The statement of St. Paul, For we consider that a person is justified by faith apart from works of the law, was hard even for his contemporaries to understand. For example, St. James in his epistle wrote: Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works (James 2:18). These are not dueling banjos right in the Bible but an invitation to look more deeply into what Paul is teaching us. The Apostle is concerned that we can get content with doing external things — going to church, not stealing, etc. — instead of having a heart which has turned wholly to God. Faith does not mean being able to recite the creed but loving God who loves us first.