And the winner is...
It's a draw! Paul was correct, of course, when he said that salvation is through faith without works and James was correct, of course, when he said that salvation is through faith plus works.
How can they both be correct when they offer opposing views on the same subject? It's simple. Really...it is! It's so simple in fact, that the wise and prudent and the scholars and the infallible church of Rome can't see it.
Let's first see where the "contention" lies between Paul and James:
Gal. 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
James 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
The question now is whom do we believe, Paul (faith alone) or James (faith plus works)?
No, there is no contradiction that must be "got around" and there is no need of privately interpreting what each man was saying so as to "make peace" between them. All that is necessary to see the light is to obey God's word and RIGHTLY DIVIDE it.
If you disobey that command, then Abraham WAS justified by works and he was NOT justified by works, depending upon whether you're reading Paul or James, and you have made God's word confusion.
I did say this was a very simple thing to resolve and so it is...
Rom. 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
Abraham was justified by faith without the works of the law and before circumcision and so he was a GENTILE. Therefore, saved Gentiles can rightly be called the "children of Abraham" for just as he was saved through faith WITHOUT the works of the law, so are we.
Abraham was also justified by faith with works, as says James, when he offered up his son Isaac and at which time he was a circumcised HEBREW.
So, there 'ya have it...Paul is correct in saying that salvation is through faith alone for he is speaking of the current dispensation and James is correct in saying that salvation is through faith plus keeping the law of good works for he is speaking of the dispensation after the church is gone home to heaven.
It is the same Abraham who was a Gentile and who was saved through faith plus nothing who was also saved through faith plus good works as a Hebrew and all to illustrate, to those willing to see it, that salvation is NOT "always" the same in every dispensation.
The only contradiction and confusion about the issue is not to be found in God's word, but in those who are either too lazy or too brainwashed to study it and to rightly divide it.
Heb412
It's a draw! Paul was correct, of course, when he said that salvation is through faith without works and James was correct, of course, when he said that salvation is through faith plus works.
How can they both be correct when they offer opposing views on the same subject? It's simple. Really...it is! It's so simple in fact, that the wise and prudent and the scholars and the infallible church of Rome can't see it.
Let's first see where the "contention" lies between Paul and James:
Gal. 3:3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
James 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
The question now is whom do we believe, Paul (faith alone) or James (faith plus works)?
No, there is no contradiction that must be "got around" and there is no need of privately interpreting what each man was saying so as to "make peace" between them. All that is necessary to see the light is to obey God's word and RIGHTLY DIVIDE it.
If you disobey that command, then Abraham WAS justified by works and he was NOT justified by works, depending upon whether you're reading Paul or James, and you have made God's word confusion.
I did say this was a very simple thing to resolve and so it is...
Rom. 4:8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.
9 Cometh this blessedness then upon the circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
Abraham was justified by faith without the works of the law and before circumcision and so he was a GENTILE. Therefore, saved Gentiles can rightly be called the "children of Abraham" for just as he was saved through faith WITHOUT the works of the law, so are we.
Abraham was also justified by faith with works, as says James, when he offered up his son Isaac and at which time he was a circumcised HEBREW.
So, there 'ya have it...Paul is correct in saying that salvation is through faith alone for he is speaking of the current dispensation and James is correct in saying that salvation is through faith plus keeping the law of good works for he is speaking of the dispensation after the church is gone home to heaven.
It is the same Abraham who was a Gentile and who was saved through faith plus nothing who was also saved through faith plus good works as a Hebrew and all to illustrate, to those willing to see it, that salvation is NOT "always" the same in every dispensation.
The only contradiction and confusion about the issue is not to be found in God's word, but in those who are either too lazy or too brainwashed to study it and to rightly divide it.
Heb412
One Lord, one faith, one baptism, and ONE Holy Bible, the KJB 1611!
