Featured Is Justifying Faith of works or of Grace?

Let us not put the cart before the horse. Works is simply evidence of salvation, not the path to it. LOVE inspires us. Love Elohim, trust him, OBEY him, and the Ruach Ha Qodesh will handle the rest. At the Bema seat, OUR works will be the "wood, hay and stubble", HIS works through us will be the "gold, silver and precious stones"

 

I cannot see where our positions conflict. Our finite human minds are incapable of comprehending the infinite intellect of our Creator. The best we can really do is the best we can and trust Elohim to handle the rest. He is capable. The key is to love. Without love, anything WE do, no matter how worthy it is in OUR eyes, is worthless.

 

Justified by Faith

Almost all Christians would claim to believe we were justified by faith, and perhaps quote Romans 3:28, which says we are justified by faith and not by the works of the Law.

If pressed, many Christians would define “works of the law” as the actions we take to conform to the requirements of the Law, rather than what the “law” actually accomplishes, which is to make us aware of our sin and lead us to Christ.

So lets back up and ask the question, justified by whose faith? Does our faith justify us? If we took a poll, would not a large group, perhaps even a majority, say our faith justifies us? But that would be a works based salvation would it not. Ah but you say faith is not a work.

Maybe we should back up again and consider “justified by whom?” Were we justified by what we did or by what Christ did on the cross? The free gift of justification to life was provided by Christ on the cross, Romans 5:18. So it was Christ’s faithfulness, even unto death on the cross, which provided the propitiation for the whole world. So then the question becomes, how did we “receive” that gift or have that gift applied to us individually?

So it would seem, then that our faith in Christ provides access to Christ’s free gift of justification by the grace of God. But does that too miss the mark? I think so. Would not our faith in effect “save us” then and make us the actual architect of our salvation?

So if our placing our faith in Christ does not automatically save us, then God must credit our faith as righteousness and spiritually place us “in Christ” which saves us because in Christ we receive the justification to life provided by Christ. Wow now that is a systematic theology that fits with all scripture.

 

Evidence of the circumcised heart with the work of the law written upon it. You know, true Jews who are Jews inwardly, Israelites indeed, the Israel of God, doers of the law.

 

Placing our faith in messiah is WHAT saves, or rather, justifies us. From that point on, for the rest of our mortal earthly lives, the indwelling Ruach Ha Qodesh sanctifies us, transforming us from the inside out into that which is pleasing (or more pleasing than before) in His sight. When we are called Home, He glorifies us. It is a process. First, separation from the penalty of sin, then separation from the power of sin, and finally separation from the presence of sin. What a gift! What Messiah paid for us is beyond our comprehension. He is worthy of all of our love and devotion and more. I cannot claim any wisdom of my own. I am a hapless fool. I know nothing that Elohim has not chosen to reveal to me, but I know that HE is wise, and I trust Him.

 

My thoughts.

Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Acts 7:52 ---- Here you have the Just One, I might add the only just one who ever lived having been born of woman, murdered, that is he died.

For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Romans 5:19 He was the, Just One, because he learned the obedience and was obedient unto death, even the death of the cross, by which we can be made righteous, though the obedience was unto death.

I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Gal 2:21 But God raised him from the dead: Acts 13:30

And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. Acts 22:14 Here we have the Just One, the obedience of one, who died, yet lives, has been raised from the dead by God the Father. Gal 1:1 Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead;

Hab 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith. --- Who is the only just one who has ever lived and walked the earth?

Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: ---- The obedience of one unto death.
Titus 3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.

Through the death and resurrection of Jesus we have been given the Holy Spirit. John 16:7, Acts 2:32,33 Titus 3:6,5 Gal 3

Eph. 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through (the) faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

I agree with you, by grace through the faith, we have been made righteous. Justified.

IMHO

 

No, God crediting our faith as righteousness and then transferring us spiritually into Christ is what saves us. Recall Matthew 7 where folks were professing "Lord, Lord" yet Christ never knew them (referring to the fact they had never been put in Christ and indwelt with Christ. To be saved from the penalty of sin is to be placed into Christ where we undergo the circumcision of Christ.

 

We are only able to believe due to God allowing for us to do just that!

 

No verse or passage says we must be altered by irresistible grace in order to believe. OTOH, Matthew 13 tells us 3 of the 4 soils were able to believe. Pay no attention to those who make unbiblical assertions that directly conflict with scripture.

 

It is God Himself who saves us when He justifies us or declares us righteous (Romans 4:5; 1 Corinthians 6:11) and gives us New Birth (Ephesians 2:5; Titus 3:4-5; James 1:17-18;1 Peter 1:3-5), having chosen us in Christ from eternity (Ephesians 1:3-6; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Titus 1:2).
It is the Lord Jesus Christ who saved us when He took away our sins on the cross (Romans 3:24-25; 5:6; Galatians 3:13 etc.)..
It is the Holy Spirit who saves us when He seals us for the Day of Redemption (Ephesians 1:13-14).

Faith is the means that God uses to effect our salvation (Acts 13:48; 16:14; Ephesians 2:8).

 

Lets review:

1) Are we saved and justified through works of the Law? By works of the Law no flesh is justified.
2) Our faith in Christ provides our access to God's saving grace. (Romans 5:2)
3) We are saved by grace through faith. Thus our faith precedes receiving the grace of salvation.

Picture a room full of saving grace. It has no windows and only one door. In order to stand in that grace we must go through that door. What provides our access? God crediting our faith as righteousness, just as God credited Abraham's faith as righteousness. Everyone whose faith is credited as righteousness is "of the faith of Abraham."

 

1 Our faith in Christ provides our access to God's saving grace. (Romans 5:2)
Paul says our faith provides our access to the grace in which we stand. Thus to deny that faith provides our access to saving faith is to rewrite Romans 5:2.

2) We are saved by grace through faith. Thus our faith precedes receiving the grace of salvation. To restate the obvious, to be saved through faith requires that faith is before salvation by grace.

Picture a room full of saving grace. It has no windows and only one door. In order to stand in that grace we must go through that door. What provides our access? God crediting our faith as righteousness, just as God credited Abraham's faith as righteousness. Everyone whose faith is credited as righteousness is "of the faith of Abraham."

Pay no attention to those who shout false, false when confronted with truth. Just read and study Romans 5:2 and Romans 4:4-5. When God credits our faith in Christ as righteousness, He puts us into Christ spiritually where we are justified. Pretty simple, really.

 

Folks, pay no attention to the smoke screen.

Did anyone say faith is producing grace? NOpe. Pay no attention to the constant disinformation spewed forth like a lire hose.

Our faith in Christ provides our access to God's saving grace. (Romans 5:2)

Does Romans 4:16 say "faith is of grace?" Nope The promise to Abraham and his descendants is in accordance with grace through the righteousness of faith. So more disinformation. Just read it folks.

Next rationality is attacked, claiming when we are saved by grace through faith, faith occurs at the same time as grace. Talk about rewriting the text.

Next we get the wholesale rewrite of Romans 5:2 where faith supposedly does not provide our access. Just read it folks.

And finally we get repeated babble, where it is claimed God does not credit our faith as righteousness. Just Read Romans 4:4-5.

Lets review:

1) Are we saved and justified through works of the Law? By works of the Law no flesh is justified.
2) Our faith in Christ provides our access to God's saving grace. (Romans 5:2)
3) We are saved by grace through faith. Thus our faith precedes receiving the grace of salvation.