Here is the problem EG....
You say obedience only works through faith.
Please note:
Everybody on this thread is a born again Christian.
We're talking about born again Christians.
Of course we have to have faith FIRST.
The question is:
Do good works have to follow or is it an option we have?
James said:
FAITH WITHOUT WORKS is DEAD.
See.....he's speaking to people that HAVE FAITH.
This is where in think the crux of the matter is.
You say believers must do good works to maintain salvation.
So surely then works save us or keep us saved?
So what is the difference between non believers who do much better or more works than a genuine faith filled believer?
Which one is saved and why?
So you say a believer can lose salvation because they stop doing good works.
But how does one measure that, qualify and quantify that?
How does the above tie in with your objection to OSAS?
Then on the reverse we have that no works means that a person never had genuine belief in the first place. Therefore never saved to begin with.
The difficulty here is determining whether this is a barren period or whether the person has no interest in genuinely following Jesus and wanting to be like him.
A person can have a barren period but still have faith, never lost faith in Jesus.
Yet a person without genuine faith can show great works but is dead on the inside, but externally appears to be in the vine.
Yes Jesus called us to obedience, to do good works, seek to kill the flesh
No one here can say anything different.
If they do then they equate to the people Paul addressed, that being I don't care I have a feel meal ticket.
Would you agree that there is a reason for good works?
I would say you do.
That is to maintain salvation.
But Jesus said "If you love me you will do"
We do it because we love Jesus, we do it to those we love, we do it to those who hate us and persecute us. The standard is not to those who love us but to those who hate us.
I'm not saying that the works you do are not out of love for Jesus.
I've known you for years now along with AW.
You gave me reassurance that during my dark days when I had a gambling problem, left church wasn't doing good works but never lost my faith in Jesus.
I asked you "during that period was I saved? (I doubted I was) but you reassure me I was because I never lost my faith in Jesus, just in myself and those in their misguided wisdom who tried to help me. You even said that if I died during that period I was still saved.
So what kept me saved?
You did me good, I can't deny that.
But the thing I will deny and reject is that works will keep our initial salvation through genuine faith.
But hey you know that.
Even though we disagree I still love you as a sister.
Your crap works will be burned up and so will mine.
But what will never be burned up is our genuine faith in Jesus.
It's that faith that keeps us saved.