Justified/Saved by Faith & Faith Alone
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Luke 15...it's a parable with 3 parts. The Shepherd saves. The Spirit comes and cleans and enlightens. The Father draws.
Most know the story of the prodigal. But it is the 3rd part of a 3 part parable. The entire godhead is involved in salvation.
The sinner repenting...nothing forced....nothing chosen ahead of time, but the sinner decision to repent.
7 I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.
Sure, the Holy Spirit drawing a man through the preaching of the word. That's not salvation. The man may reject the word and remain lost.
Nope
Unless we are under law.
in which case. We better be perfect
that was Gods standard. Christ died because we could not meet that standard…
Not really
we are dead because of sin
we can;t be made alive until we are released or redeemed of sin, (justified)
God can work in us without making us alive..
Plainly, faith without works is dead. If you have faith, but no works, then whatever that faith is is dead. Read James 2. That will hopefully enable you truly understand what the gospel is.
Romans 1 says we not only know who God is, but we know we are rightly condemned.
Gods works on us in many many ways.. He does not have to make us alive to work in us,,
again, he would have to go against his own justice to do that.
So how many works??
James said zero zip nada. So if I claimn to have faith and have 1 work the rest of my life. I would have faith plus works. Does that make me saved?
I know what the gospel is. It is not found in James 2. James is correcting a licentious thinking in James 2..
You are the one who needs to find the true gospel.
God requires you serve Him until your last breath. Or don’t. The choice is yours and people will be judged by their choices. That’s why people are held accountable for their actions. God isn’t going to control people like a puppet. If He did, He couldn’t judge people for something He did.
God requires perfection.
If you fail to meet that requirment, He offers grace.
You need to chose which one you plan to use..
if you reject grace, You will be tried by your works. And you will fail. Period.
You can access God’s grace through faith. Continued unrepentant sinning leads to falling from grace. Let’s be clear about something; willful sin is a rejection of God, it’s apostasy, and a deviation from the path of faith.
It’s not the extreme that you’re saying; perfection isn’t required. You just need to love God and pursue what’s good and righteous. If you stumble, keep striving in doing good your entire life and God will give you eternal life.
Dude
Gods requirment is perfection
If you’re going to earn your way to heave. Thats your option
Otherwise. You must be like the tax collector. And repent and call out for Gods mercy. And continue to live in his mercy.
You can work all you want. It will not help you get saved
Perfection was required under the law, but not under grace. That’s the biggest difference between the old and new covenant. You have grace because of faith in Christ.
Grace wouldn’t be useful for perfect people, but it’s extremely useful for people who fail. A lot.
Being under grace doesn’t mean you just do nothing. You have grace because you are supposed to be doing something and occasionally failing.
If someone is not even trying to pursue righteousness, just sinning, and thinking they’re safe, it’s likely this person has fallen from grace and doesn’t even know it.
Making us alive is the inward work. Only live people can respond.
This is why many hear the same gospel message but few respond.
Faith comes by hearing and hearing is the result of being made alive.
Hearing must be given or people will not understand. I believe it's Matt 13 where Jesus explains speaking in parables to his disciples. He said they heard because it was given to them. To others it was not given and if it was given they would be converted also.
The Bible says we are saved by faith and not by works because that is all we can do.
But when we receive the Spirit then we have to have works of love to have faith apply in our life.
Which the Bible says out of faith, hope, and charity, love in action, works, that charity is the greatest.
And faith works by love.
So love is the greatest asset we can have and if we do not have love which can only be in works for it to apply in our life then our faith does not count.
Also charity is greater because faith and hope are not needed in heaven but only needed on Earth but love will go on forever.
Without love there is no faith because the faith is to love people for God's kingdom is love and love is the fulfilling of the law so if you do not love then you have no faith.
The only way you can have faith that counts is if you relate to the kingdom of God and people in the proper way which is love people which can be only done in works.
That is why Paul said he could have all faith so that he could remove mountains but if he did not have charity then he is nothing.
And James was pointing out loving people and said if you do not love people to help them with their needs like food and clothing and you have the means to do it then your faith is dead which this can apply to any needs that people have.
Which James said that a person is not justified by faith alone but by works for only by works of loving people can faith apply in our life.
