Salvation
Aug 21, 2019 08:37:17 #
Salvation
In desperation, the Philippian jailor cried, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s reply was simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
(Acts:16:31).
The great apostle said nothing about baptism or sacraments, candles, incense, church attendance, reforming one’s life, or anything else being necessary or even helpful for salvation.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do, to pay the infinite penalty required by God’s justice. One can and need only believe in Christ, who paid the penalty in full: “It is finished” (John:19:30)!
Scripture could not be clearer: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans:4:5); “For by grace are ye saved, through faith...not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians:2:8-9).
To attempt to do anything for one’s salvation beyond believing “on the Lord Jesus Christ” is to deny that Christ paid the full penalty for sin on the cross and to reject God’s offer on that basis of forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift of His grace. Clearly, we can be saved only by faith in Christ — but exactly what does that mean? What must one believe?
Paul declares that “the gospel of Christ...is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans:1:16).
So believing “the gospel of Christ” gives salvation. But is believing the gospel the only way to be saved — and if so, what is the gospel? Peter declared, “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts:4:12).
No answer is given to the question, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation...” (Hebrews:2:3)?
There is no escape except in Christ: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John:14:6).
Christ warned a group of Jews, “ye shall...die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come....if ye believe not that I am he... [he is in italics, added by the translators] (John:8:2; John:8:24).
“I AM” is the name of God that He revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus:3:14) and that Christ clearly claims for Himself: “I and my Father are one” (John:10:30).
Isaiah declared prophetically that the Messiah who would be born of a virgin (Isaiah:7:14) would be “The mighty God, The everlasting Father” (Isaiah:9:6). Christ’s language is precise. He doesn’t tell the Jews, “Before Abraham was, I was.”
He says, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John:8:5). He is the self-existent One without beginning or end, “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev:1:8
, Rev:1:11
; Rev:21:6
; Rev:22:13).
So we have it from the lips of Christ himself that in order to be saved, one must believe that He is God come as a man through the promised virgin birth.
Of course, that makes sense. No one but God could be our Savior. Repeatedly, Yahweh, the “God of Israel” (203 times from Exodus:5:1 to Luke:1:68) declares that He is the only Savior (Isaiah:43:11; Hosea:13:4, etc.). Thus, to be saved, one must believe that Christ is God. To deny this essential is to reject the gospel that saves.
Believing that Christ resurrected is also essential for salvation: “If thou shalt...believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans:10:9).
And here we face another essential of the gospel that must be believed for one to be saved: “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Cor:15:3). His being scourged, abused, beaten, or mistreated by men—or even crucified, though in fulfillment of prophecy—could not pay the penalty for sin and would not save us. Christ died for our sins. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel:18:4; Ezekiel:18:20); “the wages of sin is death” (Rom:6:23).
Salvation comes through Christ’s death. Death is the penalty for sin, and Christ had to pay that penalty for all mankind in full. In full? Isn’t death just death? Could it be worse than we imagine? Indeed, it is!
That Christ’s suffering for sin was not just physical but spiritual is clear: “when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin...he shall see of the travail of his soul...he hath poured out his soul unto death” (Isa:53:10-12); “Christ...through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God” (Heb:9:14).
Christ’s offering of Himself to the Father for sin took place on the cross: “who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Pet:2:24). So, again, it was not in being scourged that Christ bore our sins. He endured something far worse than physical suffering. In the garden, in dread anticipation of that horror, “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke:22:44).
And here again we see the vital importance of distinguishing between the physical suffering our Savior endured at the hands of men, and the punishment He endured from God: “...the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all...it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief...” (Isaiah:53:6; Isaiah:53:10).
Christ said, “I lay down my life...no man taketh it from me” (John:10:17-18). Thus the soldiers could not and did not kill Him. But Christ died for our sins—so again, what the soldiers did could not have paid for our sins.
No person (except Christ) has yet experienced the utter horror of death in its fullness. That will only occur after the final judgment: “death and hell...and whosoever was not found written in the book of life...were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Rev:20:14-15). Christ became a man so that He “by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb:2:9).
Therefore, His death on the cross had to include the “second death.” Thus Christ endured on the cross the eternal suffering that all mankind face in the lake of fire! This could only have been at the hands of God, not at the hands of man.
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans:6:23) — not merely temporary physical separation of soul and spirit from the body, but eternal separation from God. Therefore, in suffering for sin, Christ must have experienced the horror of the eternal separation from God that was due to all mankind. No wonder He cried out in agony, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me” (Psalm:22:1; Matthew:27:45; Mark:15:34)?!
No physical suffering, especially at the hands of sinful men, could mete out that awful penalty. Sin is a moral, spiritual problem involving God’s law and man’s rebellion against God. Both the punishment and the solution can only be spiritual.
Key Scripture verses related to "Salvation"(in addition to those above)
Old Testament:
Isa:45:22; Isa:51:5
New Testament:
Luke:7:50; Luke:1:76-79
John:3:14-17; John:10:9
Romans:5:8-10; Rom:10:9-13 ; Rom:10:17
2 Corinthians:6:2; 2 Cor:7:9-10
1 Timothy:2:3-4
Titus:3:4-7
1 Thessalonians:5:9
Hebrews:2:14; Heb:9:27-28
Revelation:12:9-11
All that a believer needs to be fruitful in his or her life in Christ is to be willing to be used of the Lord. God supplies the rest through the Holy Spirit, who leads, guides, directs, corrects, gifts, and enables.
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
Inevitably, there are those who see a difference between Paul (salvation is by faith alone) and James (salvation is by faith plus works), which through close examination proves to be no difference at all.
Paul dogmatically says that justification is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), while James appears to be saying that justification is by faith plus works. This apparent problem is answered by examining what exactly James is talking about. James is refuting the belief that a person can have faith without producing any good works (James 2:17-18). James is emphasizing the point that genuine faith in Christ will produce a changed life and good works (James 2:20-26).
James is not saying that justification is by faith plus works, but rather that a person who is truly justified by faith will have good works in his/her life. If a person claims to be a believer, but has no good works in his/her life, then he/she likely does not have genuine faith in Christ (James 2:14, 17, 20, 26).
Paul says the same thing in his writings. The good fruit believers should have in their lives is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Immediately after telling us that we are saved by faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9), Paul informs us that we were created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Paul expects just as much of a changed life as James does: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
James and Paul do not disagree in their teaching regarding salvation. They approach the same subject from different perspectives. Paul simply emphasized that justification is by faith alone while James put emphasis on the fact that genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works, which witnesses to their faith.
Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible
The Berean Call
Got Questions?
In desperation, the Philippian jailor cried, “What must I do to be saved?” Paul’s reply was simple: “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”
(Acts:16:31).
The great apostle said nothing about baptism or sacraments, candles, incense, church attendance, reforming one’s life, or anything else being necessary or even helpful for salvation.
From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do, to pay the infinite penalty required by God’s justice. One can and need only believe in Christ, who paid the penalty in full: “It is finished” (John:19:30)!
Scripture could not be clearer: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans:4:5); “For by grace are ye saved, through faith...not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians:2:8-9).
To attempt to do anything for one’s salvation beyond believing “on the Lord Jesus Christ” is to deny that Christ paid the full penalty for sin on the cross and to reject God’s offer on that basis of forgiveness and eternal life as a free gift of His grace. Clearly, we can be saved only by faith in Christ — but exactly what does that mean? What must one believe?
Paul declares that “the gospel of Christ...is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes” (Romans:1:16).
So believing “the gospel of Christ” gives salvation. But is believing the gospel the only way to be saved — and if so, what is the gospel? Peter declared, “There is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts:4:12).
No answer is given to the question, “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation...” (Hebrews:2:3)?
There is no escape except in Christ: “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John:14:6).
Christ warned a group of Jews, “ye shall...die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come....if ye believe not that I am he... [he is in italics, added by the translators] (John:8:2; John:8:24).
“I AM” is the name of God that He revealed to Moses at the burning bush (Exodus:3:14) and that Christ clearly claims for Himself: “I and my Father are one” (John:10:30).
Isaiah declared prophetically that the Messiah who would be born of a virgin (Isaiah:7:14) would be “The mighty God, The everlasting Father” (Isaiah:9:6). Christ’s language is precise. He doesn’t tell the Jews, “Before Abraham was, I was.”
He says, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John:8:5). He is the self-existent One without beginning or end, “the Alpha and the Omega” (Rev:1:8
, Rev:1:11
; Rev:21:6
; Rev:22:13).
So we have it from the lips of Christ himself that in order to be saved, one must believe that He is God come as a man through the promised virgin birth.
Of course, that makes sense. No one but God could be our Savior. Repeatedly, Yahweh, the “God of Israel” (203 times from Exodus:5:1 to Luke:1:68) declares that He is the only Savior (Isaiah:43:11; Hosea:13:4, etc.). Thus, to be saved, one must believe that Christ is God. To deny this essential is to reject the gospel that saves.
Believing that Christ resurrected is also essential for salvation: “If thou shalt...believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved” (Romans:10:9).
And here we face another essential of the gospel that must be believed for one to be saved: “that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Cor:15:3). His being scourged, abused, beaten, or mistreated by men—or even crucified, though in fulfillment of prophecy—could not pay the penalty for sin and would not save us. Christ died for our sins. “The soul that sinneth, it shall die” (Ezekiel:18:4; Ezekiel:18:20); “the wages of sin is death” (Rom:6:23).
Salvation comes through Christ’s death. Death is the penalty for sin, and Christ had to pay that penalty for all mankind in full. In full? Isn’t death just death? Could it be worse than we imagine? Indeed, it is!
