Bible Study Do we love the truth!

[donadams]

You aren't considering what I wrote. The Gospel is true, yes, but Jesus, the Savior, is the Truth; God's commands are true, but God is the Truth; the doctrines of the faith are true, but their Author is the Truth.

If Bob says, "I am a man, six feet tall, I have brown hair and eyes, and weigh two hundred pounds, and I love peanut butter," he has given to us what some of the facts are, what is true, about himself. But do these true statements, these facts about Bob equal Bob himself? I'm sure you'd say not.

Well, what is true in the case of Bob is true also of God. True propositions, the actual facts of the matter concerning God, Christ and you and I, aren't identical with God Himself. Before there was all that we know of the Gospel, and God's commandments and the doctrines of the Christian faith, there was God. He existed entirely independently of these things and so they cannot be made essentially identical to Him. What is true is not the exactly the same as the Truth. The former is merely propositional and factual, the latter, a personal, conscious Being.

Good reason to oppose “faith alone”

Jesus Christ is Our salvation:

Truth / doctrine Jn 14:6
Sacrifice / sacraments Jn 1:16-17 Jn 1:29
Christ is in His person is our salvation Lk 2:30

How can it be “faith alone” Christ is not a doctrine or set of beliefs only but He is also our Passover sacrifice and He is our salvation, His person, even as infant. Lk 2:30 I have seen my Salvation!
We must have union with Christ by faith and baptism. The merits / grace obtained by Christ at the price of His blood applied to our souls by faith and baptism!

Thks

 

[Tenchi]

Good reason to oppose “faith alone”

Jesus Christ is Our salvation:

Truth / doctrine Jn 14:6
Sacrifice / sacraments Jn 1:16-17 Jn 1:29
Christ is in His person is our salvation Lk 2:30

How can it be “faith alone” Christ is not a doctrine or set of beliefs only but He is also our Passover sacrifice and He is our salvation, His person, even as infant. Lk 2:30 I have seen my Salvation!
We must have union with Christ by faith and baptism. The merits / grace obtained by Christ at the price of His blood applied to our souls by faith and baptism!

I don't know what you mean by "faith alone." The Christian person is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16). It isn't, then, one's faith that saves but the object of one's faith: Jesus Christ.

I obtain union with Christ by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He "baptizes" spiritually all born-again believers into Christ by coming to dwell within them and in himself imparting to them Christ.

Acts 1:5
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 2:4
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 11:15-16
15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

1 Corinthians 12:13
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Titus 3:5
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Romans 6:3-7
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

Romans 8:9-11
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

I don't know what you mean by "faith alone." The Christian person is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16). It isn't, then, one's faith that saves but the object of one's faith: Jesus Christ.

I obtain union with Christ by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He "baptizes" spiritually all born-again believers into Christ by coming to dwell within them and in himself imparting to them Christ.

Acts 1:5
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 2:4
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 11:15-16
15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

1 Corinthians 12:13
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Titus 3:5
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Romans 6:3-7
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

Romans 8:9-11
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Funny how the same topics are discussed on different forums. I just posted the following on another forum...

Faith does not save people. God saves people. And He has chosen, on His own accord, with no counsel from man, to save those who believe. 1 Corinthians 1:21 gives us that insight into God's thinking.​

​

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. (1 Co 1:21)​

​

This says plainly that God has chosen to save people who believe the "foolish message preached". And the next three verses make it clear that the foolish message preached is that Jesus died on the cross for our sins:​

​

For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. (1 Co 1:22–24)​

​

These four verses are very clear that God has chosen to save people who believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross for their sins.​

 

[JLB]

Obeying the truth - Obeying His commandments


Keeping his commandments is the biblical definition of love.

For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

By “biblical”, I am referring to the way God means for us to love; to love him and to love people

If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15

If we steal from our neighbor, are we loving him or hating him?


