You want to judge me according to corrupt systematic theology definitions. Your notions of "Saved, Righteousness, and Obedience" cannot be applied to me, because they are the vain imaginations of men.
(2Pet 2:5 [20cNT]).... he preserved Noah, the Preacher of Righteousness, .....
How could he be a preacher of righteousness without being righteous. What made him righteous?
(Heb 11:7 [Mace])
'Twas by faith that Noah being divinely warned of unforeseen events, with a religious concern built an ark to the preservation of his family; whereby the world became inexcusable, and he obtained the reward of that righteousness which is by faith. It was by Faith in and toward God and the same goes for Abraham, which is the same faith till today.
The same thing that accounts ALL of us as righteous is FAITH. Noah had already "found grace" (Genesis 6:8), was "a preacher of righteousness" (2 Peter 2:5), and "walked with God" BEFORE he built the ark. His obedience was a DEMONSTRATION of his faith, not the origin of it.
(Hab 2:4 [BBE])
As for the man of pride, my soul has no pleasure in him; but the upright man will have life through his good faith.
I believe James sums it up the best.
(Jas 2:21-24 [20cNT])
...Abraham. Was not it the result of his actions that he was pronounced righteous after he had offered his son, Isaac, on the altar? You see how, in his case, faith and actions went together; that his faith was perfected as the result of his actions; and that in this way the words of Scripture came true — “Abraham believed God, and that was regarded by God as righteousness,” and “He was called the friend of God.” You see, then, that it is as the result of his actions that a man is pronounced righteous, and not of his faith only.
In James 2:21, notice closely that James
does not say that Abraham's work of offering up Isaac resulted in God accounting Abraham as righteous. 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 work of Abraham did not have some kind of intrinsic merit to save his soul, but it
proved or manifested the genuineness of his faith. This is the sense in which Abraham was justified by works, "shown to be righteous."
Faith made perfect or complete by works means bring to maturity, carry to the end, to complete like love in 1 John 4:18. It doesn't mean he was finally saved many years later 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 alter and demonstrated the reality of his faith in Genesis 22. In James 2:24, James is not using the word "justified" here 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 - James 2:14-18), 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 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
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.
In Luke 7:29, God is said to have been
justified by those who were baptized by John the Baptist. 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".
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."
James chapter 2 is a major stumbling block for "works salvationists" including Roman Catholics and Mormons. From your posts, it appears that you teach salvation by works and sinless perfection.