That Christ’s suffering for sin was not just physical but spiritual is clear: “when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin...he shall see of the travail of his soul...he hath poured out his soul unto death” (Isa:53:10-12); “Christ...through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God” (Heb:9:14).
Christ’s offering of Himself to the Father for sin took place on the cross: “who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree” (1 Pet:2:24). So, again, it was not in being scourged that Christ bore our sins. He endured something far worse than physical suffering. In the garden, in dread anticipation of that horror, “his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke:22:44).
And here again we see the vital importance of distinguishing between the physical suffering our Savior endured at the hands of men, and the punishment He endured from God: “...the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all...it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief...” (Isaiah:53:6; Isaiah:53:10).
Christ said, “I lay down my life...no man taketh it from me” (John:10:17-18). Thus the soldiers could not and did not kill Him. But Christ died for our sins—so again, what the soldiers did could not have paid for our sins.
No person (except Christ) has yet experienced the utter horror of death in its fullness. That will only occur after the final judgment: “death and hell...and whosoever was not found written in the book of life...were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death” (Rev:20:14-15). Christ became a man so that He “by the grace of God should taste death for every man” (Heb:2:9).
Therefore, His death on the cross had to include the “second death.” Thus Christ endured on the cross the eternal suffering that all mankind face in the lake of fire! This could only have been at the hands of God, not at the hands of man.
“The wages of sin is death” (Romans:6:23) — not merely temporary physical separation of soul and spirit from the body, but eternal separation from God. Therefore, in suffering for sin, Christ must have experienced the horror of the eternal separation from God that was due to all mankind. No wonder He cried out in agony, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me” (Psalm:22:1; Matthew:27:45; Mark:15:34)?!
No physical suffering, especially at the hands of sinful men, could mete out that awful penalty. Sin is a moral, spiritual problem involving God’s law and man’s rebellion against God. Both the punishment and the solution can only be spiritual.
Key Scripture verses related to "Salvation"(in addition to those above)
Old Testament:
Isa:45:22; Isa:51:5
New Testament:
Luke:7:50; Luke:1:76-79
John:3:14-17; John:10:9
Romans:5:8-10; Rom:10:9-13 ; Rom:10:17
2 Corinthians:6:2; 2 Cor:7:9-10
1 Timothy:2:3-4
Titus:3:4-7
1 Thessalonians:5:9
Hebrews:2:14; Heb:9:27-28
Revelation:12:9-11
All that a believer needs to be fruitful in his or her life in Christ is to be willing to be used of the Lord. God supplies the rest through the Holy Spirit, who leads, guides, directs, corrects, gifts, and enables.
"For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called: But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God has chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are: that no flesh should glory in his presence" (1 Corinthians 1:26-29).
Inevitably, there are those who see a difference between Paul (salvation is by faith alone) and James (salvation is by faith plus works), which through close examination proves to be no difference at all.
Paul dogmatically says that justification is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9), while James appears to be saying that justification is by faith plus works. This apparent problem is answered by examining what exactly James is talking about. James is refuting the belief that a person can have faith without producing any good works (James 2:17-18). James is emphasizing the point that genuine faith in Christ will produce a changed life and good works (James 2:20-26).
James is not saying that justification is by faith plus works, but rather that a person who is truly justified by faith will have good works in his/her life. If a person claims to be a believer, but has no good works in his/her life, then he/she likely does not have genuine faith in Christ (James 2:14, 17, 20, 26).
Paul says the same thing in his writings. The good fruit believers should have in their lives is listed in Galatians 5:22-23. Immediately after telling us that we are saved by faith, not works (Ephesians 2:8-9), Paul informs us that we were created to do good works (Ephesians 2:10). Paul expects just as much of a changed life as James does: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
James and Paul do not disagree in their teaching regarding salvation. They approach the same subject from different perspectives. Paul simply emphasized that justification is by faith alone while James put emphasis on the fact that genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works, which witnesses to their faith.
Hebrew-Greek Key Word Study Bible
The Berean Call
Got Questions?
Aug 21, 2019 14:06:13 #
Zemirah wrote:
Salvation br br In desperation, the Philippian ja... (show quote)
You certainly used a considerable amount of words to convey a concept that is simple. In fact, it’s as simple as ABC:
A: Admit you’re a sinner (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23)
B: Believe that Jesus is Lord, died for your sins and rose from the dead (Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23)
C: Call upon His name (Romans 10:9; Romans 10:13)
Your salvation does not depend on your good works, or how good of a person you are. You are saved by grace alone.
God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8-9 (NLT)
No one is guaranteed another day. Please don’t wait. Call upon the name of Jesus today and be saved.
Aug 21, 2019 15:44:40 #
Zemirah wrote:
Salvation br br In desperation, the Philippian ja... (show quote)
Amen and Amen thank you Zemirah for this posting and by the way how are you feeling and how is your healing progressing please let us know how things are going. Thanks again for this posting.
Aug 21, 2019 16:08:54 #
Zemirah wrote:
Salvation br br In desperation, the Philippian ja... (show quote)
Nicely put together Zemirah. Thanks.
There are many out there who think they're saved but are not. Not long ago I read the testimony of Charo Washer (Paul Washer's wife). Very powerful.
https://media-cloud.sermonaudio.com/text/62507203359.pdf
Aug 21, 2019 20:55:38 #
The good people on OPP have witnessed my affinity for a proliferation of words for five plus years now, Parky60, but thank you for reiterating it.
The Gospel is both as simple and as profound as one chooses to express it.
Historically, renown theologians with doctorates from famed seminaries have written volumes containing these simple truths expressed in five syllable words.
Even more remarkable is the spiritual eloquence found in four page pamplets composed and printed at home by those lacking even high school diplomas who pray for the souls of lost men as they distribute their flyers on street corners to those willing to receive them.
Thank you for your simplicity.
The Gospel is both as simple and as profound as one chooses to express it.
Historically, renown theologians with doctorates from famed seminaries have written volumes containing these simple truths expressed in five syllable words.
Even more remarkable is the spiritual eloquence found in four page pamplets composed and printed at home by those lacking even high school diplomas who pray for the souls of lost men as they distribute their flyers on street corners to those willing to receive them.
Thank you for your simplicity.
Parky60 wrote:
You certainly used a considerable amount of words ... (show quote)
Aug 21, 2019 21:14:55 #
How are you doing, bahmer?
Per my surgeon, the last x-rays show my arm is well aligned, and knitting together, i.e., mending well, thus far. Next week, I may be able to forego the weekly rewrappings, and get a six week cast, which sounds like a long time to be typing with one hand suspended... but, I praise God for a "bionic" arm that to all appearances, is on the mend.
You can look forward to wordier posts on my part in the future.
Per my surgeon, the last x-rays show my arm is well aligned, and knitting together, i.e., mending well, thus far. Next week, I may be able to forego the weekly rewrappings, and get a six week cast, which sounds like a long time to be typing with one hand suspended... but, I praise God for a "bionic" arm that to all appearances, is on the mend.
You can look forward to wordier posts on my part in the future.
bahmer wrote:
Amen and Amen thank you Zemirah for this posting and by the way how are you feeling and how is your healing progressing please let us know how things are going. Thanks again for this posting.
Aug 21, 2019 21:37:39 #
Thank you so much for posting the link to Charo's testimony, Rose42.
I found the most profound truth in the entire statement to be:
"Christ must be His own mirror."
Again, thank you.
I found the most profound truth in the entire statement to be:
"Christ must be His own mirror."
Again, thank you.
Rose42 wrote:
Nicely put together Zemirah. Thanks.
There are many out there who think they're saved but are not. Not long ago I read the testimony of Charo Washer (Paul Washer's wife). Very powerful.
https://media-cloud.sermonaudio.com/text/62507203359.pdf
There are many out there who think they're saved but are not. Not long ago I read the testimony of Charo Washer (Paul Washer's wife). Very powerful.
https://media-cloud.sermonaudio.com/text/62507203359.pdf
Aug 22, 2019 09:52:44 #
Zemirah wrote:
How are you doing, bahmer? br br Per my surgeon, ... (show quote)
Praise God for the good news, will look forward to those wordier posts in the future, mend well my friend mend well. I am doing OK and hanging in there as well. I don't know what it is about getting older and balance but I seem to be not to steady on my feet anymore either. Oh well, one day at a time sweet Jesus, is all that I can come up with at this stage of life.
Aug 22, 2019 10:21:45 #
Zemirah wrote:
How are you doing, bahmer? br br Per my surgeon, ... (show quote)
That is good news.
I also look forward to wordier posts. Aug 25, 2019 13:06:59 #
TommyRadd
Loc: Midwest USA
Zemirah wrote:
...From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it ... (show quote)
Zemirah and Parky60,
It is written:
“These people draw near to me with their mouth, and honor me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Matt. 15:8
Jesus was quoting Isaiah, meaning this was a widespread problem.
I’m going to address your posted article and show, not only how far off it is biblically, but also expose the error in the attitude, the heart, that would produce such false conclusions. I know you didn’t write the article, but you obviously wholeheartedly believe it, so, I’m going to ask you very pointedly this question: Do you really want to be that person who honors Jesus with their lips but their heart is far from him? Please remember this question throughout this exposé of the errors of the article and presentation of biblical truth instead.
The first problem with the article, is that it is effectively asserting that Paul was better at explaining salvation through faith than either the apostles before him, or even Jesus Christ who appeared to him on the road to Damascus.
On the Day of Pentecost, all the apostles stood in one mind and accord with Peter as he laid down the following words as the foundationally proscribed response to the good news:
“37Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" 38Peter said to them, "Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are far off, even as many as the Lord our God will call to himself." 40With many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation!" Acts 2:37-40.