That is why James said you have faith but he will show his faith by his works for faith does not count without works.
Which Paul said if any person thinks godliness is gain withdraw yourselves from them having food and clothing be content.
For the love of money is the root of all evil for it neglects the poor and needy and love is the fulfilling of the law, and a person that goes by their wants and not helping people then they have erred from the faith.
Which people argue about Paul saying not saved by works and James saying we have to have works, but they say the same thing with Paul saying without charity a person is nothing and erred from the faith, and James saying their faith is dead.
They believe not saved by works that we do not have to have works to inherit eternal life applies throughout their walk with God but it only applies not saved by works when we first are saved for that is all we can is to believe.
But when we receive the Spirit then love has to be our motivating factor which has to be done in works which is why it is called charity.
For if a group is asking for donations to their charity and you walk by and say I love you then how did you actually have donate to their charity and have charity.
John said if a person does not have charity the love of God does not dwell in them, so do not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and truth.
And that is why James said a person is not justified by faith alone but by works.
Why would people argue between Paul and James and not reconcile it which Paul says the same thing as James.
When we receive the Spirit it is faith works by love so it makes more sense it would be love alone for all things pertaining to the kingdom of God stems from that including faith.
But when we receive the Spirit then we have to have works of love to have faith apply in our life.
Which the Bible says out of faith, hope, and charity, love in action, works, that charity is the greatest.
And faith works by love.
So love is the greatest asset we can have and if we do not have love which can only be in works for it to apply in our life then our faith does not count.
Also charity is greater because faith and hope are not needed in heaven but only needed on Earth but love will go on forever.
Without love there is no faith because the faith is to love people for God's kingdom is love and love is the fulfilling of the law so if you do not love then you have no faith.
The only way you can have faith that counts is if you relate to the kingdom of God and people in the proper way which is love people which can be only done in works.
That is why Paul said he could have all faith so that he could remove mountains but if he did not have charity then he is nothing.
And James was pointing out loving people and said if you do not love people to help them with their needs like food and clothing and you have the means to do it then your faith is dead which this can apply to any needs that people have.
Which James said that a person is not justified by faith alone but by works for only by works of loving people can faith apply in our life.
That is why James said you have faith but he will show his faith by his works for faith does not count without works.
Which Paul said if any person thinks godliness is gain withdraw yourselves from them having food and clothing be content.
For the love of money is the root of all evil for it neglects the poor and needy and love is the fulfilling of the law, and a person that goes by their wants and not helping people then they have erred from the faith.
Which people argue about Paul saying not saved by works and James saying we have to have works, but they say the same thing with Paul saying without charity a person is nothing and erred from the faith, and James saying their faith is dead.
They believe not saved by works that we do not have to have works to inherit eternal life applies throughout their walk with God but it only applies not saved by works when we first are saved for that is all we can is to believe.
But when we receive the Spirit then love has to be our motivating factor which has to be done in works which is why it is called charity.
For if a group is asking for donations to their charity and you walk by and say I love you then how did you actually have donate to their charity and have charity.
John said if a person does not have charity the love of God does not dwell in them, so do not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and truth.
And that is why James said a person is not justified by faith alone but by works.
Why would people argue between Paul and James and not reconcile it which Paul says the same thing as James.
When we receive the Spirit it is faith works by love so it makes more sense it would be love alone for all things pertaining to the kingdom of God stems from that including faith.
Perfection is imputed under grace. What does it mean to be made "the righteousness of God" in Christ?
It’s more nuanced than “you’re perfect and are now incapable of doing anything wrong” and I agree with you about perfection in a certain sense.
The catch is being under grace by remaining in Christ. Jesus showed us the way to be, what to do, and it pleased his Father. God, in turn, wants us to be like Jesus.
Jesus is both Lord and Savior, but also looking for people he isn’t ashamed to call a brother or sister. We’re disciples of Jesus and there’s still the expectation that, as his disciples, we’re going to practice and observe all he commanded; if we fail sometimes we aren’t abandoned, we’re never abandoned I might add, but if we walk away and stop following him, he won’t stop us, but we aren’t disciples anymore.
If one follows Christ, they’re under grace. If one doesn’t follow Christ, they’re not under grace. It’s as simple as that.