[OrthodoxPresbyterian]

Faith is not a work ~~ ForTheDeclaration

That's not what Paul says. Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Thessalonians 1:2-5 ~~ Dr.Eckleburg

Excellent Verse, Dr. Eckleburg. Boo-yah.

• Acknowledging, then, the Teaching of Scripture that FAITH IS A WORK (a volitional mental ACTION); and...

• Acknowledging also the Teaching of Scripture that the Totally-Depraved, Spiritually-Dead Man CAN NOT and DOES NOT EVER perform ANY God-Pleasing Work in his Unregenerate State:
  The Biblical Laws of Human Depravity:
  • LAW 1.) The Spiritually Dead are born wicked. (Genesis 8:21; Psalms 58:3)
  • LAW 2.) All humanely-benevolent works of the Spiritually Dead are considered by God to be unclean filthiness. (Isaiah 64:6)
  • LAW 3.) As long as he is Spiritually Dead, the Unregenerate Man never freely wills the action of Righteous Good. (Jeremiah 13:23)
  • LAW 4.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men are only and always set upon the doing of evil. (Ecclesiastes 8:11)
  • LAW 5.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men are spiritually insane. (Ecclesiastes 9:3)
  • LAW 6.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men always despise the Light of Grace. (John 3:19)
  • LAW 7.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men always reject the ministrations of the Holy Spirit. (Acts 7:51)
  • LAW 8.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men NEVER Seek God. (Romans 3:10-11)
  • LAW 9.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men NEVER will any action whatsoever of Righteous Good. (Romans 3:12)
  • LAW 10.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, it is defined as BIBLICALLY-IMPOSSIBLE that the Unregenerate Man should ever will any Righteous Good. (Romans 7:18)
  • LAW 11.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men NEVER perform any God-pleasing Action of Will whatsoever. (Romans 8:5-8)
  • Law 12.) As long as they are Spiritually Dead, the hearts of Unregenerate Men are utterly incapable of knowing, understanding, or believing any Spiritual Truth. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

• We therefore affirm according to Scripture that the Unregenerate, Spiritually-Dead Fallen Man NEVER performs any God-Pleasing Works whatsoever in his Fallen State (including the Good Works of Belief, Repentance, and True Faith); and ONLY AFTER a Man is sovereignly-Regenerated unto Spiritual Life by the Monergistic Action of the Holy Spirit alone, does he EVER perform any God-Pleasing Works whatsoever (including the Good Works of Belief, Repentance, and True Faith).

The matter being thus Proved beyond Question by Scripture Alone, there remains to the Arminians little reason to deny the Spirit-Breathed Judgments of the Reformed Councils.

My Question remains:

• Was the Reformation RIGHT? Did GOD HIMSELF ORDAIN the Reformed Presbyters to Overthrow the Tyranny of Rome? And if so....
• On what grounds do the Heretical Arminians reject the Spirit-guided Councils of the Holy Reformation?

<

(Of course, there remains the matter of the Anti-Romanist Continental (Ana)Baptists, who predated the Reformation by hundreds of years -- and who upheld the Doctrine of Absolute Predestination more strongly than Calvin himself, and despised the Romish-Jesuit Doctrine of "Free Will".

Best, OP

[Revelation 911]

Harley: I didn't realize the term "Arminian" was derogatory

OP: On what grounds do the Heretical Arminians reject the Spirit-guided Councils of the Holy Reformation?

any clearer for ya harley ?

[Corin Stormhands]

Excellent Verse, Dr. Eckleburg.

OP recognizing, as I often have, that you far surpass me in debating skills, I'd have to ask some questions.

I do not find another reference to faith being a work. Is there another?

That said, I think we also need to recognize that other translations say "the work of your faith" which is a bit different than the "work of faith."

That also said, I look at the parallel construction of work of faith, labour of love and patience of hope. That is not the only time that Paul uses such a grouping.

1 Corinthians 13:13
And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

In the parallel construction there, if "faith" is a work, does that mean that "hope" and "charity" are also works?

Consider...

Galatians 5:22
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

Are the fruits of the Spirit considered "works?"

And finally...

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

Now granted, I have read (and I wish I could recall the source) that the proper construction of this sentence means that the "gift" refers to "grace" and not "faith." But it is my understanding (correct me if I'm wrong), that Calvinists believe that this verse means "faith" is the "gift."

Illuminate me.

Seriously.

[Buggman]

OP, you know I love you, but c'mon! We've already demonstrated repeatedly that faith is not a work:

For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." But to him working, the reward is not reckoned according to grace, but according to debt. But to him not working, but believing on Him justifying the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. --Romans 4:3-5

For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. --Ephesians 2:8-9

So either Paul didn't know what he was talking about and was self-contradictory, or else you guys don't understand Paul. I'm putting my money on the latter.

The "work of faith" then is not faith itself as if it were a work, but the good works that come out of our faith, our labours of love. This is entirely consistent with the rest of Scripture:

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them. --Ephesians 2:9

Even so, if it does not have works, faith is dead, being by itself. But someone will say, You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You believe that there is one God, you do well; even the demons believe and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Do you see how faith worked with his works, and by the works faith was made complete? --James 2:17-22

If Calvinism is truly reduced to distorting faith to be a work, rather than faith being the fount from which all our good works flow, then it has truly given up even the pretense of being Biblical. Somehow, I doubt that's what John Calvin intended.

[xzins]

work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope

No dice, bud....an hortatory list to CHRISTIANS in which the Apostle affirms CHRISTIAN efforts in the post-salvation lives on behalf of the Kingdom of God. This is evidenced by the scriptural context of this verse: 6And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. 7So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

Romans 4:5 on the other hand is specifically referring to the means by which one COMES (pre-Believer) to justification. It is NOT by works but is by faith. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Simple question: Is Abraham the grammatical SUBJECT of the sentence?

[xzins]

work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope

No dice, bud....an hortatory list to CHRISTIANS in which the Apostle affirms CHRISTIAN efforts in the post-salvation lives on behalf of the Kingdom of God. This is evidenced by the scriptural context of this verse: 6And ye became followers of us, and of the Lord, having received the word in much affliction, with joy of the Holy Ghost. 7So that ye were ensamples to all that believe in Macedonia and Achaia.

Romans 4:5 on the other hand is specifically referring to the means by which one COMES (pre-Believer) to justification. It is NOT by works but is by faith. Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness.

Simple question: Is Abraham the grammatical SUBJECT of the sentence?

[fortheDeclaration]

We therefore affirm according to Scripture that the Unregenerate, Spiritually-Dead Fallen Man NEVER performs any God-Pleasing Works whatsoever in his Fallen State (including the Good Works of Belief, Repentance, and True Faith); and ONLY AFTER a Man is sovereignly-Regenerated unto Spiritual Life by the Monergistic Action of the Holy Spirit alone, does he EVER perform any God-Pleasing Works whatsoever (including the Good Works of Belief, Repentance, and True Faith).

Wait, so after a man is saved, we move from a monergism to a synergism?

Man is now performing God pleasing works?

As for your definition of total depravity, God is totally able to deal with the spiritually dead person and shed light into the soul so that the person can make a decision for or against Him.

Calvinists love 'circular reasoning' setting up Total Depravity because of unconditional election and then make it the basis for unconditional election.

If, however, we start with conditional election, then God is able to handle spiritual death, giving the spiritually dead person a will to respond to God's grace.(Jn.12:32)

[Dr. Eckleburg]

Bumping this post cause I miss OP.