We conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law... There is one God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. (Romans 8:28, 30.)

Only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.” Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. (Galatians 3:7-14.)

By grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. (Ephesians 2;8-9.)

To him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness. (Romans 4:5.)

And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work.(Romans 11:6.)

Who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began. (2 Timothy 1:9.)

Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit. (Titus 3:5.)

As you read through these verses, you see that Paul clearly and unequivocally denounced the notion that the law of Moses, which was so painstakingly delineated in the Old Testament, was the means to being justified before God. An intelligent student who pays strict attention to the original Greek text will see that Paul goes beyond stating that a person is not justified by observing the Mosaic law; Paul is actually asserting that a person is not justified by “the principle of law.” The first verse you just read in the list of Pauline scriptures was Romans 3:28--“Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.” The original Greek text does not contain the article “the” in front of the word law. Paul did not write that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law, but rather that he is justified ... apart from the deeds of law.  In other words, Paul was declaring to his Greek-speaking readers, in very strong language, that a man or woman is not justified on the principle of “obedience” of any kind.  Paul proclaimed in all these verses, as clearly as language can express it, that faith is never to be defined as obedience.

In these passages of inspired Scripture, Paul used the Law of Contradiction to teach us what faith is by telling us what it is not, and his unwavering assertion was that faith is the opposite of obedience. As God’s chosen champion of sovereign grace, Paul took the word faith and removed from its definition every last shred of human merit: i.e., promises, pledges, commitments, submission, and all forms of human obedience. Like a skillful surgeon, Paul wielded his grace pen like a scalpel and surgically removed every cancerous, humanistic cell of self-righteous obedience that sought to attach itself to the simple meaning of biblical faith--understanding with assent. When Paul’s surgery is complete, we understand that faith contributes nothing to salvation. Faith simply beholds the perfect obedience of the Lord Jesus Christ, an obedience unto death, and rests on His perfect obedience alone as the sole ground of our eternal acceptance before God.

Biblical faith ceases from seeking to establish its own righteousness, and submits to the righteousness of God which is so gloriously expressed through the doing and dying of the Lord Jesus Christ. “Where is boasting then?” Paul concluded. “It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law.”

This theme appears time and time again in Paul’s writings. Dear Reader, when God repeats Himself, you can be sure that the idea is an important one! Paul not only stated that we are not saved by works, but he further emphasized that the kind of righteousness God gives us is a faith-righteousness, as opposed to a law-righteousness. In other words, it is God’s righteousness that is received by means of faith and not by obedience to the principle of law. Let us again review Paul’s words:.

The righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed... even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. (Romans 3:21-22.)

The promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13.)

[The] Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. (Romans 9:30-32.)

The righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)  ... For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.(Romans 10:6, 10.)

I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain. (Galatians 2:21.)

... Not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith. (Philippians 3:8-9.)

By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household, by which he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith. (Hebrews 11:7.)

The overwhelming preponderance of Paul’s assertions leaves absolutely no doubt: we are justified by faith alone, as Martin Luther so vigorously asserted, apart from any good works we may seek to perform in order to please God. Now, equipped with this clear Scriptural understanding of Paul’s definition of justification by means of faith alone, we will examine the book of James and learn how James and Paul complement--not “contradict”--each other. It is with a solemn and God-honoring spirit that I approach this study, because the harm that has been done to the body of Christ through faulty interpretations of the book of James is unparalleled in its heretical devastation. We will begin by asking eight crucial questions that will guide us through a proper interpretation of the book of James:

            1) Was James addressing believers or unbelievers?
            2. What is the subject of James’ book?
            3. How did James define the word “save” in his epistle?   
            4. Did James question the existence or genuineness of his readers’ faith?
            5. Did James define faith as obedience?
            6. What did James mean by a “dead” faith?
            7. Does James’ definition of justification contradict Paul’s?
            8. Did Paul place the same emphasis on a Christian maintaining good works as James?

Was James addressing believers or unbelievers?

Twenty times throughout his epistle, James addressed his readers with words such as brethren, brother, beloved brethren, and righteous man, which undoubtedly demonstrates that James  is  addressing a Christian audience and not unbelievers.

What is the subject of James book?