If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? And this commandment we have from Him: that he who loves God must love his brother also. 1 John 4:20-21


Love does no harm -

Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not bear false witness,” “You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:8-10



He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 1 John 2:4-5


Whoever hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. 1 John 3:15

Keeping His commandments is not a "suggestion" but they are Commandments that we who have confessed Jesus Christ as LORD are obligated to obey... If He truly is our LORD!


Obeying Him is loving Him - Disobeying Him is hating Him.



Be blessed, JLB

The next aspect of the three fold expression of The Truth is obeying His doctrine;


Again, Jesus Christ is the Truth.
Every word that proceeds out of His mouth is the Truth.

The fulness of the Truth is expressed through:

His Gospel
His Doctrine
His Commandments


Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. 2 John 1:9-11



Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does not have God.

Obeying His doctrine = obeying the truth


Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you. 1 Timothy 4:16


Obeying His doctrine is a salvation related issue.



“Therefore whoever hears these sayings (my teaching, my word) of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.
“But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” Matthew 7:24-27


“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32





JLB

 

[JLB]

Faith does not save people. God saves people. And He has chosen, on His own accord, with no counsel from man, to save those who believe.

Do you think that if people "believe" in Christ, yet don't obey Him, they will be saved?

Please consider what the biblical word "believe" means... to God.
Also consider that what we understand the word "believe" to mean and what God understands the word "believe" to mean, may be entirely different.

Believe carries the meaning of commit, trust and obey.

Believe and obey are sometimes used interchangeably in scripture.

Example:


He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36 NKJV

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36 NASB


Unbelief and disobedience are also used interchangeably in scripture.


Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience Hebrews 4:6 NKJV

Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Hebrews 4:6 KJV


This principle of "believe" and obey, or maybe I should say, obey because I "believe", is seen throughout scripture.

In fact believe/obey is the principle law of faith.




JLB

 

[JLB]

This is a pretty cut and dry statement, but it is hard to follow to its logical conclusion. We give evidence that we hate God every time we sin?

Again, this is a discussion. It's not meant to beat us down, but stimulate a desire to love the things God loves, and hate the things God hates. A little child is not expected to love his or her father the way a mature son or daughter does.

To walk as Jesus walked, is to be conformed to the image of the Son. To mature.

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 1 John 2:6


Sin is disobedience; aka rebellion

Is rebellion against God loving Him or hating Him.

If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15

If means there is a condition.



JLB

 

[JLB]

You aren't considering what I wrote. The Gospel is true, yes, but Jesus, the Savior, is the Truth;

I agree, Jesus is the Truth.


Do you disagree that His word are the Truth?


Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32


IOW's, the Truth is something, as well as Someone.


The Spirit of Truth is Someone.
Jesus Christ is Someone.
The Spirit of Christ is Someone.


His doctrine is something; words
His commandments are something; words
His gospel is something; words


The Truth is both Someone and something.



JLB

 

[Tenchi]

I agree, Jesus is the Truth.


Do you disagree that His word are the Truth?


Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” John 8:31-32


IOW's, the Truth is something, as well as Someone.

Well, I think one ought to be very careful in distinguishing what is true propositionally from who is the Ultimate Source of All Truth. Too often, Christians halt at merely knowing the propositional truth set out in Scripture which is intended, ultimately, to reveal to us the Source of such truth (God) and enable us to fellowship with him. We obey the truth of God's word so that we might know and interact with The Truth. Obedience to the commands of God, then, is just the means by which we enjoy something much greater and much more important than a holy life and propositional truth: God Himself.

So, then, I am wary of speaking of God and His truth in a way that appears to conflate them. Though they are directly related, The Truth, who is God, is not the truth, which are propositions that state what is true.

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

Do you think that if people "believe" in Christ, yet don't obey Him, they will be saved?

Please consider what the biblical word "believe" means... to God.

Also consider that what we understand the word "believe" to mean and what God understands the word "believe" to mean, may be entirely different.

Believe carries the meaning of commit, trust and obey.

Believe and obey are sometimes used interchangeably in scripture.

Example:

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36 NKJV

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36 NASB

Unbelief and disobedience are also used interchangeably in scripture.

