James, Abraham, and Justification
Abraham and Righteousness
James uses Abraham as an example in his discussion of justification. James 2:21–23 reads, “Was our father Abraham not justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “AND ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS,” and he was called a friend of God. (NASB 2020) This quotes Genesis 15:6, which took place before Abraham had any children. More on this at the end.
I think part of the problem we can have with this is that the Scriptures say that Abraham's faith was "credited to him as righteousness." Since Christ had not yet come, from our human/temporal perspective he had not been "made righteous." Holy Spirit did not dwell in him. In our experience, he had not been justified.
However, in the eternal realm, he had been made righteous because what Christ did at the cross (in time) was true outside time (in the eternal) for all time.
Here's a quote from the Jamieson, Fausett, Brown Commentary * that I think sheds light on this.
“James 2:23 says that scripture was fulfilled—Genesis 15:6, quoted by Paul, as realized in Abraham’s justification by faith; but by James, as realized subsequently in Abraham’s work of offering Isaac, which, he says, justified him. Plainly, then, James must mean by 'works' the same thing as Paul means by 'faith,' only that he speaks of faith at its manifested development, whereas Paul speaks of it in its germ. Abraham’s offering of Isaac was not a mere act of obedience, but an act of faith. Isaac was the subject of the promises of God, that in him Abraham’s seed should be called. The same God calls on Abraham to slay the subject of His own promise, when as yet there was no seed in whom those predictions could be realized. Hence James’ saying that Abraham was justified by such a work, is equivalent to saying, as Paul does, that he was justified by faith itself; for it was in fact faith expressed in action, as in other cases saving faith is expressed in words.”
Sometimes faith is expressed in words. Romans 10:9–10 make this clear saying, “that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.” (NASB 2020)
Paul goes on to ask, “How then are they to call on Him in whom they have not believed?” (Romans 10:14a NASB 2020) Those who do not believe in God do not call on Him.
At other times, faith is expressed in actions. We read, “In the same way, was Rahab the prostitute not justified by works also when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?” (James 2:25, NASB 2020) She would never have done this had she not believed in God.
It’s important when reading this passage from James that we remember that God had declared Abraham righteous because of his faith long before he sacrificed Isaac. We’re told that, “By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he left, not knowing where he was going.” (Hebrews 11:8, NASB 2020) The event was very early in his recorded life.
Then, before he had any children at all (and Eliezer of Damascus would have become his heir) God promised him a son. It is at this time, way back in Genesis 15:6, that we find “Then he believed in the LORD; and He credited it to him as righteousness.” (NASB 2020)
Clearly it was not Abraham’s obedient sacrifice of his son that saved him. Rather it was Abraham’s faith in God that led to his obedience—demonstrating for us that he was a man of great faith, and a friend of God.
* Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 2:489.
