The Book of James, an opinion

[H. Richard]

James 2:20-21
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
(NKJ)

Okay, then how do you explain this?
He was accounted righteous before God several years earlier, BEFORE the birth of Isaac, and before he had done anything to "prove" his faith in God. Check it out in Genesis 15;4-6 below..

Genesis 15:4-6
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."
5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
(NKJ)

It seems that God accounted him righteous solely for his faith in His Promises, and not by anything that he did. There is nothing in Genesis 15 that mentions any works that Abraham did. Paul accurately reports this. It seems that James did not consider the account in Genesis 15. It was not until Genesis 22, many years after Isaac was born, when Abraham was well over 100 years old, that he agreed to offer Isaac.

James writes:
22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.
24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

Neither of those last two statements are in the Genesis 15:4-6 account.
Nowhere does the OT Scripture say that Abraham "was called God's friend" BECAUSE he was willing to offer up his son Isaac. In Isaiah 41:8 it states that God called Abraham His friend but nowhere in the context of the chapter does He say it was because Abraham offered up his son Isaac.

What James wrote, as shown above, are direct contradiction of the Gospel that Paul taught and the account given in Genesis 15:4-6. Abraham was righteous before God solely because he believed God’s promises.

The religious who advocate works can argue this until they are blue in the face but it does not change the FACTS as shown in Genesis.

In my opinion the book of James is devoid of the gospel of grace as taught by Paul.

However, it was compatible with the law of Moses. Since the word of God has to be based on truth, I find the book of James is not based on FAITH in Christ’s work on the cross but only on works of the law and is not for this age of God’s grace. The very fact that it was addressed to Jews (James 1:1) is more proof that it was only for the Jews who were under the law.

It remains to be seen that the religious will try to destroy what I have written by attacking me, personally, and it will show that they want people to believe we are under the law in this age of God’s grace. They can easily attack me but they can not say that the scriptures I have presented do not say what I have reported them to say.

Under grace a person must place their faith (belief) in God’s promise of salvation based on their belief in what He (Jesus) did on the cross where He paid for the sins of the whole world. Through the gospel of grace that was given to Paul God, Himself, paid for the sins of the world and a person has to believe it to have salvation. If they do not then they are condemned because they do not believe God.

Written by H. Richard 2019

 

[Helen]

I like "your opinion" brother..... @H. Richard
And have agreed for years...

 

[bbyrd009]

James 2:20-21
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
(NKJ)

Okay, then how do you explain this?
He was accounted righteous before God several years earlier, BEFORE the birth of Isaac, and before he had done anything to "prove" his faith in God. Check it out in Genesis 15;4-6 below..

still beating that broken drum, huh HR. James was an accidental inclusion, God just let it slip by, He was on vaca or something lol.

Work while it is day
all will be judged for their works done while in the body,

and you should maybe stop masturbating here so much imo
but it's a free country ok, do what you like

 

[Dave L]

James 2:20-21
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
(NKJ)

Okay, then how do you explain this?
He was accounted righteous before God several years earlier, BEFORE the birth of Isaac, and before he had done anything to "prove" his faith in God. Check it out in Genesis 15;4-6 below..

Genesis 15:4-6
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."
5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
(NKJ)

It seems that God accounted him righteous solely for his faith in His Promises, and not by anything that he did. There is nothing in Genesis 15 that mentions any works that Abraham did. Paul accurately reports this. It seems that James did not consider the account in Genesis 15. It was not until Genesis 22, many years after Isaac was born, when Abraham was well over 100 years old, that he agreed to offer Isaac.

James writes:
22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.
24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

Neither of those last two statements are in the Genesis 15:4-6 account.
Nowhere does the OT Scripture say that Abraham "was called God's friend" BECAUSE he was willing to offer up his son Isaac. In Isaiah 41:8 it states that God called Abraham His friend but nowhere in the context of the chapter does He say it was because Abraham offered up his son Isaac.

What James wrote, as shown above, are direct contradiction of the Gospel that Paul taught and the account given in Genesis 15:4-6. Abraham was righteous before God solely because he believed God’s promises.

The religious who advocate works can argue this until they are blue in the face but it does not change the FACTS as shown in Genesis.

In my opinion the book of James is devoid of the gospel of grace as taught by Paul.

