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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | reilly1041 | 81149 | ||
I am a relatively new Bible reader and one big question keeps hitting me -- I see a difference between Jesus' words on heaven and Paul's. Let me explain... Paul says "If you confess w/your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. (Rom 10:9, TLB) And also, "For it is by grace you have been saved thru faith, and that not of yourself, it is the gift of God, not of works..." (Eph 2:8, NKJV) But I don't see Jesus talking that way in the gospels. For example, in Mt 7:21, Jesus said that "Not all people who sound religious are really godly. they may refer to me as Lord, but they still won't enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Fathers in heaven". And again, in Mt 5:22, He says "if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell". See also Luke 12:35-49, where He discusses being prepared about his coming. If the servant isn't behaving well, the master will tear the servant apart and banish him. These statements of Jesus seem to indicate that much more than simply announcing and believing in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God is required for the Kingdom of Heaven. He clearly states that the key issue is whether you obey his Father in heaven. Is this to be interpreted as living a good life, following the commandments, etc., as additional requirements for heaven? Does that jive w/Paul's statements? Note that it's not that I'm against trying to live a good, holy life, but this seems to lead down the road of salvation by faith-and-works. Please help me understand this better, because my life was changed by Eph 2:8-9, but this is confusing me. Thanks! |
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2 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | Morant61 | 81207 | ||
Greetings Reily1041! Yes, they agree. Consider John 6:28-29: "Then they asked him, 'What must we do to do the works God requires?' 29 Jesus answered, 'The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.'" The word 'believe' here is simply the verb form of 'faith'. So, both Jesus and Paul taught that 'faith' is all that is necessary for salvation. Once, one has been saved, then works will follow as evidence of that faith. But, works do not and cannot save. I hope this helps my friend! Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |
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3 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | Truthfinder | 81338 | ||
Hi Tim, I have noticed an on-going exchange of thoughts on this matter and thought I might add an additional thought. :)(3 thoughts) Eph 2:8,9 says, “this undeserved kindness (grace), indeed, YOU have been saved through faith; and this not owing to YOU, it is God’s gift. 9 No, it is not owing to works, in order that no man should have ground for boasting. The Bible also says at Romans 3:28, “A man is declared righteous by faith apart from works of law.” It also says: “A man is to be declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone.” Which is right? Are we declared righteous by faith or by works? And notice James 2:24, “YOU see that a man is to be declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone. To be in harmony with the Bible I would say that both Paul and James are correct. It might be noted that for centuries the Law that God gave through Moses had required Jewish worshipers to make specific sacrifices and offerings, to observe festival days, and to conform to dietary and other requirements. But then such “works of law,” or simply “works,” were no longer necessary after Jesus provided the ultimate sacrifice according to Romans 10:4. But the fact that these works performed under the Mosaic Law were replaced by Jesus’ superlative sacrifice did not mean that we can ignore the Bible’s instructions. It says: “How much more will the blood of the Christ . . . cleanse our consciences from [the older] dead works that we may render sacred service to the living God?”--Hebrews 9:14. So then how do we “render sacred service to the living God”? Among other things, the Bible tells us to combat the works of the flesh, to resist the world’s immorality, and to avoid its snares. It says: “Fight the fine fight of the faith,” put off “the sin that easily entangles us,” and “run with endurance the race that is set before us, as we look intently at the Chief Agent and Perfecter of our faith, Jesus.” And the Bible urges us not to ‘get tired and give out in our souls.’ As 1 Timothy 6:12; Hebrews 12:1-3; Galatians 5:19-21 all show us. But notice this fact. We do not earn salvation by doing these things, for no human could ever do enough to merit such an astounding blessing. We are not worthy of this magnificent gift, though, if we fail to demonstrate our love and obedience by doing the things that the Bible says God and Christ want us to do. Without works to demonstrate our faith, our claim to follow Jesus would fall far short, because again of what James clearly states: “Faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself.”--James 2:17 So, what is required for salvation? Well, the prime requirement is the one that the apostle Paul stated to the Philippian jailer: “Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will get saved.” (Acts 16:31) Heartfelt acceptance of the shed blood of Jesus is essential if we are going to be saved. And what will salvation mean for us? Jesus indicated the answer when he said: “I give them everlasting life, and they will by no means ever be destroyed.” (John 10:28) For most, I believe that Bible teaches, salvation will mean everlasting life on an earth restored to paradisaic perfection. (Psalm 37:10, 11; Revelation 21:3, 4) In the case of a “little flock,” however, it will mean ruling with Jesus in his heavenly Kingdom, as Luke 12:32 and Revelation 5:9, 10; 20:4 shows me. Yes, some suggest that belief in Jesus is the end of the matter. “There is just one thing that any one needs to do to get to heaven,” says one religious tract I read a long time ago, “That is, to accept Jesus Christ as his personal Saviour, surrender to Him as Lord and Master, and openly confess Him as such before the world.” Thus, many believe that a sudden, emotional conversion experience is all we need in order to guarantee everlasting life. However, to concentrate on only one essential requirement for salvation to the exclusion of the others is like reading one crucial clause in a contract and ignoring the rest. (continued) |
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4 | Do Jesus and Paul agree on salv by faith | NT general Archive 1 | Truthfinder | 81339 | ||
(Part 2) Yes, believing in Jesus is crucial to our salvation, but certainly more is needed. For instance, Jesus spoke of some who professed faith in him and even did “powerful works” in his name. But he did not recognize them. Why? Because they were “workers of lawlessness” and did not do the will of his Father. (Matthew 7:15-23) The disciple James reminds us of the need to “become doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves with false reasoning.” He also said: “You believe there is one God, do you? You are doing quite well. And yet the demons believe and shudder. . . . Faith without works is dead.”—James 1:22; 2:19, 26. Some, though, argue that those who are genuinely saved do all these things anyway. But is that really the case in practice? The ‘saved’ people I have known feel no great need to examine the Scriptures because they think they already have all they need for salvation.” And when I observe the hypocrisy and unchristian acts of many who claim to be saved, this brings the whole subject of salvation into disrepute. But still, many insist that the Scriptures say: “He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life.” (John 3:36, King James Version) Therefore, they conclude that once you have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, you can never again be lost. “Once saved, always saved” is their watchword. But is that what the Scriptures really say? To answer this, we need to consider everything the Bible says on the subject and not hang on just one or two verses. No we would not want to ‘deceive ourselves with false reasoning’ by reading only selected parts of God’s Word. Just my two cents worth. Truthfinder |
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