Address by Rev. Dr. Dan Borvan at the conference “Justification by Faith Alone: Recovering Law and Gospel” in Cape Town, South Africa, on 20 June 2025.
Martin Luther and John Calvin held divergent views concerning the Epistle of James relative to the doctrine of justification, particularly in relation to the interplay between faith and works. Luther, championing sola fide—justification by faith alone—approached James with caution, famously calling it an “epistle of straw” because he believed it lacked the evangelical clarity of Pauline texts such as Romans and Galatians. For Luther, James 2 seemed to obscure the instrumental role of faith by appearing to attribute justification to works. Calvin, however, upheld the epistle’s canonical authority and offered a more harmonized interpretation, arguing that James does not contradict Paul but emphasizes that true, living faith necessarily produces works as its fruit. Rev. Borvan explores this historical theological tension and offers an exposition of James 2 to distinguish but not separate justification and sanctification.
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Rev. Borvan is pastor of preaching at Christ Reformed Church (URCNA). He earned a Master of Divinity degree from Westminster Seminary California and a Doctor of Philosophy in Theology from Oxford University in England. He is chairman of the Heidelberg Reformation Association and a member of the African Reformed Churches (ARC) steering committee. He co-hosts Abounding Grace Radio with Rev. Chris Gordon.