Posted on 03/15/2014 5:31:38 AM PDT by DaveMSmith
It seems to be a matter of common sense to say that good people will go to heaven and evil people will go to hell. Something would be terribly wrong if God could send an innocent, sincere, charitable, helpful person to hell. Yet sometimes people suggest that a person's salvation depends upon his faith alone, and not upon the good things he does, or how he lives, or whether he obeys the Ten Commandments. The Bible never mentions "faith alone" (except in one passage which says faith alone is dead--James 2:24) The concept first came into existence during the Reformation, when Luther and other Protestants split away from the Roman Catholic Church. Luther's concept of how a person gets to heaven was different from what had been taught by the Catholic Church. Luther's phrase "faith alone" emphasized this difference.
In the early Christian Church there was no controversy about whether a person could be saved by faith alone without obeying the Lord and living well. Early Christians knew that loving the Lord meant obeying His commandments, (Matthew 19:17; John 14:21; 15:10) and that salvation depended on bearing fruit (that is, doing good works). (Matthew 7:19; 16:27; 21:43; Luke 3:9; John 5:29; 15:1-16; Revelation 20:13; 22:12) In fact there are so many passages which say that a good life is necessary, that it would be quite a contradiction if the Bible did say that faith alone is enough.
Probably the closest the Bible comes to mentioning "faith alone" is Paul's phrase, "man is justified by faith without the works of the law." (Romans 3:28) Sometimes this phrase has been used to defend or promote the idea that man is saved by faith alone. But if we look at Paul's statement in context we can see that Paul was simply saying that you can be saved without being a Jew. (Read Romans 3:28-31) Some early Christians felt that to be a good Christian, one should obey all the ritual laws of the Jewish Church. "Certain men came down from Judea and taught the brethren, `Unless you are circumcised according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved.'" (Acts 15:1) Now Paul knew that it made no difference to the Lord whether a person was circumcised or not, so he made it clear that it is not necessary to keep the laws about washing, sacrifices, offerings, holy days, diet, and circumcision. (Colossians 2:16; Galatians 2; Romans 3; 2:25-28; Hebrews 8-10) "Does this blessedness then come only on the circumcised, and not on the uncircumcised also?" (Romans 4:9) "Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but keeping the commandments of God is what counts." (1 Corinthians 7:19) "In Jesus Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working by love." (Galatians 5:6) Paul says here not "faith alone," but "faith which works by love". Faith, works and love are all necessary.
These and other references make it clear that when Paul said a man is saved by faith without the works of the law, he meant that a person is saved without circumcision and other ritualistic works. There are other laws, which relate not to ritual but to living well, as for example the Ten Commandments and laws such as "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." (Leviticus 19:18) Paul made it clear that it was necessary to keep these laws in order to be saved. He said, "Do not be deceived, neither fornicators, nor idolaters, not adulterers, nor homosexuals... nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." (1 Corinthians 6:9,10; see also Galatians 5:19-20) Paul had no thought at all of doing away with the law: "Do we abrogate the law through faith? Far from it! We establish the law." (Romans 3:31) He knew that salvation depended on action, not just on faith: "Not the hearers of the law shall be justified by God, but the doers of the law shall be justified." (Romans 2:13) And he taught that every loving person will obey God's law: "Love does no harm to a neighbor: therefore love is the fulfillment of he law." (Romans 13:10)
It is clear from the passages above that according to Paul, we must keep the Lord's commandments and live a good life in order to be saved. This agrees completely with what other disciples said about living well. What could be more direct that this statement of James: "What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? That faith cannot save him, can it?... Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.... By works a person is justified, and not by faith alone." (James 2:14-24) John showed that you can't have faith unless you love others when he said, "He who does not love does not know God, for God is love." (1 John 4:8) He also taught that we can and should obey God's commands: "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments: and His commandments are not grievous." (1 John 5:3)
For any Christian, the way to eternal life is to follow Jesus and do as He says. And what He says is very plain: "If you will enter into life, keep the commandments." (Matthew 19:17) This is not only the way to life, but the way to happiness: "If you know these things, happy are you if you do them." (John 13:17) It is the way to love the Lord: "He who has My commandments, and keeps them, he it is who loves Me." (John 14:21) And it is the way to be His friend: "You are my friends if you do whatever I command you." (John 15:14)
and this was before he “did” anything for God.
This only “works” if you ignore the verses just prior to this where Christ is asking the disciples who people think He is.
Then we come to His question to Peter about who do you say I am.
And of course Peter answers, Thou are the Christ.
If we keep this in context with the rest of the passage, the “rock” upon which Christ is going to build His church on can only be this confession.
What else could it be?....but only if we keep this in the proper context.
What was revealed to Peter? The message that Christ is the Son of God.
What will Christ build His church on? This message that Christ is the Son of God. Implication: If one believes in Christ, that He is the Son of God he has faith and goes to Heaven and is saved from all sins, past, present and future.
Peter was given a leadership role in this building of the Kingdom. This is the message that Peter preached as we see him assume a leadership position later on in the NT.
But the Kingdom is built upon Christ and belief in Him. It can be nothing else.
“But the Kingdom is built upon Christ and belief in Him.”
But Christ declared that he is building his CHURCH on Peter.
Christ did NOT say “Kingdom” in the passage under discussion!
The discussion is NOT Faith “OR” Works!
It is Faith AND Works!
For Faith WITHOUT Works is Dead!
The reason “works” are downplayed elsewhere in Scripture is so the Jews would understand that by merely following Jewish Law, they are not saved by virtue of that behavior.
Abraham did respond to God's calling him. Abraham's faith was demonstrated by moving his legs out of his homeland and going to the land God promised.
You’re saying Christ would build His church on a fallable man????
I believe you are forgetting the Feast of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles.
Another thing....at his Ascension, Christ promised that he would send and Advocate and that he would be with the apostles and disciples ALWAYS.
Did you forget that too?
Genesis 15:6 records where Abraham believed God and his faith was credited as righteousness.
The key is he “believed” God.....just as any believer does when he/she believes in Christ.
His resultant faithfulness in the willingness to sacrifice Issac was confirmation of that faith.
That is the faith that saves.
Nope.
The Holy Spirit is always with us as He resides in us.
Christ is the cornerstone upon which the church is built....not a man.
ALL born again believers have the Holy Spirit living in them.
It’s not an exclusive, members only, event reserved for the *elite*.
Ephesians 2:8-9
For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; NOT AS A RESULT OF WORKS, so that no one may boast.
Oh, I agree with you. What I was pointed out is evidence of his belief is that he moved from his homeland to the land promised. If he did not move, then that would mean he did not believe.
***It’s not an exclusive, members only, event reserved for the *elite*.***
Which undermines Rome’s entire pecking order.
If it’s about works....then how many/much do we have to do?
How do you know if you’ve done enough??
Is there a record we keep?
What if I haven’t done enough works? Does this lessen my faith? Or negate it in any way?
In Hebrews hall of fame we read it is by faith regarding those individuals.
“Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:28-29
Who said that THEY had control on men’s souls?
What entity chased down HERETICS and killed them?
What bunch of men FAILED to keep control of the information flow?
Yup; and the RCC teaching of 'on this rock' is quite the opposite.
Yup; and the RCC teaching of 'on this rock' is quite the opposite.
Acts 15:8 And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts.
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