1. What is the biblical (and therefore only saving) gospel.
1.1. We call it the marriage covenant gospel—and that because the saving relationship we enter into with Jesus is a marriage covenant (Jer 31:31-32). As such, it functions according to the principles of gain and maintain. IOW: this is its mechanics –this is how it functions.
1.2. We gain our salvation (or marriage to Jesus) through faith (expressed in the covenant sign and vow of baptism – Joh 3:5; 1Pe 3:21; Gal 3:26-27) and we maintain our salvation (or marriage to Jesus) through faithful obedience to all of His commands (Luk 10:25-28; Joh 14:15).
1.3. Jesus confirmed gain and maintain as the mechanics of the His gospel (or the saving gospel) just before heading back to heaven (Mat 28:18-20).
1.4. This btw is not exclusive to those saved under the NC, but true of all saving covenants. From Genesis to Revelation, salvation has always taken place through the establishment of a marriage covenant between God and those persons and as a result has always operated according to the principles of gain and maintain. Though there have been changes to God’s covenant signs or the application of His laws, these two principles (gain and maintain) have been consistent throughout redemptive history. Every person who will be in heaven got there through adherence to the gain and maintain principles of the saving covenant they entered into w/God at the time of their existence on planet earth (from Adam to Us).
2. What the FAG teaches.
2.1. Faith in Jesus Christ and His righteousness is the only condition (or necessary instrument) for securing God’s justification (or salvation).
2.2. “Faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and His righteousness, is the alone instrument of justification [salvation]…” (Westminster Confession of Faith, 11.2).
2.3. The Evangelical’s support for this view (Rom 3:28 “we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law”).
3. The problem w/believing that faith is the “alone instrument” of justification/salvation is that the apostle James makes both faith and works necessary instruments of justification/salvation (Jam 2:14-26).
3.1. Notice (first of all), that works are tied to justification according to the same grammatical construction we find in (Rom 3:28 “justified by faith” w/Jam 2:21, 24-25). Both Paul and James use the preposition “by” to signal instrumentality. Therefore, like faith, works are also an instrument of our justification/salvation (btw: I am using these terms interchangeably b/c this is how James uses them – compare v14 “save” then vv21, 24-25 “justified”).
3.2. Based then on what we have just discovered, to claim that faith is instrumental but works are not (or to say that works are the result of saving faith and not an actual instrument of our justification/salvation) not only betrays a double standard (one used by Evangelicals get “works” out of the way), but also poor grammar. No Evangelical would ever deny that how James is referring to “faith” in verse 24 is in the instrumental sense (“a man is justified by works and not by faith alone”). If however that is true for “faith”, then the same must be true for “works” since the former is meant to qualify the latter. Both faith and works are necessary instruments of justification/salvation. Hence the reason for (v20). According to James, you cannot view faith as the only necessary instrument of salvation. Without works (the other necessary instrument), faith is “useless” in securing justification.
3.3. Another way (then) to read verse 24 would be, faith alone is not enough to save us. Works also are necessary..
3.4. Important not to miss: Verse 24 is the only place in the Bible were the words “faith” and “alone” are used together --and (as we see), it is in the negative. James clearly did not view faith alone as enough to secure justification/salvation – and would have never been a fan of a gospel that made this their centerpiece.
3.5. Intellectual honesty is all that is required to recognize that James’ beef in these verses is not with works – but faith (or the idea that faith alone is enough to save). Hence the reason for his question in (v14) followed by at least 5 negative statements all in relation to the idea of someone possessing faith alone (or faith without works).
3.6. The easiest way to prove that James viewed both faith and works as necessary instruments to salvation is by considering the logical syllogism that arises from these verses. A syllogism considers a series of related truths to establish another truth (or conclusion) based on those former truths. How a syllogisms work: if A = B and if B = C, Then A = C. [Example: 1) Denver is a city (A) in Colorado (B), 2) Colorado (B) is in the USA (C), Conclusion: Denver is a city (A) in the USA (C)]
3.7. The logical syllogism created by James 2:14-26
1) works (A) are necessary to saving faith (B) (21-25)
2) saving faith (or faith that includes works) (B) is necessary to salvation (C) (faith w/o works is dead [17, 26], non-existent [18], demonic [19], and useless [14-16, 20])
Conclusion: works (A) are necessary to salvation (C).
