You keep saying Christ's faith as if we have no faith at all. In 1 Peter 1:9, we read - receiving the end of YOUR (not Christ's) faith--the salvation of your souls. Christ is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), but it's still OUR faith in Christ that saves us.
"Work of God/what God requires" in John 6:29 does not imply that WE do not believe in Him whom He has sent. Although we are commanded to believe and will be held accountable for unbelief (John 3:18), saving faith is never exclusively a matter of human decision. Unless the Father draws us (John 6:44) and enables us/unless it has been granted to him by My Father (John 6:65) we would NEVER come to believe in Christ for salvation all by ourselves.
The approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to choose Christ, we must choose Him. The impulse to faith in Christ comes from God.
Faith is the root of salvation and works are the fruit. It sounds to me like you are trying to make BOTH faith AND works the root of salvation and it also sounds like you are DEFINING faith as WORKS. Common error among works-salvationists.
I'm not pitting James against Paul at all. I am properly harmonizing scripture with scripture. In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, notice the words "work of" faith, "labor of" love and "patience of" hope in 1 Thessalonians 1:3.
These are the practical outworking of the Thessalonians' conversion. The "work" the Thessalonians do is a "result or consequence of" their faith. So too their "labor" flows from love and their "endurance" comes from hope. *Work "of" faith does not mean that faith in essence is the work accomplished.
Hebrews 11:1 - Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Their work is a result or consequence "of" their faith. The work done is "of" faith or done "out of" faith. Faith was already established at conversion and then the work "followed" as a result or consequence "of" faith. You are trying to turn work "of" faith into work "is" faith. You make no distinction between faith AND works that "follow" as a "result of" faith.
Christ is the author and finisher of OUR faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
What church do you attend?
There is a difference between God's will for us to BECOME saved (John 6:40) and God's will for us AFTER we have been saved through faith.
Are you one of those "KJV only" people? James 2:1 - My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. (NASB)
Eisegesis - is the process of interpreting a text or portion of text in such a way that the process introduces one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases into and onto the text.
Faith "of" our Lord Jesus Christ simply means faith "in" our Lord Jesus Christ, as we see in numerous translations - (HCSB; ESV; NASB; NCV; NIV; NRS). James 2 is discussing "our" faith, not Christ's faith, as if Christ needs faith in Himself in order to save Himself.
"Work of God/what God requires" in John 6:29 does not imply that WE do not believe in Him whom He has sent. Although we are commanded to believe and will be held accountable for unbelief (John 3:18), saving faith is never exclusively a matter of human decision. Unless the Father draws us (John 6:44) and enables us/unless it has been granted to him by My Father (John 6:65) we would NEVER come to believe in Christ for salvation all by ourselves.
The approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to choose Christ, we must choose Him. The impulse to faith in Christ comes from God.
Faith is the root of salvation and works are the fruit. It sounds to me like you are trying to make BOTH faith AND works the root of salvation and it also sounds like you are DEFINING faith as WORKS. Common error among works-salvationists.
I'm not pitting James against Paul at all. I am properly harmonizing scripture with scripture. In 1 Thessalonians 1:3, notice the words "work of" faith, "labor of" love and "patience of" hope in 1 Thessalonians 1:3.
These are the practical outworking of the Thessalonians' conversion. The "work" the Thessalonians do is a "result or consequence of" their faith. So too their "labor" flows from love and their "endurance" comes from hope. *Work "of" faith does not mean that faith in essence is the work accomplished.
Hebrews 11:1 - Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Their work is a result or consequence "of" their faith. The work done is "of" faith or done "out of" faith. Faith was already established at conversion and then the work "followed" as a result or consequence "of" faith. You are trying to turn work "of" faith into work "is" faith. You make no distinction between faith AND works that "follow" as a "result of" faith.
Christ is the author and finisher of OUR faith. (Hebrews 12:2)
What church do you attend?
There is a difference between God's will for us to BECOME saved (John 6:40) and God's will for us AFTER we have been saved through faith.
Are you one of those "KJV only" people? James 2:1 - My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism. (NASB)
Eisegesis - is the process of interpreting a text or portion of text in such a way that the process introduces one's own presuppositions, agendas, or biases into and onto the text.
Faith "of" our Lord Jesus Christ simply means faith "in" our Lord Jesus Christ, as we see in numerous translations - (HCSB; ESV; NASB; NCV; NIV; NRS). James 2 is discussing "our" faith, not Christ's faith, as if Christ needs faith in Himself in order to save Himself.