Saved by faith alone?

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J

JBTN

Active member
#921
Feb 11, 2020
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#921
Lamar said:
Not only does the Bible not "explicitly" say that faith alone saves, it does not say it at all. Regardless of what adverb you use it does not state in any form the notion that faith alone is the sole agency of redemption. Injecting "alone" into any verse distorts the meaning of the scripture just as it does in any subject.

The rest of your words are simply human surmising.

If you or anyone else needs to inject a definitive into a verse to assert a theology then your theology is in question.
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“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.5.1.ESV

No reason to inject anything here. If everyone who believes has been born of God then belief is all that was required. To say anything else is required makes this verse untrue. I don’t see any way around this.
 
L

lrs68

Active member
#922
Dec 30, 2024
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#922
GWH said:
Well, it might have been possible for the thief on the cross if he had died before professing his faith.
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He displayed his works by explaining to the other thief that they deserved their punishment because of the things they did (they were thieves like Satan and displayed whom they literally were followers of).

Then the thief explained but Jesus is innocent and doesn't deserve what they deserved.

So the thief showed 2 types of works. 1 from his sinful life and 1 from his understanding that he needed Christ (life). His Testimony is his works and we to this very day have his Testimony to prove his works.
 
G

GWH

Groovy
#923
Oct 19, 2024
4,841
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#923
lrs68 said:
He displayed his works by explaining to the other thief that they deserved their punishment because of the things they did (they were thieves like Satan and displayed whom they literally were followers of).

Then the thief explained but Jesus is innocent and doesn't deserve what they deserved.

So the thief showed 2 types of works. 1 from his sinful life and 1 from his understanding that he needed Christ (life). His Testimony is his works and we to this very day have his Testimony to prove his works.
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That's what I meant by "professing".
 
T

TrustandObey

Active member
#924
Nov 12, 2024
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#924
JBTN said:
“Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the Father loves whoever has been born of him.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭5‬:‭1‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.5.1.ESV

No reason to inject anything here. If everyone who believes has been born of God then belief is all that was required. To say anything else is required makes this verse untrue. I don’t see any way around this.
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If you believe that this verse is a all-encompassing panacea in regards to the issue of human salvation then yes you most certainly need to inject alone into its verbiage.

I personally do not believe you even believe this.

If simple belief is all that is needed for salvation then the Bible contradicts itself.

And the many commands of the Bible are meaningless.

Repent or perish.
Confess Jesus as Lord.
Baptism for the remission of sins.
Be faithful to the end.
etc.

James 1:27
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Since faith is not mentioned as an acceptable part of God's view of a "pure and faultless" religion does faith even matter?

Since the word "faith" in 1st John 5:1 is not even defined does this mean any type or degree of faith will do?

Be careful not to selectively pick general verses and turn them into blanket assertions.

Remember even JW believe that "Jesus is the Christ". And many of them died for this belief.
 
P

PaulThomson

Well-known member
#926
Oct 29, 2023
4,641
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#926
Cameron143 said:
If you will check my post you will find that I was responding to 1 question you asked; not 3.
No the Bible does not say we are saved through faith alone. But the next obvious question is: is this what the Bible teaches? Thus, my question: besides by grace and through faith, what else does the Bible say we are saved through?
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Maybe I can help. This text says that faith alone is dead.

Jas 2:17
Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.

The Holy Spirit says that faith alone, without works, is dead.
 
Cameron143

Cameron143

Well-known member
#927
Mar 1, 2022
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#927
PaulThomson said:
It did. God gave His words to Abraham. Abraham heard and heeded and believed. And Abraham's own believing/faith was credited to Abraham in his "book" as positive righteousness.
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That's imputed righteousness. The source of righteousness was from outside of Abraham. He was counted as righteous. He was saved exactly like everyone else who has been saved.
 
Cameron143

Cameron143

Well-known member
#928
Mar 1, 2022
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#928
PaulThomson said:
Maybe I can help. This text says that faith alone is dead.

Jas 2:17
Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.

The Holy Spirit says that faith alone, without works, is dead.
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Which means there was no faith. But it doesn't say that works cause faith.

Faith is the product of the work of God, and not man. It is produced when God employs His word and His Spirit to make application of the salvation Jesus wrought on the cross.

This results in a new creation; one zealous for good works, but not one created by the works of men.
 
P

PaulThomson

Well-known member
#930
Oct 29, 2023
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#930
Cameron143 said:
Which means there was no faith. But it doesn't say that works cause faith.

Faith is the product of the work of God, and not man. It is produced when God employs His word and His Spirit to make application of the salvation Jesus wrought on the cross.

This results in a new creation; one zealous for good works, but not one created by the works of men.
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That's not what the text say. It says it was faith, but being alone as faith, it was dead. It does not say it was not faith.
 
TMS

TMS

Senior Member
#932
Mar 21, 2015
4,258
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#932
Being saved is about standing before God the Father and being judged as righteous or not righteous.

With our own efforts we will never be acceptable. But if Christ imputs, places, His righteousness on us we are seen as perfect.

Justification by faith is being seen as just and Holy because of what Christ has done. Imputed righteousness.

To recieve the justification and righteousness of Christ it requires faith.

Faith alone.

But who will recieve this justification?
Those written in the book of life.
How are we written in the book of life is the vital question.

Mat 7:20-23
20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them. 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
 
Mem

Mem

Senior Member
#933
Sep 23, 2014
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#933
It seems that everyone is ignoring the door, which is a functional component of the house. Jesus said, 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock..." and "...I will come in...". If Jesus respects the boundary of your house, then why should we not recognize that we must only 'come through the door' of His house? And when He says, "Come in," do we not obey by stepping in? or do we obey by saying, 'no thank you, I was just passing by and just stopped to see if You were even home.'
 
TMS

TMS

Senior Member
#934
Mar 21, 2015
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Australia
#934
Imputed
imputed righteousness refers to the righteousness of Christ being credited to believers, enabling justification.
Imparted
imparted righteousness is the ongoing work of the Holy Spirit transforming believers into Christ's likeness, enabling sanctification.

Don't ignore the sanctification.
 
B

Beckworth

Well-known member
#935
May 15, 2019
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#935
Mouse_Cheeks said:
Does the verse say that though?

Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.


Consider the woman in Luke 7. She departed and was not baptized before leaving Jesus sight.

48 Then He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” 49 And those who sat at the table with Him began to say to themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?” 50 Then He said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you. Go in peace.”
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This was before Jesus died on the cross. Repentance and remission of sins was not preached for anyone to obey until Pentecost (Acts 2), 50 days after Jesus died on the cross. While on earth, Jesus could save anyone anyway he pleased. After His death, He had to have a “plan” for how people were going to be saved.
 
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