What fallacy am I committing?

Why is it indefensible to assert that good works are primarily about right motives? I would think that's a good summary of what made a Pharisee different than a true believer: the Pharisee did good things, but out of the wrong motives (seeking approval of men rather than God, sitting at the heads of tables, appearing clean on the outside only, etc.)

Perhaps I don't understand the first part of your statement.

Your second part makes it clear you believe what is approved by God is defined by law. I would ask you to evaluate this belief in light of how Jesus clearly separates the following of the law with loving acts. It was against the Sabbath to heal someone; but if domestic animals needed help, they'd receive it. The Jews were forbidden from eating certain things; Peter saw a vision that changed that. Clearly the law was being replaced by something else. That something else may have something to do with working inside the law - taking the commandment to love your neighbor - and turning it inside out to apply universally. Now the good work is not about following rules. It's about asking how behavior affects you, and then applying it to others - and a steady concern for another's good is love.

Your second secondly point is full of wonderful French derivatives - makes sense, Calvin was French. So when you say, "Paul is addressing the keeping of God's law prior to and as a contributory cause to justification", I read: Good works for Paul are linked to following the law to get saved. Yes, that's what I was saying, too. And you say James "is addressing the keeping of God's law (good works out of love) anterior to justification as evidence of a true living faith which was the necessary instrument/vehicle to appropriate justification." And here you've lost me, because now you're saying: Good works for Paul come before someone is saved.

So you've lost me on the distinction, but we agree there is a distinction. I think what you're trying to say is that good works come *after* justification, and are evidence of saving faith.

So can I ask you, what good works have you done today? And how do you know they're good?

Mike