Personal interpretation "adds works" to the Gospel. The Holy Spirit got it right from the beginning and has preserved the Gospel from the beginning, but apparently your church and other churches have not.
Lots of assertions but no evidence. Can you cite any evidence that anyone Church, Orthodox, Orientals, and the RC ever held to a view of “sola fide” as understood by Luther and most Protestants? Personal interpretation has added a lot of things, most within the melieu of sola scripturist, Protestantism. Starting with Luther.
Those who don't believe the Gospel are wearing blinders (2 Corinthians 4:3,4). Justification is saved from the penalty of sin which equals salvation and not simply probation.
a statement based on “sola fide” along with both the Original Sin theory which is the basis for Anselm's theory of atonement.
No, it's actually Scripture. I see that you continue to "parrot off" what your predecessors before you have taught.
That is what the scriptures say. It is what the Holy Spirit dirrected to the Apostles. There is ONLY ONE gospel, not thousands generated by individual men. The Gospel has been continually “parroted” unchanged for 2000 years.
You are the one who is confused.
A gift must be received. The gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Same gift in Romans 5:15-18. Salvation by grace through faith is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8) and that's why it is NOT OF WORKS (vs. 9).
You have just proved you are confused or just do not understand scripture. The “life” of Rom 5:18 as well as I Cor 15:22 is not the same as “eternal life” in Rom 6:23. The former is physical life over physical death, the latter is spiritual life which scripture calls “eternal life” Meaning a spiritual relationship with Christ. You are conflating them and by so doing show that you do not understand what Christ accomplished and why.
Eternal life is not given to all men, including unbelievers. Unbelievers have not received the gift of eternal life. Unbelievers are not justified by faith. Period.
Never stated it. Scripture does not teach it. ONLY your misunderstanding could make such a statement.
You finally said it. Which we do by FAITH. It's not automatic to all men including unbelievers.
Never stated that either. It depends on which Life or eternal life you are directing the comment. Again, statement based on your ignorance of the Incarnation/resurrection of Christ.
Which is saved from the penalty of sin "have been saved through faith" = salvation, not probation.
a wholly proterstant innovation of a combination of “sola fide” and Anselm's theory.
The faithful ones are ONLY those who 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) trust in Christ as the all sufficient means of their salvation. Saving faith continues and is not some shallow temporary belief that has no root and does not continue.
the ONLY way to determine if one's faith was a saving faith is to know if one was saved at one's death. Thus ONLY God knows. But many believers have fallen away and will not be saved.
An empty profession of faith that remains alone (barren of works) = hell because this is not genuine faith but a dead faith. You say have faith AND DO HIS WILL as if our works "in addition to the cross" is what saves us. What is God's will for us to receive eternal life? John 6:40 - For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. Where do you see believes in Him "and do his will" in John 6:40 as if "believes in Him" is His insufficient will for us to receive eternal life and something further must be accomplished which constitutes "do His will" also and is then added as a supplement to believes in Him? People seem to write a blank check with "do His will" and fill in whatever amount of works they desire. Christ is an all sufficient Savior. No supplements needed.
typical example of proof texting. You isolate a text hoping it supports your errant doctrine of sola fide. The rest of the NT is diametrically opposed to sola fide. Which is why it has never been part of the Gospel.
I believe that Christ's finished work of redemption is sufficient to save the world from death and sin (I don't believe in limited atonement), but not everyone in the world will automatically be saved from sin and death and receive eternal life with God. There is no universal salvation.
again based on your ignorance of the Incarnation/ resurrection of Christ and what it accomplished. Christ'swork of redemption is universal. It makes it possible for “whosoever” to believe and have a relationship with Christ, now and for eternity. Christ did not grant eternal life to anyone from the Cross.
Not all men have been alive together with Christ and have been saved by grace through faith. Grace is Christ's part and faith is our part, not any works of the law, including the moral aspect of the law, which includes all good works. Salvation is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God.
again based on your conflation/misunderstanding of the Incarnation/resurrection of Christ. All men have been made alive so that each could respond by faith.
Exactly!
