That's actually a circular argument, presuming this verse is referring to "faith alone" because one asserts that we are saved by faith alone.
If St. Paul means faith alone, and if this is such a critical doctrine, one should expect him to say so explicitly.
Seriously, I'm only looking for a verse--one verse-- that clearly asserts we are justified by faith alone.
However, between Romans 5 and the verses from Ephesians 2:8-9 posted by mommd, the principle is there.
IF it is not by faith alone, but by faith plus works, you have to ask the following questions:
What works do you have to do?
How many do you have to do?
Salvation now becomes incumbent upon your actions and not the one time sacrifice of Christ on the cross.
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However, if you believe in the Trinity you will not find that in Scripture either, yet I don't know of a Christian who denies the Trinity.
The principle lesson here is something doesn't have to be explicitly said in Scritpure; yet from Scripture the principle can be learned.
John 6:40 harkens back to John 3, where Jesus taught Nicodemus the Gospel of Grace. You add ANYTHING to the Gift of God in Christ and you have spit upon God's Grace.
You say you are not looking for an argument yet that is exactly what you are doing, arguing with the CLEAR meaning of God's explanation at several points in the Gospel record.
Do you want to accept eternal Life by Christ's work ALONE/ Or do you want your filthy rags works to be added? Uou are clearly trying to argue God down to a legalism of your choosing, rather than accept the Grace of God ONLY in Christ's finished work.
Does not Ephesians 2:8-9, do just that? And following, verse 10 -— “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them”. The works which he here describes, are Christ’s works. We are HIS workmanship. It is not OUR works, but HIS.
And please forgive me. My first post to you, on reflection, seems too sharp. I should have ordered my remarks in a kinder fashion.
Fact is, of course, the word ‘alone’ was added by Luther, a word that is not there in the original Greek.
Another fact is that no Hebrew writer would consider ‘faith’ to be simple assent, but rather placing completely the weight of life and wholeness on Jesus Christ and his work. All the heroes of faith in Hebrews were commended because their faith produced action. Otherwise, we would never have heard of them.
The problem with protestants’ radically separating justification from sanctification, IMO,is that it is a Greek-style logical/analytical construct that a holistic Hebrew wouldn’t abide (see James). The problem with Roman Catholic position, IMO, is that it hopelessly intermingles the two in a way that leads to a diminished certainty of salvation moment-by-moment.
First off, everything should be verified by two or three witnesses. If you are trying to build a doctrine on just ONE stand alone verse of Scripture, you are going to fall into error. ONE verse can be taken out of context.
The other thing is, many verses are only sentence fragments. The designations for verses are not based on any grammatical sense, as in they are whole complete sentences. So to demand ONE verse can leave you with an incomplete thought.
So you should at least be willing to take one complete thought expressed in one sentence, even if it contains multiple *verses*.
That said, here are some verses that are one liners that agree with each other.....
Romans 3:21-25 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith.
John 1:12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
John 5:24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.
John 6:40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.”
John 11:25-26 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
If we can do that; what shall we do with ""Call no man father" (It's in RED in my bible)
Seriously, I’m only looking for a verse—one verse— that clearly asserts we are justified by faith alone.
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Stop looking for what’s not there and read James 2:14-26. Perfectly clear!