that
raised Jesus our Lord from the dead, who was delivered up for our
trespasses, and was raised for our justification.

1. No doubt, on the text of Gen. xv. 6, St. Paul is right. It was
Abraham's _faith_ that is declared to have been reckoned to his account
by God as equivalent to righteousness. But when we get beyond a mere
text, is it not, we are inclined to ask, more true to the general {163}
spirit of scripture to say, with the author of the First Book of the
Maccabees, 'Was not Abraham found faithful in temptation, and it was
reckoned unto him for righteousness[6]?' or with St. James, 'Was not
Abraham our father justified by works, in that he offered up Isaac his
son upon the altar? Thou seest that faith wrought with his works, and
by works was faith made perfect[7].' No doubt certain Rabbis state the
principle pedantically when they speak of Abraham having kept the whole
Mosaic law by anticipation[8], but is it not true to say that Abraham
was accepted by God, and on the whole is represented in the Bible as so
accepted, _not_ only because he believed, but also because he 'was
found faithful in temptation,' and did good works, or acted as a good
man?

Now, if by 'accepted' is meant 'finally accepted,' St. Paul would say
this as of Abraham, so of every other accepted man. He must be finally
judged and must receive according to his works or character. As we
shall see, there is no real discrepancy between St. Paul and St. James
on this matter. And St. Paul never disparages 'good works' which are
the fruit of {164} faith, only 'works' or 'works of the law' which
represent a false attitude of man to God. But the question which he is
here asking is, What is the ground of acceptance for a man _at
starting_? What is it puts him at starting in the right relation to
God? In other words, What is the root of real righteousness? And his
answer to this question is, it is only self-surrendering faith which
brought Abraham, or which brings any other man, into acceptance.

In giving this answer St. Paul had in view another attitude with which
he had been long familiar, and which he calls 'seeking to be justified
by works of the law.' It was the attitude of the Jews, especially as
they appear in St. John's Gospel. They were proud of their divine law
and of belonging to the chosen people, the children of Abraham and
Moses. They knew how to make good their standing-ground with God. By
keeping the law, as the law