Results 1 - 3 of 3
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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Is salvation by faith only scriptural? | James 2:14 | John Reformed | 54591 | ||
Dear Aspiring Faith is a gift. Eph 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;" Saving Faith will be accompanied by good works. Eph 2:10 "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." We are saved through faith alone and our good works are an assurance of the authenticity of that faith. John |
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2 | Is salvation by faith only scriptural? | James 2:14 | Aspiring Overseer | 54613 | ||
Actually, Eph 2:8 tells us that "grace" is the gift of God. There was nothing the Gentiles could do to make God send His son as a sacrifice for sin. By faith they obtained access to this gift, but again, faith is more than belief. Eph 2:10 tells us we were created by God for good works, in accordance with God's will, BUT we must still walk in them (i.e. we must make the effort--it isn't given to us on a silver platter.) This should not be surprising as the righteous men of old were required to do nothing less. Why would God expect less from us today? As I wrote previously: -Faith is the unquestioning belief that underlies a person’s response to a duty or obligation. Each of the many examples of Hebrews demonstrate how God’s people of the Old Covenant proved their trust in God. -“the men of old gained approval” through their righteous actions: -Abel offered a better sacrifice v. 4 -Enoch walked with God, because God found him “pleasing” (v. 5) -Noah built the ark (v. 7) Also consider that if "faith" were the only requirement for salvation, why would God bother? How rewarding would it be for Him to create beings who had no choice in following Him to eternal life in paradise? No, He requires effort, determination and strict obedience as sons. Read James 2:14-26 and see if this truth doesn't make more sense than you have understood previously. |
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3 | Is salvation by faith only scriptural? | James 2:14 | Reformer Joe | 54621 | ||
"Actually, Eph 2:8 tells us that "grace" is the gift of God. There was nothing the Gentiles could do to make God send His son as a sacrifice for sin. By faith they obtained access to this gift, but again, faith is more than belief." Actually, it is gramatically impossible that the "this" in "this not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" refers solely to grace. The Greek word translated "this" is neuter, while the Greek word translated "grace" is feminine. If the gift of God were just the grace, then the word "this" would have to be feminine as well. The best way to understand it from the grammatical forms is that the whole package--being saved by grace through faith--is what is the gift of God. You are correct that biblocal faith is more than just a nod of the head at certain facts, but a trusting of one's whole life that will result in actions. However, the Bible makes it clear that it is the faith and not the resulting actions that are the means of God's justification. Faith without works is indeed dead, but my works will never be the basis of why God lets me in heaven. --Joe! |
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