Saved by faith alone?

Ephesians 2:4-7



Ephesians 2:10

saved by faith alone?
no:
prophecy / law = faith PLUS works

Rightly Divided (2 Timothy 2:15) From “Things That Differ” (online)

Mystery / "Grace Through faith" alone

Amen.

People ---people ---people ----Faith in Jesus Christ is needed before you can even Please God let alone be saved ------and this belief is not just a simple belief -----intellectual belief will not save you ----the demons believe Jesus is Lord and they are not saved ------so this belief is deeper than just believing ------

So first -----the person has to be receptive to God the Father's drawing ------this word draw -------means to draw by inward power, lead----so that the person can have the right Faith inbirthed in them ---

the right Faith is then inbirthed in the person by the hearing of the Word ---who is Jesus -----then obeying the conditions laid out in God's Word to be saved need to be adhered to ----Faith always requires a positive response -you need to obey the word ------you can't just say all i have to do is believe and leave the rest out ----that is not obedience to what God says in His word to do to be saved ------

the Scripture clearly tells you how you are saved ------there are conditions set in the Scripture -----obey the Word --

If You ---is a condition -----acknowledge and confess with your LIPS ----is a condition -----Believe in your Heart ---is a condition --------this belief involves ---adhering ---trust and relying on the truth of the Word ---who is Jesus -----

People who say all you have to do is believe in Jesus to be saved ---is not obeying the truth of the Word to be saved ---

So first be drawn by God the Father to have your mind and heart open to hearing the Gospel which inbirths the right faith in the person to believe rightly -----then put that faith into action by obeying the Word which tells you how to be saved ------God had the way to Salvation put down so it is important to obey the Word as it is written ---in my view


Romans 10:8-10

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

8
8 But what does it say? The Word (God’s message in Christ) is near you, on your lips and in your heart; that is, the Word (the message, the basis and object) of faith which we preach,

9 Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

Because we follow Paul, our pattern * as God Instructs us, and use his verbiage:

"Believe On The LORD Jesus Christ, and thou Shalt Be Saved" (Acts 16:31)


Better it is when preaching God's Eternal Salvation Is:

Amen.

Wansvic is absolutely obsessed with water baptism and would walk around mountains of grace in order to find water. I have multiple passages of scripture which make it clear that we are saved through belief/faith - "apart from additions or modifications." (John 1:12; 3:15,16,18,36; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:24-28; 4:5-6; 5:1-2; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:6-14, 26; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 10:39; 1 John 5:13 etc..).

Now you don't need to add the word "alone" next to "belief/faith" in each of these passages of scripture in order to figure out that the words, "belief/faith" stand alone in connection with receiving eternal life/salvation. Hence, FAITH ALONE. Do these many passages of scripture say belief/faith "plus something else?" Plus baptism? Plus works? NO. So then it's faith (rightly understood) in Christ alone.

*Not to be confused with an empty profession of faith/dead faith that remains "alone" - barren of works. (James 2:14-24)

Faith (rightly understood) in Christ alone for salvation regeneration theology. We are regenerated the moment we are saved by faith.

Here are some examples below:

John 1:12 - But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: 13 who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

Ephesians 1:13 - In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.

Ephesians 2:4 - But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast.

1 John 5:1 - Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him.

Cults and false religions (including Roman Catholicism, Mormonism and Campbellism) typically teach salvation by water baptism + other works.

Where have you been? I've presented multiple verses that teach salvation by faith in Christ alone for salvation on multiple occasions. These verses not merely "on the surface" teach salvation by faith (rightly understood) in Christ alone but actually do teach it. (Romans 5:1-2; Galatians 2:16; 3:26; Ephesians 2:8,9; 2 Timothy 3:15; 1 John 5:4 etc..).

Once again, the Bible clearly states in many passages of scripture that we are saved through belief/faith "apart from additions or modifications." (John 1:12; 3:15,16,18,36; 5:24; 6:29,40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; 13:39; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18; Romans 1:16; 3:24-28; 4:5-6; 5:1-2; 10:4; 1 Corinthians 1:21; Galatians 2:16; 3:6-14, 26; Ephesians 2:8,9; Philippians 3:9; 2 Timothy 3:15; Hebrews 10:39; 1 John 5:13 etc..). This is not hard to understand. It's just hard for you to accept.