Since James was writing to Christian believers, he did not intend to proclaim the gospel message, because his readers had already trusted in Christ as their Savior. Therefore, in the first chapter of the epistle, James introduced believers to the subject of his letter, which is the testing of a Christian’s faith, for the purpose of bringing that faith to maturity.

James’ desire for his Christian readers was that they would exercise their faith through obedience to the implanted Word, so that their faith would become profitable for themselves and for others. Simply  put, James’ exhortation to his Christian readers was, “Fulfill your faith!” He sought to encourage them--and us--to work out all the potential good that is in the faith that God has given us, that He would be glorified and the body of Christ would be edified.

How did James define the word “save” in his epistle?

James used the word save five times in his epistle. The first place the word occurs is in 1:21--“Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” Recall that James was addressing Christian believers, men and women who had already placed their faith in the Person and work of Jesus Christ for salvation, and had been saved from eternal damnation. Therefore, James was not using the word save in the sense of salvation from hell. In what sense, then, does “the implanted word save (their) souls”?

Soul, as used in the context of James’ letter, means the Christian’s physical life. James’ meaning for salvation, as he used it throughout his epistle, was salvation from physical death and a fruitless life, not salvation from eternal damnation. In other words, the implanted Word saves the Christian’s soul by delivering him from a life that is ravaged by sinful disobedience, which ultimately ends in premature physical death as a result of God’s judgment.

James unequivocally stated that “Sin... brings forth death.” It is important for us to note that the doctrine that sin leads to death is by no means found only in the epistle of James. The Bible is replete with statements that a believer’s life will be cut short because of disobedience to God’s commands. The converse of this truth is also clearly stated: “The fear of the Lord prolongs days, but the years of the wicked will be shortened.”

Deuteronomy 5:32 instructs, “You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live and that it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days in the land which you shall possess.” Proverbs 4:4, likewise instructs, “Let your heart retain my words; keep my commands, and live,” and in Proverbs 7:2, the Lord again urges us to “Keep my commands and live, and my law as the apple of your eye.” Proverbs 10:2 bluntly asserts that “Righteousness delivers from death.”

Nor is this teaching reserved to the Old Testament alone. Paul told the Corinthians that “He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep [die].” James weighed in on this issue as well, writing to his Christian brethren, “If anyone [a Christian] among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him [the Christian] back, let him know that he who turns a sinner [the sinning Christian] from the error of his way will save a [the sinning Christian’s] soul from [physical] death and cover a multitude of sins.” There are several verses in both the Old and New Testaments which clearly reveal that the length of our lives is often directly related to our obedience. Perhaps the most powerful of all was penned by Ezekiel: “‘Behold, all souls are Mine; the soul of the father as well as the soul of the son is Mine; the soul who sins shall die. If he has walked in My statutes and kept My judgments faithfully‑‑he is just; he shall surely live!’ says the Lord God.”

It is also important to understand that, just as we have seen in James, every occurrence of the words save or saved in the Bible does not always mean eternal salvation from hell. The connotation of the words save and saved in the following verses means the deliverance of a person’s life from some physical adversity--not eternal deliverance from hell. I will give you just a sampling here, and you may review the rest of the verses listed in the footnote below whenever you wish.

So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.” (Genesis 47:25.)

But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:30.)

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one thing: Is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do evil, to save life or to destroy?” (Luke 6:9.)

But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land. (Acts 27:43.)

These verses reveal that the words save and saved must be determined by their context and usage, just as every  word in the Bible must be interpreted. They must not be viewed as one-dimensional or self-defining words. We must, therefore, abandon the assumption that save and saved always mean eternal salvation from hell.

Returning to James’ epistle, we find that the second occurrence of the word save appears in 2:14--“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” The construction of the Greek text in this verse demands a negative answer to James question. James is boldly proclaiming that faith cannot save the Christian believer. This statement can be very confusing if we do not recall the context within which James is writing. Once again, we must remember that James was addressing his letter to men and women who have already received the gift of eternal salvation. This will greatly aid us in a proper interpretation of James epistle. We have just seen that every time James used the word save in his epistle, he was not referring to eternal salvation from hell, but rather salvation from physical death. Therefore, James wanted us to know that faith alone, that is, genuine faith that is defined by a correct belief concerning the Person and Work of Christ, will not save a Christians’ lifefrom physical death, or guarantee that he will have a fruitful Christian life, or declare him righteous before men. If the believer persists in willful disobedience, his life may well be cut short, as we have seen in the verses previously listed. Hence, the book of James asserts that only a faith that is characterized by good works will save a Christians’ physical life and visibly confirm his invisible faith before a watching world.