Since therefore it remains that some must enter it, and those to whom it was first preached did not enter because of disobedience Hebrews 4:6 NKJV

Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief: Hebrews 4:6 KJV

This principle of "believe" and obey, or maybe I should say, obey because I "believe", is seen throughout scripture.

In fact believe/obey is the principle law of faith.

JLB

This post has a bunch of red flags. Can you explain how making "belief in Christ" synonymous with "obedience to Christ" is not turning faith into works?

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

Again, this is a discussion. It's not meant to beat us down, but stimulate a desire to love the things God loves, and hate the things God hates.

It's not possible for any person to create or stimulate "a desire to love the things of God". This is the pervue of God alone. He creates it when He comes to live in our hearts, and He stimulates it all day every day from inside our hearts.

And proclaiming that the commission of sin is evidence that you hate God is not one of the things God says to us when we go astray.

A little child is not expected to love his or her father the way a mature son or daughter does.

To walk as Jesus walked, is to be conformed to the image of the Son. To mature.

He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 1 John 2:6

I see a pattern developing. You say "believing" is synonymous with "obeying", "love" is synonymous with "obeying", "abiding" is synonymous with "obeying", and "maturing" is synonymous with "obeying".

Sin is disobedience; aka rebellion

Is rebellion against God loving Him or hating Him.

If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15

If means there is a condition.

JLB

Do you think that out of the same heart comes good and evil? One minute hate, unbelief, disobedience, immaturity, and sin comes from the heart proving it is evil, then the next minute love, faith, obedience, maturity, holiness comes from the same heart proving it is good? And over time, the same heart becomes less evil and more good?

43 “For a good tree does not bear bad fruit, nor does a bad tree bear good fruit. 44 For every tree is known by its own fruit. For men do not gather figs from thorns, nor do they gather grapes from a bramble bush. 45 A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil. For out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Lk 6:43–45)​

No. When Jesus comes to live in our hearts, He creates an "new man" that did not exist before that He "created according to God in true righteousness and holiness" (Eph 4:24), that joins us to Himself and makes us "one spirit with Him" (1 Cor 6:17). It is in that good heart that we love the things of God and hate evil, and that never changes. And He stimulates our desires for Him all day every day and leads us to walk in lock step with Him so that we do not gratify the evil desires that still exist in the flesh (Ga 5:16-17). And when we fail to do so, there is no condemnation (Ro 8:1) because we have an advocate with the Father (1 Jn 2:1).

 

[JLB]

Well, I think one ought to be very careful in distinguishing what is true propositionally from who is the Ultimate Source of All Truth.

Brother, I am not distinguishing, that is to say, separating Jesus Christ the Truth from His words.

Just the opposite.

I am saying that Jesus Christ is the Truth.

Therefore every word that proceeds out of His mouth is the Truth.


Jesus and His word are the same.

Jesus is the Word.



JLB

 

[JLB]

It's not possible for any person to create or stimulate "a desire to love the things of God".

Our responsibility is to ask.

Yet you do not have because you do not ask. James 4:2

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3

Our job is to "love not" the things of the world.

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4


If we have the ability to "make ourselves" an enemy of God, then why does it seem hard to understand that we can also love the things of God.


Jesus gives us the answer -


If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15



JLB

 

[JLB]

I see a pattern developing. You say "believing" is synonymous with "obeying", "love" is synonymous with "obeying", "abiding" is synonymous with "obeying", and "maturing" is synonymous with "obeying".

You see well.

 

[JLB]

This post has a bunch of red flags. Can you explain how making "belief in Christ" synonymous with "obedience to Christ" is not turning faith into works?

Ok.

But I thought I had already.


Again here is John 3:36 from the NKJV and the NASB -

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36 NKJV

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36 NASB



And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Hebrews 5:9





JLB

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

Our responsibility is to ask.

Yet you do not have because you do not ask. James 4:2

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3

Our job is to "love not" the things of the world.

Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. James 4:4


If we have the ability to "make ourselves" an enemy of God, then why does it seem hard to understand that we can also love the things of God.


