Posted on 09/03/2017 3:25:45 PM PDT by BlackFemaleArmyColonel
About half of Protestants in the U.S. now agree with the "historically Catholic belief" that both faith and good deeds are needed for salvation, rather than faith alone, a Pew Research Center survey shows.
White Evangelicals stood out as the strongest believers in faith alone, however.
Pew, which released the survey to mark the 500th anniversary of the Reformation, explored different questions, though one of the main focuses was on the requirements for salvation.
Fifty-two percent of U.S. Protestants said both good deeds and faith in God are needed to get into heaven; 46 percent said faith alone (sola fide) is needed. Among Catholics, 81 percent agreed that both good deeds and faith are necessary. Meanwhile, two-thirds of white evangelicals said they believe faith alone is needed for salvation.
(Catholics argue that "faith and works" is a misleading oversimplification of their beliefs.)
Protestants were similarly split on the Reformation principle of sola scriptura (which means that Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian), with 46 percent saying the Bible provides all the religious guidance Christians need and 52 percent saying Christians need guidance from church teachings and traditions in addition to the Bible. Among white evangelicals, nearly 60 percent agreed with the principle of sola sciptura.
(Excerpt) Read more at christianpost.com ...
"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." (Ephesians 2:8-9) (KJV)
"Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in Heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity." (Matthew 7:21-23)(KJV)
Half of Protestants are confused. That’s why the gate is narrow.
Those people are right and the Bible is wrong? Crazy, mixed up world.
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.
Jesus did not lie when He proclaimed from the cross, “It is finished.” He completed His mission to live the perfect life we couldn’t live and die the atoning death for our sins. There is nothing we can do to earn heaven because Jesus has earned heaven for us.
For this loving gift, we thank, praise, serve and try to obey God’s will as we learn it from the Bible. When we close our eyes in death, we rest assured that heaven is ours because Jesus has done everything necessary for our salvation.
If you have true faith, good works should follow, shouldn’t they?
Good works follow salvation. Salvation does not follow good works.
I think it’s because public education has been under attack for so long that now folks don’t learn to read.
Basic reading comprehension is all that’s required to figure this one out.
Bible is clear. Catholics and half of protestants clearly need to read better.
My wife’s brothers are all catholic and biggest bunch of SOBs. When ever they are in town to visit their mother in a nursing home, the never call or stop by to say hi.
But the works have nothing to do with salvation itself.
Salvation is by grace. It is a gift.
If it were by works, then it wouldn't be a gift, it would be wages.
The WAGES of sin, is death.
But the GIFT of God is eternal life.
good deeds are the natural result of faith, they are not a requirement to enter heaven.
What good deeds was the thief on the cross able to do? NONE.
Yet, Jesus said, “Today you shall be with Me in heaven.”
I left the RCC. Catholics have a bad habit of adding things to the Word of God
James 2:
14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
15 If a brother or sister is without clothing and in need of daily food,
16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and be filled,” and yet you do not give them what is necessary for their body, what use is that?
17 Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself.
18 But someone may well say, “You have faith and I have works; show me your faith without the works, and I show you my faith by my works.”
19 You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.
20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?
22 You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected;
23 and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.
24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.
25 In the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way?
26 For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.
+1
Where, exactly was Christ and the thief if two or three days later He tells Mary “Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God.”?
Then half of protestants better read Romans again (if they ever did in the first place).
Salvation MUST be by faith alone, in Christ’s finished Work on the cross. After one has been born again and has the indwelling Holy Spirit, one way of demonstrating one’s faith is by doing good and kind deeds. But never forget Luke 17:10. We could never do enough good things to “pay for” Salvation. Salvation is ONLY through the blood of Christ.
I’m a Baptist. If someone asked me on the street “Is faith alone enough, or are good deeds required?”, I would want to reply with an essay. Yes/No doesn’t quite cut it.
If someone “invited Jesus into their hearts” at 10 and never gave another thought about Jesus for the rest of their lives, then they are not saved. (James 2) But if anyone is counting on good deeds to justify them, then they are also not saved.
Meanwhile, salvation has a couple of meanings in scripture. Salvation can refer to “saved from God’s wrath”. But is can also include sanctification - being saved from the world - the life long process of being set apart from the world, of becoming holy.
Genuine faith produces good works. Otherwise it was not genuine. The good works do not justify you, but they are an outward sign your faith was real. If they are lacking, something is seriously wrong.
THIS!
Faith without works is not faith.
“As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.” James 2:26
He had just risen. He needed to take His blood and present it to the Father at the Mercy Seat. Later that day he was back and walked with Mr. & Mrs. Cleopas walking to Emmaus. Then a bit later, appeared to the 11. Thomas not present. A week later Tom IS present, and is INVITED by Christ to “Touch me. Put your finger in the nail holes; put your hand into my wounded side.” Thomas fell down and worshipped Christ, saying, “My Lord and my God.”
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