There is an ostensible discord between Paul’s and James’s treatments on faith and works. “For we conclude,” Paul affirms, “that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” (Rom 3:28) The crux of Paul’s argument throughout his letter to the Romans revolves around the particular necessity of faith alone. (Rom 11:6) James, however, seemingly writes in contradistinction when he declares, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Jas 2:24) These passages represent an apparent flaw in the New Testament presentation of the gospel. In fact, the beloved reformer Martin Luther even quipped that James is “an epistle of straw,” dismissing it as an apostolic piece of writing. “It is flatly against St. Paul and all the rest of Scripture,” Luther declares, “in ascribing justification to works.”
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A brief inquiry into the disparity between…
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There is an ostensible discord between Paul’s and James’s treatments on faith and works. “For we conclude,” Paul affirms, “that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law.” (Rom 3:28) The crux of Paul’s argument throughout his letter to the Romans revolves around the particular necessity of faith alone. (Rom 11:6) James, however, seemingly writes in contradistinction when he declares, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” (Jas 2:24) These passages represent an apparent flaw in the New Testament presentation of the gospel. In fact, the beloved reformer Martin Luther even quipped that James is “an epistle of straw,” dismissing it as an apostolic piece of writing. “It is flatly against St. Paul and all the rest of Scripture,” Luther declares, “in ascribing justification to works.”