Subject: Reconciling Scripture verses. |
Bible Note: Dear parpar, I apologize if I wasn’t clear with the intent of my post. It was in response to your statement concerning your understanding of how a sinner is justified and the importance you appeared to place on the sinner and their acceptance of salvation and it being simply considered the right thing to do. If the implication of your understanding was that faith was the catalyst or instrument, I missed it. Thus the reason I responded as I did. I’m kind of a say what you mean and mean what you say type of guy… I take much at face value especially what I read. I tend not to go looking for hidden or obscure implications unless I am prompted to do so, again, probably me, not reading into your understanding. If your understanding is such that it is nothing we do in justification and that it is wholly on God’s account through our faith in Christ, then I have no disagreement with you on that point, you just didn’t stated it in that manner and I still pick up even in your latest response that you lean somewhat heavily on the human effort. God’s call is effectual parpar, and when He calls us, we respond. So I’m not sure why you seem to emphasize “our acceptance” so much. Ezekiel 36:26,27: 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules. So with that, back to our point of justification as being God’s work and not ours… Romans 3:21-26: 21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: 23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; 24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus. Ephesians 1:6,7: 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; I scanned over the content of the link you sent and it appeared to indicate the same, that faith is the instrument but it also points out that it is accompanied with the other saving graces and is not a dead faith. Again attributed to God through Christ and not dependant on anything we think we can or cannot do. It’s all according to the mercy of God. Titus 3:4-8: 4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, 5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; 6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. 8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men. I tend to think that there was never a contradiction between Paul and James and that it is really not that difficult to comprehend. The problem is in the approach men take when reading and comparing the two. We fail often, I think, to take into consideration the whole counsel of God’s Word and therefore see things only in part as we read them. We must learn to keep His Word in the constant perspective of 2 Timothy 3:16. The small word “all” is actually a pretty big word in meaning and it is indicative of the fact that we must take it “all” into consideration when we reflect upon God’s glory as well as our salvation and living in His grace. Stand in His grace, WOS |