Yes, God knows who is saved and He knows who is justified in His eyes. That goes without saying. But you make the distinction between Paul and James in the different types of justification. In both cases, I would say they are the same in that God is the author and finisher of our faith AND our works. Works do NOT automatically come as if on a conveyor belt. We can do NO GOOD without Christ! Thus, justification is before God. And of course, works of love are an outward sign of our faith - thus, both are required for salvation.
Paul and James were not standing toe to toe, so to speak, arguing against each other. They were standing back to back defending the same truth against two different attacks. You were right up until the point you said this "thus, both are required for salvation" This is why...
Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
God's Righteousness, which is what saves us, is imputed the moment we believe. We know this happened if the righteousness of God begins to manifest itself in our lives in good works/fruit. This leaves the works/fruit as an evidence of a true faith that has already resulted in the imputed righteousness of God, not the cause of it.
I agree - and that faith, by James definition, was not enough to be saved. One had to show that faith through their actions of love. Without expression, faith is dead and worthless. James himself says faith cannot save without works of love.
This does not mean that works are the cause of our salvation, but the works will be an evidence of it.
I do not believe in "imputed righteousness" because God changes what He declares. If someone is declared righteous, that person IS righteous in the eyes of the only One Who matters - God.
You have replaced God's righteousness, that which does save, with your works. Your works are a manifestation of God's righteousness working in you.
I agree - and that faith, by James definition, was not enough to be saved. One had to show that faith through their actions of love. Without expression, faith is dead and worthless. James himself says faith cannot save without works of love.
Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
We are saved by the
"righteousness of God", nothing else. If you have sinned one time while being under the law, you are destined for hell unless you have the imputed
"righteousness of God".
francisdesales, please look this over carefully and ask yourself "how does it all fit together?"
The only way to have the
"righteousness of God' imputed is by faith Alone. The works are a result of being in Christ, not the cause of it. Once one makes works the cause he has
"not submitted to the righteousness of God" and has given evidence that he is under the law.
Romans 10:3-4
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Philippians 3:9
and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;
Galatians 3:1
O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? 2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have you suffered so many things in vainâ€â€if indeed it was in vain?5 Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 6 just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.†7 Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. 8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.†9 So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.
Galatians 2:21
I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.
Romans 10:9
If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, THOU SHALT BE SAVED.
If we sin once, we are guilty of all. We cannot be made righteous before God by our own merits because we have already failed and all the good deads in the world will not remove the penalty of death that results from being found guilty from that one sin. If we sin once, we are found guilty of all and are hell bound, unless, we, through faith, are imputed with the
righteousness of God. If we have sinned once, then by God's law, we are guilty and no good works can overcome this.
Our works are an evidence, always. It is only faith that can save us, because it is only by faith that we can receive the imputed
righteousness of God. If we have sinned once we are guilty of all.
James 2:10
"For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
God, by His mercy, He provided a way, an Advocate.
1 Peter 3:18
"For Christ also hath ***once*** suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God."
1 Peter 2:24
"Who [Jesus] his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness."
Jesus suffered God's wrath that was due to us. He went to the cross sinless, the only substitute that was acceptable to God, the perfect Lamb of God.
Paul tells us...
Romans 3:28,31
Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law...Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.
What Paul is saying is that God's justice, His law, required payment for our sin, and the law is not made void, but established because Jesus died for us. If their was no law, Jesus would not have needed to die for us.
Faith results in us receiving the
righteousness of God. The
righteousness of God is Jesus' imputed righteousness.
Romans 3:21
But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
But the law does not go away for those NOT in Christ, they will be judged by the Law. We are "in Christ", so we are not under the Law, but grace.
Romans 3:19
Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. 20 Therefore by the deeds of the law no flesh will be justified in His sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin.
Those who think that they can overcome God's wrath by any means other than the
righteousness of God alone, which is through faith alone, are giving evidence that they are still under the law.
Romans 10:3-4
For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Titus 3:5
"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us."
Galatians 2:16
"By the works of the law shall no flesh be justified."
Only the
RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD can save you.
Romans 1:17
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, "The just[ified] shall live by faith." See Hebrews 11
Romans 4:1-5
What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh? For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
2 Corinthians 5:21
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.
Again, if you trust in your works you will hear "Depart from Me, I never knew you", because...
Romans 10:3-4
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
This is our righteousness absent of the
righteousness of God.
Isaiah 64:6
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
From the same book, speaking of the
righteousness of God which justifies.
Isaiah 54:17
No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,†Says the LORD.
Isaiah 61:10 10
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, My soul shall be joyful in my God; For He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, As a bridegroom decks himself with ornaments, And as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.
Ephesians 2:8-10
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
Romans 5:1
1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have[a] peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
The mathematical equation does not match your second line. This, as I mentioned before, is a definitional error. If we take Paul's more broad view of faith, (he does, by the way, sometimes uses a more narrow definition, which makes Paul a bit more confusing sometimes) I think we Catholics can agree on much of what you said. A man is saved by faith IF we define faith as one that is displayed by works of love, repentance, hope, and perseverance. We will be judged by what we DO - in other words, our faith working in love (says Paul in Galatians). However, when we use James more narrow definition of faith in James 2, where works MUST be added to be salvific, then we cannot say that faith alone saves. James absolutely and positively denies this. Thus, without works of love, NO ONE will be saved.
And naturally, if we include works of love and perseverance into the definition of faith, we COULD say that faith "alone" saves... However, it is telling to note that Scriptures NEVER says this... Thus, we shouldn't use such a formula, either.
You have left out the most important thing, the reason why Jesus died on the cross. If they did these things to earn salvation, then they have rejected the righteousness of God. If they did these things as a result of faith, then they are under Grace and have given evidence that their faith is not dead and they are saved. Faith comes first, and it is of faith that we receive the
righteousness of God.
We should say that faith working in love saves... As nothing else matters (Gal 5:6)
francisdesales, since you quoted Galatians, i'll ask you what Paul asked the Galatians.
Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?
Righteousness Imputed
http://www.bible-topics.com/Righteousness-Imputed.html
Romans 4:13
For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
Romans 9:30
What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith.
Romans 3:21-22
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; 22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Romans 10:4
For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.
Romans 4:5
But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Romans 4:11
And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had yet being uncircumcised: that he might be the father of all them that believe, though they be not circumcised; that righteousness might be imputed unto them also:
Romans 4:24
But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;
Romans 9:32
Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone;
Romans 10:3
For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Romans 3:24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Titus 3:7
That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Romans 4:4
Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt.
Romans 11:6
And if by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work.
Galatians 5:4
Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
When you put it all together...
Grace = Faith = imputed righteousness = justification = good works/fruit.
That's the only way it all fit's together. It fits together perfectly, as the truth should.
Peace.
