In the ESV, James 2:24 says, “You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.” Roman Catholics use this verse to defend their understanding that our works combine with our faith to justify us before God. A Roman Catholic response is here:

“The main point for James is that our works “complete” our faith and keep it alive. And inasmuch as our works are necessary for a living faith, they are necessary for keeping us in a saving relationship with God. This is why James can write, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.” A Catholic, therefore, is justified in his appeal to James 2:24 in support of his belief that works are necessary for salvation!”

Is this a correct understanding of James 2:24? How do we reconcile it with such verses as Ephesians 2:8-9 which states that “by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Do our works combine with our faith to justify us before God? If so, then we contribute to our salvation and salvation cannot be by grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone.

So, what then is the meaning behind James 2:24?

Doug Eaton provides sound insight here as to the meaning of James 2:24.

“If I say, “That man is green,” meaning he is inexperienced, but then say, “He is not green,” meaning he is not the color green, there is no contradiction. A change in sense is what is taking place between Paul and James. When Paul says, “we are justified by faith apart from works,” he means justified before God, declared righteous in Jesus Christ. James means justified before men. That is why this article, working from James chapter 2, started with the request, “Show me your faith.” James is talking about proving your faith to others, not our standing before God.

We are justified by faith apart from works before God, but saving faith is never alone. Faith produces works. At the same time and in a different sense, we are justified before others by works and not faith alone.

Faith that does not produce works is dead; it is not saving faith. However, though the works that faith produces justify us before others, those same works earn us no merit in our right standing before God. We are declared righteous, justified, by Christ’s work on our behalf.“

Martin Luther referred to the Epistle of James as an “epistle of straw,” suggesting it lacked the core message of the Gospel compared to other New Testament writings. However, he did not advocate for its removal from the Bible, as he included it in his German translation and acknowledged its value in promoting God’s law. We must grasp the change in sense between what Paul and James are each saying. There is no contradiction between the two.

Since God alone can see into the heart, the church has hstorically said that evidence of genuine faith in this world is a changed life – affirming the same truth that Doug Eaton does. We can deduce genuine faith by a changed life which eventually effects works for the glory of God.