Paul’s teaching that we are not justified by “works of the law” refer to the law of Moses or to any legal system that makes God our debtor. They do not refer to good works done in grace with faith in Christ.
Kindly refrain from making up things. That above is just you saying it. Eph 2 says by grace you are saved through faith . . . NOT OF WORKS lest anyone should boast. Period, end of sentence. NO WORKS SAVE. Works are the result of salvation not its cause. Works cannot save because the unsaved man has no good works (there is none who does good, no not one.)
This makes sense when we remember that Paul's mission was to teach that salvation was also for the Gentiles who were not subject to the "works of the law." Here is the proof:
You have no proof for your claims; they are nonsense, contrary to the plain word of God.
James 2:24 – compare the verse “a man is justified by works and not by faith alone”
Do not confuse salvation & justification (a declaration of righteousness). Scripture is clear that when a man who is a sinner with no good works, trusts the Savior, at once that man is saved & justified by faith apart from anything else; as for example John 3:16 & Romans. But after a man is saved, his good works do justify him also in that they bring a declaration of righteousness. The man who already was declared righteous (like Abe) without any works, but by grace, is declared righteous whenever he does a good work -- God recognizes good works done by the power of the Holy Spirit as good works; the works declare that the man who was saved long ago & justified long ago is righteous. When Abe offered up Isaac, Abe had already been declared righteous without works years before.
to Gal. 2:16 – “a man is not justified by works of the law,” and Rom. 3:20,28 – “no human being will be justified in His sight by works of the law.” James 2:24 appears to be inconsistent with Gal. 2:16 and Rom. 3:20,28 until one realizes that the Word of God cannot contradict itself. This means that the “works” in James 2:24 are different from the “works of the law in Gal. 2:16 and Rom. 3:20,28. James is referring to “good works” (e.g.,clothing the naked; giving food to the poor) and Paul is referring to the “Mosaic law” (which included both the legal, moral and ceremonial law) or any works which oblige God to give us payment.
Wrong. The declaration that works don't save is comprehensive. And unsaved men have no good works anyway. Romans brings both Gentile & Jew under condemnation of works in Rom 1-3. All our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; there is none that doeth good. The works of a Jew under the law are filthy rags, just as are the gentile never under the law.
[/quote]Here is more proof: Rom. 3:20,28; Gal. 2:16 - Paul's phrase for "works of the law" in the Greek is "ergon nomou" which means the Mosaic law or Torah and refers to the teachings (legal, moral) and works (ceremonial) that gave the Jews the knowledge of sin, but not an escape from sin.[/quote]
That is not a shred of proof, for it is more proof that men are sinners & have no good works. If Jews under the law are sinners, that does not establish that Gentiles have good works. Paul's policy was to preach Jews first, then Gentiles wherever he went. He told the Ephesians (predominantly Gentile) there salvation was not of works, which is hardly limited to works under the law. God's will is broken by sinful man whether it is expressed in Moses or in any other way.
We have further proof of this from the Dead Sea Scrolls which provide the Hebrew equivalent ("hrvt ysm") meaning "deeds of the law," or Mosaic law. James in James 2 does not use "ergon nomou." He uses "ergois agathois." Therefore, Paul’s "works of the law" and James' "works" are entirely different types of works. Again, they could never contradict each other because the Scriptures are the inspired word of God.
The DSS prove absolutely nothing in this regard & aside from copies of the OT, they are not God's words. What you fail to understand is that the unsaved man has no works by which he could be saved. Do you misunderstand salvation altogether? Salvation is about a SAvior who saves sinners who say "God be merciful to me a sinner." Salvation is not about validating anyone's works. Salvation is awarded the moment a man believes with a new birth, becoming a child of God with the promise of eternal life. "I give them eternal life, & they shall never perish." Salvation does not depend on a future judgment as an award for good works.
[/quote]Rom. 4:5-6 – to him who does not work but believes, his faith is accounted to him as righteousness, like David, who was righteous apart from works. Here, Paul is emphasizing that works must be done in faith, not outside of faith.[/quote]
Nonsense. The text states plainly that a man without good works (that is everyone before saved) gets saved by trusting the Savior (faith) -- apart from works. There is nothing about doing works in faith there.
Can you get this?
Thou shalt call His name Jesus, for
He shall save His people from their sins.
If they are done outside of faith, we are in a system of debt (God owes us). If they are done in faith (as James requires), we are in a system of grace (God rewards us). Hence, Paul accepts the works performed under God’s forbearance (grace) in Rom. 2:7,10,13 (see also Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:12-17; and 2 Corinthians 5:10) which lead to justification and eternal life.
