Arthur B. Crabtree, a Baptist, wrote the following against the conception of Sola Fide in the soteriologies of Luther and Calvin:
(1) What did Luther mean by sola fide? The phrase sola fide was not invented by Luther. It had been used by Ambrose and Bernard. What they meant by it was clear. Holding that the only saving faith is that which works through love, they meant that we are justified by that faith alone that works through love. Is this all that Luther meant? Possibly, sometimes. Certainly his stress on the unity of faith and works would lead us to expect this. But it is manifest that he sometimes meant something different. He meant that we are justified alone, without love and works . . . (4) Is the sola fide doctrine tenable? As interpreted by Luther the doctrine of justification sola fide seems quite untenable. For it severs justifying faith from love and good works in a manner which runs counter both to Luther’s better insights and to the teaching of Jesus and the Apostles. The only saving faith known to Jesus was one that brings forth good works in love. The only justifying faith known to Paul was the faith that works through love. And the only justifying faith known to James was the faith that is perfected in works. Paul does not teach, as Luther imagined, that we are justified by faith alone. Neither does James teach, as Luther thought, that we are justified by works alone. But both teach the doctrine came so near to but could not grasp—that we are justified by the faith that works through love. (Arthur B. Crabtree, The Restored Relationship: A Study in Justification and Reconciliation [London: The Carey Kingsgate Press, Ltd, 1963], 136-37, 143, italics in original)
On Calvin and his interpretation of James 2, Crabtree noted:
Naturally, his solafideism brought him into conflict with the Catholics regarding the interpretation of James 2.14ff. How can we exclude works from justification and say that a man is justified by faith alone when James says: ‘You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone’? Luther had made short work of this objection by calling the Epistle of James an epistle of straw and denying it a place among the truly canonical books. Calvin’s conception of scripture as the word of God would not permit him to do this. He was therefore obliged to attempt to reconcile the Epistle of James with the doctrine of justification by faith alone. For ‘by the mouth of Paul the Spirit declares that Abraham obtained justification by faith, not by works; we also teach that all are justified by faith without the works of the law. By James the same Spirit declares that both Abraham’s justification and ours consist of works and not of faith only. It is certain that the Spirit cannot be at variance with himself.’ How then are the two to be reconciled? By recognizing, says Calvin, that Paul and James are using the word ‘justify’ in quite different senses. Paul, thinking of our justification in the sight of God, is discussing the imputation of righteousness. James, thinking of our justification in the sight of men, is discussing the demonstration of righteousness. Hence, Paul can speak of our being justified by faith alone, without works, and James can speak of our being justified not by faith alone but only by the faith that is perfected by works.
This is specious, but hardly convincing. For two reasons. In the first place, James is concerned not with the demonstration of righteousness, but with the demonstration of faith. ‘Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith’ (Ja. 2.18). And in the second place, he is concerned with salvation itself, not merely with its demonstration. For he begins his whole discussion of justification with the question, ‘What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?’ (Ja. 2.14). The justification he is discussing is precisely the same as that which Paul has in mind—the justification of man in the sight of God. And it is this justification that he says: ‘You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone’ (Ja. 2.24).
It is significant that in his Commentary on James Calvin makes no comment whatever on this verse, but passes directly from verse 23 to verse 25! (Ibid., 147-49, italics in original, emphasis in bold added)