4. Important to our discussion on the book of James is Martin Luther: the “father” or inventor of the FAG.
4.1. Luther hated the book of James because it proved his invention (the FAG) to be false. So upset was Luther over what James’ message that he questioned its inclusion in the NT canon.
“Let us banish this epistle from the university, for it is worthless. It has no syllable about Christ, not even naming him except once at the beginning. I think it was written by some Jew who had heard of the Christians but not joined them… [James] is really an epistle of straw…Accordingly, if they will not admit my interpretations, then I shall make rubble also of it. I almost feel like throwing Jimmy into the stove.”
4.2. In regard to James 2:24 (the passage which reads “you see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone”), Luther’s words are even more direct and malicious. He writes, “It is false.”
IOW: God’s inspired words are false. That is what Luther is saying! Because James’ message contradicted his FAG –because it didn’t fit with what he wanted to be true –He condemned it as false.
4.3. How many of us would be inclined to follow the gospel of someone who called a portion of God’s Word, false? Yet this is what every single Evangelical –every single person who embraces the FAG, is doing (whether they know it –or not). They are following a man who denied a portion of God’s Word because it refuted his F-A invention.
4.4. Rather than recognizing he was wrong, Luther instead had the arrogance to question (and ultimately deny) the Word of God. BTW: the term Evangelical is also Luther’s invention. He came up with it as the term to describe those who would follow his false FAG.
4.5. Another thing unbeknownst to most Evangelicals, is that Luther attempted to counter James’ negation of faith-alone by sinfully and secretly adding the word “alone” to Romans 3:28 when translating the NT into the German language for his native country. In respect to such biblically prohibited actions (Deu 4:2), Luther said,
“You tell me what a great fuss the[people]are making because the word ‘alone’ is not in the text of Paul...say right out to him: ‘Dr. Martin Luther will have it so,’...I will have it so, and I order it to be so, and my will is reason enough. I know very well that the word ‘alone’ is not in the Latin or Greek text.”
4.6. Given the arrogance of Luther, no Evangelical should ever accuse us (or me) of being arrogant for questioning his invention – especially since Luther himself recognized he was a defeated man. He could not reconcile Paul with James. To him they existed in pure contradiction.
He writes, “Many sweat to reconcile St. Paul and St. James… but in vain. ‘Faith justifies’ and ‘faith does not justify’ contradict each other flatly. [Yet] If any one can harmonize them I will give him my doctor’s hood and let him call me a fool.”
4.7. According to Luther, anyone who could reconcile Rom 3:28 (“we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the law”) with Jam 2:24 (“you see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone”) ---is not only worthy of the title “doctor” in relation to God’s Word but to call Luther a fool because that would mean his FAG is false.
4.8. And we can do that (or the marriage covenant gospel of gain and maintain does that). It has no problem reconciling Paul with James while at the same time preserving the instrumentality communicated by both. And again, I will employ the use of syllogisms to prove it.
5. Two syllogisms that replace Luther’s doctor’s hood with the dunce hat of a fool.
5.1. The problem between James and Paul that Luther (and Evangelicals) still struggle to reconcile is two-fold: it is a problem with the Law and a problem w/justification. In respect to both, Luther and Evangelicals do not understand how James can speak of works (a reference to obeying the Law, Jam 2:1-13) as still necessary and an instrument of justification whereas Paul seems to speak of the Law’s cessation (Rom 10:4) and justification as a singular event that takes place only at the point of faith. This problem involving the law (btw) is not solved by sticking w/Paul. In the two books that Evangelicals often point to as their flagships for the FAG – Galatians and Romans, Paul establishes faith alone (Gal 2-3, Rom 3-5) only to the go on and talk about the necessity of works or the law later (Gal 5-6, Rom 11-13). The same can be said about justification. In Romans 8, Paul brings up the subject of justification as something still future or not finalized at the point of faith.
5.2. Here then are the syllogisms that solve both problems (the problem w/Law and the problem w/justification) --w/o needing to throw James out of our NTs (as Luther wanted) –or relegating works to simply a result of faith rather than another instrument of justification (as Evangelicals do):
5.3. In regard to the Law:
1) The Bible (A) includes both James and Paul as it authors (B)
2) Both James and Paul (B) speak about works: the works James refers to are necessary to justification (Jam 2:24 “works”) whereas the works Paul refers to are not necessary to justification (Rom 3:28 “works of the law”) (C)
Conclusion: The Bible (A) teaches two types of Law/works, one that is necessary to justification/salvation (moral commands = Rom 13:8-10) and one that is not (C) (“works of the law” = Rom 3:28, 10:4 [i.e., OC clean laws: circumcision, animal sacrifices, Sabbath days, separation from the unclean – e.g., Gal 2:3, 11-12 w/16; Gal 4:10).
