Some folks like to think once you have accepted Jesus' sacrifice to cover your sins, you don't have to worry about adhering to God's directives. Hey, they're saved.
Can't go out and commit sin at will without trying to be good, and then point to Jesus sacrifice to gain entry into heaven.
We have an obligation to live good lives.
No, we don't earn our way into heaven, but we do try to please our heavenly father with good works.
“you don’t have to worry about adhering to God’s directives.”
Exactly the concern.
And in this day and age, I see so many “Christians” who are not conforming to God’s moral standard. They go to church and listen to Christian Rock, but still are fine with shacking up and screwing, and slacking off.
Hey, I can do anything I want, because Jesus died for me! I think it’s highly disrespectful to not actually try to adhere to the rules.
I grew up in a Calvinist, Evangelical church and I agree that the doctrine of by faith alone is problematic in that sense. IME, people who buy into that thinking strongly tend to downplay the importance of following Christ’s teachings.
The thing is, when the BFA doctrine was originally formulated, it was really just a clever twist on traditional doctrine. Early Calvinists believed that good deeds were the sign that someone had been saved. So in order to be saved, one must do good deeds and be a “visible saint.” In other words, good deeds are necessary for salvation, but interpreted as being an effect of salvation rather than a cause. To me, that’s splitting hairs. Later, people began to push the idea that someone could somehow be saved even if their behavior was un-Christian. That’s where the problems come in.
Thanks. I have always been uneasy with faith alone. Especially when a woman I knew stole another woman’s husband and said “ I know it’s against the laws of God and man, but I am saved by Jesus”. And her dad was a minister.