Hey all, here's the latest feature article from DaysofNoah.org!
Justification
Justification is the watershed issue that separates Biblical Christianity from apostasy. Justification is also the issue that separates authentic Christianity from the false religions of the world. New Testament salvation couldn't be any more straightforward, yet it is precisely this simplicity which makes authentic justification a stumbling block for so many.
When push comes to shove, justification was at the heart of the Protestant Reformation. Martin Luther was initially a Roman Catholic monk trained in the Augustinian Order. As such, Luther was taught a faith-works system of justification that requires active participation in an ongoing process throughout one's life. In fact, through purgatory this "justification process" usually continued into the next life. (This is the system still taught by the Roman Catholic Church.) However, as Luther began to study the New Testament in Wittenberg - a privilege at the time afforded only to the Church's clerical elite - he had a life changing encounter with Romans 1:17:
For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
Luther realized that all of his tears and all of his toil had been in vain. He had been trying to earn justification before God through his works. Luther realized that Christians are justified by faith alone. In fact, two centuries later John Wesley - the great advocate of the "new birth" experience - famously felt his heart being "strangely warmed" as he read Martin Luther's Introduction to the Book of Romans.
This is the realization the Apostle Paul was getting at in Philippians 3:8-9:
Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
Paul says that all of his works as a Jewish zealot were like dung in terms of his own justification before a Holy God. The Prophet Isaiah writes it this way:
But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousness is as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
I recently heard Dr. Erwin Lutzer, Senior Pastor of the Moody Church, put it this way: "We don't need Grace to help us with salvation, we need God's grace to resurrect us from Spiritual death." Ephesians 2:1-2:
And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.
Dr. Lutzer continues, "When it comes to salvation, grace is entirely God's doing. Salvation must be a free gift - justification is not something that we can ever contribute to. Righteousness is more than an attribute of God, it is the gift that God confers to us by faith in Christ alone." 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.
One term that is often used in connection with Christ's atoning work on the cross is "pardon." But we're talking about more than a pardon here. Sinners who accept the propitiation of Christ's blood by faith alone have been restored to right legal standing before the Righteous Judge. That is, we are literally made to be the righteousness of God! Glory!
If we rely on anything for justification other than faith alone in Christ's blood - be it works, sacraments, or religion - we literally defile our own justification. Notice in Matthew 7 that Jesus says a good tree produces good fruit and a bad tree produces bad fruit. Also notice that there does not exist a mixed tree producing mixed fruit. By God's standard, a mixed tree is a bad tree! Christians can only produce good fruit because they have been made righteous themselves first! If justification is a process, as the Roman Catholic Church asserts, then the yet-to-be justified Catholic cannot, by definition, produce good fruit. Did not Jesus say, "By their fruit you will know them?" Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17:
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
The Apostle John writes about being "born again" in John 3:3-8:
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
The Bible teaches decisively that justification is not a process, but an instantaneous moment in time when God, in His infinite grace, imputes the righteousness of Christ upon the hapless sinner. Sanctification, by contrast, is a process during which the grace of God transforms the sinner into the likeness of Christ. Sanctification, like justification, is a function of grace alone. So many Christians try to finish the sanctification process by their own strenght, all the while wondering why the process doesn't seem to be getting anywhere. A Christian can no more maintain their salvation than they can attain their salvation - what a revelation! Such a reliance upon God my sound like oppressive foolishness, but in reality the grace involved of sanctification is the most liberating truth in Christendom second only to the grace involved in justification! (Assurance and Eternal Security will be the topic of my next article.)
In closing consider the parable of the Pharisee and tax collector (Luke 18:9-14):
And he spake this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess.
And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
The Pharisee had difficulty receiving God's grace because he didn't think he needed it. Yet the publican, the tax collector, flung himself before God, completely dependent upon God's mercy and grace. Jesus tells us that it was he, not the Pharisee, who went home justified.
The Protestant view of justification by faith alone does not require more effort, emotionalism, or fear of hell. What it does require is more humility, more repentance, more faith, more grace, and an utter reliance on God. Faith alone is the narrow way that few find, though it is the easiest place to find in the world.
Full Version: Justification
But there's a catch in that faith in that you have to act on it. Faith without works is dead. What does that mean.
Would good is a light hidden under a bushel...
What good is a word not believed in faith?
What good to receive but not speak....
and hoard up the manna for yourself?