I properly harmonize scripture with scripture before reaching my conclusion on doctrine instead of distorting and perverting passages of scripture in an effort to "patch together" a works-based false gospel as you do, which is called "flawed hermeneutics."

What is left over when you have salvation by faith, not works? Faith + works or faith alone? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure this out.

In Acts 2:38, "for the remission of sins" does not refer back to both clauses, "you all repent" and "each one of you be baptized," but refers only to the first. Peter is saying "repent unto the remission of your sins," the same as in Acts 3:19. The clause "each one of you be baptized" is parenthetical. This is exactly what Acts 3:19 teaches except that Peter omits the parenthesis.

*Also compare the fact that these Gentiles in Acts 10:45 received the gift of the Holy Spirit (compare with Acts 2:38 - the gift of the Holy Spirit) and this was BEFORE water baptism. (Acts 10:47)

In Acts 10:43 we read ..whoever believes in Him receives remission of sins. Again, these Gentiles received the gift of the Holy Spirit - Acts 10:45 - when they believed on the Lord Jesus Christ - Acts 11:17 - (compare with Acts 16:31 - Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved) BEFORE water baptism - Acts 10:47. This is referred to as repentance unto life - Acts 11:18.

*So, the only logical conclusion when properly harmonizing scripture with scripture is that faith in Jesus Christ "implied in genuine repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:8,9; 16:31; 26:18). *Perfect Harmony*

So what happened to baptism in John 3:16? What about John 3:18? John 3:18 - He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO) does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO) because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Your works-based false gospel is not in harmony with the Bible and does need to be fixed. Let me know when you are ready to believe the gospel.

The ancient Greek word for believe is ---this Faith is a deeper belief ------it is not a simple belief ------

pisteuō -----

The KJV translates Strong's G4100 in the following manner: believe , commit unto , commit to (one's) trust , be committed unto ' be put in trust with , be commit to one's trust , believer .

1. to think to be true, to be persuaded of, to credit, place confidence in
   1. of the thing believed
      1. to credit, have confidence
   2. in a moral or religious reference
      1. used in the NT of the conviction and trust to which a man is impelled by a certain inner and higher prerogative and law of soul
      2. to trust in Jesus or God as able to aid either in obtaining or in doing something: saving faith
      3. to have faith (in, upon, or with respect to, a person or thing), i.e. credit; by implication, to entrust (especially one's spiritual well-being to Christ):—believe(-r), commit (to trust), put in trust with.
         

In James 2:19, we see that the demons believe "mental assent" that "there is one God" but they do not believe in/have faith in/trust in/reliance in Jesus Christ for salvation. In other words, they do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and are not saved. Their trust and reliance is in Satan (and not in Jesus) as demonstrated by their rebellion in heaven and continuous evil works. There is a big difference between mere "mental assent" belief (as the demons have) and saving belief/faith in Christ, which the demons do not have.

So first -----the person has to be receptive to God the Father's drawing ------this word draw -------means to draw by inward power, lead----so that the person can have the right Faith inbirthed in them ---

Although it is our responsibility to choose to believe in/place faith in Jesus Christ for salvation and we will be held accountable for unbelief (John 3:18) choosing to believe in Christ unto salvation is not exclusively a matter of human decision. Unless the Father draws us (John 6:44) and enables us/it has been granted by the Father (John 6:65) we would NEVER come to believe in Christ unto salvation all by ourselves. The approach of the soul to Christ is initiated by the Father, but He doesn't force us to come to Christ and believe in Him unto salvation. We must choose to believe in Him unto salvation once enabled. The impulse to come to Christ comes from the Father.

I've heard certain people misinterpret Romans 10:9,10 in such a way that means we can believe unto righteousness today, but are still lost until we confess Christ later, which may be next week and then we are finally saved next week, but that is not what Paul is talking about here. Also, someone who is moot (unable to speak) would remain lost according to that interpretation of Romans 10:9,10 for failing to verbally confess with their mouth.

Confessing with our mouth that Jesus is Lord and believing in our heart that God raised Him from the dead are not two separate steps to salvation but are 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 9-10) - that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth 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 Jesus as 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 that Jesus is that person's Lord and Savior.

Exactly. Now although the word for "believe" may refer to simple or mental assent belief in some cases, as we see in James 2:19, saving belief/faith is a deeper belief that involves being committed unto, trust and reliance in Jesus Christ for salvation.