Saved by grace through faith, not works. And it's not saved by grace through faith "infused with works", just not specific works of the law as Catholicism teaches. It's not faith + the 7 sacraments or faith + something else. It's faith IN CHRIST ALONE. =
a wholly western/protestant concept and a complete misunderstanding of personal salvation.
In other words, saved through faith to you means place on probation and if you are "faithful enough" then you finally inherit eternal life. How is that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works? Those with faith from beginning to end are faithful and will inherit eternal life. Those with a shallow temporary belief that has no root and does not endure are faithless and will not inherit eternal life.
again, a statement based entirely on your paradigm.
You misunderstanding is placed on probation by grace through faith (not actually saved yet) then ultimately inherit eternal life by works (being faithful enough). How much is enough in your "is of yourselves" performance based plan of salvation?
Again, a gross misunderstanding and a creation of a strawman to offset your own paradigm.
I never denied salvation by grace part. The finished work of Christ not only makes it possible for man and God to be united now and for eternity, it makes it actual through faith.
You denied it above and as well in your statement here. Christ saved the world from death, sin and Satan by grace. Man has no imput in what Christ did including faith. If Christ fails in saving man from death, there is no need for faith, it is in vain. Read I Cor 15:12-22 with emphasis on vs 17. If you don't believe Christ saved all men from death, then Christ has not risen either, thus your faith is futile. You will die still condemned to death through Adam.
I found it. How many different ways can you interpret "justified by faith alone in Christ" and other quotes that I cited from the Church Fathers?
You failed to show that they believed in sola fide and the Anselmian theory which you hold to, as well as Original sin. There is no sola fide in the Church fathers.
Says you. That's what I've heard Roman Catholics and Mormons claim as well.
Complete ignorance? Your arrogance is showing.
Salvation by grace, through faith IN CHRIST ALONE and not by works is not condemned in Scripture. What is condemned is claims to have faith but has no works. This is a dead faith that remains alone (barren of works). That's the "alone" that condemns because this is not genuine faith but an empty profession of faith. Not to be confused with FAITH IN CHRIST ALONE for salvation, which is not alone in the sense that it is barren of works, because it's a living faith, not a dead faith.
You are going in circles. Why not just believe what scripture teaches without all the man made suppositions that deny what scripture teaches and has always taught.
I really don't care what Luther wanted to do with the book of James. I'm a disciple of Christ, not Luther and I have no problem with the book of James. Paul and James compliment each other and do not contradict each other as some may believe. Man is saved through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8;9: Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9) yet genuine faith is substantiated and confirmed by good works (James 2:14-24). In other words, 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*
Going in circles again.
First you tell me to read the writings of the Church Fathers (as if they must be right about everything) and now you are saying that Augustine has some heresies attached to him.
One needs to read those that were accepted by the Body, not just because one wrote something. Every false teaching has been generated by a believer within the Church. Paul warned more about the wolves within rather than on the outside.
Christ died for the ungodly, yet not all who are ungodly will believe in Him who justifies the ungodly and have their faith accounted for righteousness.
Again, conflation reigns. Christ died for the ungodly, all sinners. He reconciled all things to God. It has nothing to do with justification by faith. Two separate justifications. The first is Christ reconciling the world to God. The other is man reconciling himself to God by faith. If Christ did not reconcile all things, one could never believe and there would be no eternal life. We would simply die, be dissolved by death and return to dust. Gen 3:19.
The Gospel is and has always been the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation for everyone who BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16). What did I change? Is this the Gospel that you accept or do you believe that this is not the Gospel from the beginning?
Quoting a text says nothing. It is the explanation and meaning of it that determines one's understanding. Your view cannot be found until after the Reformation which entails several false teachings as well.
You don't think that the Jehovah Witnesses can quote scripture as well?
We read of joyful acts of the redeemed in fulling all the Law in Love one toward another and SHOWING it! My Word, that isn't even a valid topic to put "our response" in a bad light by calling it "works"! That is ridiculous and argumentative and decisive and what is the point? It is an ugly argument, no place in the Lord for this nonsense.
