One baptism # 259
From beginning "have been saved through faith" (Ephesians 2:8) to end "receiving the end of your faith--the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:9) salvation is through faith and IS NOT BY WORKS (Ephesians 2:8,9).
Amen! Are you beginning to see the light yet at all?
Response:
“For by grace you have been saved through faith.” (Eph. 2: 8) We can certainly agree on that statement. However I cannot agree with those who claim salvation is by grace through faith alone, as there is no passage in the entire Bible that makes that statement.
You don't agree with that statement because you "add" works to salvation through faith. The Bible clearly teaches in many passages of scripture that we are saved through belief/faith "apart from additions or modifications." (Luke 8:12; John 1:12; 3:15,16,36; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:22-28; 4:5; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 2:16; Ephesians 2:8; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 John 5:13 etc..). You don't need to add the word "alone" next to belief/faith in each of these passages in order to figure out that the words belief/faith "stand alone" in connection with receiving salvation. Do these passages of scripture say faith "plus something else?" NO! So then it's faith (rightly understood) IN CHRIST alone. Not in Christ "plus works" but in CHRIST ALONE.
In fact there is one passage that states that we are not justified by faith alone. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (James 2: 24)
I've already explained this to you before but you are still not listening. James is
not saying that we are saved by faith
and works here. James 2:24 has to be the most misunderstood verse in the Bible. This verse is misinterpreted by Roman Catholics, Mormons, those who attend the church of Christ and other "works salvationists." In the first place, James is not using the word "justified" to mean "accounted as righteous" but is
"shown to be righteous." James is discussing the
proof of faith
(says-claims to have faith but has no works/I will show you my faith by my works), not the initial act of being accounted as righteous with God (Romans 4:2-3). Works bear out the justification that already came by faith.
*In James 2:14, we read of one who
says-claims he has faith but he has
no works (to back up his claim). Where is the evidence? This is not genuine faith, but a
bare profession of faith. So when James asks, "Can
that faith save him?" He is saying nothing against genuine faith, but only against an
empty profession of faith/dead faith. *Please listen closely - *James
does not teach that we are saved "by" works. His concern is to
show the reality of the faith professed by the individual (James 2:18) and demonstrate that the faith claimed (James 2:14) by the individual is genuine. Simple! *What a genuine believer means by salvation through faith (rightly understood) IN CHRIST alone (Ephesians 2:8,9) and what James means by an empty profession of faith that remains alone (barren of works) is NOT the same message. Don't let the word "alone" fool you.
In the Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, the Greek word for justified "dikaioo" #1344 is:
1. to render righteous or such he ought to be
2. to show, exhibit, evince, one to be righteous, such as he is and wishes himself to be considered
3. to declare, pronounce, one to be just, righteous, or such as he ought to be
God is said to have been
justified by those who were baptized by John the Baptist (Luke 7:29). This act pronounced or declared God to be righteous. It did not make him righteous. The basis or ground for the pronouncement was the fact that God IS righteous. Notice that the NIV reads,
"acknowledged that God's way was right.." The ESV reads,
"they declared God just.." This is the
sense in which God was justified,
"shown to be righteous" not accounted as righteous.
Matthew 11:19 "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a gluttonous man and a drunkard, a friend of tax-gatherers and sinners!' Yet wisdom is
justified/vindicated/shown to be right by her deeds."
In Matthew 12:37, "For by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned." This is because our words reveal the state of our hearts. Words will appear to be
evidences for, or against a man's being in a state of grace and righteousness.
The harmony of Ephesians 2:8,9; Romans 4:2-3 and James 2:24 is seen in the differing ways that Paul and James use the term "justified." Paul, when he uses the term, refers to the
legal (judicial) act of God by which He accounts the sinner as righteous (Romans 3:24; 5:1). James, however is using the term to describe those who would
prove the genuineness of their faith by the works that they do. Man is
saved through faith and not works (Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9); yet genuine faith is
vindicated, substantiated, evidenced by works (James 2:14-24). *Please pay close attention - The word "alone" in regards to salvation through faith "in Christ alone" conveys the message that
Christ saves us through faith based on the merits of His finished work of redemption "alone" and not on the merits of our works. It is through faith "in Christ alone" (and not by the merits of our works) that we are justified on account of Christ (Romans 3:24; 5:1); yet the faith that justifies is never alone (solitary, unfruitful, barren) if it is genuine (James 2:14-24). *Perfect Harmony.*
James had previously asked a question which indicates that Abraham, in some sense, was justified by works when he offered Isaac.
As I already showed you. Abraham was justified by works in a declarative sense, "shown to be righteous," not in a legal sense, "accounted as righteous." Abraham's faith was accounted to him for righteousness in Genesis 15:6 when he BELIEVED God many years before his work of offering up Isaac in Genesis 22. Romans 4:2 - For
if Abraham was justified by works, he has
something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham
believed God, and
it (faith, not works) was accounted to him for righteousness."
He goes on to explain that Abraham’s faith was working with his works (offering up Isaac) and as a result Abraham’s faith was perfected or completed.