This is the proper response. This is the proper summary. What Paul gives in his epistles are explanations to saints who had already applied this process; but in Acts 2:38 are given “to as many as the Lord shall call” the words that laid the foundation of the ecclesia (church) of Jesus Christ. Paul said, “For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 3:11. This article is saying, subtly and deceptively, that Paul laid a different foundation than was laid by Jesus Christ through his chosen representative Apostle Peter on the Day of Pentecost. That’s what this response is going to demonstrate.
The article makes the following false and deceptive conclusion: “From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do, to pay the infinite penalty required by God’s justice. One can and need only believe in Christ, who paid the penalty in full: “It is finished” (John:19:30)!
These words present somewhat of a false dilemma. While I certainly would not say that we can do anything to “pay the infinite penalty required”, that isn’t at all to say that there aren’t things we are commanded to do, and must do. The writer’s conclusion doesn’t just end at “...to pay the inifinite penalty”, he concludes with “one can only believe in Christ...”. If what the article says is true, why, then, didn’t the apostle Peter say to those Jews, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved”? Hadn’t Peter and the others been with Jesus 3-1/2 years? Yes. Hadn’t they been told that when the Spirit came, he would lead them into all truth? Yes. Did the Spirit fail? No. Didn’t Jesus say that he would build his ecclesia on the testimony Peter gave and he gave Peter the “keys to the kingdom”? Yes. Did Peter fail? No. Did Paul ever go back and correct Peter and the other apostles for failing so miserably at proclaiming the true way to believe? No.
For the sake of Parky60, neither did the apostles tell the Jews anything remotely like his list:
“A: Admit you’re a sinner (Romans 3:10; Romans 3:23); B: Believe that Jesus is Lord, died for your sins and rose from the dead (Romans 5:8; Romans 6:23); C: Call upon His name (Romans 10:9; Romans 10:13)” -Parky 60
No potential convert in the Bible was ever given this formula per se. According to the popular conclusion put forth in this article then, and Parky’s contribution, the apostles had it all wrong. They completely missed it, and they were not truthful with these convicted Jews, and it wouldn’t be until Paul came along much later that they would get straightened out. But that’s not what happened at all. Paul didn’t get a “greater revelation:” and then go around rebuking the apostles for getting it wrong. (as, for example, when Paul rebuked him when Peter wasn’t walking faithfully in the revelation God gave to Peter in Acts 10; so even that wasn’t for something Peter himself also hadn’t already contended for ! Gal. 2:11-14) Paul simply didn’t get a greater or newer revelation than the apostles, he merely had a different way of expressing it. In fact, Paul was quite adamant that they were all saying the same thing (Eph. 4:5; Romans 3:30; Galatians 2:7-9).
Next, let’s look at the words of Jesus, as given to Paul, during Paul’s own conversion experience, and see if Jesus agrees with the words of the article:
“3 As (Paul) traveled, he got close to Damascus, and suddenly a light from the sky shone around him. 4 He fell on the earth, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?” 5 He said, “Who are you, Lord?” The Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. 6 But rise up, and enter into the city, and you will be told what you must do .” Acts 9:3-6
Jesus told Paul there was something that he, Paul, must do . Apparently, either Jesus got it wrong and misled Paul, or Jesus got it right and the writer of the article got it wrong, and you and Parky are getting it wrong, and a whole lot of Evangelicals are getting it wrong. My conviction, based on what the scriptures actually say, is that Jesus got it right and that it didn’t take until nearly the end of Romans or the back half of Acts for the true way of salvation to be delivered. Nor did it take until recent history when someone put together the ABC’s that Parky provided! In fact, as I will demonstrate, if the article is correct in the conclusion I quoted above, Paul was untrue to his own salvation and conversion experience and changed what Jesus had commanded of him. But the fact is, as we shall see, Paul agreed completely with Jesus, and Peter and the rest of the apostles, and it is the article that doesn’t, either agree with, or harmonize, the scriptures on the issues it addresses.
Continued in Part 2
Aug 25, 2019 13:07:27 #
TommyRadd
Loc: Midwest USA
Part 2
Next, let’s focus on this statement the article writer makes: “From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do...”
Really? Is this writer reading the same Bible I am reading? Because this is a lie. From the beginning of the Bible, we know that, Eve sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit. For that, God had to make clothes from skins of animals, requiring the death of some unnamed animal that Adam and Eve had been given dominion over. Blood had to be spilled, and that blood had to be applied, because, “According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.” Heb_9:22. Now, we know that this shedding of blood became mandatory, a must do, because after Adam and Eve had sons, then Cain tried to give an offering of the fruit of the ground, but Able offered of his flocks, in other words, blood. And what was God’s response? He had respect to Able and not to Cain and Cain became jealous and killed his brother. Apparently, there was something that Cain and Able “must” do, and Able did it but Cain didn’t. But what is noteworthy and important for us all to remember, which the article negates, is God’s response to Cain when he tried to offer up a sacrifice of his own description:
“6Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?7If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well , sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” Genesis 4:6
According to God, the difference was in the doing or not doing. Why didn’t God tell Cain, “there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do”? It’s because that would not be true and God doesn’t lie, like men do. So, we have the teaching, through the example of Cain, that shedding of blood is a must do. Not doing it is to not do well, and we are to rule over the sin that entices us to not do well. But more importantly, we have the Bible pointedly telling us that in Able’s case, offering a blood sacrifice was a work of faith:
“By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous.” Heb 11:4
Abel and Cain both had a “must do”, which the article denies, but which the Bible calls “by faith”, and God honors and calls it “testimony” that he was “righteous.” I think it’s safe to say we ought to believe God’s testimony over man’s conclusions to the contrary.
The ironic thing is, the article goes on to say:
“Scripture could not be clearer: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans:4:5); “For by grace are ye saved, through faith...not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians:2:8-9).”
And yet, right there in Hebrews 11:4, above, Cain’s offering was both, A) called “by faith”, and B) was required, a must, for him to testify that he was righteous. It works like this; those who believe God, will take him at His word when He makes commandments; those who don’t, like the devil in the Garden, Cain, the Pharisees, and now these “nothing-a-sinner-can-do-Evangelicals”, will make the commandments of God, for example Acts 2:38, of none effect and provide their own formula, instead, for salvation. So, it appears to me, you folks are walking in bad company, thus I ask you again, do you really want to be that person? The “accept the lord as your personal savior” dogma is to Acts 2:38 what Cain’s sacrifice of veggies was in his day. It was not what God required; it was a way in which man formulated their own, humanistic way of responding to God.
Next, let’s talk about Noah. Would it be accurate to say of Noah, that God had clearly told him, “there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do”? The idea is preposterous! Worse, it is a lie to say there was nothing Noah “must do” or “could do.” What if Noah hadn’t built the ark? Would God have told him, “oh, that’s okay, there’s nothing you could have done anyway. I know your heart and that is all that is required”? That is the subtle mockery that this article is making of God.
And why do we know God wouldn’t have said that? Well, look what Jesus said to those who decided they didn’t need to be baptized:
“But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him themselves.” Luke 7:30
And this was a point in time when they were under the Mosaic law which said nothing about baptism; and yet they were being condemned as rejecting the counsel of God for not being baptized, which wasn’t even a commandment in their law! Was baptism then, a “must do” or not? It appears obvious that it was a must do. However, even though it was mandatory, it wouldn’t make them “righteous,” but it would make them “faithful.” How can I say or know that? Well, it’s because I’ve read what the Bible explains about baptism.
For that, let’s look how the NT explains Noah’s example of baptism to us:
“19... God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ship was being built. In it, few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you—not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 3:19-21
“By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Hebrews 11:7
So, what is it we learn about Noah building the ark: that it was a “must do” or that it was a “not necessary, but he could if he wanted to” kind of thing? It was clearly a “must do” thing. In fact, just like as with Cain and Able, it was the doing of that “must do” that “saved” him, and it is a type or teaching example to us of how baptism works with us. And in Hebrews, Noah building the ark was called “of faith”. Now, if it was a symbol of baptism which now saves us, according to Peter, was either the building of the ark or baptism optional? Obviously not. Therefore, is it hard not to see how far off track the article is in saying the false dilemma that throughout the Bible there was no “must do’s”?
And what about baptism during the period of Christ’s earthly ministry? At this point, most “Evangelicals” will point to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43) and adamantly claim he didn’t need to be baptized. Well, how do they know that? Don’t they read the Bible? For it is written:
4“John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. 5All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.” Mark 1:4–5
The fact is, we don’t really know if the thief was or wasn’t baptized! But, if all were baptized, who’s to say the thief was not baptized? So, these Evangelicals would rather base their salvation on a thief on the cross than what the apostles clearly proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost after Christ’s death, burial and resurrection! “If you do good, won’t you be accepted, and if not, sin lies at the door.”
Keeping in mind above, that the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God by not being baptized (Luke 7:30)... By their mutual rejection of the necessity of water baptism, even for those “under the law,” we see that those who use the thief on the cross as an excuse for not accepting the necessity of baptism for repentance have more in common with the Pharisees than they do with the actual, true believers! The believers, who did submit to baptism, declared, by that action, that God was just! How can I say this? Because of what our beloved apostle Paul wrote:
“3Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3
This is an exclusive group, according to Paul. It only pertains to “all we who have been baptized into Jesus Christ.”
Continued in Part 3
Next, let’s focus on this statement the article writer makes: “From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do...”
