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Results from: Answered Bible Questions, Answers, Unanswered Bible Questions, Notes Ordered by Verse | ||||||
Results | Verse | Author | ID# | |||
1 | Saved by belief or belief and baptism? | NT general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 37794 | ||
As a courtesy, please try to use paragraphs more. You wrote: 'The writer above has it correct by quoting Rom 3:28, but on the flip-side of the coin, James 2:24 says EXPLICITLY that "... a man is justified by works and not by faith alone" There is a huge difference between being justified by faith and being justified by faith ALONE.' That is what James writes, and Paul writes: 'What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor, but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness" --Romans 4:1-5 So we have Paul saying that Abraham is saved through faith APART FROM works, and James saying that Abraham is justified BY his works. How do you reconcile these two passages? I would recommend a book entitled _Righteous Sinners_ by Ron Julian, to examine the dynamic between God's grace, our faith, and our works. He analyzes both Paul's commentary of Abraham and James' commentary of Abraham. --Joe! |
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2 | Saved by belief or belief and baptism? | NT general Archive 1 | bslinker | 37795 | ||
Its a combination of the two. We can go to easily understood passages in James Chapter 2 James 2:20 "But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith WITHOUT works is USELESS?" Then we go down a couple more verses to verse 26 James 2:26 "For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead." I think we can easily understand the example of the "body without a spirit" in the verse above, that you cannot have one without the other. Hope this helps, thanks for the reply! Barry |
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3 | Saved by belief or belief and baptism? | NT general Archive 1 | Reformer Joe | 37802 | ||
I agree completely that true faith will result in works. But Paul is very clear in stating that it is the faith by which we are saved, and not the works. Christ's righteousness is credited to us not on the basis of us earning it or deserving it in the slightest (Romans 8:7-9 makes that pretty impossible), but on the basis of faith. Works are the evidence of our salvation, not the basis of it. That is true Christianity, standing firmly between legalism on one extreme and antinomianism on the other. Best way I can put it? We are saved by God's grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, but no works means no true faith. --Joe! |
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