Doesn’t this mean that Abraham was justified by his works when he offered Isaac as a burnt offering?

 Faith Q&A

Q: James 2:21–22 says, “Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect?” Doesn’t this mean that Abraham was justified by his works when he offered Isaac as a burnt offering?

A:
Christians who are saved by grace often feel confused when reading the book of James. James 2:17 says, “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” At first glance, this seems to contradict the book of Romans, which clearly teaches that a person is justified by faith apart from works. However, there is no real contradiction between these two passages — they simply view the same truth from different perspectives.

If we use a tree as an example, we can say that Romans focuses on the root. If the root of a tree rots, even if its branches and leaves look lush, it is still a dead tree. The leaves represent works. Romans 11:18 says, “Do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root, but the root supports you.”

Isaiah 6:13 says, “But yet in it shall be a tenth, and it shall return, and shall be eaten: as a teil tree, and as an oak, whose substance is in them, when they cast their leaves: so the holy seed shall be the substance thereof.” The Bible tells us that all people are judged because of sin. Likewise, although all of Israel was cut down and made desolate, the root of life — the seed of Christ — remained. The “seed of Christ” refers to the stump, the root.

Even if a tree’s branches and trunk are cut off, as long as the root remains, the tree is not dead. Faith in Christ is that very life — once a person has this life, even before seeing anything outwardly, he already possesses true life and is made complete. Therefore, Romans is centered on the root: if the root remains, the tree is alive; if the root is gone, the tree is dead. The root symbolizes faith.

So what does James focus on? It focuses on the fruit. When the root is healthy, and the trunk, branches, and leaves are sound, the tree naturally bears fruit. A lack of fruit indicates a problem with the root — the tree is dead. Fruit represents works, and the root represents faith. In other words, if there are no works, the problem is not merely with the works themselves, but with the faith from which they should spring. The absence of works reveals the absence of true faith. True faith naturally produces corresponding works.

In fact, James emphasizes the most essential element of faith even more strongly than Romans, and both books are consistent in their overall message.

Let’s now consider Abraham’s faith. Was Abraham justified by offering his son Isaac as a burnt offering — that is, by his works? Genesis 15:6 had already declared that Abraham was justified by faith: “And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.” Though it is true that Abraham offered Isaac, what James wants to emphasize is not the outward act itself, but the faith that enabled him to do so. Thus, when James 2 says that Abraham was “justified by works,” it is highlighting the fruit of works that naturally grow out of the root of faith.

No work that is not born from faith can bear fruit. James is reminding us that without faith, no fruit — that is, no true works — can appear; but when there is genuine faith, fruit will naturally follow. In other words, works without faith are dead.

At first, Abraham believed in himself. He thought that he was the source of blessing. But over time, he came to realize that the true source of blessing was not himself, but Jesus who would come through him.
He thought, “Ah, God’s plan is for Jesus to be born into this world through my family! Then I can only be blessed through Jesus. My son Isaac will not die — even if he dies, he will rise again. Why? Because Jesus must come through Isaac.”
When Abraham’s faith reached this level, he was able to offer Isaac when God asked him to, fully trusting in God’s promise. God saw the fruit of faith — the act that James 2 calls “works.”

Therefore, even in this passage, the central message is still about faith — that one is justified by faith.

信仰疑难解答

 

问:《雅各书》2章21、22节中说:“我们的祖宗亚伯拉罕把他儿子以撒献在坛上,岂不是因行为称义吗?可见信心是与他的行为并行,而且信心因着行为才得成全。”这里说亚伯拉罕是通过把儿子以撒献为燔祭而称义的,这不是因行为称义的意思吗?

 

答:藉着恩典得救的基督徒在读《雅各书》时都会产生这样的混沌。《雅各书》2章17节说:“信心若没有行为就是死的。”从某些角度来看,这些话语好像与《罗马书》的话语完全相反。因为《罗马书》中说人是因信称义,与行为没有任何关系,《雅各书》中却说是因行为称义。其实这二者之间并不矛盾,只不过是视角

不同。

如果用树来做比方,那么可以说《罗马书》是以根为中心展开思考的。如果树根腐烂了,即使外表枝繁叶茂,也是一棵死树。树叶好比是行为。《罗马书》11章18节说:“你就不可向旧枝子夸口;若是夸口,当知道不是你托着根,乃是根托着你。”

《以赛亚书》6章13节说:“境内剩下的人若还有十分之一,也必被吞灭,像栗树、橡树,虽被砍伐,树墩子却仍存留。这圣洁的种类在国中也是如此。”圣经说所有的人都因着罪遭到了审判,同样,即便以色列所有的一切都被砍伐,变为荒废,但生命的根源 -- 基督的种子却仍要保全。基督的种子指的正是树墩,是根。

就算把树枝砍掉,把树干砍断,但只要留下根,树就不会死。相信基督的信心就是生命,只要拥有这生命,即使事先什么也看不到,也是已经有了生命,已经完全了。所以说,《罗马书》是以根为中心展开思考的。只要树根还在,就是活树;树根没了,就是死树。这里的根喻指信心。

那么《雅各书》是以什么为中心展开思考的呢?是从果实。只要树根健康,树干、树枝、树叶正常,那么必然会结出果实。没有果实的意思是,根出了问题。这里讲的不仅仅是果实。能否结出果实取决于树根、树干和枝叶的状况,所以结不出果实就可以断定树有问题,树已经死了。

果实喻指行为,根喻指信心。也就是说,如果没有行为,并不只是行为的问题,而是行为的根源 -- 信心出了问题。所以,如果没有行为,就说明所拥有的不是信心。如果有信心,自然会在行为上显明出来。事实上,《雅各书》比《罗马书》更加强调了最基本的信心,而且基本脉络是一致的。现在,我们来思考一下亚伯拉罕的信心。亚伯拉罕是因将儿子献为燔祭,即因行为称义的吗?《创世记》15章6节早就说过亚伯拉罕是因信称义的。他将以撒献为燔祭,这虽然是事实,但这里想要讲的并不是表现出来的行为,而是能够使他做出这些行为的根源 -- 信心。所以《雅各书》2章所讲的“因行为称义”,这句话所强调的是以信心为根基自然结出的行为的果实。

不是出于信心的行为,是不可能结出果实的。这是在向我们呼喊,如果没有信心,就结不出果实;相反,如果有信心,自然会结出果实。也就是说,没有信心的行为是死的。起初,亚伯拉罕相信自己,他以为自己是福的根源。但是随着岁月的流逝,他发现神所说的福的根源不是他,而是居住他里面的耶稣。“原来,神是要让耶稣通过我的家族诞生在这世上啊!那么,我只能因着耶稣蒙福啊!我的儿子以撒不会死,即便死了也会活过来。为什么呢?因为耶稣诞生,必须通过我儿子以撒。”亚伯拉罕的信心到达了这样的境界,因此神让他献以撒的时候他能够献上,他对神的应许充满信心。神看到了出于信心的果实,即《雅各书》2章里所说的行为。因此,这段经文里讲的依然是有关信心的内容,即因信称义。