Results 1 - 8 of 8
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63808 | ||
Due to our sinful natures, none of us could ever seek God on our own in the absence of His drawing power (John 3:27; 6:44; Romans 3:10-12). No one would ever have faith if God did not grant it. However, Christ died for the whole world so that He could bestow grace upon all (John 3:16). Although man on his own is so depraved and sinful that he cannot of himself choose God, God gives every man the ability to seek after Him and respond to Him. The Lord will punish with everlasting destruction those who "obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thessalonians 1:7-10). Christ has become "the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Hebrews 5:9). Peter said, "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (I Peter 4:17). John gave the following test for a Christian: "And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him" (I John 2:3-5). We know God, have the love of God perfected in us and are in God only when we obey God. The true believer will obey God's commandments and will thereby know that he has love (I John 5:1-3). When God sent the death angel to visit every household in Egypt, the Israelites were not automatically protected simply on the basis of their mental attitude. They had to apply the blood of the Passover lamb to their doorposts (Exodus 12). Only when they expressed their faith through obedience to God's command were they safe. "Through faith he [Moses] kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them" (Hebrew 11:28). Likewise, saving faith today includes active obedience. We must apply the blood of the Lamb to our lives by obedience to His gospel of repentance, water baptism in His name, and receiving His Spirit. |
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2 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63809 | ||
The Bible also teaches that faith cannot be separated from good works. "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" (Titus 3:8). There is no faith apart from or without works. James wrote of the inseparableness of faith and works: "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?… Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. 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. Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, 0 vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only… For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:14,17-24, 26). |
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3 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63810 | ||
Paul's epistles and James' epistle are equally part of the Word of God, and God's Word does not contradict itself. The writings of Paul and James complement each other and fit together into a harmonious whole. Paul emphasized that we are saved by faith in Jesus, not by our works. God has purchased salvation for us and we accept it by faith; we do not purchase salvation by good works. In particular, Paul emphasized that keeping the law of Moses cannot save anyone, because ceremonial observances do not have the power in themselves to cleanse sin. James likewise recognized that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" (James 1:17), including salvation. He pointed out that the kind of faith that saves will necessarily produce works. In other words, we cannot demonstrate faith in the abstract apart from works; the only way God or anyone else sees our faith is through our response. Faith is not just a condition of the mind but a life-changing force. Paul cited Abraham as a example of justification by faith (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:1-3). James used the same example to show that faith can only be demonstrated by works. Without works Abraham's faith would have been dead. What if Abraham had said, "I believe God," but he would have refused to offer up Isaac? According to James, he would not have had true faith and so would not have been justified. God Himself told Abraham after he had willingly offered Isaac, "I will bless thee… because thou hast obeyed my voice" (Genesis 22:16-18). Paul's description of Abraham's faith leads to the same conclusion. Against hope Abraham believed in hope. He did not consider human limitations, he did not stagger at the promise of God, he was strong in faith, he gave glory to God, and he was fully persuaded (Romans 4:18-21). This passage does not describe mental assent apart from works hut rather active faith that supported Abraham in his conduct for many years - faith that caused him to trust and commit himself wholly to God. |
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4 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63812 | ||
Any remaining confusion clears when we realize that Paul and James used the same terms in somewhat different ways and contexts. In Romans, faith means true faith in God with all this entails; in James it means mental assent that could fail to affect conduct, which would not be true, living faith at all. In Romans, works means dead works that can be done apart from faith; in James it means living works that can be done only through faith and that will attest to the existence of faith. In Romans, justified means "declared righteous by God"; in James it means "shown to be righteous!" It is evident that Paul and James both agreed that saving faith will produce a life-changing reliance upon God, evidenced by works. Paul taught that we are saved through faith; James taught that saving faith will produce works and is only demonstrated by works. If works do not come with a person's faith, there is something wrong with his faith. Hebrews 11 beautifully illustrates the complementary relationship between faith and works. The main purpose of this chapter is to show how necessary faith is and to show what it will produce. It names many Old Testament heroes and records their deeds done "by faith." The passage demonstrates that faith will always produce works and that it can only be shown by works. Every time the writer described someone's faith, he listed those actions faith caused. Certainly, we are saved by grace through faith. We rely on God's work and not our own works to bring salvation. However, this does not relieve us of our responsibility to respond to God, to obey Him, and to act upon our faith. Saving faith is a living faith that works. Faith and repentance work together in salvation. Jesus preached, "Repent ye, and believe the gospel" (Mark 1:15). A person must have some faith in order to repent. No one seeks to repent from sin unless he believes that sin is wrong and that repentance is both possible and necessary. God's Word declares that all will perish without repentance and that all men everywhere must repent (Luke 13:3; Acts 17:30). Certainly, then, faith in the Word of God will lead to repentance. Faith can begin at the first hearing of the Word of God even though at this moment faith does not bring salvation. We have explored biblical examples that show that a person can have some degree of faith prior to the salvation experience. A person is not saved at the first moment faith begins, but rather salvation is experienced as faith matures, gains control of his heart, and leads him to a positive response to Christ and the gospel so that he obeys the Scriptures in repentance, water baptism, and seeking and receiving the gift of the Spirit. |
