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Desire to be a vessel of honor unto the Lord Jesus Christ?
Join For His Glory for a discussion on how
https://christianforums.net/threads/a-vessel-of-honor.110278/
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Taking the time to pray? Christ is the answer in times of need
https://christianforums.net/threads/psalm-70-1-save-me-o-god-lord-help-me-now.108509/
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Depending upon the Holy Spirit for all you do?
Read through the following study by Tenchi for more on this topic
https://christianforums.net/threads/without-the-holy-spirit-we-can-do-nothing.109419/
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How are famous preachers sometimes effected by sin?
Join Sola Scriptura for a discussion on the subject
https://christianforums.net/threads/anointed-preaching-teaching.109331/#post-1912042
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What is 'faith alone'?
- Thread starter Dave...
- Start date
Hi JLB
It's impossible to separate faith from grace, because faith is part of grace. Our faith is a gift from God. A saving faith cannot exist without grace. 'By grace through faith'. It's not a coincidence that the biblical definition for 'faith alone' that was given in the OP can also be used as a biblical definition for "grace alone". Faith and grace are completely compatible.
What is not compatible is works and grace. I'm sure that you're aware of the scripture. If it's of grace, then it is no longer of works. If it is of works, then it is no longer of grace.
J, most everyone comes to faith believing that they somehow contributed to their faith. But at some point we will all be confronted with the offence of the cross. That is, everything that we can claim as merit, that is, the works from our flesh, was nailed to the cross as sin. Anything good that comes from us is an undeserved gift from God. He gets the glory because He deserves it.
We will all respond to this in one of two ways, ultimately. We will either be humbled, or we will be offended. That will be one of the ways that the wheat is separated from the Tares.
I once was lost, and now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. That's all grace.
I pray the best for you. This is serious stuff.
God bless.
Dave
Therefore faith alone and grace alone are man made terms designed to prop up a man made doctrine of deceit.
Consecrated Life
Member
With faith all things follow.
Without faith comes nothing.
With faith Mountains become Highways.
Without faith comes nothing.
With faith Mountains become Highways.
Which is why justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. When someone simply says "by faith alone," they are referring to the full meaning. So, that is your misunderstanding. Both "grace alone" and "faith alone" oppose the unbiblical, false gospel idea of justification by works.
Justification is solely an act of God, a free gift of his grace, to be received by faith. No works are required for our justification.
"Man-made terms" to describe exactly what we see in Scripture. If you oppose justification by grace alone through faith alone, your only option is the false gospel of justification by works--that is the doctrine of deceit. That justification is by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone is basic Christianity and a central tenet of the faith.
Numerous passages attest to this. Here are just a few:
Act 15:8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them, by giving them the Holy Spirit just as he did to us,
Act 15:9 and he made no distinction between us and them, having cleansed their hearts by faith. (ESV)
Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it—
Rom 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction:
Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Rom 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
Rom 3:25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.
Rom 3:26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.
Rom 3:27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith.
Rom 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
Rom 3:29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also,
Rom 3:30 since God is one—who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. (ESV)
Tit 3:4 But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared,
Tit 3:5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
Tit 3:6 whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior,
Tit 3:7 so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
Tit 3:8 The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people. (ESV)
The Law requires what man cannot give. Jesus said it was impossible for man, but possible for God.
It's all me or all Jesus. Those are the options. I know I failed because I have sinned. Anybody who says that they are without sin are a liar. A holy God has perfect and Holy standards. Good enough is not good enough. Perfectly sinless, perfectly righteous. That's the standard. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There's no merit that we can offer to save ourselves. Let that sink in for a minute.
Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. 'What is impossible for man, is possible for God.' That's what the Gospel, or the good news is. Thank you Jesus.
Romans 10:2-4 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 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.
Dave
It's all me or all Jesus. Those are the options. I know I failed because I have sinned. Anybody who says that they are without sin are a liar. A holy God has perfect and Holy standards. Good enough is not good enough. Perfectly sinless, perfectly righteous. That's the standard. We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There's no merit that we can offer to save ourselves. Let that sink in for a minute.
Jesus did for us what we could not do for ourselves. 'What is impossible for man, is possible for God.' That's what the Gospel, or the good news is. Thank you Jesus.
Romans 10:2-4 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. 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.