Really? Is this writer reading the same Bible I am reading? Because this is a lie. From the beginning of the Bible, we know that, Eve sinned by eating of the forbidden fruit. For that, God had to make clothes from skins of animals, requiring the death of some unnamed animal that Adam and Eve had been given dominion over. Blood had to be spilled, and that blood had to be applied, because, “According to the law, nearly everything is cleansed with blood, and apart from shedding of blood there is no remission.” Heb_9:22. Now, we know that this shedding of blood became mandatory, a must do, because after Adam and Eve had sons, then Cain tried to give an offering of the fruit of the ground, but Able offered of his flocks, in other words, blood. And what was God’s response? He had respect to Able and not to Cain and Cain became jealous and killed his brother. Apparently, there was something that Cain and Able “must” do, and Able did it but Cain didn’t. But what is noteworthy and important for us all to remember, which the article negates, is God’s response to Cain when he tried to offer up a sacrifice of his own description:
“6Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?7If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well , sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” Genesis 4:6
According to God, the difference was in the doing or not doing. Why didn’t God tell Cain, “there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do”? It’s because that would not be true and God doesn’t lie, like men do. So, we have the teaching, through the example of Cain, that shedding of blood is a must do. Not doing it is to not do well, and we are to rule over the sin that entices us to not do well. But more importantly, we have the Bible pointedly telling us that in Able’s case, offering a blood sacrifice was a work of faith:
“By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous.” Heb 11:4
Abel and Cain both had a “must do”, which the article denies, but which the Bible calls “by faith”, and God honors and calls it “testimony” that he was “righteous.” I think it’s safe to say we ought to believe God’s testimony over man’s conclusions to the contrary.
The ironic thing is, the article goes on to say:
“Scripture could not be clearer: “To him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Romans:4:5); “For by grace are ye saved, through faith...not of works, lest any man should boast” (Ephesians:2:8-9).”
And yet, right there in Hebrews 11:4, above, Cain’s offering was both, A) called “by faith”, and B) was required, a must, for him to testify that he was righteous. It works like this; those who believe God, will take him at His word when He makes commandments; those who don’t, like the devil in the Garden, Cain, the Pharisees, and now these “nothing-a-sinner-can-do-Evangelicals”, will make the commandments of God, for example Acts 2:38, of none effect and provide their own formula, instead, for salvation. So, it appears to me, you folks are walking in bad company, thus I ask you again, do you really want to be that person? The “accept the lord as your personal savior” dogma is to Acts 2:38 what Cain’s sacrifice of veggies was in his day. It was not what God required; it was a way in which man formulated their own, humanistic way of responding to God.
Next, let’s talk about Noah. Would it be accurate to say of Noah, that God had clearly told him, “there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do”? The idea is preposterous! Worse, it is a lie to say there was nothing Noah “must do” or “could do.” What if Noah hadn’t built the ark? Would God have told him, “oh, that’s okay, there’s nothing you could have done anyway. I know your heart and that is all that is required”? That is the subtle mockery that this article is making of God.
And why do we know God wouldn’t have said that? Well, look what Jesus said to those who decided they didn’t need to be baptized:
“But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected the counsel of God, not being baptized by him themselves.” Luke 7:30
And this was a point in time when they were under the Mosaic law which said nothing about baptism; and yet they were being condemned as rejecting the counsel of God for not being baptized, which wasn’t even a commandment in their law! Was baptism then, a “must do” or not? It appears obvious that it was a must do. However, even though it was mandatory, it wouldn’t make them “righteous,” but it would make them “faithful.” How can I say or know that? Well, it’s because I’ve read what the Bible explains about baptism.
For that, let’s look how the NT explains Noah’s example of baptism to us:
“19... God waited patiently in the days of Noah, while the ship was being built. In it, few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water. 21 This is a symbol of baptism, which now saves you—not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ” 1 Peter 3:19-21
“By faith, Noah, being warned about things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared a ship for the saving of his house, through which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is according to faith.” Hebrews 11:7
So, what is it we learn about Noah building the ark: that it was a “must do” or that it was a “not necessary, but he could if he wanted to” kind of thing? It was clearly a “must do” thing. In fact, just like as with Cain and Able, it was the doing of that “must do” that “saved” him, and it is a type or teaching example to us of how baptism works with us. And in Hebrews, Noah building the ark was called “of faith”. Now, if it was a symbol of baptism which now saves us, according to Peter, was either the building of the ark or baptism optional? Obviously not. Therefore, is it hard not to see how far off track the article is in saying the false dilemma that throughout the Bible there was no “must do’s”?
And what about baptism during the period of Christ’s earthly ministry? At this point, most “Evangelicals” will point to the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39–43) and adamantly claim he didn’t need to be baptized. Well, how do they know that? Don’t they read the Bible? For it is written:
4“John came baptizing in the wilderness and preaching the baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. 5All the country of Judea and all those of Jerusalem went out to him. They were baptized by him in the Jordan river, confessing their sins.” Mark 1:4–5
The fact is, we don’t really know if the thief was or wasn’t baptized! But, if all were baptized, who’s to say the thief was not baptized? So, these Evangelicals would rather base their salvation on a thief on the cross than what the apostles clearly proclaimed on the Day of Pentecost after Christ’s death, burial and resurrection! “If you do good, won’t you be accepted, and if not, sin lies at the door.”
Keeping in mind above, that the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God by not being baptized (Luke 7:30)... By their mutual rejection of the necessity of water baptism, even for those “under the law,” we see that those who use the thief on the cross as an excuse for not accepting the necessity of baptism for repentance have more in common with the Pharisees than they do with the actual, true believers! The believers, who did submit to baptism, declared, by that action, that God was just! How can I say this? Because of what our beloved apostle Paul wrote:
“3Or don’t you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death?4 We were buried therefore with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life.” Romans 6:3
This is an exclusive group, according to Paul. It only pertains to “all we who have been baptized into Jesus Christ.”
Continued in Part 3
Aug 25, 2019 13:07:57 #
TommyRadd
Loc: Midwest USA
Part 3
Next we come to Abraham. Oh, he didn’t have to “do” anything either, did he? Well, he was commanded to come out from his father’s house and go to the land which God would show him, which he did, in Genesis chapters 12-14. Were these steps “works of righteousness”? No, the bible calls them “steps of faith”. Jesus says so, Paul says so, and the Book of Hebrews says so:
“They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” Joh 8:39
“He (Abraham) is the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had in uncircumcision.” Romans 4:12
Once again, Paul is describing a certain, well-defined, exclusive group: only those who walk in the plural steps of Abraham are the children of the faith of Abraham.
The steps, plural, that Abraham walked in before circumcision (Gen. 17) were the steps of coming out of his father’s house and going to the promised land:
“8By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went.
9 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own...” Hebrews 11:8-9
Abraham had at least a couple of “must do’s” before his faith was counted for righteousness.
But there was one more work that he did: he sacrificed animals. Even with Abraham, whose faith was the very foundation of Paul’s explanation of faith, he had to sacrifice animals, which was another “must do”. In this case, Abraham had to sacrifice if he wanted to “know” that he would inherit, and immediately after this, God made a covenant with him that same day.
Now, Evangelicals love to quote Ephesians 2, and its an awesome chapter when read in the context of the Old Testament characters Paul uses for his foundation. The problem with Evangelicals is that they don’t read it with the walks, works and steps of the father of faith, Abraham, in mind.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world… Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past... But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus... For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:1-10
Let’s compare how this passage would apply to father Abraham- he was walking "according to the course of this world" then God graciously began talking with him (in Gen. 12), and in so doing gave Abraham commandments which were "good works" which God ordained that Abraham should walk in. They weren't "Abraham's works" that he should boast, he didn’t make them up, and they weren’t inherent to his person, but they were works; works of faith. We quoted scripture above that clearly said this- "by faith Abraham… obeyed… by faith Abraham sojourned…" (Hebrews 11:8-9). So, contrary to how an Evangelical would interpret Ephesians 2, these works of Abraham weren't "works salvation" because they weren't Abraham's works, they were Abraham becoming the workmanship of God which he was created for.
It was these very works of obedient faith and this very person- Abraham, of which the Bible is specifically saying sets the pattern for salvation by grace through faith!
It would be unreasonable to say that in Genesis Abraham had done nothing to deserve having his faith counted for righteousness, because there would not have been a Genesis 15 for Abraham if he had not walked the steps that God had commanded him in Genesis 12, 13 and 14!
It is those very steps of faithful obedience which frame the context for Paul's reasoning, both in Ephesians 2, above, and in Romans 4:3 that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness…". He then tells us, in Romans 4:12, that Abraham is not the father of the circumcision only, but also is a father to them "…who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised".
Therefore, to affirm or assume that Paul was talking about faith without works period would totally contradict what Paul specifically said that we must do in order to be children of the faith of Abraham. Namely Paul says Abrahamic faith is to "…walk in the steps of that faith of… Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. -Romans 4:12. This Jesus Himself also affirmed- "…Jesus saith… Abraham's children… do the works of Abraham." -John 8:39. And not only that, but even John the Baptist chimed in by telling the Jews, in Matthew 3:9, that being a child of Abrahamic faith didn’t mean resting on what Abraham had obtained, but in following in Abraham’s example (which we are told to follow Jesus’ example in his death burial and resurrection through repentance, baptism and receiving the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, in Acts 2:38)
Remember, that same Abraham is also the setting for the context that the "believing" Jews, in John 8:31, referred to in defending their position that they were not in bondage because Abraham was their father and they were Abraham's unconditionally promised seed. Those who attempt to claim they are saved by faith without any works period have taken up the same, groundless, unbiblical position as the Pharisaical Jews tried to use against John the Baptist and Jesus!
The point, God's intention, stated by John and Jesus through what they told the Pharisees, and what Paul said in Romans 4:12, is that Abrahamic faith doesn’t mean simply and only resting on the promise that Abraham received from God. Instead their consistent, unanimous message was to do the works and walk in the steps (plural) that Abraham did to get a promise like Abraham got for themselves!