Your verses hardly establish your theory. Actually to get saves requires that you rest in the Savior and abandon any hope of works-salvation in self-righteousness. You must rest in faith in the Savior & let Him do the saving. James speaks of good works done AFTER A MAN IS SAVED. They don't save in James nor anywhere else in scripture. They do declare that you are righteous after you are saved & have been recreated by God to be able to do good works.
Rom. 6:16 - obedience leads to righteousness. Obedience is a good "work," an act of the will, which leads to righteousness before God.
Romans 6 is basically about the Christian life, not initial salvation. Christians (saved) can sin or obey; they do have that choice.
The only obedience that saves is obedience to this one command:
Sirs what must I do to be saved?
Answer: Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved.
Over & over scripture offers salvation on one condition presented to man: faith only. It is offered with believe/faith/trust in the Savior ONLY without anything added. And the evidence is too great for one post here. But here is a little of the evidence:
Certainly, if he wanted to teach “faith alone,” he would have done so.
And indeed He has done so, as in these passages where
it is faith alone!:
Rom 1:16-17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that
believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
17 For therein is revealed a righteousness of God from faith unto faith: as it is written, But the righteous shall live by
faith.
Rom 3:21-30
But now apart from the law a righteousness of God hath been manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 even the righteousness of God through
faith in Jesus Christ unto all them that
believe; for there is no distinction;
23 for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God;
24 being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
25 whom God set forth
to be a propitiation, through
faith, in his blood, to show his righteousness because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God;
26 for the showing,
I say, of his righteousness at this present season: that he might himself be just, and the justifier of him that hath
faith in Jesus.
27 Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of
faith.
28 We reckon therefore that a man is justified by
faith apart from the works of the law.
29 Or is God
the God of Jews only? is he not
the God of Gentiles also? Yea, of Gentiles also:
30 if so be that God is one, and he shall justify the circumcision by
faith, and the uncircumcision through
faith.
Rom 4:1ff
:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather, hath found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not toward God.
3 For what saith the scripture? And Abraham
believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.
4 Now to him who works, the reward is not reckoned as of grace, but as of debt.
5 But to him that works not, but believeth on him that justifies the ungodly, his
faith is reckoned for righteousness.
6 Even as David also pronounces blessing upon the man, to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works,
7 saying,
Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven,
And whose sins are covered.
8 Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not reckon sin.
9 Is this blessing then pronounced upon the circumcision, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say, To Abraham his
faith was reckoned for righteousness.
10 How then was it reckoned? when he was in circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision:
11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of
the faith which he had while he was in uncircumcision: that he might be the father of all them who
believe, though they be in uncircumcision, that righteousness might be reckoned unto them;
12 and the father of circumcision to them who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that
faith of our father Abraham which he had in uncircumcision.
13 For not through the law was the promise to Abraham or to his seed that he should be heir of the world, but through the righteousness of
faith.
14 For if they that are of the law are heirs,
faith is made void, and the promise is made of none effect:
15 for the law works wrath; but where there is no law, neither is there transgression.
16 For this cause
it is of
faith, that
it may be according to grace; to the end that the promise may be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all
17 (as it is written, A father of many nations have I made thee) before him whom he
believed,
even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were.
18 Who in hope
believed against hope, to the end that he might become a father of many nations, according to that which had been spoken, So shall thy seed be.
19 And without being weakened in
faith he considered his own body now as good as dead (he being about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb;
20 yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through
faith, giving glory to God,
21 and being
fully assured that what he had promised, he was able also to perform.
22 Wherefore also
it was reckoned unto him for righteousness.
Rom 5:1-2
Being therefore justified by
faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ; through whom also we have had our access by
faith into this grace wherein we stand; and let us boast in hope of the glory of God.
Rom 9:30:
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, who followed not after righteousness, attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith: but Israel, following after a law of righteousness, did not arrive at
that law. Wherefore? Because
they sought it not by
faith, but as it were by works. They stumbled at the stone of stumbling; even as it is written,
Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence:
And he who
believes on him shall not be put to shame.
Rom 10:4ff
For Christ is the end of the law unto righteousness to everyone who
believes. For Moses writeth that the man that doeth the righteousness which is of the law shall live thereby. But the righteousness which is of
faith says thus, Say not in thy heart, Who shall ascend into heaven? (that is, to bring Christ down
or, Who shall descend into the abyss? (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead.) But what saith it? The word is nigh thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of
faith, which we preach.
Gal 2:15-16
We being Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through
faith in Jesus Christ, even we
believed on Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by
faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law: because by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