What good is it to be justified only to hide away someplace dreading who you've been created to be in Christ?
We believe by faith that Christ is ever changing us (sanctification) and he wants us to receive the best of him and act on the gifts he's given us.
Why do we sit around and complain all day not realizing the world needs us to be who he created us to be. What we do for him now and the world is of eternal importance.
Would good is a light hidden under a bushel...
What good is a word not believed in faith?
What good to receive but not speak....
and hoard up the manna for yourself?
What good is it to be justified only to hide away someplace dreading who you've been created to be in Christ?
We believe by faith that Christ is ever changing us (sanctification) and he wants us to receive the best of him and act on the gifts he's given us.
Why do we sit around and complain all day not realizing the world needs us to be who he created us to be. What we do for him now and the world is of eternal importance.
justified by faith.....faith without works is dead....humm.... 
Maybe it is the lack of faith......
Maybe it is the lack of faith......
QUOTE(onetiggerroo @ Apr 17 2006, 06:56 PM)
justified by faith.....faith without works is dead....humm....
Maybe it is the lack of faith......
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Maybe it is the lack of faith......
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People who believe that Grace + Works = Salvation love using James 2 to prove their point, but the Scriptural answer to James 2 is in Romans 4:2-6, where it tells us that Abraham's works justified him, but NOT before God.
In James 2 the Apostle James is dealing with people who profess to be Christians but do not evidence the reality of their faith by their works. Verse 18:
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
James repeatedly emphasizes that people will say they have faith, yet they don’t have works. James is saying that real faith will always bear the fruit of good works. Key are the words say and see, they are repeated throughout James 2. James is posing the question, if a man says that he has faith, will that faith (simply said faith) justify him? No it won’t.
If you were sharing the gospel with someone and when you had finished they replied by saying, “You mean all I have to do is to say I believe in Jesus Christ and I will be saved?” You’re answer, I assume, would be “No, that’s not what I said.” You would explain that one must put their trust in Jesus Christ, believe in him. There is a vast gulf of difference between saying that you have faith in Christ and actually having faith in Christ. And this, in the end, is the difference between salvation and eternal judgment. If we put our trust in Christ works will inevitably follow.
The Council of Trent (The Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation) is filled with quotations and citations from James 2:21 and 2:24. Sixteenth century Bishops of the Catholic Church argued that Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac on the alter. And in James 2:24, therefore, we see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. What could be a clearer more demonstrative categorical repudiation of sola fides (faith alone)? The Council of Trent therefore concluded that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. They thought they had put Luther out of business as clear as day!
Interestingly, both Paul in Romans 3 & 4 and James in James 2 mention justification, using the same Greek word dikaioo. But by citing Abraham (James 2:21 and Romans 4:1) the plot thickens.
In James 2:21:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (See Genesis 22)
Paul labors the point in Romans 4:3:
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham Believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (See Genesis 15)
So James and Paul use the same Greek word and appeal to the same person (Abraham) as their Exhibit A. But they refer to Abraham at different points in his life. How do we reconcile this? The issue here, under the microscope of the Apostle James, is what constitutes saving faith? By Genesis 22, to which James refers, Abraham had already received the promised son Isaac. In Genesis 15, which Paul cites in Romans 3 and 4, God was promising Abraham a son, Isaac, but he had yet to receive the promise. So the issue for Paul is justification, where James is contrasting said faith with actual faith. For James the promised son (Chirst) is assumed (Genesis 22), but for Paul the promised son is the issue (Genesis 15).
Even Evangelicals stumble here because we have created a whole environment in the 21st century Church that tells people that all you have to do to be saved is raise your hand, come forward, and pray a prayer (say the sinners prayer). This is simply a matter of making a statement. No so! The requirement is still faith! Raising a hand, coming forward, and praying a prayer are outward manifestations, demonstrations, or professions of faith. The Bible does not teach and never did teach that a person is saved by the profession of faith. It’s the possession of faith that alone links us to Jesus Christ and this is what James is laboring in chapter two.
And for those who might be tempted to equate having faith with a work, remember that even faith is a function of grace. This is where we could get into predestination and eternal security, but I don't want to lose focus in this thread.
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This post quotes heavily from Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. D. James Kennedy, and Dr. John MacArthur, but I didn't take the time to footnote it.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
James repeatedly emphasizes that people will say they have faith, yet they don’t have works. James is saying that real faith will always bear the fruit of good works. Key are the words say and see, they are repeated throughout James 2. James is posing the question, if a man says that he has faith, will that faith (simply said faith) justify him? No it won’t.
