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NASB | Romans 6:3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Romans 6:3 Or are you ignorant of the fact that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? |
Bible Question (short): Not by works or Partly by works? |
Question (full): Greetings Sniper! Good evening my friend! I am at a loss as to how you do not see the contradiction inherent in your interpretation of James 2:24. Eph. 2:8-9 says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - 9 not by works, so that no one can boast." Paul does not say, 'Not just by works'. He does not say, 'Partly by works'. Yet, according to your interpretation of James 2:24, man is saved partly by works. Clearly, there is a problem here. There is a huge difference between 'not by works' and 'partly by works'! :-) I believe that the key to this problem is quite simple. You are taking James 2:24 out of context. James 2 is not dealing with how a person gets saved, but the evidence of salvation. James 2:14 speaks of those 'who claim to have faith' but let others go hungry or naked. James 2:17 speaks of real faith being accompained by action (which Paul also says in Eph. 2:10). In 2:18, James speaks of demonstrating his faith through his deeds, not just talking about it. This is the context, not salvation. I have previously posted that one of the possible meaning of the verb translated as 'justified' in James 2:24 is 'to show to be righteous'. The verb can mean 'to make righteous', but it can also mean 'to show or to declare righteous'. This meaning of the verb does not contradict Paul, and it fits the context of the passage. Faith, accompanied by action, is demonstrated to be real faith. This is what James 2:24 is saying, not that faith plus works saves. This would be a direct contradiction of Eph. 2:8-9, Gal. 2, and Rom. 4. Your Brother in Christ, Tim Moran |