When people criticize the Bible, they often point to what they call contradictions. “The Bible says this here, but it says the opposite over here!” This proves, they say, that this cannot be God’s book, it’s no different from any other human book with errors and mistakes and contradictions here and there.
Usually, it’s quite easy to show that these are only “seeming” contradictions. If we interpret God’s Word correctly, we will usually be able to show how both verses or passages are true. However, sometimes it’s not so easy. Sometimes it’s very hard. Sometimes it looks almost impossible. What the Bible says in James 2:24-25 is one of these almost impossible verses. It seems to clearly go against everything we’re taught in the rest of the Bible. And it’s not about some small matter like the numbers of soldiers in Israel’s army, or about what time something happened. It’s about the most important matter of all – how are sinners saved.