Those who believe that faith alone (Sola Fide) justifies our salvation:

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This is a typical statement by the people who have never experienced the powerful Being Born Again by Holy Spirit.

Once you are taken by Him, you are not released. If you are released, you were not saved actually before.

One can think about such a man as in 1 Cor 5. Even in that case, the person was saved and his spirit will be saved despite his adultery. It doesn't mean that the salvation gives the license to commit the sins.

These days I lay down myself and make very much humble cries unto God, confessing the sins long time ago when I was a child, rebellious against my parent who died already and therefore I have no way to repay them now. I am extremely broken hearted and confess my sins, but ask the mercy and grace because I believe that all of such sins were forgiven already by virtue of Jesus Christ who shed the precious blood at the Cross and died the terrible death on behalf of me.

If I say, please forgive me, then it means that I am denying what Jesus has done already. Therefore I am extremely broken hearted and humbled and rely on His mercy and grace, based on Jesus Christ and what He has done for me, thanking Jesus and my God for the fact that my sins were already forgiven, even including such childish rebellion. Eventually I thank God even when I find my own sins, because I believe such sins were forgiven already. If I experience such discovery and the forgiveness of the sins, then I try to avoid much more strongly any sins and do not want to rely on me, but only on Jesus who loved me, so much even to die.

RC's and some other people here do not understand the meaning of Salvation, which is the greatest pity and tragedy on this world now.

 

Romans 6:

1: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2: God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
3: Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?
4: Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
5: For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:
6: Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.
7: For he that is dead is freed from sin.
8: Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
9: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him.
10: For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God.
11: Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.
12: Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.
13: Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God.
14: For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace.
15: What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid.
16: Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
17: But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
18: Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.
19: I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.
20: For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness.
21: What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death.
22: But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.
23: For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.


If you choose to continue on in sin you are not "born again" since you have decided to allow your old man of sin to live. And you will not be raised with Christ to everlasting life.

8: Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him

Some people choose to continue on as before in their sins and all the while claiming to be children of God, "the Elect", etc.. but they are no more children of God than the Devil is.

1Jn:3:8: He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

1Jn:3:10: In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.


There is a reason why the Apostle had to actually TELL the people to stop yeilding themselves unto sin, and it is because they can decide at any time which way they want to go.

Claudia

 

Actually, "faith alone" is not found in James 2. I posted something on this here once before... not sure where now:

You see James does not say "faith alone." MONON is an adverb and cannot as such modify a noun. Hence "alone"/"only" does not modify faith. IMO it modifies "justified."

Now the Greek for "alone/only" is either MONOS or MONON. Here's that clause in Greek:

hORATE hOTI EX ERGWN DIKAIOUTAI ANQRWPOS KAI OUK EK PISTEWS MONON.

As you can see, it is MONON, not MONOS. MONOS is an adjective, but MONON is an adverb, meaning "only/alone." Yet most Bibles translate it such that it itends to be read as if it's an adjective - "faith alone" or "only faith" - indicating that it modifies "faith" (PISTEWS - accusative [direct object] of PISTIS). But any Greek lexicon will tell you that it's an adverb. Now an adverb simply cannot modify a noun - that requires an adjective. I took this up with the BGreek forum about three or four years ago.

So James is saying that there exists a justification by faith before God, but that we are justified before man by works... or perhaps by a
works-verified faith. This is not speaking about justification before God at all. Also, the illustration James used has nothing to do with being justified before God nor of gaining eternal life.

When a Christian demonstrates his faith, the unbeliever is affected by such a living testimony. God can see our heart, but people see our works.


Now, though Paul does not say PISTIS MONOS either, when Paul says that we see that a man is justified by faith, and not by works, isn't that really saying that we are justified by faith alone?

I was reading in Ryrie's book, Basic Theology and came across some exc. thoughts on assurance while researching 1st John. Dr. Charles Ryrie wrote regarding about the healings and miracles that Jesus performed:

How many times, when Jesus healed someone, did He say, "only believe" or (as in the case of Jairus as he struggled with his faith), "Do not be afraid; only believe" (v 36). That’s right, "only believe."

Just as people were healed of physical maladies, so we are healed of our sin problem by faith alone... "only believe."

A young child can understand the gospel. He can not only understand it, he can believe it. Some say that we shouldn't waste our time preaching the gospel to young children, but that was not our Lord's approach. Once you start adding to the simple gospel, I can see how it can lead to that. And isn't it obvious that a child's faith is simple... that he is saved by faith alone?

So, "yes," the NT does teach "faith alone"... "only believe."

So James does not have "faith alone," but we do see "only believe." Jesus said this. And Paul made it clear that we are saved by faith alone as well when he spoke of faith apart from works:

Don't you see the concept of "faith without" throughout Paul's writings?

In Ephesians 2 Paul spoke of a faith that was "not of ourselves," a "gift of God" and "not of works."

FWFW,

FA

 

Good report FA! You have posted facts that should not be denied yet those who like to believe otherwise will continue to reitterate the false view that James is speaking on the contrary. I guarantee you they will not stop saying James is speaking that faith alone does not justify before God. The heads will stay firmly in the sand!

God Bless!

 

steaver,

Thanks. I get tired of that text in James 2:14-26 being so abused. I can understand why someone might have the opinion that we are saved not by faith alone, but I do not see how they get that from James nor how the intention of Paul's words are missed.

That text in James 2 is a difficult one to nail down - Luther struggled with it, and he was quite an exegete/translator.

FA