The Greek verb often translated as "justified", has a
variety of senses.
Properly it means, according to the verb ending, "to make
righteous". This meaning is rare since only God can make one righteous. I
believe that this meaning now may be applied to the begotten again since the
means by which God makes sinners righteous, the death and resurrection of our
Lord Jesus Christ have been revealed.
But apostolic usage of recent revelation was of necessity limited. (An
example of this limitation is the limited mention of the virgin birth.) Their
hearers and readers were not properly prepared. They were limited to milk and
not solid food. It was the infancy of the church. (The toddlerhood of the
church did not begin until after revelation was complete.)
So Paul in Romans 4 and James in James 2 use senses of
"justify" that may be harmonized as "to regard as
righteous". It is God who regards the man who has faith as righteous. It
is man who regards the man who has deeds as righteous. This is the Old
Testament teaching which of necessity often formed the basis of apostolic
teaching while New Testament teaching was incomplete and not always generally
known or accepted. The Greek translation of the Old Testament which was the
familiar Bible of New Testament writers and early readers has many examples of
"justify" being used in these senses (as does the New Testament).
This is the reasoning that informs the following translation. Other
more general Principles of Translation may be found in that permanent page at
the blog..
James 2:14-26 | jvb Aa | 14 What benefit, my brothers, if someone
is saying that he is possessing faith, while, in fact, he is not possessing
deeds? Is that sort of faith being able to save him? 15 If a brother or sister
is lacking clothing and needing daily food, 16 and one of you says to them,
"Be departing in peace, be warming yourself, and be eating," but you
do not give to them the necessities of bodily life, what benefit? 17 In like manner,
this sort of faith also, by itself, if it is not possessing deeds, is lifeless.
18 But someone will be saying, "You are possessing faith, and
I am possessing deeds." Make known to me your faith by your deeds, and I
will be making known to you, by my deeds, my faith. 19 You are believing that
God is being one. You are doing rightly. Even the demons are believing -- and
are shuddering! 20 But are you willing to come to know, oh senseless man, that
faith apart from deeds is being lifeless? 21 Is not Abraham our father seen on
the basis of deeds to be righteous as he offers Isaac his son on the altar? 22
Are you perceiving that faith was working with his deeds, and by deeds faith is
brought to its goal? 23 And the Scripture is fulfilled, the part saying,
"and Abraham believes God, and it is looked upon in him as
righteousness." And he is distinguished as a friend of God. 24 You are
perceiving then that a man is being regarded on the basis of deeds as righteous
and not on the basis of faith only. 25 Likewise, is not Rahab the prostitute
also regarded on the basis of deeds as righteous as she receives the messengers
and sends them out another way? 26 For just as the body without the spirit is
being lifeless, in like manner faith without deeds is being lifeless also.
I2C 131026b Jam
2v14to26 Regard as righteous / I2C M1310 / 10/26/2013 9:08 PM / James 2:14-26
Regard as righteous