Continued in Part 4
Next we come to Abraham. Oh, he didn’t have to “do” anything either, did he? Well, he was commanded to come out from his father’s house and go to the land which God would show him, which he did, in Genesis chapters 12-14. Were these steps “works of righteousness”? No, the bible calls them “steps of faith”. Jesus says so, Paul says so, and the Book of Hebrews says so:
“They answered him, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” Joh 8:39
“He (Abraham) is the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had in uncircumcision.” Romans 4:12
Once again, Paul is describing a certain, well-defined, exclusive group: only those who walk in the plural steps of Abraham are the children of the faith of Abraham.
The steps, plural, that Abraham walked in before circumcision (Gen. 17) were the steps of coming out of his father’s house and going to the promised land:
“8By faith, Abraham, when he was called, obeyed to go out to the place which he was to receive for an inheritance. He went out, not knowing where he went.
9 By faith, he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a land not his own...” Hebrews 11:8-9
Abraham had at least a couple of “must do’s” before his faith was counted for righteousness.
But there was one more work that he did: he sacrificed animals. Even with Abraham, whose faith was the very foundation of Paul’s explanation of faith, he had to sacrifice animals, which was another “must do”. In this case, Abraham had to sacrifice if he wanted to “know” that he would inherit, and immediately after this, God made a covenant with him that same day.
Now, Evangelicals love to quote Ephesians 2, and its an awesome chapter when read in the context of the Old Testament characters Paul uses for his foundation. The problem with Evangelicals is that they don’t read it with the walks, works and steps of the father of faith, Abraham, in mind.
“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world… Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past... But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus... For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” -Ephesians 2:1-10
Let’s compare how this passage would apply to father Abraham- he was walking "according to the course of this world" then God graciously began talking with him (in Gen. 12), and in so doing gave Abraham commandments which were "good works" which God ordained that Abraham should walk in. They weren't "Abraham's works" that he should boast, he didn’t make them up, and they weren’t inherent to his person, but they were works; works of faith. We quoted scripture above that clearly said this- "by faith Abraham… obeyed… by faith Abraham sojourned…" (Hebrews 11:8-9). So, contrary to how an Evangelical would interpret Ephesians 2, these works of Abraham weren't "works salvation" because they weren't Abraham's works, they were Abraham becoming the workmanship of God which he was created for.
It was these very works of obedient faith and this very person- Abraham, of which the Bible is specifically saying sets the pattern for salvation by grace through faith!
It would be unreasonable to say that in Genesis Abraham had done nothing to deserve having his faith counted for righteousness, because there would not have been a Genesis 15 for Abraham if he had not walked the steps that God had commanded him in Genesis 12, 13 and 14!
It is those very steps of faithful obedience which frame the context for Paul's reasoning, both in Ephesians 2, above, and in Romans 4:3 that "Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness…". He then tells us, in Romans 4:12, that Abraham is not the father of the circumcision only, but also is a father to them "…who also walk in the steps of that faith of our father Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised".
Therefore, to affirm or assume that Paul was talking about faith without works period would totally contradict what Paul specifically said that we must do in order to be children of the faith of Abraham. Namely Paul says Abrahamic faith is to "…walk in the steps of that faith of… Abraham, which he had being yet uncircumcised. -Romans 4:12. This Jesus Himself also affirmed- "…Jesus saith… Abraham's children… do the works of Abraham." -John 8:39. And not only that, but even John the Baptist chimed in by telling the Jews, in Matthew 3:9, that being a child of Abrahamic faith didn’t mean resting on what Abraham had obtained, but in following in Abraham’s example (which we are told to follow Jesus’ example in his death burial and resurrection through repentance, baptism and receiving the promised gift of the Holy Spirit, in Acts 2:38)
Remember, that same Abraham is also the setting for the context that the "believing" Jews, in John 8:31, referred to in defending their position that they were not in bondage because Abraham was their father and they were Abraham's unconditionally promised seed. Those who attempt to claim they are saved by faith without any works period have taken up the same, groundless, unbiblical position as the Pharisaical Jews tried to use against John the Baptist and Jesus!
The point, God's intention, stated by John and Jesus through what they told the Pharisees, and what Paul said in Romans 4:12, is that Abrahamic faith doesn’t mean simply and only resting on the promise that Abraham received from God. Instead their consistent, unanimous message was to do the works and walk in the steps (plural) that Abraham did to get a promise like Abraham got for themselves!
Continued in Part 4
Aug 25, 2019 13:08:29 #
TommyRadd
Loc: Midwest USA
Part 4
Next let’s consider Moses and the Passover. The Bible says that Jesus is our Passover “For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.” 1 Corinthians_5:7. What did the original Passover teach us, that there was nothing that must be done? Again, not at all:
“7They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it...
12 For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Yahweh.
13 The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be on you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:7, 12-13
Again there was a “must do” in order to be saved by the blood, and it wasn’t enough simply to sacrifice, but the blood also had to be applied in a certain, prescribed way. And, of course, the Bible calls doing that work of keeping the Passover, “by faith”: “By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.” Heb_11:28
So we have another “must do” situation, that the Bible says and explains as “by faith”, which the writer of the article must negate in order to keep his man-made interpretation that there are no “must do’s” in the Bible.
We all know that Jesus died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). So, if Jesus our Passover has been sacrificed, how does the blood of Passover blood get applied to the heart now in the New Covenant? Very simple, through repentance:
“3Or don't you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection; 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him; 9knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him! 10For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God. 11Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:3-7
The point at which we die out to our old nature is when we repent. Repentance is not to be repented of (2 Cor. 7:10). So then, what do you do with the dead body? You bury it, thus, we are “buried with Christ through baptism.” Repentance is dying out to our old nature and our old way of life, baptism is getting that old man buried, and receiving the promise of the Spirit gives us the new life that we can walk in.
You know, there is a group who believe without works:
“18Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
20 But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? James 2:18-20
In this passage, James is clearly talking about faith in contrast to those who claim to have faith without works. Right between two statements regarding faith and works, is the statement that devils also believe, and his point is that those who have no works have as much belief as devils.
Now, regarding this passage in James, the article makes another blatant lie:
“James and Paul do not disagree in their teaching regarding salvation. They approach the same subject from different perspectives. Paul simply emphasized that justification is by faith alone while James put emphasis on the fact that genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works, which witnesses to their faith.”
It all sounds so plausible, doesn’t it? Except there are two major, blatant lies on which their conclusion is based:
1) That Paul said “justification is by faith alone”, a word and concept that Paul doesn’t use.
2) That James said, merely that, “genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works”, which totally ignores some of the specific words James uses to the contrary.
Let’s first look at Paul’s words.
“8for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, that no one would boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. Eph 2:8
Neither the word “only” or “alone” (as in “faith alone” or “only faith” are found in Paul’s words. Remember that the book of Hebrews describes the works that Abraham did of coming out of his father’s house as “by faith”, the work of building of the ark “by faith”, the offering of the Passover lamb “by faith” and so on.
Paul clearly did not believe in “faith alone” for he wrote and said things like this:
“8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;” that is, the word of faith, which we preach: 9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:8-10
In verse 9, Paul did the “unforgiveable” according to Evangelicals. Paul’s formula is “works + faith = justification.” Here’s his formula:
Confess (works) + Believe in your heart (faith) = salvation.
Faith alone is something that is entirely internal, it is defined as “the assurance of things hoped for” in Hebrews 11:1 and reiterated here by Paul as “believe in your heart”. Therefore, to say that something needed to be done in addition to faith (believing in your heart alone) means Paul wasn’t teaching faith alone, he was teaching, what “just believe” Evangelists would have to term, “works salvation.” And if you don’t think confessing with your mouth is a work, then ask a person who can’t talk to “confess with your mouth”.
We’ve already seen how that formula applied to Paul when Jesus said he would be told what he [b]must do[/]. Paul told us that he received his gospel by revelation of Jesus Christ. Evangelicals want us to believe that Jesus told Paul something different after he was saved on the road to Damascus. Now look again at Acts 16. The writer states that Paul added nothing to belief for salvation. But that is not true to the biblical text:
“26Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened.
27 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!”
29 He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas,
30 brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.
33 He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. Acts 16:26-33
In context, the jailer was fearing for his life because the penalty for letting prisoners escape was the same penalty the prisoners were being punished with. So, he wasn’t asking, in context, about his eternal salvation, he was asking about his immediate life, which was in peril! Paul knowing that belief in Jesus is the only real hope, provided him an immediate answer so he wouldn’t kill himself. Then, once the emergency was over, Paul took the jailer, and with his family present, explained to them “the word of the Lord”, immediately upon hearing which, they were baptized. No waiting, this was a an immediate need! The Evangelical author, again, wants us to believe that by this brief encounter, Paul was exercising some right to negate and supersede both the words of Peter on the Day of Pentecost, and the words of Jesus of what Paul “must do”. That’s is what is preposterous.
How is it saying that he didn’t add anything to “believing”, then? The Bible is simply not required to record all that went down or was said in every instance. The writer of the article believes, and wants us to believe, that once Paul said “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” that was the end of the conversation. The jailer, apparently, didn’t even need to confess with his mouth, that’s how summarized this account is! So, it is blatantly not true that the jailer was told nothing more than to believe.
Not only does the writer of the article, and other Evangelicals, want us to believe that Paul changed Jesus’ formula, they want us to believe Jesus’ words to Paul were flat wrong. They do that by contending ever so adamantly that “there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do”. And that’s because they apply their false dilemma that, since we can’t, and don’t have to be truly and totally righteous before God redeems us, therefore we can’t do anything that plays a part in our salvation either. And that has never, ever been the case in the Bible, no matter how much they claim to the contrary.
