In Jas 2:24, James says that a man is justified by works. He is not contradicting Paul, who says that a man is justified by faith (Rom 3:28). Paul is talking about justification before God. James is talking about justification before men. According to James, others declare a person righteous when they see his righteous works. A person can profess to have faith, and we can hear what they say. But we cannot see what a person believes. We can, however, see their deeds.
I was studying Proverbs 20 recently and noticed that Solomon agrees with James in many ways. In Prov 20:6, Solomon says that a man may proclaim how good he is. But a faithful man, one who does what he says, is hard to find. The one who “walks”––that is who lives––righteously is a man of integrity (Prov 20:7). That means his actions match his words.
Solomon goes on to say that a child is known by his deeds (Prov 20:11). Believers–– children of God––often do not act righteously, but all believers will live in the kingdom of God forever, regardless of how they live now. However, when believers do righteous things, they show others that they are born of a righteous Father (1 John 3:9-10).
In the next verse, Prov 20:12, Solomon makes a statement that seems out of context. After saying that a child is known by his deeds, he says that the Lord has made the “hearing ear” and the “seeing eye.” What is the connection? I think this whole section is the key.
With our ear we can hear a man proclaim that he is righteous. With our eye we can see his deeds. If a man is faithful and has integrity, what we hear and what we see will be consistent. His deeds––what we see––match what we hear him say. That is what leads us to say he is a righteous man. Such a man is justified by his neighbors.
Solomon gives an example of this in Proverbs 20. Businessmen can use “diverse weights” in order to cheat their customers (Prov 20:10, 23). Those businessmen can be believers. They can have eternal life. They can claim to be good men. But if they cheat their neighbors, those neighbors will not call them righteous. The reason is simple: Such men do not act righteously.
Proverbs is a book that emphasizes the blessings of living a righteous life. James does, as well. James says that one of those blessings is that if a child of God acts righteously, his faith will become stronger. His faith will impact his life. Others will see his faith in action. Another blessing is that the believer who acts righteously will avoid the deadly consequences of sin. Solomon would give a hearty “Amen!” to that.
As believers, we must tell the world that we are declared righteous before God by faith in Christ alone. We receive eternal life by faith, and works play no part in it. But we must also proclaim the importance of good works. As believers, we show the world that we are children of God by our deeds. If we are obedient to God’s Word, the world will see our Father in us. The world will call us righteous when they see that obedience. In the eyes of others, we will be justified. Both James and Solomon are saying the same thing.
