Can a person be justified by faith in himself rather than by faith in God as most of us understand this faith to be?
If someone you work with says that she doesn’t believe in God, yet does all the things that would justify a person’s faith in God, and in so doing, would she be welcomed into the Kingdom of God? And I’m not talking about a person who denies god’s existence or who follows other gods. Based on a reading of the scriptures, it seems that she would be as welcome as those who have faith in, and do, the works that justifies that faith.
According to Psalm 139:14, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” All of us are so made, including those who do not believe in God as many of us understand the concept. We have thus been created to do wondrous things. Such is God’s Grace. And we have 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” So, it would appear that a person who has faith in themselves invariably has faith in God, even if they don’t have that awareness. And such a person who does good works, then, justifies their faith.
Would a person who has faith but does not exhibit works to justify that faith be considered more righteous than a person who has faith in themselves and does good works? James 2:26 tells us, “…faith apart from works is dead.” To that, I tell you that faith without works is like an automobile without a battery…just as an automobile without a battery is dead, so faith without works is dead.
Jesus in Matthew 7: 21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER who is in heaven.” What is the will of the father? Jesus sums it up in two great commandments, the first being to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love eachother as we do ourselves. If a person loves themselves and they do good works, would they not, by reason of 1 Corinthians 3:16, be loving God, whether they know it or not?
Jesus told his disciples to go and spread the word of God, so that whoever comes to believe in Him will be saved. I tell you that people who do good works and believe in themselves will be saved without receiving the Word of God. It is to others, then, who would be inclined to do evil and who do not have knowledge of God’s Word, that Jesus refers to.
Is it necessary to pray to God to show that we believe in Him? If a person who believes in themselves are at their wits end so the only course of action for many of us is to ask for God’s help, what would such a person do next to show faith in God? They would hope for the best. Under that scenario, is not that kind of hope the same as looking to God, considering that we all are temples of God? Wouldn’t such looking beyond ourselves for a good outlook, be tantamount to looking to God?
If someone you work with says that she doesn’t believe in God, yet does all the things that would justify a person’s faith in God, and in so doing, would she be welcomed into the Kingdom of God? And I’m not talking about a person who denies god’s existence or who follows other gods. Based on a reading of the scriptures, it seems that she would be as welcome as those who have faith in, and do, the works that justifies that faith.
According to Psalm 139:14, we are “fearfully and wonderfully made.” All of us are so made, including those who do not believe in God as many of us understand the concept. We have thus been created to do wondrous things. Such is God’s Grace. And we have 1 Corinthians 3:16 which says, “Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?” So, it would appear that a person who has faith in themselves invariably has faith in God, even if they don’t have that awareness. And such a person who does good works, then, justifies their faith.
Would a person who has faith but does not exhibit works to justify that faith be considered more righteous than a person who has faith in themselves and does good works? James 2:26 tells us, “…faith apart from works is dead.” To that, I tell you that faith without works is like an automobile without a battery…just as an automobile without a battery is dead, so faith without works is dead.
Jesus in Matthew 7: 21 says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the ONE WHO DOES THE WILL OF MY FATHER who is in heaven.” What is the will of the father? Jesus sums it up in two great commandments, the first being to love God with all our heart, soul and mind and to love eachother as we do ourselves. If a person loves themselves and they do good works, would they not, by reason of 1 Corinthians 3:16, be loving God, whether they know it or not?
Jesus told his disciples to go and spread the word of God, so that whoever comes to believe in Him will be saved. I tell you that people who do good works and believe in themselves will be saved without receiving the Word of God. It is to others, then, who would be inclined to do evil and who do not have knowledge of God’s Word, that Jesus refers to.
Is it necessary to pray to God to show that we believe in Him? If a person who believes in themselves are at their wits end so the only course of action for many of us is to ask for God’s help, what would such a person do next to show faith in God? They would hope for the best. Under that scenario, is not that kind of hope the same as looking to God, considering that we all are temples of God? Wouldn’t such looking beyond ourselves for a good outlook, be tantamount to looking to God?
