You say you save yourself by doing the 'works of faith'.
You are so completely wrong, - as if the 'works of faith' come from within yourself.
It is the Holy Spirit that provides those 'so called' works.
The faith is the instrument through which the fruits of the Spirit come through, (which you
erroneously label works)
- I can see how under the mindset you are under my logic could be considered 'convoluted'.
So was Jesus' gospel to the Pharisee's, another sect that thought they could appease God by
doing certain things.
Did someone say that "works of faith come from within oneself"? Again, you put forth statements which were never said and then argue against those statements.
Before you said, "saving oneself, by oneself" and not you are saying "works of faith come within oneself."
What you are doing is taking my contention of "obedience to God as being mandatory" and twisting it into "doing something separate from God." Like many in the church I communicate with you cannot perceive what I am saying at all.
I was speaking with a pastor last week and he was so very blind. I said to him that the Romans Wretch was "carnal and sold under sin" and thus was not "set free indeed" and that the road to being set free indeed "was being crucified with Christ through godly sorrow and repentance." This pastor would continually quote Galatians and say that I was preaching "salvation by the works of the law." He simply could not make the distinction in his mind between "obeying God from the heart" and "keeping a set of rules and regulations outwardly."
It appears you and him have much in commmon. The strong delusion of today so pervades the mind that any mention of "obedience being necessary" is automatically interpreted as "saving yourself apart from God."
Here are a few scripturers...
Joh 1:9 That was the true Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world.
How many men have been provided with the light of God? EVERYONE.
Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation
hath appeared to all men,
Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
How many men have had the grace of God appear to them? EVERYONE.
Does God FORCE people to obey Him? NO! We choose to either to yield to God's instruction or we choose to reject God's instruction.
YIELDING = OBEDIENCE.
Noah CHOSE to yield to God's instruction by building the ark. He was saved because he CHOSE to do so. Was he glorifying in himself? Was he saving himself by himself? No way. He was simply DOING what GOd told Him to do and by doing that he wrought salvation for his household. That is what the Bible plainly teaches and the Bible uses Noah as an EXAMPLE for us.
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and
became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
Righteousness is by faith. Abraham was counted as righteous before God. Why? Because Abraham BELIEVED God and OBEYED God. Abraham's faith was an active and obedient working faith, which means it was REAL FAITH.
Abraham Obeyed.
Heb 11:8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
Abraham WALKED IN THE STEPS of faith.
Rom 4:12 And the father of circumcision to them who are not of the circumcision only, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. Read carefully that above verse. Those who are the true son's of Abraham WALK IN THE STEPS of faith. That is because faith is not passive. Faith is active and embodies our entire being. Faith is a deep seated conviction whereby we are totally convinced that what God says is true and we are also in agreement with God, thus we act in accordance with such a belief and are DOERS of the word.
That is what they don't teach in the church system. The church system has redefined faith to be simple "trust." They teach a salvation where all you do is "trust" in the "finished work of Jesus Christ." They will teach that if you do that then you are "declared saved apart from anything you do." The doing is then subsequent and disconnected from salvation.
This satanic teaching thus twists the blood of Jesus Christ into a cloak for ongoing rebellion. Those who buy into this system never truly repent, they never die with Christ, they never crucify their old man with his passions and desires in repentance because they are taught that THEY DO NOT HAVE TO because IT IS NOT OF WORKS. Thus Satan devours multitudes of professing Christian's who THINK they are saved yet REMAIN WORKERS OF INIQUITY.
MANY people are going to be rejected by Jesus Christ because they fell for this delusion. Obedience is absolutely mandatory for salvation. It is through obedience that one is a WORKER TOGETHER with God. That means one cooperates with God, God works within an individual to "will and to do of His good pleasure" and the believer "puts it into practice." That is why faith purifies the heart (Act 15:9) and why obedience through the Spirit purifies the soul (1Pet 1:21).
Remove that dynamic from the Gospel and there is no heart purity. Without holiness no-one will see the Lord. Holiness is wrought through obeying God from the heart. That is why the Bible says "obedience unto righteousness" and that God is the AUTHOR of salvation of those whom obey Him.
It is a very simple message. It is the doctrine according to godliness. Jesus came to teach men to forsake their rebellion and turn back to God in humble obedience. If sinners do that then they will be saved. If they do not they will perish.