Continued in Part 5
Next let’s consider Moses and the Passover. The Bible says that Jesus is our Passover “For indeed Christ, our Passover, has been sacrificed in our place.” 1 Corinthians_5:7. What did the original Passover teach us, that there was nothing that must be done? Again, not at all:
“7They shall take some of the blood, and put it on the two door posts and on the lintel, on the houses in which they shall eat it...
12 For I will go through the land of Egypt in that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and animal. Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am Yahweh.
13 The blood shall be to you for a token on the houses where you are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and there shall no plague be on you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:7, 12-13
Again there was a “must do” in order to be saved by the blood, and it wasn’t enough simply to sacrifice, but the blood also had to be applied in a certain, prescribed way. And, of course, the Bible calls doing that work of keeping the Passover, “by faith”: “By faith, he kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of the blood, that the destroyer of the firstborn should not touch them.” Heb_11:28
So we have another “must do” situation, that the Bible says and explains as “by faith”, which the writer of the article must negate in order to keep his man-made interpretation that there are no “must do’s” in the Bible.
We all know that Jesus died for the sins of the world (1 John 2:2). So, if Jesus our Passover has been sacrificed, how does the blood of Passover blood get applied to the heart now in the New Covenant? Very simple, through repentance:
“3Or don't you know that all we who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were buried therefore with him through baptism to death, that just like Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life. 5For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will also be part of his resurrection; 6knowing this, that our old man was crucified with him, that the body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be in bondage to sin. 7For he who has died has been freed from sin. 8But if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him; 9knowing that Christ, being raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no more has dominion over him! 10For the death that he died, he died to sin one time; but the life that he lives, he lives to God. 11Thus consider yourselves also to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 6:3-7
The point at which we die out to our old nature is when we repent. Repentance is not to be repented of (2 Cor. 7:10). So then, what do you do with the dead body? You bury it, thus, we are “buried with Christ through baptism.” Repentance is dying out to our old nature and our old way of life, baptism is getting that old man buried, and receiving the promise of the Spirit gives us the new life that we can walk in.
You know, there is a group who believe without works:
“18Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.
19 You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder.
20 But do you want to know, vain man, that faith apart from works is dead? James 2:18-20
In this passage, James is clearly talking about faith in contrast to those who claim to have faith without works. Right between two statements regarding faith and works, is the statement that devils also believe, and his point is that those who have no works have as much belief as devils.
Now, regarding this passage in James, the article makes another blatant lie:
“James and Paul do not disagree in their teaching regarding salvation. They approach the same subject from different perspectives. Paul simply emphasized that justification is by faith alone while James put emphasis on the fact that genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works, which witnesses to their faith.”
It all sounds so plausible, doesn’t it? Except there are two major, blatant lies on which their conclusion is based:
1) That Paul said “justification is by faith alone”, a word and concept that Paul doesn’t use.
2) That James said, merely that, “genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works”, which totally ignores some of the specific words James uses to the contrary.
Let’s first look at Paul’s words.
“8for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, that no one would boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them. Eph 2:8
Neither the word “only” or “alone” (as in “faith alone” or “only faith” are found in Paul’s words. Remember that the book of Hebrews describes the works that Abraham did of coming out of his father’s house as “by faith”, the work of building of the ark “by faith”, the offering of the Passover lamb “by faith” and so on.
Paul clearly did not believe in “faith alone” for he wrote and said things like this:
“8But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth, and in your heart;” that is, the word of faith, which we preach: 9 that if you will confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart, one believes unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:8-10
In verse 9, Paul did the “unforgiveable” according to Evangelicals. Paul’s formula is “works + faith = justification.” Here’s his formula:
Confess (works) + Believe in your heart (faith) = salvation.
Faith alone is something that is entirely internal, it is defined as “the assurance of things hoped for” in Hebrews 11:1 and reiterated here by Paul as “believe in your heart”. Therefore, to say that something needed to be done in addition to faith (believing in your heart alone) means Paul wasn’t teaching faith alone, he was teaching, what “just believe” Evangelists would have to term, “works salvation.” And if you don’t think confessing with your mouth is a work, then ask a person who can’t talk to “confess with your mouth”.
We’ve already seen how that formula applied to Paul when Jesus said he would be told what he [b]must do[/]. Paul told us that he received his gospel by revelation of Jesus Christ. Evangelicals want us to believe that Jesus told Paul something different after he was saved on the road to Damascus. Now look again at Acts 16. The writer states that Paul added nothing to belief for salvation. But that is not true to the biblical text:
“26Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s bonds were loosened.
27 The jailer, being roused out of sleep and seeing the prison doors open, drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped.
28 But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying, “Don’t harm yourself, for we are all here!”
29 He called for lights, sprang in, fell down trembling before Paul and Silas,
30 brought them out, and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
31 They said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”
32 They spoke the word of the Lord to him, and to all who were in his house.
33 He took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes, and was immediately baptized, he and all his household. Acts 16:26-33
In context, the jailer was fearing for his life because the penalty for letting prisoners escape was the same penalty the prisoners were being punished with. So, he wasn’t asking, in context, about his eternal salvation, he was asking about his immediate life, which was in peril! Paul knowing that belief in Jesus is the only real hope, provided him an immediate answer so he wouldn’t kill himself. Then, once the emergency was over, Paul took the jailer, and with his family present, explained to them “the word of the Lord”, immediately upon hearing which, they were baptized. No waiting, this was a an immediate need! The Evangelical author, again, wants us to believe that by this brief encounter, Paul was exercising some right to negate and supersede both the words of Peter on the Day of Pentecost, and the words of Jesus of what Paul “must do”. That’s is what is preposterous.
How is it saying that he didn’t add anything to “believing”, then? The Bible is simply not required to record all that went down or was said in every instance. The writer of the article believes, and wants us to believe, that once Paul said “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved” that was the end of the conversation. The jailer, apparently, didn’t even need to confess with his mouth, that’s how summarized this account is! So, it is blatantly not true that the jailer was told nothing more than to believe.
Not only does the writer of the article, and other Evangelicals, want us to believe that Paul changed Jesus’ formula, they want us to believe Jesus’ words to Paul were flat wrong. They do that by contending ever so adamantly that “there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do”. And that’s because they apply their false dilemma that, since we can’t, and don’t have to be truly and totally righteous before God redeems us, therefore we can’t do anything that plays a part in our salvation either. And that has never, ever been the case in the Bible, no matter how much they claim to the contrary.
Continued in Part 5
Aug 25, 2019 13:09:20 #
TommyRadd
Loc: Midwest USA
Part 5
So now let’s look closer, and in context, of where Paul got the concept of “calling on the name of the Lord” from. Remember that Jesus had said it would be told him what he “must do”. (Those two words of Jesus’ are the exact words that Evangelicals negate.) And, what Paul was resultantly told, was by one Ananias, who said to Paul:
“Act 22:16 Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
This is where calling on the name of the Lord is found in context. Remember that Peter said that the like figures of Noah building the ark and baptism save us by “The answer of a good conscience toward God”. That is exactly what Jesus had proscribed for Paul, and what the apostles proscribed for the Jews on the Day of Pentecost, and certainly provides the firm foundation, for what Paul would in turn proscribe to the imperiled jailer, and thus which also explains why the jailer, and his family, were baptized, immediately, in the middle of the night. This is what put their hope in Jesus, whether the Roman government punished them or not, their eternal lives were now in Christ’s hands, they were officially Christ’s redeemed possession. “For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” and those were Paul’s explicit words.
The Evangelical writer takes Jesus’ words “must do” and relinquishes them straight to the trash bin. How is that believing on Jesus?
Now let’s take a closer look at what James actually said, rather than just what someone says can be read into his words.
“21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought ("sunergo –1, to work together, help in work, be partner in labour 2, to put forth power together with and thereby to assist") with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness... 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only… 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. -James 2:21-26.
Notice that James clearly tied faith and works together with the word sunergo, which, as is defined above, imparts a clear and specific sense of partnership, rather than result. Sunergo is the root of our English word synergism, which literally means "like-energy." The Dictionary meaning of synergy, in harmony with the definition of sunergo above, says it is, "The action of two or more substances, organs, or organisms to achieve an effect of which each is individually incapable."
James said faith without works was dead, in other words, because of synergy, faith, being one of the elements, would be “individually incapable” of displaying saving faith. In the clearest of terms, James was denying that we display works as a result of already inherent faith. In other words, the article’s conclusion is based on another falsehood. James was explicitly not talking of produced results, but of a partnership of faith and works.
Now notice carefully this verse-
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” -James 2:26
Just because a body is dead does not mean that dead body doesn’t exist. So then, notice here that in James' analogy the "dead body" alone stood for "faith," but the life giving spirit is the analogy for the works, without which the body was dead- and not the other way around! If James were writing to contend for the position of the “workless” Evangelicals, he should have written it the other way, but he didn’t. James said, “body=faith” and “spirit (or life)=works”. It isn’t faith that gives life. It is works that give faith life, without which faith would just be a dead body, thus, James states ever so clearly, “faith without works is dead.” Couldn’t be clearer unless you are an Evangelical who wants to believe James is saying anything but that.
So, when James said "the devils also believe" he was saying, "the devils also have faith," but that faith of devils is dead. Nevertheless, Evangelicals are ever so adamant that “faith+nothing=salvation”. They are actually justifying the faith of devils! (Keep in mind that the words faith and believe come from the same word in the Greek- pistis (S #4102) or pisteuo (S #4100) which is just a variant of pistis.)
