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NASB | Genesis 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, "Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 12:1 Now [in Haran] the LORD had said to Abram, "Go away from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; [Heb 11:8-10] |
Bible Question:
Is there a such thing as "obedient faith"? I ask that, because in the book of Heb 11 that's all you see, that by faith so-and-so did this or that. And Romans 4:1-5 says " not to him that worketh" And James saids, 2:17 Even so faith, if hath not works, is dead, being alone. vs.20-26 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altat? Gen 22:1-18 vs.18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. That's "obedient faith" that James is talking about. Jame 2:22 Seest thou how by faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23 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. Obedient faith is what justified Abraham. vs. 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way? Hebrews 11 gives us all the people of faith, and what they did, and not one person was with faith alone. So is the book of Romans 4 a contradition to Hebrew and James? |
Bible Answer: Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (James 2:21 NASB) 2:21 *justified by works.* "This does not contradict Paul's clear teaching that Abraham was justified before God by grace alone through faith alone (Rom. 3:20; 4:1-25; Gal. 3:6, 11). "For several reasons, James cannot mean that Abraham was constituted righteous before God because of his own good works: "1) James already stressed that salvation is a gracious gift (1:17,18); "2) in the middle of this disputed passage (v. 23), James quoted Gen. 15:6, which forcefully claims that God credited righteousness to Abraham solely on the basis of his faith; and "3) the work that James said justified Abraham was his offering up of Isaac (Gen. 22:9,12), an event that occurred many years after he exercised faith and was declared righteous before God (Gen. 12:1-7, 15:6). Instead Abraham's offering of Isaac demonstrated the genuineness of his faith and the reality of his justification before God. "James is emphasizing the vindication before others of a man's claim to salvation. James' teaching perfectly complements Paul's writings; salvation is determined by faith alone (Eph. 2:8,) and demonstrated by faithfulness to obey God's will alone (Eph. 2:10)" (page 1930, MacArthur Study Bible, Word Publishing, 1997). |