Faith+Works Salvation or Partial Grace + Works Salvation
Easy Believism = Salvation by Faith+Works where Works don't include obedience
Hard Believism = Salvation by Faith+Works where Works includes obedience. Now, what is the definition of obedience as a prerequisite for salvation. You are
obligated to keep the whole law. Not a part, but the whole.
- Galatians 5:2 Notice, it is I, Paul, who tells you that if you receive circumcision [as a supposed requirement of salvation], Christ will be of no benefit to you [for you will lack the faith in Christ that is necessary for salvation]. 3 I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. AMP
- James 2:10 For whoever keeps the whole law but fails in one point has become accountable for all of it.
- Galatians 3:3 Are you so foolish and senseless? Having begun [your new life by faith] with the Spirit, are you now being perfected and reaching spiritual maturity by the flesh [that is, by your own works and efforts to keep the Law]?
What is the outcome of salvation of which is by Faith+Works. You are
cursed.
Galatians 3:10 For all who rely on works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the Book of the Law, and do them.”
Premise 1: Faith is required for salvation (John 3:16)
Premise 2: I must leave a sinless life to be saved by works (Gal. 5:2; James 2:10)
Conclusion: I have eternal life by Faith + Works
Now, I am a poor Christian as I have not lived a sinless life per premise #2. So I am hoping the FAITH+WORKS salvation solution is a false doctrine. (Aside: I do believe Faith+Works is true if you can live a sinless life. I tip my hat to those people, congrats.)
Faith Alone Salvation
Are there any Scripture verses indicating we are saved by FAITH ALONE (that is, not be WORKS)?
—justification by faith alone in Christ’s work alone (Romans 3:27, Romans 3:28; Romans 4:5; Romans 10:4; Galatians 2:16a, Galatians 2:16b; Galatians 3:10, Galatians 3:11, Galatians 3:26; Philippians 3:8a, Philippians 3:8b), (2) that any other “gospel” is not the gospel, (3) that those who teach any other “gospel” stand under the anathema of God (Galatians 1:8, Galatians 1:9), and (4) that those who rely to any degree on their own works for their salvation nullify the grace of God (Romans 11:5–6), make void the cross work of Christ (Galatians 2:21; Galatians 5:2), become debtors to keep the entire law (Galatians 5:3), and in becoming such “fall from grace” (Galatians 5:4), that is, place themselves again under the curse of the law. As for the four church fathers named above—and many others like them—it is neither my nor their defenders’ place to assure the Christian world that surely God justified them by faith alone even though they themselves did not hold to a sola fide view of justification. To judge an individual’s salvation is God’s province and His alone. Therefore, I will not speculate one way or the other about their salvation. But I will say that our attitude should, with Paul, ever be: “Let God’s truth be inviolate, though every man becomes thereby a liar” (Romans 3:4). What I mean by this in the present context is that the clear teaching of the Word of God should be upheld and we should not look for reasons to avoid it, even if the alternative would force us to conclude that these fathers—and all others like them—were not saved. Robert Reymond A New Systematic Theology of the Christian Faith
Premise 1: God does not contradict himself (Titus 1:2; Romans 3:4)
Premise 2: God says we are saved by Faith and NOT WORKS (see above)
Conclusion: We are saved by FAITH ALONE (note: we are saved by FAITH ALONE, but not by FAITH that is alone meaning FAITH (trust) will cause us to do Works, though not Works that save. Works are an effect of salvation, not a cause.
Warning regarding to Salvation by FAITH + WORKS
R.C. Sproul: “If you trust upon anything else than Jesus Christ in addition to Jesus Christ you lose Christ, all or nothing at all. Christ does not become of less effect; he becomes of no effect if you try to
add something to Him.” Sproul goes on to say that he thought Arminians are saved, but barely by which he meant “as long as they don’t take their theology to its logic conclusion. They would not be Christians if they put their trust in their own righteousness”. When Sproul came to faith he thought it was his choice; he didn’t know of scripture that described the process.
Gill -
his view of works for salvation rendered Christ unprofitable, made his death to be in vain, his sacrifice of no effect, and his righteousness useless: besides, Christ is a whole Savior, or none at all; to join anything with him and his righteousness, in the business of justification and salvation, is interpreted by him as a contempt and neglect of him, as laying him aside, and to such persons he is of no profit; and if he is not, what they have, and whatsoever they do, will be of no advantage; wealth and riches, yea, the whole world could it be gained, their works and righteousness, whatever show they make before men, God has declared shall not profit them; and trusting to these renders Christ unprofitable to them.
Matthew-Henry:
Christ will not be the Savior of any who will not own and rely upon him as their only Savior. Let us take heed to the warnings and persuasions of the apostle to steadfastness in the doctrine and liberty of the gospel. All true Christians, being taught by the Holy Spirit, wait for eternal life, the reward of righteousness, and the object of their hope, as the gift of God by faith in Christ; and not for the sake of their own works.
Grace and legal righteousness cannot co-exist (Romans 4:4, Romans 5:11 ). Christ, by circumcision (Luke 2:21), undertook to obey all the law, and fulfil all righteousness for us: any, therefore, that now seeks to fulfil the law for himself in any degree for justifying righteousness, severs himself from the grace which flows from Christ's fulfilment of it, and becomes "a debtor to do the whole law" (Galatians 5:3). The decree of the Jerusalem council had said nothing so strong as this; it had merely decided that Gentile Christians were not bound to legal observances. But the Galatians, while not pretending to be so
bound, imagined there was an efficacy in them to merit a higher degree of
perfection (Galatians 3:3). … John 6:29 Jesus answered, “
This is the work of God: that you believe [adhere to, trust in, rely on, and have faith] in the One whom He has sent.”
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