I already explained to you what perfected or completed faith means and it doesn't mean salvation by works, but it does mean to bring to maturity, carry to the end, to complete like love in 1 John 4:18. It doesn't mean that Abraham was finally saved based on his works. When Abraham performed the good work in Genesis 22; he
fulfilled the expectations created by the pronouncement of his faith in Genesis 15:6. The scripture was fulfilled in vindicating or demonstrating that Abraham believed God and was accounted as righteous. Abraham was
accounted as righteous because of his faith (Genesis 15:6)
long before he offered up Isaac on the altar and fulfilled the expectations created by the pronouncement of his faith in Genesis 15:6.
This certainly opens the thought that if we are saved by grace through faith, there might be factors working with our faith, contributing to our salvation.
Works do not contribute to our salvation. Works do not help Christ save us, as if His finished work of redemption is insufficient to save us. Good works are the fruit, by product and demonstrative evidence of genuine saving faith in Christ, but are not the essence of faith or the means of our salvation. Meditate on that until it sinks in.
Of course if this is true then we can categorically state that salvation is not by grace through faith alone.
If salvation is not by grace through faith (rightly understood) IN CHRIST alone, then Paul clearly would have said that we are saved by grace through faith
and works in Ephesians 2:8,9 but that is NOT what Paul said. We are saved by grace through faith in Christ alone and NOT BY WORKS. This means that believers are trusting in Christ alone for salvation and not in works.
As we read the Scriptures, we find that there several factors that are said to save. These include:
Calling on the name of the Lord. (Acts 2: 21; Rom. 10: 13)
Repentance (2 Cor. 7: 10)
Baptism (Mark 16: 15, 16; 1 Peter 3: 21)
Confessing the name of Jesus (Rom. 10: 10)
Obedience (Heb. 5: 9)
Hope (Rom. 8: 24)
The washing of regeneration (Titus 3: 5)
The problem: (1) we have a list of factors other than faith that are said to save.
(2) we have Eph. 2: 9 that states that states that salvation is not of works.
(3) we have statements that works of the law (Gal. 2: 16) and works of righteousness (Titus 3: 5) do not save.
(4) we have Paul’s statement that Abraham was not justified by works. (Rom. 4: 2)
(5) we have James statements that Abraham was in some sense justified by works, never denying that we live by faith. (James 2: 20- 24)
(6) we have a list of some of Abraham’s works with the acknowledgment that he obeyed by faith. (Heb. 11: 8- 17)
(7) there are works of faith, labors of love and the steadfastness of hope in our lives. (1 Thess. 1: 3)
I have already explained these scriptures to you numerous times before, but the truth continues to go right over your head. You remind me of a trained parrot who is only capable of mimicking or "parroting off" what he has been taught to say, but doesn't actually think for himself. Go back and read posts #259, 266 and 268 again and actually thoroughly read them this time and please prayerfully consider the truth.
Solution: There are two categories of works under discussion; Paul was speaking of works of the law and deeds done in righteousness when he said that neither Abraham or Christians are saved or justified by works; James, on the other hand, was speaking of works of faith, that do work with faith and perfect faith.
That is not the solution and this false teaching of "saved by these works, but just not those works" is also taught in the Roman Catholic church and the Mormon church and by other "works salvationists" in a desperate attempt to "get around" the truth that man is saved by grace through faith and NOT BY WORKS in general. Paul did not say that man is saved through faith
and works of faith in Ephesians 2:8, but simply through faith.
You also cannot dissect works of faith/good works from the moral aspect of the law and then teach that we are saved by "these" works, but just not "those" works:
In James 2:15-16, the example of a "work" that James gives is: "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?" To give a brother or sister these things needed for the body would certainly be a "work of faith/good work" yet to neglect such a brother or sister and not give them the things needed for the body is to
break the second great commandment "love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:39) as found written in the law of Moses (Leviticus 19:18).
In Matthew 22:37-40, we read: Jesus said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'
On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. Please tell me which good works a Christian could do that are "completely detached" from these
two great commandments which are found in the law of Moses? (Deuteronomy 6:5; Leviticus 19:18).
Either we perfectly keep the law (ALL OF IT)
which includes the moral aspect of the law, and we are saved by works (impossible!) or else we place our faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and receive His imputed righteousness (Romans 4:5-6; Philippians 3:9). There is no middle ground. It's not Christ did most of it but we did some of it. The good works of a believer are not added as a supplement to Christ's finished work of redemption in order to help Christ save us. We are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:24). Salvation through faith in Christ is the alternative to salvation by works, yet you stubbornly choose to trust in works and not exclusively in Christ for salvation. Solution: REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel. It's time for you to let go of your works and take hold of Christ through FAITH.
We are saved and justified by a perfected faith.
Abraham was saved and his faith was
accounted as righteous/justified/legal sense in Genesis 15:6 (Also see Romans 4:2-3) when he
believed God,
many years before he offered up Isaac on the altar and his faith was said to be perfected in Genesis 22 and he was also said to be justified by works, yet this was in a declarative sense/shown to be righteous.
Until we are able to recognize this, we will have a distorted view of salvation. God bless.
Until you are able to recognize this, you will continue to have a distorted view of salvation. May the Lord open your eyes to the truth and may you choose to REPENT and BELIEVE the gospel. I will continue to pray for you.