Man is saved through FAITH THAT TRUSTS ONLY IN CHRIST FOR SALVATION AND NOT IN WORKS (Ephesians 2:8,9). Not to be confused with faith that ONLY CLAIMS TO BE GENUINE BUT DEMONSTRATES BY THE LACK OF WORKS THAT IT'S DEAD (James 2:14-20). Man is saved through faith and not by works; yet genuine faith is evidenced by works. Will you ever understand this?
A man actually has faith but has no works = Oxymoron. James 2:14 - Claims/says he has faith but has no works. That is not genuine faith but an empty profession of faith. That's why it won't save.
Faith that trusts ONLY in Christ for salvation saves. Faith that ONLY claims to be genuine but demonstrates by the lack of works that it's dead does not save. There is your simple answer that ONLY genuine believers will clearly grasp.
It's not that faith must produce works in order to become genuine but faith will produce works if it is genuine. Ephesians 2:10 says that we are saved FOR good works, NOT by good works. You have it backwards. When you hear a genuine believer say that we are saved through "faith IN CHRIST alone," they are not saying that we are saved by the "kind" of faith that remains alone "barren of works". Saving faith results in producing good works, so it's not alone in that sense but it's the faith (belief, trust, reliance) in Christ for salvation part of the equation that "alone" is the instrumental means by which we receive salvation. Good works are the fruit, by-product and demonstrative evidence of our faith, but they are not the means of our salvation. Christ's finished work of redemption is the all sufficient means of our salvation. No supplements needed.
No conflict at all. We must first repent "change our mind" before we can believe the gospel and become saved.
It's not must confess but will. In Matthew 10:32-33, the broader context of this passage relates to the fact that the Pharisees had continuously denied Jesus while the disciples spoke about Him in every city they visited. We might paraphrase His teaching this way: "Whoever confesses me before men (such as you disciples), I will confess him before my Father in heaven. But whoever denies me before men (like these Pharisees do on every occasion they get), I will deny him before my Father in heaven. Those who confess Jesus are those who recognize Him as being the true Messiah and trust in Him as the way of salvation. Those who deny Jesus (and those who give mere lip service confession) but refuse to trust in Him alone for salvation place themselves beyond any possibility of salvation, since salvation is found only in Him (John 3:16; 14:6). The word for "deny" is an aorist tense. This points to the fact that Jesus is not talking about a single instance of denial (as was the case with Peter, who actually denied Him three times - Luke 22:34), but is referring to life in its entirety.
In Romans 10:9,10 - Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead are not two separate steps to salvation but chronologically together. Romans 10:8 - But what does it say? "THE WORD IS NEAR YOU, in your mouth and in your heart" (together) that is, the word of faith which we are preaching, (notice the reverse order from verse 9 to verse 10) - that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth he confession is made unto salvation. Confess/believe; believe/confess. 1 Corinthians 12:3 - Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except BY the Holy Spirit. There is divine influence or direct operation of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person when confessing that Jesus is Lord. This confession is not just a simple acknowledgment that Jesus is the Lord (even the demons believe that), but is a deep personal conviction, without reservation, that Jesus is that person's Lord and Savior. So simply believing in our head (and not in our heart) that God raised Him from the dead does not result in righteousness and simply reciting the words "Jesus is Lord" not by the Holy Spirit from a check list of steps as if they are simply magic words that must be said as an additional requirement to become saved after faith is not unto salvation.
Not must but will, unless one is unable to be because they are on their death bed, like the thief on the cross. Condemnation is the result of a lack of belief (Mark 16:16(b); John 3:18) not a lack of baptism. Faith "implied in repentance" is unto the remission of sins (Acts 3:19; 11:17,18) and baptism is parenthetical.
No, because that is NOT GENUINE FAITH. Those with genuine faith have already repented and confessed with their mouth that Jesus is Lord and will confess Christ to others. FAITH ONLY per James is an empty profession of faith, not genuine faith.
