What is 'faith alone'?

[Dave...]

Very good

 

[Corinth77777]

Amen. As long as our understanding of grace is correct, then our understanding of works can be properly understood. Grace just means an undeserved gift. If grace cost anything it would no longer be grace.

Peace

I like how DW puts it in so many words..grace is God doing what we cannot do on our own.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

It's impossible to separate faith from grace, because faith is part of grace.

Real grace that cost God his only legitimate son, not "hyper grace" as a therapy session that absolves your guilt, and certainly not lawlessness.

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it? (Rom. 6:1-2)
What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. (Rom. 7:7)

 

[Eternally-grateful]

Grace is the gift of God. For it i9s by Grace we have been saved. a Completed action.

But God will not force it on you.. nor keep it from you. He came so you can see, and gave you the word that you can believe.

Its not by works of righteousness which we have done.. But it is By Gods mercy.

He came into his own but his own received him not. But as many as have received him, to THEM he gave the right or power to become sons of God. Through faith.

There are no works involved. Justification is a term which means made righteous, or declared innocent. And it is through faith we are justified. Free to us, but paid by the blood of God himself.

As paul said. If abraham was found by works. he has something to boast. But not before God. This same chapter in (romans 4) says we today are saved by this same faith. Knowing God can and will do what he promised. based on our hope.

If we are trying to get to God based on works. Our hope is in self.. Good luck with this.

Is your Hope in God. his work. Or in your own works..

 

[JLB]

Is your Hope in God. his work. Or in your own works..

The way we become born again is we obey the truth (gospel) through the Spirit.

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 1 Peter 1:22-23


It is us who does the work of obeying the truth, by God’s grace, His Spirit; the Spirit of grace.

That’s what grace is, the Holy Spirit, that enables us to obey.

 

[Eternally-grateful]

The way we become born again is we obey the truth (gospel) through the Spirit.

Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 1 Peter 1:22-23


It is us who does the work of obeying the truth, by God’s grace, His Spirit; the Spirit of grace.

That’s what grace is, the Holy Spirit, that enables us to obey.

Obey what?

the gospel? (believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved)

Or works of righteousness which we have done, are doing and continue to do?

 

[JLB]

the gospel? (believe on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved)

Yes obey the Gospel; the gospel command repent.

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.

Confessing Jesus as Lord is the confession of faith by which we are saved.

Confessing Jesus as LORD is how we obey the Gospel command to repent.

 

[Eternally-grateful]

Yes obey the Gospel; the gospel command repent.

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.

Confessing Jesus as Lord is the confession of faith by which we are saved.

Confessing Jesus as LORD is how we obey the Gospel command to repent.

The tax collector did this.. he went home justified.

You have to be careful. 90% of people here the word obey and they assume a law or legalistic gospel of works.. ie. if you do not work hard enough you will lose salvation

 

[JLB]

You have to be careful. 90% of people here the word obey and they assume a law or legalistic gospel of works..

Yes sir. I have encountered this much.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

The tax collector did this.. he went home justified.

You have to be careful. 90% of people here the word obey and they assume a law or legalistic gospel of works.. ie. if you do not work hard enough you will lose salvation

This is one of the biggest misconceptions. The word "torah" priminarily means teaching or instruction, not law or regulation, it was the Pharisees and Sadduccees that turned those into laws and regulations. For example, Sabbath was originally a blessing, a day of rest for recuperation, reflection and preparation, Pharisees and Sadduccees turned it into a curse. In this sense, obedience means discipline, doing things by the book. If you're a trained expert of any skill, you do things by the book, you operate according to the instuctions, not on your own whims; if you're a master, you'd have these rules internalized in your muscle memory, you don't need to be told what to do or how to do, you automatically does it, and you're able to instruct others. By no means is that "legalism".

 

[onlysaved]

Looks like faith must also have grace.

Faith alone is a myth.

By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone everything else is false teaching from the pit of Hell.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

By grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone everything else is false teaching from the pit of Hell.

