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Justified by Works: The Lutheran Confessions on James 2:24
From James 2:24 [our opponents] cite, “Ye see, then, how by works a man is justified, and not by faith alone.” Nor is any other passage supposed to be more contrary to our belief. But the reply is easy and plain. If the adversaries do not attach their own opinions concerning the merits of works, the words of James have in them nothing that is of disadvantage. But wherever there is mention of works, the adversaries add falsely their own godless opinions, that by means of good works we merit the remission of sins; that good works are a propitiation and price on account of which God is reconciled to us; that good works overcome the terrors of sin and of death, that good works are accepted in God’s sight on account of their goodness; and that they do not need mercy and Christ as Propitiator. None of all these things came into the mind of James, which the adversaries nevertheless, defend under the pretext of this passage of James.
In the first place, then, we must ponder, this, namely, that the passage is more against the adversaries than against us. For the adversaries teach that man is justified by love and works. Of faith, by which we apprehend Christ as Propitiator, they say nothing. Yea, they condemn this faith, nor do they condemn it only in sentences and writings, but also by the sword and capital punishments they endeavor to exterminate it in the Church. How much better does James teach, who does not omit faith, or present love in preference to faith, but retains faith, so that in justification Christ may not be excluded as Propitiator! Just as Paul also, when he treats of the sum of the Christian life, includes faith and love, 1 Timothy 1:5, “The end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.”
Secondly, the subject itself declares that here such works are spoken of as follow faith, and show that faith is not dead, but living and efficacious in the heart. James, therefore, did not believe that by good works we merit the remission of sins and grace. For he speaks of the works of those who have been justified, who have already been reconciled and accepted, and have obtained remission of sins. Wherefore the adversaries err when they infer that James teaches that we merit remission of sins and grace by good works, and that by our works we have access to God, without Christ as Propitiator.
Thirdly, James has spoken shortly before concerning regeneration, namely, that it occurs through the Gospel. For thus he says James 1:18, “Of His own will begat He us with the Word of Truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His creatures.” When he says that we have been born again by the Gospel, he teaches that we have been born again and justified by faith. For the promise concerning Christ is apprehended only by faith, when we set it against the terrors of sin and of death. James does not, therefore, think that we are born again by our works.
From these things it is clear that James does not contradict us, who, when censuring idle and secure minds, that imagine that they have faith, although they do not have it, made a distinction between dead and living faith. He says that that is dead which does not bring forth good works and fruits of the Spirit obedience, patience, chastity, love; he says that that is living which brings forth good works. Furthermore, we have frequently already shown what we term faith. For we do not speak of idle knowledge [that merely the history concerning Christ should be known], such as devils have, but of faith which resists the terrors of conscience, and cheers and consoles terrified hearts, the new light and power which the Holy Ghost works in the heart, through which we overcome the terrors of death, of sin, etc.
Such faith is neither an easy matter, as the adversaries dream and they say: Believe, believe, how easy it is to believe! etc., nor [is faith] a human power (a thought which I can form for myself), but a divine power, by which we are quickened, and by which we overcome the devil and death. Just as Paul says to the Colossians, 2:12 that faith is efficacious through the power of God, and overcomes death: “Wherein also ye are risen with Him through the faith of the operation of God.” Since this faith is a new life, it necessarily produces new movements and works. Because it is a new light and life in the heart, whereby we obtain another mind and spirit, it is living, productive, and rich in good works.
Accordingly, James is right in denying that we are justified by such a faith as is without works. But when he says that we are justified by faith and works, he certainly does not say that we are born again by works. Neither does he say this, that partly Christ is our Propitiator, and partly our works are our propitiation. Nor does he describe the mode of justification, but only of what nature the just are, after they have been already justified and regenerated. For he is speaking of works which should follow faith. There it is well said: He who has faith and good works is righteous, not indeed, on account of the works, but for Christ’s sake, through faith. And as a good tree should bring forth good fruit, and yet the fruit does not make the tree good, so good works must follow the new birth, although they do not make man accepted before God; but as the tree must first be good, so also must man be first accepted before God by faith for Christ’s sake. The works are too insignificant to render God gracious to us for their sake, if He were not gracious to us for Christ’s sake.
Therefore James does not contradict St. Paul, and does not say that by our works we merit, etc. And here to be justified does not mean that a righteous man is made from a wicked man, but to be pronounced righteous in a forensic sense, as also in the passage Romans 2:13, “The doers of the Law shall be justified.” As, therefore, these words: “The doers of the Law shall be justified,” contain nothing contrary to our doctrine, so, too, we believe concerning the words of James: “By works a man is justified, and not by faith alone,” because men having faith and good works are certainly pronounced righteous. For, as we have said, the good works of saints are righteous, and please on account of faith.
For James commends only such works as faith produces, as he testifies when he says of Abraham, 2:22, “Faith wrought with his works.” In this sense it is said: The doers of the Law are justified, i.e., they are pronounced righteous who from the heart believe God, and afterwards have good fruits, which please Him on account of faith, and, accordingly, are the fulfillment of the Law. These things, simply spoken, contain nothing erroneous, but they are distorted by the adversaries, who attach to them godless opinions out of their mind. For it does not follow hence that works merit the remission of sins that works regenerate hearts; that works are a propitiation; that works please without Christ as Propitiator; that works do not need Christ as Propitiator. James says nothing of these things, which, nevertheless, the adversaries shamelessly infer from the words of James.
The Apology of the Augsburg Confession, III.129-134. Excerpted from the Concodia Triglotta (online here: www.bookofconcord.org/).