Paul vs. James?
Paul writes, “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from observing the law.” James says, “…faith without deeds is dead.” Contradiction? D. A. Carson helps us think about how the two statements fit together.
Paul and James are facing very different problems. Paul is facing those who want to say that works, whether good or bad, make a fundamental contribution to whether one becomes a Christian (see one of his responses in Rom. 9:10–12). His answer is that they do not and cannot: God’s grace is received by faith alone. James is facing those who argue that saving faith is found even in those who simply affirm (for instance) that there is one God (James 2:19). His answer is that such faith is inadequate; genuine faith produces good works, or else it is dead faith.
(For the Love of God)
Already Proclaimed?
What does Paul mean when he says the gospel “has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven”? Does this mean the global mission of of proclaiming the gospel is complete? John Piper explains what he thinks this text means and why.
Paul is defining the gospel as the kind of gospel that is unbounded and global in scope, and therefore is preached, by definition, in all the creation.
(Desiring God Blog)