Note that James is also very clear about what fulfills faith…
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness…” -James 2:21
Abraham's belief was not fulfilled until after he obeyed God by offering up Isaac. That's what is written in God's Holy Word. James didn't make this up, nor was it a new revelation. God had already said as much-
“…By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee… because thou hast obeyed my voice. -Genesis 22:16
Clearly, according to God, that was another “must do” that Abraham had to do. It was only because he had done it, and not “by faith alone”, that his faith became fulfilled and unconditional. It was by faithful obedience that Abraham offered his son Isaac, and the writer of Hebrews, yet again, calls this working obedience "by faith"…
“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac” -Hebrews 11:17
By the way, you won’t find the phrase “faith alone” or “only faith” anywhere in the writings of Paul; so that word “alone” is something that so Evangelicals add to the word of God, which is itself forbidden to do. In fact, the only place in the Greek text of the Bible where you will find the words "faith" and "alone" together in the same verse is-
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” -James 2:17 KJV
And the only place where you will find the phrase "faith only" is-
“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” -James 2:24 KJV
The words "grace" and "alone" never appear together, and the phrase "grace only" is likewise never found in scripture. Isn't it ironic how many people build their faith around doctrines that are never stated in scripture?
In 2:24, above, James is talking explicitly about justification, which is effectively the same thing as salvation:
“16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.” Galatians 2:16
The real contrast that Paul is explaining ever so clearly here, is the law as contrasted to “faith.” That is why it is so important to reiterate that Hebrews 11 lists many, many “works” that were done “by faith” but were not “true” works of “righteousness” which the “law” describes. The truth of this contrast, the difference in how the different “works” are described, is the truth that goes right over the heads of Evangelicals. If that is not so, they would not call baptism a “work”, period, and then claim it is “legalism”. Baptism was never commanded in “the law”, but it is commanded in the New Covenant:
“48 He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Acts 10:48
So all three of the major premises, that we have touched on thus far, upon which the article bases faith+nothing=salvation, are all shown to be lies.
1) The Bible certainly does not confirm this statement: “From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do... One can and need only believe in Christ”
2) The Bible, when read and received holistically, certainly refutes this next statement, which actually adds to the Bible which is a transgression to do: “Paul dogmatically says that justification is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9)”
3) James explicitly refuted the following statement made in the article: “James put emphasis on the fact that genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works”. James destroys this statement with the simple word, “sunergo/synergy”.
Therefore, the article is guilty of “handling the word of God deceitfully” (2 Cor. 4:2), and of, what Peter calls, twisting the scriptures: “In those (Paul’s letters), there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Continued in Part 6
So now let’s look closer, and in context, of where Paul got the concept of “calling on the name of the Lord” from. Remember that Jesus had said it would be told him what he “must do”. (Those two words of Jesus’ are the exact words that Evangelicals negate.) And, what Paul was resultantly told, was by one Ananias, who said to Paul:
“Act 22:16 Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
This is where calling on the name of the Lord is found in context. Remember that Peter said that the like figures of Noah building the ark and baptism save us by “The answer of a good conscience toward God”. That is exactly what Jesus had proscribed for Paul, and what the apostles proscribed for the Jews on the Day of Pentecost, and certainly provides the firm foundation, for what Paul would in turn proscribe to the imperiled jailer, and thus which also explains why the jailer, and his family, were baptized, immediately, in the middle of the night. This is what put their hope in Jesus, whether the Roman government punished them or not, their eternal lives were now in Christ’s hands, they were officially Christ’s redeemed possession. “For as many as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ” and those were Paul’s explicit words.
The Evangelical writer takes Jesus’ words “must do” and relinquishes them straight to the trash bin. How is that believing on Jesus?
Now let’s take a closer look at what James actually said, rather than just what someone says can be read into his words.
“21Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? 22Seest thou how faith wrought ("sunergo –1, to work together, help in work, be partner in labour 2, to put forth power together with and thereby to assist") with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? 23And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness... 24Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only… 26For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. -James 2:21-26.
Notice that James clearly tied faith and works together with the word sunergo, which, as is defined above, imparts a clear and specific sense of partnership, rather than result. Sunergo is the root of our English word synergism, which literally means "like-energy." The Dictionary meaning of synergy, in harmony with the definition of sunergo above, says it is, "The action of two or more substances, organs, or organisms to achieve an effect of which each is individually incapable."
James said faith without works was dead, in other words, because of synergy, faith, being one of the elements, would be “individually incapable” of displaying saving faith. In the clearest of terms, James was denying that we display works as a result of already inherent faith. In other words, the article’s conclusion is based on another falsehood. James was explicitly not talking of produced results, but of a partnership of faith and works.
Now notice carefully this verse-
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.” -James 2:26
Just because a body is dead does not mean that dead body doesn’t exist. So then, notice here that in James' analogy the "dead body" alone stood for "faith," but the life giving spirit is the analogy for the works, without which the body was dead- and not the other way around! If James were writing to contend for the position of the “workless” Evangelicals, he should have written it the other way, but he didn’t. James said, “body=faith” and “spirit (or life)=works”. It isn’t faith that gives life. It is works that give faith life, without which faith would just be a dead body, thus, James states ever so clearly, “faith without works is dead.” Couldn’t be clearer unless you are an Evangelical who wants to believe James is saying anything but that.
So, when James said "the devils also believe" he was saying, "the devils also have faith," but that faith of devils is dead. Nevertheless, Evangelicals are ever so adamant that “faith+nothing=salvation”. They are actually justifying the faith of devils! (Keep in mind that the words faith and believe come from the same word in the Greek- pistis (S #4102) or pisteuo (S #4100) which is just a variant of pistis.)
Note that James is also very clear about what fulfills faith…
“Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness…” -James 2:21
Abraham's belief was not fulfilled until after he obeyed God by offering up Isaac. That's what is written in God's Holy Word. James didn't make this up, nor was it a new revelation. God had already said as much-
“…By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee… because thou hast obeyed my voice. -Genesis 22:16
Clearly, according to God, that was another “must do” that Abraham had to do. It was only because he had done it, and not “by faith alone”, that his faith became fulfilled and unconditional. It was by faithful obedience that Abraham offered his son Isaac, and the writer of Hebrews, yet again, calls this working obedience "by faith"…
“By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac” -Hebrews 11:17
By the way, you won’t find the phrase “faith alone” or “only faith” anywhere in the writings of Paul; so that word “alone” is something that so Evangelicals add to the word of God, which is itself forbidden to do. In fact, the only place in the Greek text of the Bible where you will find the words "faith" and "alone" together in the same verse is-
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” -James 2:17 KJV
And the only place where you will find the phrase "faith only" is-
“Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.” -James 2:24 KJV
The words "grace" and "alone" never appear together, and the phrase "grace only" is likewise never found in scripture. Isn't it ironic how many people build their faith around doctrines that are never stated in scripture?
In 2:24, above, James is talking explicitly about justification, which is effectively the same thing as salvation:
“16 yet knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the law, because no flesh will be justified by the works of the law.” Galatians 2:16
The real contrast that Paul is explaining ever so clearly here, is the law as contrasted to “faith.” That is why it is so important to reiterate that Hebrews 11 lists many, many “works” that were done “by faith” but were not “true” works of “righteousness” which the “law” describes. The truth of this contrast, the difference in how the different “works” are described, is the truth that goes right over the heads of Evangelicals. If that is not so, they would not call baptism a “work”, period, and then claim it is “legalism”. Baptism was never commanded in “the law”, but it is commanded in the New Covenant:
“48 He commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” Acts 10:48
So all three of the major premises, that we have touched on thus far, upon which the article bases faith+nothing=salvation, are all shown to be lies.
1) The Bible certainly does not confirm this statement: “From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible makes it clear that there is nothing a sinner can do, much less must do... One can and need only believe in Christ”
2) The Bible, when read and received holistically, certainly refutes this next statement, which actually adds to the Bible which is a transgression to do: “Paul dogmatically says that justification is by faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9)”
3) James explicitly refuted the following statement made in the article: “James put emphasis on the fact that genuine faith in Christ subsequently and inevitably, produces good works”. James destroys this statement with the simple word, “sunergo/synergy”.
Therefore, the article is guilty of “handling the word of God deceitfully” (2 Cor. 4:2), and of, what Peter calls, twisting the scriptures: “In those (Paul’s letters), there are some things that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unsettled twist, as they also do to the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.
Continued in Part 6
Aug 25, 2019 13:10:49 #
TommyRadd
Loc: Midwest USA
Part 6
Clearly, when Jesus talked to Paul, there was a “must do” thing for Paul to do. But you Evangelicals won’t listen to Jesus because you claim, in contradiction to Jesus, there’s “no must do to it”. This situation is very much like when the devil told Eve that God’s commandment wasn’t really such a clear commandment, implying it hid what God really meant, and therefore he proceeded to negate it. That’s precisely what this Evangelical interpretation does with Jesus’ commandment. You folks claim it wasn’t really what Jesus meant, to command Paul that he would be told what he must do, and then you sneak in a different way of responding to God’s words that was never, ever said or practiced in the Bible by godly saints.
Again I ask, do you really want to be that person who lays aside the commandments of God to hold the traditions and doctrines of men? Because, just as in the Garden, there’s a proscribed and expected end for just that attitude:
“6I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”;
7 and there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.
8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.
9 As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ. Gal 1:6-10
Does it give you pleasure to go along with the traditions of men against the word of God? I use that word “pleasure” from the context of Moses being “not willing to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25), because make no mistake, your perverting of the gospel of Jesus will not win you favor with God. It may win you favor with the folks in your “Evangelical” circles, but not with God.
6 Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you,
7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,
8 punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,
9 who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
10 when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
The gospel of Jesus, according to Paul, is his death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and the way to obey it, as proscribed by Peter, is, very simply, to “repent, be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus unto the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is unto you, and to your children and to all that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38.
This is the real salvation you don’t want to miss out on.
