When the bible talks about faith being counted as righteousness...
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Trust is the basis for all relationships and so when you take God at His Word, that is accounted as righteousness in relating To God Whom is righteous. You believe Him, and thereby the relationship is established between us as sinners and the Holy God...which has been made possible through the Son, Jesus Christ the Lord. Thus you have been made righteous by God through the righteousness of faith in taking Him at His Word, Jesus, in all of His promises to us provided and covered in the New Covenant God has made with us.
God gave examples in the Old Testament to show that achievement of righteousness by faith in taking God at His Word to have that relationship with Him. In the NT, all the prophetic promises of reconciliation has come true as now we have a permament relationship with God as we have been reconciled through the Lord Jesus Christ to have that relationship.
This is why Jesus said in Mark 10:13-15 that unless we become as a child in receiving the Kingdom of Heaven, we shall in now wise enter therein, and so what can a child do but trust the Lord? That is the righteousness of God obtained through faith in Jesus Christ.
God gave examples in the Old Testament to show that achievement of righteousness by faith in taking God at His Word to have that relationship with Him. In the NT, all the prophetic promises of reconciliation has come true as now we have a permament relationship with God as we have been reconciled through the Lord Jesus Christ to have that relationship.
This is why Jesus said in Mark 10:13-15 that unless we become as a child in receiving the Kingdom of Heaven, we shall in now wise enter therein, and so what can a child do but trust the Lord? That is the righteousness of God obtained through faith in Jesus Christ.
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Because he believed God. If he did not believe Him, he more than likely would not have done whatever act of faith he was to step out on.
Our act of faith is this:
John 6:28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
That is why you are a child of God right now, just by faith in Jesus Christ. That is the righteousness of God obtained through faith in Jesus Christ. Believe Him at His Word.
Our act of faith is this:
John 6:28Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
That is why you are a child of God right now, just by faith in Jesus Christ. That is the righteousness of God obtained through faith in Jesus Christ. Believe Him at His Word.
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If you are being taught that faith without works is dead from the Book of James, do note that the faith they are talking about in James is the application of faith towards God's Providence.
If you read the whole Book fo James, the church he was writing to were mistreating the poor and showing favoritism towards the rich. Worse, after collection... and everybody was done for the day, they were sending the poor away, naked and starving by issuing faith in God's providence "to be warm and to be filled" in the same manner as one sould issue faith by saying "be healed". In the eyes of the poor, that issuance of faith towards them will not profit them and from the eyes of the poor, the faith of those that issued it in God's Providence was dead for the church has this collection provided by the Lord and yet of immediate need of it, the church did not have at that moment, but the poor did right then and there. So James was chastising the faith issuers by giving examples of demonstrative faith to show towards the poor and thus leading to showing the faith in God's Providence by dispensing from the bounty collected to meet the needs of the poor that are about to perish by starvation and the elements.
So it is not about faith in regards to salvation as it is about leading by examples of showing faith in God's Providence towards the poor that James was talking about.
James 2:14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Do note the catch phrase "What doth it profit?" at the beginning of that verse in 14 above to see how it ties into his chastisement in verse 15 below.
15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
James was really railing on this church for getting out of helping the poor when they had the means to do so as God is no respector of person. One has to read the whole chapter in its entirety in order to see where James was coming from and what he was really talking about to correct those that would use the Book of James to imply faith without works was in reference to salvation.
We have these scriptures that says so otherwise:
Romans 4: 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Titus 3:4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
If you read the whole Book fo James, the church he was writing to were mistreating the poor and showing favoritism towards the rich. Worse, after collection... and everybody was done for the day, they were sending the poor away, naked and starving by issuing faith in God's providence "to be warm and to be filled" in the same manner as one sould issue faith by saying "be healed". In the eyes of the poor, that issuance of faith towards them will not profit them and from the eyes of the poor, the faith of those that issued it in God's Providence was dead for the church has this collection provided by the Lord and yet of immediate need of it, the church did not have at that moment, but the poor did right then and there. So James was chastising the faith issuers by giving examples of demonstrative faith to show towards the poor and thus leading to showing the faith in God's Providence by dispensing from the bounty collected to meet the needs of the poor that are about to perish by starvation and the elements.
So it is not about faith in regards to salvation as it is about leading by examples of showing faith in God's Providence towards the poor that James was talking about.
James 2:14What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
Do note the catch phrase "What doth it profit?" at the beginning of that verse in 14 above to see how it ties into his chastisement in verse 15 below.
15If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food,
16And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit?
17Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
18Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
James was really railing on this church for getting out of helping the poor when they had the means to do so as God is no respector of person. One has to read the whole chapter in its entirety in order to see where James was coming from and what he was really talking about to correct those that would use the Book of James to imply faith without works was in reference to salvation.
We have these scriptures that says so otherwise:
Romans 4: 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
Titus 3:4But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
How was Lot considered to be a just and righteous man? He walked by sight and was lead by the pleasures of his eyes as he took to Sodom and Gomorrah, being vexed by their filthy manner of living. He offered his daughters to the insatiable appetites of the men of those cities to do as they wish. When He fled with his married daughters, they got him drunk and had relations with him becoming pregnant are sons to preserve his seed. How can such a man be considered righteous and saved from the wrath of God though an escort of angels sent by God to destroy the cities? Did He have a faith that believed God and was counted as righteousness?
REPOST
How was Lot considered to be a just and righteous man? He walked by sight and was lead by the pleasures of his eyes as he took to Sodom and Gomorrah, and was vexed by their filthy manner of living (2Pt 2:8). He offered his daughters to the insatiable appetites of the men of those cities to do as they wish. When He fled with his married daughters, they got him drunk and had relations with him becoming pregnant and bore sons to preserve his seed (Gen 19:30-38). How can such a man be considered righteous and saved from the wrath of God, through an escort of angels sent by God to destroy the cities? Did He have a faith that believed God and was counted as righteousness?
How was Lot considered to be a just and righteous man? He walked by sight and was lead by the pleasures of his eyes as he took to Sodom and Gomorrah, and was vexed by their filthy manner of living (2Pt 2:8). He offered his daughters to the insatiable appetites of the men of those cities to do as they wish. When He fled with his married daughters, they got him drunk and had relations with him becoming pregnant and bore sons to preserve his seed (Gen 19:30-38). How can such a man be considered righteous and saved from the wrath of God, through an escort of angels sent by God to destroy the cities? Did He have a faith that believed God and was counted as righteousness?
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