Jesus gives us the answer -


If you love Me, keep My commandments. John 14:15



JLB

It is not hard to understand that we can love the things of God. What is hard to understand is why some people think loving God is a work that merits salvation, as if obeying the commandment to "love the Lord your God with all your heart" (Matthew 22:37, Mark 12:30, and Luke 10:27) leads to salvation.

The opposite is actually true. When people see the commandment, if they realize that they do not fulfill its requirements and turn to Jesus for forgiveness, He comes to live in their hearts, makes them one with Him, and writes His laws on their hearts. Then they may realize for the first time that they do love God with all their hearts. But their salvation did not come from loving God. Loving God came from their salvation. Swapping the order turns grace into works.

 

[Tenchi]

Jesus and His word are the same.

But this is demonstrably false, as I've already explained. If there is even a single difference between two things, they are not identical, they are not the same. Between The Truth, who is the Person we call Christ, and the truth propositions of which he is the Ultimate Source, there are many differences, some of which I've already pointed out. So, then, Jesus is not the same as, he is not identical to, the true things he has spoken. Please study the law of the Indiscernability of Identicals.

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

Ok.

But I thought I had already.

Again here is John 3:36 from the NKJV and the NASB -

He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.” John 3:36 NKJV

He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him. John 3:36 NASB

And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him. Hebrews 5:9

JLB

You apparently do not understand that John 3:36 has two different Greek words that are translated in the NKJV as "believe" and a third Greek word translated as "obey".

The first word is "πιστεύω". According to Louw Nida, it can mean, "a) think to be true, b) trust, c) have Christian faith, or d) entrust [Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). In Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament: based on semantic domains] John used this word when he wrote, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life".

The second word is "ἀπειθέω". According to Louw Nida, it can mean, "a) disobey, or b) reject belief." John used this word when he wrote, "he who does not believe the Son shall not see life". The second meaning is more likely John's intention (as the NKJV translators chose) because his reasoning is likely that those who "reject belief" in Christ are condemned.

The third word is "ὑπακούω". According to Louw Nida, it can mean, "a) obey, or b) answer door. The writer of Hebrews used it when he wrote, "He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him". The etymology of this word is interesting to me. It's root word is "ἀκούω", which means, "to hear". According to Strongs, the primary definition is, "1 to listen, to harken. 1A of one who on the knock at the door comes to listen who it is, (the duty of a porter) [Strong, J. (1995). In Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon]. I would say the writer of Hebrews chose that word because he wanted to convey the sense that we must answer the door to Him when He knocks... and if we don't answer the door when He knocks, He is not the the author of eternal salvation to us.

None of these verses indicate salvation by works, and none of these verses co-mingle the meaning of "faith" and "obedience".

 

[donadams]

I don't know what you mean by "faith alone." The Christian person is saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8-9; Romans 10:9-10; John 3:16). It isn't, then, one's faith that saves but the object of one's faith: Jesus Christ.

I obtain union with Christ by way of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He "baptizes" spiritually all born-again believers into Christ by coming to dwell within them and in himself imparting to them Christ.

Acts 1:5
5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

Acts 2:4
4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.

Acts 11:15-16
15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning.
16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how he said, ‘John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.’

1 Corinthians 12:13
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Titus 3:5
5 He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

Romans 6:3-7
3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death?
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.

Romans 8:9-11
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.
10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.

Eph 2:8 refers to the general redemption not salvation

Not faith alone!

Faith and baptism

Not spirit baptism

Ez 36:25-27
Jn 3:5
And many more

Thks

 

[sandyj]

Eph 2:8 refers to the general redemption not salvation

Not faith alone!

Faith and baptism

Not spirit baptism

Ez 36:25-27
Jn 3:5
And many more

Thks

Timothy - I have done a good fight, I have finished the race and kept the faith.

 

[NewLifeInChrist]

Eph 2:8 refers to the general redemption not salvation

Not faith alone!

Faith and baptism

Not spirit baptism

Ez 36:25-27
Jn 3:5
And many more

Thks

Lol, "saved by grace through faith" does not refer to salvation?