Does James question the existence or genuineness of his readers’ faith?

This is a vitally important question, because if James’ readers were  merely  professors of faith, and not possessors of genuine Christian faith, then the entire epistle was written to bring James’ readers to the knowledge of saving faith in Jesus Christ, rather than to exhort his Christian readers to perfect the quality of their faith.

Nowhere can we infer from James letter that he doubted for a moment the reality of his readers faith. Once again, I direct your attention to the twenty occasions where James referred to his readers as Christian brothers. Another strong assertion which attests to James’ belief in his readers’ faith is found in the opening words of chapter two, where James urged, “My brethren, do not hold the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with partiality.”  This verse clearly demonstrates that James believed his readers held a genuine Christian faith, since he instructed them in the godly application of their genuine faith. James was reproving his readers, not for their unbelief in Christianity, but for the inappropriateness of their genuine faith manifesting itself in partiality.

Furthermore, when James asked, “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” James was not questioning the genuineness of his readers faith, but rather the profitability of a faith that does not produce Christian works. In other words, the issue in James mind was not the reality (2:1-9) of their faith, but the quality (1:3-7); and profitability ( 2:14-17) of their faith.

The proponents of Lordship salvation, who proclaim that true faith is defined as obedience, will insist that James 2:14 is revealing the doctrine of a “false” faith. They say that the “dead” faith James described is not true saving faith, because it is not accompanied by good works.  Contrary to this teaching, the Bible recognizes no such erroneous  distinctions as “false” faith and “true” faith. The Bible does proclaim that there is only one kind of faith. That faith is always saving faith, which is a gift from God to His elect. Clearly, the distinction the Bible makes concerning faith is never between false faith and true faith, but always between faith and unbelief. The Bible speaks of believers and unbelievers, never of “head” believers and “heart” believers, or false believers and true believers.  This truth is evidenced by a careful reading of the gospel of John. Every time John used the word believe in his gospel, it is always defined as saving faith. 

It is also interesting to note that the inspired Bible writers never used the adverbs “truly” or “really” to describe how a person must believe. It is completely unnecessary to add truly or really to the word believe. Paul did state the necessity of belief to the Philippian jailer, when this terrified man asked, “Sirs what must I do to be saved?” Paul did not say, “You must really believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” No, Paul simply replied, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved.” The adverbs really and truly are completely superfluous, because they add absolutely nothing to the word believe. In fact, these words obscure the biblical meaning of faith, because they sinfully seek to draw the reader’s emphasis away from the object of faith by exalting the intensity of believing.

We can illustrate the nonsense of this idea by using the context of marriage: If one were to say his wife was “really” pregnant, what would the word really add to our understanding of the pregnancy? Either she is pregnant or she is not. Similarly, a person either believes the gospel or they do not believe. To substantiate this concept, James Denny wrote in his classic work, The Death of Christ, that to place qualifications on saving faith, such as penitent faith, living faith, true faith, and obedient faith infringes upon the graciousness of the gospel and overlooks its absolute freeness.

Hence, the word believe stands sufficiently and sublimely alone, in all its full meaning, without the need of any additions or qualifiers to complete its free grace definition. Any attempt to supplement the definition of saving faith with anything other than understanding and assent to one or more propositions concerning the Person and work of Jesus Christ, is an attempt to malign verbal inspiration, and places the person who makes such an attempt among the heretical  ranks of those who preach a damnable, “faith-plus” gospel!

Did James define faith as obedience?

Let us return to James 2:14--“What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him?” James was actually positing the very opposite of what many people interpret this verse as saying. James was very lucidly declaring that faith without works is profitless. He did not mean that a genuine saving faith will always manifest itself through good works. Lordship salvation theology teaches that a faith that does not produce a life of obedience is not true saving faith. Therefore, the adherents to this doctrine conclude, the essence of saving faith is faithful obedience.

