BusyTarpDuster2017 said:
BUDOS said:
xfrodobagginsx said:
Anyone who adds works to grace is adding their own righteousness to God's plan of Salvation. God will not accept that.
I believe that, just as you stated; however, would you please give me a bit more explanation. I think some of us are not quite connecting on what is grace and salvation and how that is separate from works and how that does or does not fit in with Revelation and the Book of Life. Not being as learned in the Word as some of you, I wondering if some of us are interpreting some posts differently than what the individual intends to mean.
Salvation is by faith alone. Those who truly believe in Jesus already have their name in the Book of Life. The view that having one's name in the Book of life is also contingent upon one's works is not the gospel. Jesus was clear when he said, "Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life."
I was not asking you, which is why I purposely addressed the person by name. It's becoming increasingly obvious how your toxic attitude and your efforts to dominate it and those who attempt to contribute. Your authoritarianism is not exactly the best method to persuade others of your interpretation of the scriptures.
However, hoping that others are reading this, I am going to attempt to explain how I understand faith and works as I interpret the Scriptures. The response is more in line with yours as it relates to its wordiness; however, I have made an effort to avoid responding in the toxic manner.
I don't disagree with much of your post, however, I believe many of us have a d dangerous misconception which has crept into the hearts and minds of many Christians. It's sneaky & even appealing, because it seems to make life easier. It's the idea that
faith alone means you don't need works. After all, we believe in salvation by grace through faith, not by works (
Ephesians 2:8-9).
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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.These verses are often twisted, perhaps combined with a few other verses taken out of context ,and interpreted differently than what is meant, when studied in its context with other passages about this subject. In my opinion, it reduces Christianity to a passive belief system, where simply saying, "I believe in Jesus," is seen as the finish line.
It's not. Faith is the starting point, not the destination. I will give you my opinion about why this misconception is so dangerous, and what it means to live out your faith the way God intended. James 2:17 puts it plainly:
"Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead."Dead faith does nothing. It doesn't feed the hungry, clothe the naked, or shine a light in the darkness. Imagine standing before Jesus and saying, "
I believed in You," only to hear Him respond, "
But what did you do with that belief?"Perhaps where some of us get stuck is that we know salvation is a gift from Christ. We can't earn it. We can't work for it. It's freely given through His sacrifice. But along the way, some Christians
confuse salvation with discipleship. Yes, salvation is freebut true faith changes you. It transforms your heart, your mind, and your actions. Faith is the root of our salvation, but works are the fruit. Christ did NOT say,
"Believe in Me and carry on as usual." Christ said, "
By their fruits you will know them" (Matthew 7:20). These works should flow naturally from a heart changed by faith. You don't force them; they're a joyful response to Jesus' love. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:6: That actions should be a reflection of "
faith working through love. "Faith isn't passive. It's active.Believing that faith alone is enough without works is like planting a seed and never watering it, then wondering why nothing grows. Even Worse, it gives Christianity a bad name. When the world sees Christians who claim to have faith
but don't act on it, they see hypocrisy. They see people who talk about love but don't show it. Perhaps my favorite verse in the Bible is Matthew 5:16:
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." Your works aren't about earning salvation. They're about glorifying Jesus Christ and pointing others to Him.
The relationship between faith and works is that salvation comes by faith in Christ alone, and the good works performed by believers aren't the basis of salvation but should be understood as the necessary evidence of that salvation. Throughout the Bible, we see that salvation is received not on the basis of works but on the basis of faith in God alone. So, the entirety of the New Testament teaches that we are justified by faith alone, but the faith that justifies necessarily flowers into good works.Jesus himself emphasizes this through many parables and sayings, and Paul argues explicitly against the inclusion of works in the basis of our salvation. James, though arguing that justification is by works "and not by faith alone," can be harmonized with the rest of the New Testament when it is realized that James still expects us to sinhe is combatting faith without works, not faith alone as the basis of salvation. The Gospel of John emphasizes the importance of faith, using the verb "believe" 98 times to underscore the importance of faith. In John C-6, verse 28, the Jews ask what they have to do
to perform God's works (
John 6:28). Jesus replies that they are to "
believe in the one he has sent" (John 6:29). 28 Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"29 Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent." John emphasizes repeatedly that those who believe enjoy eternal life (
John 1:12; 3:16; 5:24, etc.). One is not saved by
working for God but by
believing in God.
Paul teaches that justification and the gift of the Spirit are received
by faith instead of by works of law (
Rom. 3:20, 28;
Gal. 2:16; 3:2, 5, 10). This is confirmed by other texts which teach that
justification is by faith instead of works. What saves is the object of our faith, which is Jesus Christ as the crucified and risen one (
Rom. 3:2126;
2 Cor. 5:1821;
Gal. 1:4; 2:21; 3:13).
This raises the question, however, of the role of works in salvation, for we see in a number of verses that works are necessary for eternal life. For instance, Jesus teaches that those who
refuse to forgive others will not be forgiven by God (
Matt. 6:1415; 18:3135), those who practice lawlessness won't enter the kingdom (
Matt. 7:2123), that only those who bear good fruit are truly saved (
Mark 4:120), that only true disciples belong to him (
Luke 9:5762; 14:2535), and that those who practice good will be raised to life (
John 5:29).
We find the same emphasis in Acts. Those who want to escape God's wrath must repent of their sin (
Acts 2:38; 3:19; 17:30), and they must "do works worthy of repentance" (
Acts 26:21). God is impartial and fair; those who do good will be rewarded with eternal life and those who practice evil will face final judgment (
Rom. 2:611).
"Only those who sow to the Spirit will enjoy eternal life, while those who sow to the flesh will be destroyed (Gal. 6:8). Paul reminds his readers that God avenges evil (
1 Thess. 4:6), that those who do what is good will be rewarded (
2 Cor. 5:10).
James, at first glance, seems to contradict Paul's theology of justification. Paul affirms that believers are justified by faith and not by works. James says that justification is by works "and not by faith alone" (
James 2:24). James refers to the same verse about Abraham's faith (
James 2:23;
Gen. 15:6) that Paul cites (
Rom. 4:3;
Gal. 3:6), but he seems to apply the verse in a radically different way, arguing that the works which followed Abraham's faith justified him, while Paul contends that Abraham was justified by his faith, and not by his works.
Some scholars claim that Paul and James contradict one another, but most say that such a view ,contradicts the inspiration of Scripture, and there is a plausible solution to our dilemma. Both Jesus and Paul teach salvation by faith, and yet also emphasize the necessity of good works for salvation. The good works necessary for salvation can't be the basis of one's salvation since God is infinitely holy and demands perfection. Thus, the good works performed by believers aren't the basis of salvation but should be understood as the necessary evidence of salvation. Such works are the fruit and product of our new life in Jesus Christ.
We have an important confirmation that James himself believed this, for he says in
James 3:2 that "
we all stumble in many ways." To me, James means by this that we all sin in many ways, and he makes this comment immediately after insisting on justification by works (
James 2:24). Apparently, the works that justify are quite imperfect, and thus they could never be the basis of our justification since God demands perfection. Since we continue to stumble in a myriad of ways, our works function as the evidence and indication that we have a new life. Justification is by faith alone, as we put our trust in Christ alone, and thus our salvation is by grace alone and for the glory of God alone, and our good works demonstrate that we are trusting in Christ for our salvation.
