Faith and Deeds.
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Faith and Deeds
The righteousness of God, as Paul intimates in the text from Romans Chapter 3 verse 22,
is given through faith which all men who believe in Jesus Christ have. Jesus Christ atoned for the
sins of men through his death; thus, all men, whether Jew or Gentile, are equal. Faith, according
to Paul, is central to redemption, and works of men are immaterial. Action or inaction with faith
is all worthy before God, for He is not only the Lord of the Jews but also the Lord of the Gentiles
(New International Version, 2012, Romans 3:29).
Contrary to the position of Paul, James intimates that faith and deeds must go hand in
hand. Faith manifests through action; hence he who does not act cannot be said to have faith
(New International Version, 2012, James 2:14). Abraham was tested by God; that the Lord may
find out the extent of his trust in Him. His faith was completed by his action of being sacrificing
his son Isaac. This was a manifestation of Abraham’s faith in God. James argues that this is
proof of the need for action where faith is claimed.
Paul posits that faith must not be accompanied by deeds for God to find favour in a
person. This argument seeks to remove the divide between Jews and Gentiles. It emphasises the
keenness of the Lord in a person’s internal attitudes. Rather than claiming that faith isn’t
complete without deeds, Paul seeks to show the central role played by faith in righteousness.
While the positions of Paul and James seem contradictory, they are indeed in harmony. They
postulate that while faith can be made complete by actions, God does not turn away from a
believer simply for the lack of deeds.
References
New International Version. (2012) Biblegateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=James%202%3A14-26&version=NIV
New International Version. (2012) Biblegateway.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Romans%203%3A21-
4%3A25&version=NIV