However, James did not in any way intend to assert that the authenticity of saving faith can be tested by obedience. He did teach, quite clearly and with great force, that real faith, if it does not produce Christian works, is useless. This inert faith profits no one. In other words, James was teaching his Christian brothers that if a believer’s faith does not adorn his life with fruitfulness, then he is a disobedient Christian. God is not glorified by such lifeless faith, and while such faith rescues its possessor from eternal damnation, it is not profitable to him or anyone else. Paul wrote to Titus, “Let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” You see the perfect correlation between the writing of Paul and James: as members of the family of faith, we are called on to let the light of Christ shine before men, and to meet the needs of others. This is a fruitful faith, a profitable faith, and a faith that will earn the Christian believer abundant life here on earth, and eternal rewards in heaven.

What does James mean by a “dead” faith?

Three times in the second chapter of James, we read that faith without works is dead. The word dead finds its interpretive parallel in the word profit, found in James 2:16. A dead faith, in the context and usage of the word dead in this epistle, is a profitless faith, not a non-existent faith. For example, in verse 26, James wrote, “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” It is not that faith vitalizes works, as many assume, but the opposite is true! Works animate faith. This explains why James said, “Faith was working together with (Abraham’s) works, and by works faith was made perfect,” i.e. matured. James is stating in this verse that a Christian’s faith is brought to maturity by works, and not that genuine saving faith is defined by its works.

James anticipated the objections to his teaching: “Someone will say, ‘You have faith, and I have works.’ Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe‑‑ and tremble!” In these two verses, James stated the objection that a reader might make to his teaching: the objector would insist that there is no connection between faith and works. “In other words, the objector’s point seems to be that there is no connection between faith and works at all. Even if one produced the works you keep talking about, it would not prove anything. Just as James cannot show his faith apart from his works, the objector claims that he cannot show his faith by means of his works. There simply is, according to the objector, no necessary relationship between faith and works at all.” Joseph C. Dillow, The Reign of the Servant Kings, (Hayesville, NC, Schoettle Publishing Co., 1992), pp. 192-193. In responding to such an objection, James demanded,

“But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”

James was strongly asserting that there is a very real  vitalizing  relationship between faith and works. A Christian’s faith needs to be put to work, in order to bring to fruition all the potential that lies dormant within his correct beliefs.

Moreover, the relationship between James’ analogy of the body and faith makes it perfectly clear that the body represents faith and the spirit represents works. James was  not  implying that a body does not exist,  just as he was not stating that faith did not exist in the believers to whom he was writing. However, the point of the illustration was that the body needs the vitalizing life of the spirit to live. Similarly, faith without the animating life of works is profitless, i.e., dead. A body without a spirit is profitless. Hence, the truth James was proclaiming is that a believer may hold all the correct orthodox beliefs concerning the gospel, and thereby be eternally saved from hell, but that genuine faith, unaccompanied by works is profitless in this life and the life to come.

Does James’ definition of justification contradict Paul’s?

To answer this question, let us compare the inspired writings of these two men. I am going to refer back to this first passage (James 2:21-24) often, so I have included the designations for the individual verses in this quotation from James: [Verse 21]“Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar? [Verse 22] Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? [Verse 23] And the Scripture was fulfilled which says, ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’ And he was called the friend of God. [Verse 24] You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”

Paul wrote to the Christian believers at Rome: “What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.’”

Both James and Paul quoted the same verse of Scripture (Genesis 15:6), demonstrating that they both understood the doctrine of justification by faith alone: that is, the legal, imputed righteousness of Christ, given apart from any human works. The Holy Spirit directed both men to cite this verse, to show God’s people that the Bible does not contradict itself. However, even though James confirmed that he trusted the doctrine of imputed legal righteousness in verse 23 (Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness),  James’ focus in his epistle was not directed toward imputed righteousness, but practical righteousness.

This is why James used the obedience of Abraham offering up Isaac on the alter as a sacrifice to God as an illustration to teach his readers about a justification that is different from the justification that only God can see, which we know is the crediting of Christ’s righteousness to the believer. This justification by faith alone, as we have seen, is an action which takes place outside of the believer and in the mind of God.  

