[Apologetics] Subversive Apologetics

[Stuart D. Gathman]

1. Should James be removed as heretical?  After all, he says,
"Therefore a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone."

2. Lively discussion ensues.  Defenders of James say it is "hyperbole". 
Detractors say Luther was right to reject it.

3. Present something like the following:
Yes, it is semantics.  People use the same word to mean entirely different 
things.  For instance, the word 'love' in English has many overloaded 
meanings, causing no end of confusion.  There is no one right definition 
of Biblical words, because each author is unique in his vocabulary and 
outlook.

First off, the word "faith".  There are two primary meanings, "fide 
formata" - faith formed by charity, and "fide informis" - intellectual 
ascent.  Jesus and Paul mean the former, whereas James clearly means the 
latter, for he says, "You _believe_ there is one God?  You do well.  The 
demons also _believe_ and tremble."   Jesus refers to formed faith when He 
says, "If you love Me, keep my commandments."  Formed faith is best 
expressed in English as "Trust and Obey", hence the traditional hymn by 
that title.  You may believe (fide informis) that airplanes can fly, but 
you don't really believe it until you actually follow the boarding 
procedures, get on the airplane, and trust yourself to it.

Second, the word "justification".  There are two primary Biblical meanings 
(and there are more).  Forensic justification - as in "just-as-if-i'd 
never sinned", and material justification - to make just, as in "the word 
processor has justified my ragged text".  Paul is generally referring to 
forensic justification, but James uses justification in the material sense 
- "sanctification" would be closer equivalent for Protestants steeped in 
the "just-as-if-i'd" sense.

Third, the word "works".  Paul refers to two senses at once when he talks 
about laying up "wood, hay, and stubble" vs "gold, silver, and precious 
stones".  The first is the fruit of works done "in the flesh", without the 
sanctifying power of the Spirit.  The second is the fruit of works done 
"in the spirit" by the power of the Spirit.

The bottom line is that James clearly says, "therefore a man is justified 
by works, and *not* by faith alone."  If you insist on reading Paul's word 
usage into that statement, you would have to throw James out of the Bible 
(as Luther was inclined to do).  But James is not Paul, and it is entirely 
consistent with Paul when you understand James style.  To amplify in less 
ambiguous terms, James says, "therefore, a man is made actually just 
through works done in the Spirit, and *not* by intellectual ascent alone."

The sound bite of the Reformation was "sola fide".  If only the more 
qualified sound bite had been "sola fide formata", the Reformation might 
have affected more of the Church and with less division.

4. "Thanks, that was very interesting!"  (Notice I said nothing about
Catholics.)

5. Next time the Subject of Catholics vs. Sola Fide comes up, innocently 
ask if they could possibly be using the language of James.

-- 
 	      Stuart D. Gathman <stuart at bmsi.com>
Business Management Systems Inc.  Phone: 703 591-0911 Fax: 703 591-6154
"Confutatis maledictis, flamis acribus addictis" - background song for
a Microsoft sponsored "Where do you want to go from here?" commercial.