Dave
Sounds like word salad alone.
LovethroughDove
Member
Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is BEING SURE of what we HOPE FOR and CERTAIN of what we DO NOT SEE.
There.......................
LovethroughDove
Member
The gift..........
Matthew 16:15-17 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
God given revelation of who Jesus really is.
Matthew 16:15-17 "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven."
God given revelation of who Jesus really is.
I know and have taught for many years the principle of faith.
Faith all by itself (alone) is dead.
Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. James 2:17
The actual scripture in Ephesians plainly says …
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, Ephesians 2:8
Grace through faith.
Not Grace alone.
Not faith alone.
Nothing to discuss. You obviously don’t understand the principle or law of faith.
JLB
What is 'faith alone'?
Faith alone, not our works or faith combined with works, is the instrument by which the sinner is justified from the guilt of all sin and counted righteous by God (Galatians 2:16a).Although it is a person faith that saves, said faith is an EFFECT. The cause of our faith is God. If our faith was self-determined then it would be a work for a work is what one does to accomplish a purpose. The states the faith is a work, but people assume it is their work; rather, it is a work performed by God. 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.”
Galatians 5:2-6 has a severe warning that one is accursed if they believe they are saved by their own work
Aside: "Faith alone" does not mean there are not other aspects of salvation. Obviously, God and Christ and grace and love and yada, yada are aspects of salvation.
JBL
Saved. It's passed tense.
Once one has the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it's passed tense. You are in Christ and justified by what Jesus did.
James 2:17 is speaking of the fruit of the Spirit. Evidence of someone already justified. Paul agrees and says to check ourselves daily to see whether we are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Evidence.
Paul says in Galatians 2: 16 knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the law; for by the works of the law no flesh shall be justified.
James says In James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all.
Dave
I really don’t know what point you are making.
I was discussing the principle of faith.
JLB
Hi J
The scripture that you quoted. Ephesians 2:8 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God" Emphasis on "have been".
If your works were included, it would be "are being saved".
This shows that what justifies us is already done once we come to faith. Jesus did it all.
Here's the spiritual mechanics of it. Once you entrust your life to Jesus and the gospel message with a genuine faith, Jesus places the Holy Spirit in us. Jesus is placing Himself in us. That's the seal of our inheritance. That's the placing into, the immersion, the baptism that saves us. Why? Because it makes us one with Jesus Christ, actually, "in Christ". At that point, the legality of our salvation, or, our justification, is settled. The righteousness of God is imputed to us (Jesus did it, obeying the Law perfectly). The atonement for our sin (Jesus did it, the Lamb without blemish was the only acceptable sacrifice for our sin), all now apply because of our being "in Christ". We also Die with Him, and are raised up with Him, being spiritually born again. Legally, God sees in us what Jesus did, living a perfectly sinless, and perfectly righteous life. That good for us because the standard that the Law requires is perfect, like the attributes of God are. What is impossible for man is possible for God. All our sin was nailed to the cross. The penalty for sin is death. Jesus took God's wrath for us, taking on what we deserved, and gave to us what He deserved.
Our works at this point are merely an evidence of what we really are. God knows already, sometimes we don't. All the scripture speaking of works for a believer is speaking about the fruit of the Spirit, or the flesh. This is from a person who is already "in Christ" and already justified. This is an evidence, not a merit. Not one of us cannot contribute anything to our justification because we all already failed Gods standards. That's why Jesus had to come to us in His incarnation, to do for us what we could not do for ourselves.
You cannot contribute to your salvation. It's all Jesus, or damnation.
Dave
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I do not believe we are saved by works but we are saved by grace through faith.
However, understanding what grace is and how the principle of faith operates are important.
Grace like truth is something as well as Someone.
Grace is the Godgiven ability, given to us unmerited, that empowers us to do what we can not do on our own.
Grace is the Holy Spirit; The Spirit of grace.
Anyone who has rejected Moses’ law dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace.
Hebrews 10:2-29
We see that grace teaches us…
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, Titus 2:11
When it come to salvation it is they Holy Spirit, the Spirit of grace that enables us to confess Jesus as Lord, not matter how oppressed we are by the devil.
Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:3
- no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.
This is how we are saved, by confessing Jesus Christ as LORD.
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Romans 10:9-10
- and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
JLB