Now look once again at this verse-
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” -James 2:17
According to James, the works are what gives life to faith. The works we perform in response to the gospel, as stated by all the apostles, including Paul, are precisely and solely what makes the difference between saving faith and the faith of devils. There is no other difference. Evangelicals deny those works of being an inherent, essential part of the equation of salvation. Evangelicals thereby choose to justify “the doctrine of devils”, and reject the life-giving force of salvation: obedient faith demonstrated by works, such as repentance and water baptism. “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works”. That’s what the Bible says in James 2:18. You can claim it was only James saying that, you can claim, falsely, and taking James out of context, and negating his choice of the word synergy, that he was talking about “results”, but the Bible says those words were every bit as inspired by God as Paul’s. By negating James’ words, through denying what he actually said, and reinterpreting them in a false way, that effectively has you putting your interpretation of Paul in a class all its own, which makes you a disciple of an artificial straw-man, which means you have put yourself directly under Paul’s condemnation:
“3for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly? 5 Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him? 1Co 3:3
Is that really the person you want to be?
Negating the word of God, and particularly God’s proscribed method for salvation, is what the Bible means when it says “...evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13
Is that really who you want to be?
Because God wants to know, and how you respond, in steps and works, is how you will let Him know.
In other words, the steps you take in reaction to the scriptures I’ve presented to you, primarily Acts 2:38, regardless of whether my words have reached you, will disprove the whole theory of the article you posted. Why? Because regardless of what you internally “believe in your heart”, your actions will be the basis of the final judgment of your character.
It won’t be by your heart alone that you will be condemned or justified, it will be by your actions that expose your heart.
“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” Matthew 12:37
“11For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; 13each man's work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is. 14If any man's work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. 15If any man's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.
I know you want to think you have a get out of jail free card in verse 15, but that is because you don’t live by every word of God, remember:
2Th 1:6 ...it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction...
8 [b]punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,
9 [color=red]who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction[color][/b] from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
“For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins first with us, what will happen to those who don’t obey the Good News of God.” 1Peter 4:17
“48But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it,
51 and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be. Mat 24:48
Mat 8:12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Don’t believe there is a special condemnation for those who pervert the gospel?
“Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.” James 3:1
Mat 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’
23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.” Mattew 7:21-23
How is it even possible, then, to say, “there is nothing one must, or even can do” that will affect one’s salvation?
Just like when faced with Peter’s decree, “repent and be baptized...”, it isn’t only what your heart believes that will matter, but how you respond: acceptance and faithful, careful, obedience, or belligerent resistance and rebellion.
Is the correct response that was preached on the birthday of Christ’s church really so repugnant to you that you must fight against its applicability for us today? That you must malign it so? That you must disparage it so? That you must write if off to the ash bins of ancient history?
After all, it isn’t like Peter commanded to do anything so ridiculous as “go and dip yourself in the Jordan River seven times and you’ll be healed of your leprosy” (2 Kings 5:10), but it is similar. And how you respond will be just as telling.
Because faith without works is dead being alone. And that’s exactly what the false, unbiblical, contra-biblical, “faith alone” doctrine will get you: dead.
Now, really, is that the person you want to be? And just as importantly, is that the type of person you want to tell others to be?
-Tom Raddatz
Clearly, when Jesus talked to Paul, there was a “must do” thing for Paul to do. But you Evangelicals won’t listen to Jesus because you claim, in contradiction to Jesus, there’s “no must do to it”. This situation is very much like when the devil told Eve that God’s commandment wasn’t really such a clear commandment, implying it hid what God really meant, and therefore he proceeded to negate it. That’s precisely what this Evangelical interpretation does with Jesus’ commandment. You folks claim it wasn’t really what Jesus meant, to command Paul that he would be told what he must do, and then you sneak in a different way of responding to God’s words that was never, ever said or practiced in the Bible by godly saints.
Again I ask, do you really want to be that person who lays aside the commandments of God to hold the traditions and doctrines of men? Because, just as in the Garden, there’s a proscribed and expected end for just that attitude:
“6I marvel that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ to a different “good news”;
7 and there isn’t another “good news.” Only there are some who trouble you, and want to pervert the Good News of Christ.
8 But even though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you any “good news” other than that which we preached to you, let him be cursed.
9 As we have said before, so I now say again: if any man preaches to you any “good news” other than that which you received, let him be cursed.
10 For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men? For if I were still pleasing men, I wouldn’t be a servant of Christ. Gal 1:6-10
Does it give you pleasure to go along with the traditions of men against the word of God? I use that word “pleasure” from the context of Moses being “not willing to enjoy the pleasure of sin for a season” (Hebrews 11:25), because make no mistake, your perverting of the gospel of Jesus will not win you favor with God. It may win you favor with the folks in your “Evangelical” circles, but not with God.
6 Since it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction to those who afflict you,
7 and to give relief to you who are afflicted with us, when the Lord Jesus is revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire,
8 punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,
9 who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
10 when he comes in that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired among all those who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed.” 2 Thessalonians 1:6-10
The gospel of Jesus, according to Paul, is his death, burial, and resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), and the way to obey it, as proscribed by Peter, is, very simply, to “repent, be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus unto the remission of sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, for the promise is unto you, and to your children and to all that are afar off, as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38.
This is the real salvation you don’t want to miss out on.
Now look once again at this verse-
“Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” -James 2:17
According to James, the works are what gives life to faith. The works we perform in response to the gospel, as stated by all the apostles, including Paul, are precisely and solely what makes the difference between saving faith and the faith of devils. There is no other difference. Evangelicals deny those works of being an inherent, essential part of the equation of salvation. Evangelicals thereby choose to justify “the doctrine of devils”, and reject the life-giving force of salvation: obedient faith demonstrated by works, such as repentance and water baptism. “Show me your faith without works, and I will show you my faith by my works”. That’s what the Bible says in James 2:18. You can claim it was only James saying that, you can claim, falsely, and taking James out of context, and negating his choice of the word synergy, that he was talking about “results”, but the Bible says those words were every bit as inspired by God as Paul’s. By negating James’ words, through denying what he actually said, and reinterpreting them in a false way, that effectively has you putting your interpretation of Paul in a class all its own, which makes you a disciple of an artificial straw-man, which means you have put yourself directly under Paul’s condemnation:
“3for you are still fleshly. For insofar as there is jealousy, strife, and factions among you, aren’t you fleshly, and don’t you walk in the ways of men? 4 For when one says, “I follow Paul,” and another, “I follow Apollos,” aren’t you fleshly? 5 Who then is Apollos, and who is Paul, but servants through whom you believed; and each as the Lord gave to him? 1Co 3:3
Is that really the person you want to be?
Negating the word of God, and particularly God’s proscribed method for salvation, is what the Bible means when it says “...evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.” 2 Timothy 3:13
Is that really who you want to be?
Because God wants to know, and how you respond, in steps and works, is how you will let Him know.
In other words, the steps you take in reaction to the scriptures I’ve presented to you, primarily Acts 2:38, regardless of whether my words have reached you, will disprove the whole theory of the article you posted. Why? Because regardless of what you internally “believe in your heart”, your actions will be the basis of the final judgment of your character.
It won’t be by your heart alone that you will be condemned or justified, it will be by your actions that expose your heart.
“For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” Matthew 12:37
“11For no one can lay any other foundation than that which has been laid, which is Jesus Christ. 12But if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or stubble; 13each man's work will be revealed. For the Day will declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself will test what sort of work each man's work is. 14If any man's work remains which he built on it, he will receive a reward. 15If any man's work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.” 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.
I know you want to think you have a get out of jail free card in verse 15, but that is because you don’t live by every word of God, remember:
2Th 1:6 ...it is a righteous thing with God to repay affliction...
8 [b]punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,
9 [color=red]who will pay the penalty: eternal destruction[color][/b] from the face of the Lord and from the glory of his might,
“For the time has come for judgment to begin with the household of God. If it begins first with us, what will happen to those who don’t obey the Good News of God.” 1Peter 4:17
“48But if that evil servant should say in his heart, ‘My lord is delaying his coming,’ 49 and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with the drunkards, 50 the lord of that servant will come in a day when he doesn’t expect it, and in an hour when he doesn’t know it,
51 and will cut him in pieces, and appoint his portion with the hypocrites. That is where the weeping and grinding of teeth will be. Mat 24:48
Mat 8:12 but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown out into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Don’t believe there is a special condemnation for those who pervert the gospel?
“Let not many of you be teachers, my brothers, knowing that we will receive heavier judgment.” James 3:1
Mat 7:21 Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22 Many will tell me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, didn’t we prophesy in your name, in your name cast out demons, and in your name do many mighty works?’
23 Then I will tell them, ‘I never knew you. Depart from me, you who work iniquity.” Mattew 7:21-23
How is it even possible, then, to say, “there is nothing one must, or even can do” that will affect one’s salvation?
Just like when faced with Peter’s decree, “repent and be baptized...”, it isn’t only what your heart believes that will matter, but how you respond: acceptance and faithful, careful, obedience, or belligerent resistance and rebellion.
Is the correct response that was preached on the birthday of Christ’s church really so repugnant to you that you must fight against its applicability for us today? That you must malign it so? That you must disparage it so? That you must write if off to the ash bins of ancient history?
After all, it isn’t like Peter commanded to do anything so ridiculous as “go and dip yourself in the Jordan River seven times and you’ll be healed of your leprosy” (2 Kings 5:10), but it is similar. And how you respond will be just as telling.
Because faith without works is dead being alone. And that’s exactly what the false, unbiblical, contra-biblical, “faith alone” doctrine will get you: dead.
Now, really, is that the person you want to be? And just as importantly, is that the type of person you want to tell others to be?
-Tom Raddatz
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