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5 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63813 | ||
Can repentance and water baptism be classified as works? They are not works in the sense of things man does to assist in earning his salvation, but they are saving works of God. Saving faith necessarily expresses itself through repentance, water baptism, and receiving the Spirit. In himself man does not have power to turn from sin, but God leads him to repentance and grants power to repent. God works repentance in man, changing his mind and direction. Likewise, God remits sin at baptism. Without the work of God and faith in His work, baptism is a meaningless ritual. Finally, receiving the Holy Spirit is certainly not a work on man's part; the Spirit is a free gift of God that a person receives by faith. |
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6 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63814 | ||
Man's role in all of this is simply to believe the gospel, to seek repentance, to submit to water baptism, and to allow God to fill him with the Spirit. These elements are all part of the appropriation, response, commitment, reliance, and obedience that saving faith necessarily includes. This "faith response" on man's part does not earn or pay for salvation, but it is a necessary response for receiving salvation. God offers salvation to all people freely on the basis of Christ's atonement, but only those who express faith in God receive salvation. Man either allows God to perform the work of salvation (by his faith and obedience) or he refuses to let Him work (by unbelief and disobedience). God calls a person, leads this person to Himself, changes the person's mind and direction (repentance), washes away his sins (at water baptism), baptizes him with His Spirit, keeps him in His grace, and empowers him for a holy life. This action on God's part constitutes His salvation of man in the present age. Does this conclusion about saving faith contradict Romans 10:8-10? This passage reads, "The word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith, which we preach; that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation." Some interpret this passage to mean that salvation comes automatically if one mentally assents that Jesus rose from the dead and verbally confesses that He is Lord. However, this interpretation contradicts the truth that saving faith includes appropriation and obedience Under this view, many who do not even claim to be living for God would be saved. Even the devils would be saved, for they know Jesus is alive, confess Him verbally, and believe in one God (Matthew 8:29; James 2:19). Clearly, such a superficial understanding of Romans 10:8-10 is inadequate. This becomes even more apparent as we continue reading Romans 10. Verse 13 says, "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Does this mean that everyone who verbalizes the name of Jesus is saved? Certainly not, or else the name of Jesus would be merely a magical formula. Moreover, verse 16 teaches that a lack of obedience indicates a lack of faith: "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report?" Many will verbally confess Jesus as Lord and call on His name, but only those who actually do God's will shall be saved (Matthew 7:21-23). Despite one's verbal confession of faith, if he refuses to obey the gospel he does not have saving faith. |
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7 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63815 | ||
If this is so, what is the correct interpretation of Romans 10:8-10? First, we must realize that Paul was writing to Christians. His purpose was to remind them of how accessible salvation really is (verse 8). He did not have to explain the new birth in detail because his readers had already experienced it. He was simply reminding them that the foundation of salvation remains faith in Christ and the gospel and in public confession of this faith to the world in which they lived. A commentator on Romans noted that Paul in this passage referred to faith that brought us to a proper relationship with Christ and to confession as the means by which we maintain that relationship. |
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8 | Saved vs. Works (John 5:24 and 5:28-29) | John 5:24 | Dabody7 | 63816 | ||
Here is a good example of what was said above. Suppose David tells John, "Meet me at the bank tomorrow morning at 10:00 A.M. and I will give you 1,000 dollars." (This is a condition for receiving the gift.) If John really believes David, he will appear at the appointed place and time. (Faith necessarily produces trust, response, and reliance) If John shows up, has he thereby earned the money? Of course not, because the money is a free gift. Yet his appearance is a necessary condition that must be met in order to receive the gift. (Grace on David's part, faith on John's part.) If John fails to show up, he will not receive the gift and the responsibility for the failure will fall totally upon him. (Lack of faith in the promise.) Similarly, we must respond to God in faith by seeking repentance, remission of sins at water baptism, and the Spirit baptism. If we do, God will graciously grant our petition, and we will receive salvation totally as a free gift and not as an earned right. If we do not respond in obedience to God's Word, we will not receive salvation, and the blame will rest totally upon us. |
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