If you were sharing the gospel with someone and when you had finished they replied by saying, “You mean all I have to do is to say I believe in Jesus Christ and I will be saved?” You’re answer, I assume, would be “No, that’s not what I said.” You would explain that one must put their trust in Jesus Christ, believe in him. There is a vast gulf of difference between saying that you have faith in Christ and actually having faith in Christ. And this, in the end, is the difference between salvation and eternal judgment. If we put our trust in Christ works will inevitably follow.
The Council of Trent (The Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation) is filled with quotations and citations from James 2:21 and 2:24. Sixteenth century Bishops of the Catholic Church argued that Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac on the alter. And in James 2:24, therefore, we see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. What could be a clearer more demonstrative categorical repudiation of sola fides (faith alone)? The Council of Trent therefore concluded that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. They thought they had put Luther out of business as clear as day!
Interestingly, both Paul in Romans 3 & 4 and James in James 2 mention justification, using the same Greek word dikaioo. But by citing Abraham (James 2:21 and Romans 4:1) the plot thickens.
In James 2:21:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (See Genesis 22)
Paul labors the point in Romans 4:3:
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham Believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (See Genesis 15)
So James and Paul use the same Greek word and appeal to the same person (Abraham) as their Exhibit A. But they refer to Abraham at different points in his life. How do we reconcile this? The issue here, under the microscope of the Apostle James, is what constitutes saving faith? By Genesis 22, to which James refers, Abraham had already received the promised son Isaac. In Genesis 15, which Paul cites in Romans 3 and 4, God was promising Abraham a son, Isaac, but he had yet to receive the promise. So the issue for Paul is justification, where James is contrasting said faith with actual faith. For James the promised son (Chirst) is assumed (Genesis 22), but for Paul the promised son is the issue (Genesis 15).
Even Evangelicals stumble here because we have created a whole environment in the 21st century Church that tells people that all you have to do to be saved is raise your hand, come forward, and pray a prayer (say the sinners prayer). This is simply a matter of making a statement. No so! The requirement is still faith! Raising a hand, coming forward, and praying a prayer are outward manifestations, demonstrations, or professions of faith. The Bible does not teach and never did teach that a person is saved by the profession of faith. It’s the possession of faith that alone links us to Jesus Christ and this is what James is laboring in chapter two.
And for those who might be tempted to equate having faith with a work, remember that even faith is a function of grace. This is where we could get into predestination and eternal security, but I don't want to lose focus in this thread.
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This post quotes heavily from Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. D. James Kennedy, and Dr. John MacArthur, but I didn't take the time to footnote it.
QUOTE(daysofnoah @ Apr 18 2006, 09:54 AM)
In James 2 the Apostle James is dealing with people who profess to be Christians but do not evidence the reality of their faith by their works. Verse 18:
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
James repeatedly emphasizes that people will say they have faith, yet they don’t have works. James is saying that real faith will always bear the fruit of good works. Key are the words say and see, they are repeated throughout passage. James is posing the question, if a man says that he has faith, will that faith (simply said faith) justify him? No it won’t.
If you were sharing the gospel with someone and when you had finished they replied by saying, “You mean all I have to do is to say I believe in Jesus Christ and I will be saved?” You’re answer, I assume, would be “No, that’s not what I said.” You would explain that one must put your trust in Jesus Christ, believe in him. There is a vast gulf of difference between saying that you have faith and having faith in Christ. And this, in the end, is the difference between salvation and eternal perdition. If we put our trust in Christ works will inevitably follow.
The Council of Trent (The Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation) is filled with quotations and citations from James 2:21 and 2:24. The Bishops argue that Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac on the alter. And in James 2:24, therefore, we see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. What could be a clearer more demonstrative categorical repudiation of sola fides (faith alone)? We see then by conclusion, according to Trent, that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. This would seem to put Luther out of business as clearly as anything possibly could!
Both Paul in Romans 3 & 4 and James in James 2 mention justification, using the same Greek word dikaioo. But by citing Abraham (James 2:21 and Romans 4:1) the plot thickens.
