we distinguish the sheep from the goats by their behavior. If you claim to be Christian, show your faith by your works. Unless you literally convert on your death bed, anything less is suspicious at best.