The Great Profession (Paul Vs. James)

By Kyle Blackwell

Those of us living in America have a great privilege unlike many other parts of the world. Profession of our beliefs, no matter the faith or religion, is not illegal in our great country. However, there are many countries in this world who live with the threat of being killed for their faith in Jesus Christ.

Americans tend to take for granted the freedoms we possess. Bibles blanket people’s coffee tables and bookshelves only to be read by the dust which falls on them while in some countries Christians are killed only for possessing a small cutout of a page in the Bible. During the time the Apostles walked this land, Hebrew families would hold funerals for sons and daughters who chose to follow Jesus’ teachings. By the way, there are many Islamic families today who will do the same. Americans believe that professing their Faith means stepping into a baptismal pool while saying they choose Jesus. While this is the first step to following Jesus after repenting of your old self, baptism is only the beginning. The real test is when you walk out those church house doors and confront evil head on.

This particular article has been a few months in the making. While waiting on God for the exact pathway, I knew exactly what I would write about; the subject matter was the easy part. It wasn’t until I was sharing my testimony with someone at work that God directed my path. Let me be clear, on my own I do not understand the Holy Bible. I am not smart enough to understand His Words and teachings on my own power. Before I publish an article that will reach the world, I want to make certain the words I’m writing are coming from Jesus, not me. So I pray!

Back to sharing my testimony with a coworker. After telling him I knew I was not saved at 10 years old when I asked Jesus to come into my heart, he confronted me with Romans 10:9- If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

While I firmly believe this, I also remember Holy Spirit saying to me on September 19, 2019 that I was not saved. His exact words, “You were never mine from the beginning”. I was playing the part, but Jesus was not my Lord.

Did I hear wrong? Was I already saved? Is Romans 10:9 wrong?

No! No! And No!

After being confronted with Romans 10:9 I started praying. When someone says something about the Bible you do not agree with, unless it is something which is without a doubt false, pray. Pray for understanding. Pray for guidance. Pray for wisdom. But also listen. Maybe God is actually the one speaking through them. In this case, Holy Spirit lead me to another set of verses.

But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I will show you faith from my works. You believe that God is one; you do well. The demons also believe — and they shudder. -James‬ ‭2‬:‭18‬-‭19‬

Ok, now we have a different set of issues, which leads me to the topic of the day. On the cover, it seems as though James is going against Paul. And there are many individuals who question James’ validity as being part of the Bible, with Martin Luther being included in this crowd. Honestly, have these individuals failed to read the rest of the Bible? Or, what about the rest of Paul’s teachings? If we stay in Romans a while longer, we will see that Paul’s beliefs completely align with James.

Therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your spiritual worship.- Romans‬ ‭12‬:‭1‬

Here, Paul enlists the idea of worshiping God through sacrificing our fleshly nature and sinful desires. We are to be holy, set apart from the world and its evil desires.

Moreover, let us take a dive into what Jesus said:

The one who has My commands and keeps them is the one who loves Me. And the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father. I also will love him and will reveal Myself to him.- John‬ ‭14‬:‭21‬

Uh oh! Is Jesus teaching a gospel of works and legalism?

There are many places in the Bible that may sound like legalism. As a matter of fact, it is very easy to mix up the two. We must realize that salvation is within every book of the Bible. Unlike other religions, following Christ does not require anyone to check a list of boxes. Christ paid it all and did all that is needed for our salvation. The Old Testament speaks of us not being good enough, we need a Savior. The New Testament speaks of us not being good enough, but the Savior has come. Jesus was very clear in the Sermon On The Mount that there is nothing we can do which will qualify us for Heaven, except for following Him.

The most important tool needed to read, and understand, the Bible is simple. We need Holy Spirit.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; think about Him in all your ways, and He will guide you on the right paths. -Proverbs‬ ‭3‬:‭5‬-‭6‬

We must not rely on our own understanding to interpret the Bible, but we must slow down, ask God for guidance and understanding, and He will direct our paths.

Legalism consists of doing good deeds to get to Heaven; however, repentance and Salvation, and a relationship with Christ consists of knowing we’re sinners, yet we have a reverence for Jesus, and we want to be more like Him. Also, we cannot do this on our own. Our fleshly nature sees no wrong in our sin, while Holy Spirit will convict us and lead us to sanctification. So basically, a relationship with Christ makes us more aware of wrongdoing, and we desire to be more like Christ; we have a reverence for God.

The last important piece to the puzzle of Paul (Romans 10:9) vs James (James 2:19) is geography and context. We must understand that “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. -2 Timothy‬ ‭3‬:‭16‬-‭17. However, we have to take into account that certain scripture and teachings were written specifically for specific people, at specific times, in specific places. I’m not taking away from the scripture of 2 Timothy, we just need to know how to apply the Word of Truth to our life. And again I say, this is where we need to rely on Holy Spirit to direct our paths.

The take away is this: while Paul was writing to the Romans, revealing the road to salvation, James wrote to Jewish Christians explaining the importance of the evidence of faith. I see it this way: Paul wrote on making Jesus your Savior, while James wrote on making Jesus your Lord, which both go hand in. Were these scriptures both written to a specific group of people and in a specific geographical area? Yes, but they are still very real to us today. And even though they seem to go against each other, they actually go hand in hand, and can be preached from the same pulpit at the same time without losing their validity or credibility.

-My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge - Hosea 4:6