However, it was compatible with the law of Moses. Since the word of God has to be based on truth, I find the book of James is not based on FAITH in Christ’s work on the cross but only on works of the law and is not for this age of God’s grace. The very fact that it was addressed to Jews (James 1:1) is more proof that it was only for the Jews who were under the law.

It remains to be seen that the religious will try to destroy what I have written by attacking me, personally, and it will show that they want people to believe we are under the law in this age of God’s grace. They can easily attack me but they can not say that the scriptures I have presented do not say what I have reported them to say.

Under grace a person must place their faith (belief) in God’s promise of salvation based on their belief in what He (Jesus) did on the cross where He paid for the sins of the whole world. Through the gospel of grace that was given to Paul God, Himself, paid for the sins of the world and a person has to believe it to have salvation. If they do not then they are condemned because they do not believe God.

Written by H. Richard 2019

Luther struggled with James because it seemed to run across the grain of New Covenant scripture. But I think it only says true faith will be seen in the fruits it bears. Abraham was also recognized as a justified believer as later proved by his willingness to offer up Isaac.

 

[H. Richard]

still beating that broken drum, huh HR. James was an accidental inclusion, God just let it slip by, He was on vaca or something lol.

Work while it is day
all will be judged for their works done while in the body,

and you should maybe stop masturbating here so much imo
but it's a free country ok, do what you like

You have done as I predicted. You can't say what I wrote is wrong but you can say I am wrong. You are true to form, just a Gadfly.

 

[bbyrd009]

You have done as I predicted.

This is a forum you idiot, and what you wrote is so wrong it is not even worth commenting on.
I predict your feelings are now going to be hurt, duh.

 

[bbyrd009]

What James wrote, as shown above, are direct contradiction of the Gospel that Paul taught and the account given in Genesis 15:4-6. Abraham was righteous before God solely because he believed God’s promises.

Only according to Scripture you lie like a dog, and the truth is not in you.
That makes you an antichrist, ok

 

[bbyrd009]

Okay, then how do you explain this?

What would it matter, you would ignore it anyway.
This has been reflected on in your presence many times now, and your past can be a perfectly reliable guide for anyone who knows how to search your pestilent feed.

BoL has never called anyone a liar either

 

[Helen]

Luther struggled with James because it seemed to run across the grain of New Covenant scripture. But I think it only says true faith will be seen in the fruits it bears. Abraham was also recognized as a justified believer as later proved by his willingness to offer up Isaac.

So, would you agree James is a blinking hard book to wrap ones head around?
And if he wrote novels they would be so complicated that no one would understand what the plot was?

If James is saying what you say that he is saying...then he is a darn bad writer and communicator.

Now that will send every person who believes that every single word written down was God inspired...and not believe that the essence of the writer himself always creeps into his writing.
I believe James was stuck like Peter was for a while, everything coloured by the law.

 

[bbyrd009]

Since the word of God has to be based on truth, I find the book of James is not based on FAITH in Christ’s work on the cross but only on works of the law and is not for this age of God’s grace. The very fact that it was addressed to Jews (James 1:1) is more proof that it was only for the Jews who were under the law.

So, hard to sort out this ridiculous mess in less than about a page, but Word does not have to "be based" on the truth, and you can't even prove your self-serving def of Word, which you got wrong too, and you finding something would be a miracle I guess, go find he who says he knows, does not sometime maybe, while you are changing hands perhaps. Use the dry hand I guess.

James is not necessary to establish works, at all, and all one need do is recognize all the other Scripture that is basically like holy water to a vampire around you, see? It's in the gospels, it's in the epistles, it's in revelation, and you are a deceived liar, wasting people's time here with deception.

There still are no Jew or Gentile in the kingdom, no slave or free, no male or female. So you can keep reading Scripture as though there were, I have no objection ok HR.

I am not meaning to be a jerk here like you are ok, but if you crave an audience so badly that you can't write a blog anyone wants to read you should maybe take a hint ok. Or expect to get trashed whenever you post this satanic, anti-Scriptural, antichrist yack.

Best of luck wth the magical thinking and the quest for immortality in the Elysian Fields ok.
you might try AFF if they're still up, they love this kind of tripe there. As long as you misquote Scripture at them you will be accepted.

 

[H. Richard]

Luther struggled with James because it seemed to run across the grain of New Covenant scripture. But I think it only says true faith will be seen in the fruits it bears. Abraham was also recognized as a justified believer as later proved by his willingness to offer up Isaac.

Dave, you are just trying to rationalize this Why are you so afraid to see and proclaim to truth? Is it because you want to keep the law in play?

