hearing the word is the origin of our faith....obeying the word is faith with works
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God (Romans 10:17). Believing is the origin of our faith and obeying the word afterwards is works. Faith is believing and obedience which follows is works. You don't seem to make a distinction between the root of salvation (faith) and the fruit of salvation (works). You seem to think that faith "is" multiple acts of obedience, faith "is" works. This leads to your errant theology that salvation is through faith/works. Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).
Romans 16:26
But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations
for the obedience of faith:
Although Paul can speak of people’s initial response of coming to faith in Christ and receiving salvation as an act of obedience, in which he describes it as "obeying the gospel" by believing the gospel (Romans 10:16; 1:16), the purpose of Paul’s apostleship was not merely to bring people to conversion but also to bring about transformed lives that were obedient to God. Paul also mentions "obedience of faith" in Romans 1:5. Notice that Paul said they HAVE (already) received grace and apostleship FOR/UNTO obedience to the faith. Just as in Ephesians 2:10, Paul said that we are created in Christ Jesus FOR/UNTO good works. We are clearly saved FOR good works, NOT by good works (Ephesians 2:8-10). In Romans 1:5, Paul did not say that they did not receive grace and apostleship until they produced obedience afterwards. We have access by FAITH into GRACE..Romans 5:2 not faith "and obedience/works." We are saved through faith in Christ first, then "unto" obedience/works.
Abraham obeyed the first call
Genesis 12:1-3King James Version (KJV)
12 Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
[SUP]2 [/SUP]And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
[SUP]3 [/SUP]And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
Which eventually led him to the place in which God brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be." 6 And he
believed the Lord, and He
accounted it to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:5-6). This happened many years before Abraham was said to be justified by works in James 2:21. Notice closely that James does not say that Abraham's work of offering up Isaac resulted in God's accounting Abraham as righteous. No! The accounting of Abraham's faith as righteousness was made in Genesis 15:6,
many years before his work of offering up Isaac recorded in Genesis 22. The works of Abraham did not have some kind of intrinsic merit to save his soul, but
proved or manifested the genuineness of his faith. This is the sense in which Abraham was justified by works, "shown to be righteous," not accounted as righteous.
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. The harmony of Romans 4:2 and James 2:21 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 righteous. James, however is using the term to describe those who would
show or
prove the genuineness of their faith by the works that they do.