In James 2:21:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (See Genesis 22)
Paul labors the point in Romans 4:3:
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham Believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (See Genesis 15)
So James and Paul use the same Greek word and appeal to the same person (Abraham) as their Exhibit A. But they refer to Abraham at different points in his life. How do we reconcile this? The issue here, under the microscope of the Apostle James, is what constitutes saving faith? By Genesis 22, to which James refers, Abraham had already received the promised son Isaac. In Genesis 15, which Paul cites in Romans 3 and 4, God was promising Abraham a son, Isaac, but he had yet to receive the promise. So the issue for Paul is justification, where James is contrasting said faith with actual faith. For James the promised son (Chirst) is assumed (Genesis 22), but for Paul the promised son is the issue (Genesis 15).
Even Evangelicals stumble here because we have created a whole environment in the 21st century Church that tells people that all you have to do to be saved is raise your hand, come forward, and pray a prayer (say the sinners prayer). This is simply a matter of making a statement. No so! The requirement is still faith! Raising a hand, coming forward, and praying a prayer are outward manifestations, demonstrations, or professions of faith. The Bible does not teach and never did teach that a person is saved by the profession of faith. It’s the possession of faith that alone links us to Jesus Christ and this is what James is laboring in chapter two.
And for those who might be tempted to equate having faith with a work, remember that even faith is a function of grace. This is where we could get into predestination and eternal security, but I don't want to lose focus in this thread.
----------
This post quotes heavily from Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. D. James Kennedy, and Dr. John MacArthur, but I didn't take the time to footnote it.
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Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: show me thy faith without thy works, and I will show thee my faith by my works.
James repeatedly emphasizes that people will say they have faith, yet they don’t have works. James is saying that real faith will always bear the fruit of good works. Key are the words say and see, they are repeated throughout passage. James is posing the question, if a man says that he has faith, will that faith (simply said faith) justify him? No it won’t.
If you were sharing the gospel with someone and when you had finished they replied by saying, “You mean all I have to do is to say I believe in Jesus Christ and I will be saved?” You’re answer, I assume, would be “No, that’s not what I said.” You would explain that one must put your trust in Jesus Christ, believe in him. There is a vast gulf of difference between saying that you have faith and having faith in Christ. And this, in the end, is the difference between salvation and eternal perdition. If we put our trust in Christ works will inevitably follow.
The Council of Trent (The Catholic response to the Protestant Reformation) is filled with quotations and citations from James 2:21 and 2:24. The Bishops argue that Abraham was justified by works when he offered Isaac on the alter. And in James 2:24, therefore, we see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. What could be a clearer more demonstrative categorical repudiation of sola fides (faith alone)? We see then by conclusion, according to Trent, that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. This would seem to put Luther out of business as clearly as anything possibly could!
Both Paul in Romans 3 & 4 and James in James 2 mention justification, using the same Greek word dikaioo. But by citing Abraham (James 2:21 and Romans 4:1) the plot thickens.
In James 2:21:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar? (See Genesis 22)
Paul labors the point in Romans 4:3:
For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham Believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” (See Genesis 15)
So James and Paul use the same Greek word and appeal to the same person (Abraham) as their Exhibit A. But they refer to Abraham at different points in his life. How do we reconcile this? The issue here, under the microscope of the Apostle James, is what constitutes saving faith? By Genesis 22, to which James refers, Abraham had already received the promised son Isaac. In Genesis 15, which Paul cites in Romans 3 and 4, God was promising Abraham a son, Isaac, but he had yet to receive the promise. So the issue for Paul is justification, where James is contrasting said faith with actual faith. For James the promised son (Chirst) is assumed (Genesis 22), but for Paul the promised son is the issue (Genesis 15).
Even Evangelicals stumble here because we have created a whole environment in the 21st century Church that tells people that all you have to do to be saved is raise your hand, come forward, and pray a prayer (say the sinners prayer). This is simply a matter of making a statement. No so! The requirement is still faith! Raising a hand, coming forward, and praying a prayer are outward manifestations, demonstrations, or professions of faith. The Bible does not teach and never did teach that a person is saved by the profession of faith. It’s the possession of faith that alone links us to Jesus Christ and this is what James is laboring in chapter two.
And for those who might be tempted to equate having faith with a work, remember that even faith is a function of grace. This is where we could get into predestination and eternal security, but I don't want to lose focus in this thread.
----------
This post quotes heavily from Dr. R.C. Sproul, Dr. D. James Kennedy, and Dr. John MacArthur, but I didn't take the time to footnote it.