It is not a person's willingness to do works. It is man's willingness to believe God. It is God who did the work for our salvation, not man doing works. That is the failure of religion. It places the works of man in the mix to obtain salvation and that diminishes the works of God's Son on the cross. I don't think God is pleased that man thinks they do something for their salvation.

Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
NKJV

Rom 1:16-17 --- The Just Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
NKJV

 

[bbyrd009]

So, would you agree James is a blinking hard book to wrap ones head around?

all you have to do is give up your preconceived notions about the future and the magical thinking imo, but every point in James can be made without ref to James at all Helen, pick any one you like?

 

[bbyrd009]

willingness to do works. It is man's willingness to believe God. I

Ya, I knew "believe" was shortly going to make an appearance lol
A pox on believers, and anyone who feeds them imo

Have faith or find it if you know what's good for you reader

 

[Dave L]

So, would you agree James is a blinking hard book to wrap ones head around?
And if he wrote novels they would be so complicated that no one would understand what the plot was?

If James is saying what you say that he is saying...then he is a darn bad writer and communicator.

Now that will send every person who believes that every single word written down was God inspired...and not believe that the essence of the writer himself always creeps into his writing.
I believe James was stuck like Peter was for a while, everything coloured by the law.

I think we must really understand Paul before we can attempt to understand James. I.e., that love fulfills the law. So Abraham's works of love for God were the fulfillment of his justification. Apart from which, his love for God would not exist.

 

[bbyrd009]

Do you know what the Bible calls people who believe things about the future based upon some incantation they have uttered? These are called diviners, or mancers of some type, or even sometimes seers, but they are witches, just like you are ok

 

[H. Richard]

So, hard to sort out this ridiculous mess in less than about a page, but Word does not have to "be based" on the truth, and you can't even prove your self-serving def of Word, which you got wrong too, and you finding something would be a miracle I guess, go find he who says he knows, does not sometime maybe, while you are changing hands perhaps. Use the dry hand I guess.

James is not necessary to establish works, at all, and all one need do is recognize all the other Scripture that is basically like holy water to a vampire around you, see? It's in the gospels, it's in the epistles, it's in revelation, and you are a deceived liar, wasting people's time here with deception.

There still are no Jew or Gentile in the kingdom, no slave or free, no male or female. So you can keep reading Scripture as though there were, I have no objection ok HR.

I am not meaning to be a jerk here like you are ok, but if you crave an audience so badly that you can't write a blog anyone wants to read you should maybe take a hint ok. Or expect to get trashed whenever you post this satanic, anti-Scriptural, antichrist yack.

Best of luck wth the magical thinking and the quest for immortality in the Elysian Fields ok.
you might try AFF if they're still up, they love this kind of tripe there. As long as you misquote Scripture at them you will be accepted.

There are many on this forum that can see what I wrote is the truth. You are just a Gadfly. If you don't know what a Gadfly is look it up in a Dictionary. All you ever do is try to assassinate the character of the posters. I am not alone. You do it to many other too. Like I said you are just a Gadfly.

 

[Dave L]

Dave, you are just trying to rationalize this Why are you so afraid to see and proclaim to truth? Is it because you want to keep the law in play?

It is not a person's willingness to do works. It is man's willingness to believe God. It is God who did the work for our salvation, not man doing works. That is the failure of religion. It places the works of man in the mix to obtain salvation and that diminishes the works of God's Son on the cross. I don't think God is pleased that man thinks they do something for their salvation.

Gal 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.
NKJV

Rom 1:16-17 --- The Just Live by Faith
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.
17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just shall live by faith."
NKJV

All I'm saying is saved people keep the law through love for God and people without the tangles of legalism.

 

[Episkopos]

The book of James is a practical application to the gospel. Jews tend to be very practical...whereas Gentiles more philosophical. So the tension is between a philosophical view and a practical view. But the truth is still the truth.

The book of James is there for people to become aware whether their understanding of the truth actually works in reality or not. So it is very useful. Those who speak against the scriptures show their own lack...not the bible's.

 

[marks]

Man's works do not justify him to God. God justifies us or not. So to whom is Abraham justified by works?

Much love!
Mark

 

[Dave L]

Man's works do not justify him to God. God justifies us or not. So to whom is Abraham justified by works?

Much love!
Mark

Works are the completion of justifying faith. Faith is not real apart from them.