Okay... thanks for that!
A few questions though, because that's not what I believe.
Forgive me if some of these sound like I'm baiting a trap... that's not my intention.

What do you make of the concept of the "power of the cross"? Do you not think that Jesus' sacrifice had power (to Save) in and of itself?

What are we to make of Paul saying in 1 Cor. 1:14-17:
14 I thank God that I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius, 15 so that no one may say that you were baptized in my name. 16 (I did baptize also the household of Stephanas. Beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.) 17 For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power.

Wouldn't that, coming from your perspective, essentially be like him saying that he thanks God that he wasn't involved in their Salvation? That he was glad that God did not send him to (help) Save any anyone?
And what does Paul mean that if he had been sent to baptize, that the "the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."?

Abraham obeyed by going out but that's not the end of the story and that is not salvation by works. It was not until Genesis 15:5-6 in which God brought Abraham 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.” And he believed in the Lord, and He accounted it to him for righteousness. *Also see Romans 4:2-6.

Lets go into (James 2: (v.14) What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? Can faith save him? (v.15) If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of a daily food, (v.16) And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? If someone came to you hungry and needed clothes and all you told them was peace be unto you, and God bless you, be ye warmed and filled. All you did was give lip service, no works, you didn’t help the problem.

(v.17) Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. The bible has been telling you all alone that you must have fruits to prove your faith. (v.18) Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works. True faith goes hand in hand with good works.

People we must realize, that it is the keeping of God’s holy laws that separates the righteous from the unrighteous and the Saints from the Sinners. (Titus: 3:8) This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. You must learn (by the word of God) what God expects of you and maintain his expectations to the end, if you expect to be saved. Jesus says in (Matt. 5:16) Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. You are supposed to glorify your Father in heaven, and let your light shine before men. And how do you do that? By having good works. Sometimes as a Christian you don’t have to say a word, people will see your works.

You assume much. My understanding comes directly from the word of God. I accept that scripture means exactly what it says. The problem is many are still blinded because of a refusal to just accept the word and obey God in order to experience the NT rebirth. Entrance into the body of Christ takes place today just as Peter promised on the Day of Pentecost. (Acts 2:2-42) Those who believe in Jesus, repent and obey the command to be baptized in water in His name receive remission of their sin, and are promised the gift of the Holy Ghost. The experience parallels Jesus' words to Nicodemus. (John 3:3-5) Furthermore, confirming scriptures reveal the experience was not exclusive to the Jewish population but pertained to all of humanity. As such, it applies to everyone living today. (Acts 2:38-41, 8:12-18, 9:17-18; 22:16, 10:43-48, 19:1-6)

Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink,
you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.” John 4:10

Whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give
him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life. John 4:14

Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams
of living water will flow from within him.’  John 7:38

For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, the fountain of living water,
and they have dug their own cisterns—broken cisterns that cannot hold water. Jeremiah 2:13


Isaiah 12:2-3

Jesus' words from John 7:37-38 and John 4:14

Receiving sight results from readily accepting and obeying the command relevant to the NT rebirth: "...Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.


"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation.

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls." Acts 2:37-41

Agree, in context of ancient Greek "believe" never meant "mental assent" that is modern day concoction to create a narrative which is foreign to scripture.

I wonder how much obedience, will one day suffice, one hour, one minute?

It's a fair question. But I don't think they are talking about obedience in general, but those things that attend salvation...repentance, baptism, confession.

Where they err isn't in their association of such things with salvation, but that they see them as necessary and causal.

Brings to mind:
"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." James 2:26

"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." James 2:24



"And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;" Heb 5:9

Yes I can agree on this for sure.

But I have worked on skid row and I have seen people be born again and have the light of Christ shine through for a time.......but living on the streets they go back to their former life and can never break free because they have no way to escape.

Many die of over dose or alcoholic poisoning. Yes they were saved and grew for a time, came to meetings for a time, spoke about being set free for a time, but either by choice or the compulsion of the flesh they were not able to reap the benefits of the salvation from sin.

So in real life, not in the church pew these doctrines of men are just that.
Salvation is gift from God but not everyone lives out the gift they were given, but they did indeed receive the gift because God is gracious we do not promise Him obedience for the gift in order to receive the gift.

God does not work the same way in each person's life, sometimes He lets them go to their baser nature and sometimes He removes them from planet earth.