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I'm going to disagree with you on the whole interpretation of Romans 4 and the references to Genesis 22. How can what Abraham did in Genesis by being obedient to and trusting God have anything to do with a "work" on Abraham's part? It says that God tested Abraham. Abraham acted on faith. He was not trying to please God by a work. God commaned him to do it. The other option was disobedience. That brings it back to Romans 4:1-6. I like those particular authors you quoted from, but we still test the Spirit. True?
Works means that you do something. Faith speaks to you so you act on it. If you don't act on it what good is it? LIKE SALT THAT'S LOST IT'S SAVOR.
QUOTE(Miki @ Apr 18 2006, 06:10 PM)
Works means that you do something. Faith speaks to you so you act on it. If you don't act on it what good is it? LIKE SALT THAT'S LOST IT'S SAVOR.
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True. But that has nothing to do with adding anything onto Grace so that we may be saved. Does anyone recognize Resurrection Day, which we just celebrated, as being our only hope of salvation? Or are there people bold enough here to pretend that works ("filthy rags" according to Isaiah 64:6) can add onto what was done at the cross in order to be saved/redeemed?
QUOTE
I'm going to disagree with you on the whole interpretation of Romans 4 and the references to Genesis 22. How can what Abraham did in Genesis by being obedient to and trusting God have anything to do with a "work" on Abraham's part? It says that God tested Abraham. Abraham acted on faith. He was not trying to please God by a work. God commaned him to do it. The other option was disobedience. That brings it back to Romans 4:1-6. I like those particular authors you quoted from, but we still test the Spirit. True?
WayTruthLife, I don't really feel like I ever equated Abraham's actions in Genesis 22 to a 'work.' (I didn't mean to anyway, for this would be contradicting my own position.) However, in the KJV, James 2:21 says:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
To be perfectly honest, on the surface it appears that either the Catholic Church is correct (justification by faith & works), or James is contradicting Paul in Romans 3 & 4. Or is there an explanation?
The point I was getting at is that in both Genesis 15 & 22, Isaac is clearly typology of Christ. James 2 appeals to Genesis 22, where Abraham already has Isaac (Christ). On the other hand Paul, in Romans 4, appeals to Genesis 15, where the promise of Isaac (Christ) had not yet been manifested. In other words, Paul is talking to the unsaved (faith in Christ has not yet manifested), where James is talking to those who already claim to possess Christ (they say they have already looked upon the altar of Isaac - that is upon Christ's sacrafice).
I had never heard James 2 compared with Romans 3 & 4 in quite this way...it got me all excited because its been right in front of me all along - I just never saw it until now!
Okay, WTL, I see where you got that. I was summarizing the Council of Trent, that is, the Catholic position, not my own! Whew, I thought I'd really slipped up!
I went back and re-worded it to make it a little bit more clear.
I went back and re-worded it to make it a little bit more clear.
QUOTE(daysofnoah @ Apr 18 2006, 10:39 PM)
QUOTE
I'm going to disagree with you on the whole interpretation of Romans 4 and the references to Genesis 22. How can what Abraham did in Genesis by being obedient to and trusting God have anything to do with a "work" on Abraham's part? It says that God tested Abraham. Abraham acted on faith. He was not trying to please God by a work. God commaned him to do it. The other option was disobedience. That brings it back to Romans 4:1-6. I like those particular authors you quoted from, but we still test the Spirit. True?
WayTruthLife, I don't really feel like I ever equated Abraham's actions in Genesis 22 to a 'work.' (I didn't mean to anyway, for this would be contradicting my own position.) However, in the KJV, James 2:21 says:
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
To be perfectly honest, on the surface it appears that either the Catholic Church is correct (justification by faith & works), or James is contradicting Paul in Romans 3 & 4. Or is there an explanation?
The point I was getting at is that in both Genesis 15 & 22, Isaac is clearly typology of Christ. James 2 appeals to Genesis 22, where Abraham already has Isaac (Christ). On the other hand Paul, in Romans 4, appeals to Genesis 15, where the promise of Isaac (Christ) had not yet been manifested. In other words, Paul is talking to the unsaved (faith in Christ has not yet manifested), where James is talking to those who already claim to possess Christ (they say they have already looked upon the altar of Isaac - that is upon Christ's sacrafice).
