Contradiction?
Contradiction?
This Sunday we get to what is probably the most well-known passage in James because it has caused so much confusion over the years.
I don’t recommend going down this rabbit hole, but if you Google “Bible contradicts itself”, this is one of the passages I can almost guarantee you’ll be pointed to, because James says, in several different ways, that we are “justified” by what we do and not by faith alone. Which sounds like a direct contradiction of Romans 3 & 4 and Ephesians 2 where Paul emphatically insists that we are made righteous in God's eyes by grace alone through faith alone...and not by anything we can do.
Houston, we have a problem. Obviously, this is the end of Christianity. Google has single handedly brought 2,000+ years of redemptive history crumbling to the ground.
But what if I told you that James and Paul are complimentary and there’s no contradiction here at all but rather rich, vibrant, and infallible teaching about how we “justify” justification?
I hope to explore this with you Sunday.
Steve+
Upcoming
Membership Lunch—Sunday, September 22. If you’d like to find out more about Membership at Redeemer, join us for lunch following worship. RSVP here or with a Connection Card this Sunday.
Fall Home Groups Begin—week of September 22
Fifth Sunday Cookout/Potluck and Blessing of Students and Educators—Sunday, September 29, following worship.
Redeemer Annual Meeting—Sunday, December 8
Photo Credit: Etienne Girardet/Unsplash