Beware, best liars always tell the truth, that means they lie by omission and/or dilute with irrelevant contents. I think "in faith alone" is an example, as the full doctrine is "salvation by GRACE (undeserved favor from God) through faith (in Christ) alone", and that faith is tested through work. Without work, faith either withers away in the sun or gets choked up by the thorns, as illustrated in the parable of the sower. That's NOT "adding" work on top of faith.

 

[onlysaved]

Beware, best liars always tell the truth, that means they lie by omission and/or dilute with irrelevant contents. I think "in faith alone" is an example, as the full doctrine is "salvation by GRACE (undeserved favor from God) through faith (in Christ) alone", and that faith is tested through work. Without work, faith either withers away in the sun or gets choked up by the thorns, as illustrated in the parable of the sower. That's NOT "adding" work on top of faith.

That parable is about real faith vs various types of false faith.

As I've stated before the word believe as used in the new Testament means to start believing and to keep on believing. And that believing is not intellectual accent to facts but it is a matter of trusting.
Works aren't required for salvation they are fruit of salvation.

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

That parable is about real faith vs various types of false faith.

As I've stated before the word believe as used in the new Testament means to start believing and to keep on believing. And that believing is not intellectual accent to facts but it is a matter of trusting.
Works aren't required for salvation they are fruit of salvation.

We're talking about the parable of the Sower, not the parable of wheats and tares. The faith is true in all four scenarios, the difference is the reception and outcome.

 

[onlysaved]

We're talking about the parable of the Sower, not the parable of wheats and tares. The faith is true in all four scenarios, the difference is the reception and outcome.

Nope... only the good ground was analogous to a believer..

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

Nope... only the good ground was analogous to a believer..

I don't think so. I believe only the first type is a lost cause, the shallow ground and the thorny ground can be converted. In fact, those are the vast majority of the mission field. When Jesus was arrested, all disciples "forsook him and fled away," weren't they shallow/stony soils?

But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. (Matt. 13:20-21)

 

[deepfaithpraise]

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)

Hey Free, your post really lays out the heart of the Gospel so clearly! I love how you break down justification by grace alone through faith alone—it’s like a roadmap to understanding God’s love. I see this as such a freeing truth for our hearts and minds.

From a psychology angle, the idea that we’re justified by faith, not works, can lift a huge weight off people. So many folks feel they have to earn God’s love, but Romans 3:24 reminds us it’s a gift of grace. That can bring real peace to someone struggling with guilt or shame. Historically, this was a big deal during the Reformation—think Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses, shouting that salvation comes through faith in Christ, not our efforts.

What’s a verse about grace or faith that’s really spoken to you lately? Thanks for sharing such a solid explanation!

 

[Carry_Your_Name]

Hey Free, your post really lays out the heart of the Gospel so clearly! I love how you break down justification by grace alone through faith alone—it’s like a roadmap to understanding God’s love. I see this as such a freeing truth for our hearts and minds.

From a psychology angle, the idea that we’re justified by faith, not works, can lift a huge weight off people. So many folks feel they have to earn God’s love, but Romans 3:24 reminds us it’s a gift of grace. That can bring real peace to someone struggling with guilt or shame. Historically, this was a big deal during the Reformation—think Martin Luther nailing his 95 Theses, shouting that salvation comes through faith in Christ, not our efforts.

What’s a verse about grace or faith that’s really spoken to you lately? Thanks for sharing such a solid explanation!

The biggest repercussion of "by (grace through) faith alone" though is "cheap grace" or "hyper grace", which has produced hordes of fans, but few followers. This is exposed and diagnosed in an insightful book titled Not a Fan, it pushed you the reader to a corner and asked you to define your relationship with Christ - Do you know Jesus or know ABOUT Jesus? Is Jesus your one and only or one of many? Are you on the bleachers watching Jesus or in the playing field with Jesus? Is Jesus your Savior or your Lord AND Savior? In summary, you can't have Jn. 3:16 without Matt. 16:24. Jesus had 5,000 who eagerly and joyfully received benefits from him, but in the end, when push came to shove, only twelve remained.