I had never heard James 2 compared with Romans 3 & 4 in quite this way...it got me all excited because its been right in front of me all along - I just never saw it until now!
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Hi Noah,
I just think that even in James 2:21, that James was referring to the act of faith which Abraham displayed. Anyone who has children and even those who don't can look at that as a tremendous act of faith which would justify Abraham in our eyes as a righteous man, but then Romans 4 clearly states that it didn't justify Him before God. Maybe my wording is incorrect, but I think that Paul was showing that our works justify us before the world as followers of Christ and doers of the Word, but they don't justify us before God. Only Jesus can do that for us. That's just my understanding of it.
In Him,
John
Just my thoughts,
I think what causes the confusion is that Faith and Works directed from God cannot be separated. They are two sides of the same coin. If your faith does not produce Godly Works, then it is not Faith. If we truly have complete Faith in God then we would do exactly what he tells us to do, even when it doesn't make earthly sense. i.e., killing your own son. We can have all the head knowledge about scripture, God, Jesus, but if we do not submit to his will and do the things he commands of us then we do not have Faith, and none of us have all the Faith we should, for we all sin. Faith is something that grows. As we do the "works" he commands of us, our faith grows. Or in a different term, our trust grows. Do we trust God enough to follow him, no matter what? When we don't follow Gods will, our Faith/trust diminishes. Here is a more recent example of testing ones Faith/trust in God. We are faced with a radical regime in Iran. I believe we will eventually be confronted with the option of a pre-empted strike, it only makes sense. Can we just sit back and let Iran kill us at their bidding. But is that what God calls us to do. God even tells a slave to, "be a good slave” He doesn't tell him to rise up and kill his master, but wouldn't that make good earthly sense. I think our Faith is going to be severely tested. Works are the "proof" of our Faith. Now don't confuse this with works without Faith. These are things done, not because it was Gods will, but because it was someone else’s will. Works done for any other motivation does not justify. It doesn't help grow ones Faith/ belief/ trust in God. So the Term Faith+Works is a way of helping define what Faith really is.
Another example, do we have enough Faith to pray? It makes no earthly sense. Yet that is often the "works" that God calls us to do, and we must pray with nothing more to rely on then Faith. But God also know that if we do the work he commands, in this case, pray, then we will learn and grow in our Faith.
God Bless,
Kansas Dad
I think what causes the confusion is that Faith and Works directed from God cannot be separated. They are two sides of the same coin. If your faith does not produce Godly Works, then it is not Faith. If we truly have complete Faith in God then we would do exactly what he tells us to do, even when it doesn't make earthly sense. i.e., killing your own son. We can have all the head knowledge about scripture, God, Jesus, but if we do not submit to his will and do the things he commands of us then we do not have Faith, and none of us have all the Faith we should, for we all sin. Faith is something that grows. As we do the "works" he commands of us, our faith grows. Or in a different term, our trust grows. Do we trust God enough to follow him, no matter what? When we don't follow Gods will, our Faith/trust diminishes. Here is a more recent example of testing ones Faith/trust in God. We are faced with a radical regime in Iran. I believe we will eventually be confronted with the option of a pre-empted strike, it only makes sense. Can we just sit back and let Iran kill us at their bidding. But is that what God calls us to do. God even tells a slave to, "be a good slave” He doesn't tell him to rise up and kill his master, but wouldn't that make good earthly sense. I think our Faith is going to be severely tested. Works are the "proof" of our Faith. Now don't confuse this with works without Faith. These are things done, not because it was Gods will, but because it was someone else’s will. Works done for any other motivation does not justify. It doesn't help grow ones Faith/ belief/ trust in God. So the Term Faith+Works is a way of helping define what Faith really is.
Another example, do we have enough Faith to pray? It makes no earthly sense. Yet that is often the "works" that God calls us to do, and we must pray with nothing more to rely on then Faith. But God also know that if we do the work he commands, in this case, pray, then we will learn and grow in our Faith.
God Bless,
Kansas Dad
If you really have faith that means you will go with the flow of the Spirit of God which does the work for you. But yes, faith in the Cross will save you. But before the Judgement throne everyone will reap what they have sown, and you will have to pass through outer darkness if you have wasted your life in pride and seeking praise instead of humility and gloryfying God through Love. After all, who can ever say he has faith in Jesus when Jesus says:What you did for these least of these you did for me? Reject those whom God sends to you and you reject the Lord himself.
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