Any person therefore not making such a distinction in their understanding of the Law (especially when reading Paul or James) – or interpreting Paul as against the entirety of the Law as necessary to salvation (e.g., Evangelicals), are grossly misinterpreting their Bibles (2Pe 3:16-17) = How the “unstable” and “untaught” twist Paul’s gospel and are damned: They preach a gospel that rejects obedience to God’s laws as a necessary/instrumental condition of salvation. They are “unprincipled” (literally, “lawless”) people (v17; FAG people existed in the 1st just as they do today).
5.4. In regard to Justification:
1) The Bible (A) includes both Paul and James as it authors (B)
2) Both Paul and James (B) speak about justification in relation to Abraham: Paul says Abe received it at the point of faith (Rom 4:1-3 w/Gen 15:6) whereas James says Abe received it after he proved his faithfulness (C) (Jam 2:21-23 w/Gen 22:1-18)
Conclusion: The Bible (A) teaches two types of justification/salvation, one that happens at the point of our faith (which is what passages like Rom 3:28 or Eph 2:8-9 are talking about) and another that happens only after we have lived in faithfulness to God’s commands (which is what Jam 2:24 is talking about –and what some Evangelicals have now embraced and refer to as “final justification”) (C).
5.5. POINT NOT TO MISS: Neither Luther nor any Evangelical after him has been able to solve the two-fold dilemma their gospel (the FAG) creates. Yet not only have I just solved it, but the biblical gospel – the marriage covenant gospel of gain and maintain confirms and incorporates both solutions perfectly. And it is the only gospel that does.
The FAG cannot—b/c it is a gospel built only on the teaching of Paul, a therefore very deficient and very damning gospel message. We have taken Luther’s hood and he now wears the dunce cap of a fool—the very thing every other Evangelical now wears also.
6. In addition to what has already been said, here are a few more truths that prove faith cannot be the “alone instrument” of our justification/salvation.
6.1. Both faith and works are not only necessary instruments of our justification/salvation but also things we are responsible for producing w/the very real threat of eternal condemnation if we fail (Mar 1:15 = Here we both faith and works/faithful obedience being required since that is what Jesus is saying when He calls the people to repent. Biblical repentance requires we stop our practice of lawlessness or sin - and in its place, practice obedience to God’s commands; Joh 3:18; Gal 5:21; Heb 10:26-30; Heb 12:14). Hence the reason God will judge us according to our works or deeds (it is our responsibility not God’s [HS])(Rom 2:6; 2Co 5:10; Rev 20:12-13).
6.2. Important for the Evangelical NOT TO MISS (here): like faith, works are not the inevitable result of our justification/salvation. If that were true, we would neither be commanded to do them nor given warnings if we fail (you can’t fail in something out of your control or that is inevitable).
6.3. Believing that you can be justified/saved w/o obedience to God’s commands is also the definition of apostasy (Deu 29:18-20 w/Heb 12:15-17).
7. In summary then, how do all of truths (previously discussed) prove the FAG to be false: they prove there is another condition for justification/salvation – (meaning) other than faith (which as we saw is what the FAG teaches).
7.1. By definition anything necessary for another thing to exist (in this case, justification/salvation) is a condition—which (based on what we have seen) is exactly what works (of faithful obedience) prove to be. They are a necessary instrument and therefore another condition. IOW: Justification/salvation requires more than faith. It is not by faith alone. The FAG is therefore FALSE (and therefore also a gospel that will send you to hell).
7.2. It doesn’t matter how long it has been around (500 yrs --which is actually not that long when one considers all of church history. Before the 16th century, no-one believed that salvation was simply by f-a. The FAG was a novel idea at the time it came into existence).
7.3. It also does not matter how many people believe it to be true. This is the logical fallacy known as Ad Populum – or the idea that something is true because it is popular (or because there are a 100 theologians who disagree).
“To defeat relativity, one does not need 100 scientists, but just one fact.” – Albert Einstein
7.4. The same is true w/regard to FAG. To defeat the FAG, one does not need 100 Christian pastors or scholars or theologians, but just the existence of one more condition other than faith.
