It's you who is twisting the scriptures. You still stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that James said, "What use is it, my brethren, if someone
says-claims he has faith but he has
no works? Can
that faith save him?" What kind of faith is
that? --
empty profession of faith/dead faith. (James 2:14-20)
The letter is written to
"brethren" (believers) and so are ALL the epistles, yet this does not mean that the hypothetical person being discussed in James 2:14 is a believer and it also does not mean that everyone being discussed throughout every letter in every book in the New Testament are believers either. It's not hard to find "nominal" Christians mixed in with a group of genuine believers and that goes for Christian Chat as well.
You are really having a difficult time grasping the truth here. Once again, in James 2:14, we read of one who
says-claims he has faith but has
no resulting evidential works (to back up his claim). This is
not genuine faith, but a
bare profession of faith. So when James asks, "Can
that faith save him?" He is saying nothing against genuine faith, but only against an
empty profession of faith/dead faith. Simple!
False. James said
says-claims to have faith and the
lack of resulting evidential works demonstrates a spurious faith. It's so obvious if you would just open your eyes to the truth.
Dead faith is not living faith. James is discussing the
evidence 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. No works at all bear out a lack of genuine faith.
No, an
empty profession of faith/dead faith that produces no works at all is not authentic faith IN CONTRAST with the faith of Abraham which was authentic faith that was evidenced by works. You seem to believe that all faith is the same except for the lack of works and cannot seem to grasp a
deeper faith which
trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, which also explains why you have so much faith in works for salvation.
In James 2:21, notice closely that James
does not say that Abraham's work of offering up Isaac resulted in God's 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 account him as righteous, but it
showed or manifested the genuineness of his faith. This is the "sense" in which Abraham was "justified by works." He was
shown to be righteous.
In James 2:22, 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
does not mean that Abraham was finally saved based on merits of his works after he offered up Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22. When Abraham performed the good work in Genesis 22; he
fulfilled the expectations created by the pronouncement of his faith in Genesis 15:6.
In James 2:23, the scripture was fulfilled in vindicating or demonstrating that Abraham believed God and was accounted as righteous. Abraham was
accounted as righteous based on his faith (Genesis 15:6)
not his works (Romans 4:2-3)
long before he offered up Isaac on the altar 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. Once again, James is discussing the
evidence 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). Allow that to sink in.
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
In Matthew 12:37, we read - "For by your words you will be
justified, and by your words you will be condemned." This is because our words (and our works) reveal the condition of our hearts. Words/works will be evidences for, or against a man's being in a state of righteousness.
God is said to have been
justified by those who were baptized by John the Baptist (Luke 7:29). 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,." He was
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."
Abraham's faith was alive because he
believed the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness (Genesis 15:6; Romans 2:3). The works of Abraham
gave evidence to his living faith, yet works are not the source of life in faith; rather life in faith is the source of works. You have it backwards, as do all works-salvationists.
You are thoroughly confused and still stubbornly refuse to acknowledge that James clearly stated -
SAYS-CLAIMS (key word) to have faith but has no works. I do despise boasting in works because it robs Christ of His glory and of the credit He alone deserves and gives it to the sinner. Galatians 6:14 - But
God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world. If you are looking for the amount of faith that saves, here it is. *Either we are
trusting 100% in Jesus Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation or else we are 100% lost.
Out of curiosity, I would like to know what church you attend.
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