When James stated that Abraham... was justified by works in James 2:21, this kind of justification is actually different from the justification he described in 2:23. When Abraham offered Isaac his son on the altar, he was declared to be righteous before men for that act of faith. We sometimes fail to remember that the word justified means to declare righteous. However, when many Christians see the word justified, they automatically believe the word means declared righteous before God, without realizing that it can also mean to declare righteous before men. The meaning of a word is always determined by the context in which it appears. This latter meaning  is the sense in which James used the word justified in verse 21. In verse 23, on the other hand, James declared that Abraham was declared righteous in the mind of God, as was recorded in Genesis 15:6, which occurred many years before Abraham offered  his son as a sacrifice. James was stating that Abraham was declared righteous twice. The first justification occurred in the mind of God, in that invisible moment of faith that only God saw, whereby God credited to Abraham the perfect righteousness of Christ. The second time justification occurred when he obediently offered his son Isaac on the altar atop mount Moriah.

Once you understand James’ doctrine of two justifications, then James 2:24 becomes clear. James announced, “You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.”  He was unequivocally declaring that there are two  distinct  justifications. James demonstrated in the example of Abraham in verse 23 that a man is justified by faith alone before God. However, that is not the only way a man is justified; there is a justification by works--a justification that comes through his obedience--by which he is declared righteous before men. James asserted that Abrahams’ invisible faith was vindicated before men by his work of obedience.

This very same idea was brought out by David in the Psalms. “Vindicate me, O Lord,” he prayed, “for I have walked in my integrity.” In asking God to vindicate him, David was calling on God to declare him righteous before men on the basis of his personal integrity.  David, like Abraham, had received imputed righteousness, the righteousness that comes by faith alone, many years prior to this occasion. However, David was now asking God to vindicate him--that is, to put on a visible display, through his obedience to God, of the fruitful  fulfillment of his imputed righteousness.

Therefore, the purpose of James epistle was to exhort believers to mature and be fruitful in their faith. James never intended that his letter would be used for purposes of evangelism, and he certainly would have been horrified to learn that there would be those who would use his inspired writing to teach the false doctrine that true saving faith is defined as a faith that is obedient faith.

Does Paul place the same emphasis on a Christian maintaining good works as James?

Paul and James never once contradicted each other; They said precisely the same thing concerning Christian obedience, because each man had the same Holy Spirit superintending the same doctrinal message, so that the Word of God would maintain its supernatural consistency. Scripture does not contradict itself. We see Paul proclaiming the same message concerning good works as James, when he wrote in Titus 2:14 that Jesus “gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” Paul was stating here, in perfect harmony with James’ teaching, that we are saved to serve. The Lord Jesus Christ saved us for the purpose of having His own special people, a people who would be zealous for good works.

In the same epistle, Paul told Titus “Let our people also learn to maintain good works, to meet urgent needs, that they may not be unfruitful.” Paul’s exhortation was that our people, that is, all Christian people, must learn the importance of maintaining good works for the purpose of meeting the needs of others and being fruitful in their Christian walk. Paul was not declaring that every genuine Christian must manifest good works in his life in order to verify his salvation, but rather that every true Christian, in order to be fruitful and meet the needs of others, must learn to maintain good works.
We have seen that Paul also agreed with James that  a believer can have his physical life cut short through willful disobedience. Paul warned the Corinthians, “He who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.” He also instructed the church at Corinth to “Deliver such a [sinner] to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”

Therefore, we must conclude that Paul and James taught the same doctrines concerning the vital importance of Christians walking worthy of their calling, for the purpose of perfecting their faith, in order to proclaim to a watching world that they must be holy in all their attitudes and actions because they serve and represent a Holy God!

Dear Reader, we have one last concept to digest before we close our study of God’s legacy. Everything we have discussed throughout this book points us to one inevitable conclusion: Soli Deo Gloria... To God Alone be the Glory! Soli Deo Gloria is the foreordained crowning conclusion to all that God does. It should be the apex to which all our thinking and our actions aspire, as well. Let us discover exactly why this is so in the concluding chapter.