"Christ is the one Mediator and the unique way of salvation.
"And I wish all RCs believed that faith in Christ alone, and not the addition of their works, is Gods plan of salvation."
You may agree that, according to Scripture, there are two kinds of faith: living and dead. Based on that Biblical distinction, what kind of faith saves? Surely it is a living faith that saves, and not a dead faith.
St James says outright, James 2:17-10
"Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.Sometimes people mistakenly try to play James against Paul on this (I am NOT saying you would do this) but it won't work. Paul himself identifies and rejects a kind of dead faith, a false faith, a "faith alone" without love (1 Corinthians 13:2-3)
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 believeand tremble!
But do you want proof, you ignoramus,
that faith without works is dead?
Was not Abraham our father justified by works
when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?
You see that faith was active along with his works,
and faith was completed by the works.
If I have the gift of prophecySo Paul shows there is not only such a thing as dead works, there's also such a thing as dead faith.
and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge;
if I have all faith so as to move mountains
but do not have love, I am nothing.If I give away everything I own, though I give my body to be burned, and have not love,
I gain nothing.
If neither dead faith nor dead works can profit us anything, then what is needed? Love. Love makes living faith and living works, and they go together.
Here's a wise quote:
"Thus, it is just as impossible to separate faith and works as it is to separate heat and light from fire! Therefore, watch out for your own false ideas and guard against good-for-nothing gossips, who think they're smart enough to define faith and works, but really are the greatest of fools.Not that he's your authority-- and I'm no Lutheran myself--but I think he got that right.(From An Introduction to St. Pauls Letter to the Romans, Luthers German Bible of 1522 by Martin Luther, 1483-1546 Translated by Rev. Robert E. Smith)
Thats why I said faith in Christ alone
For by grace you have been saved, through faith.
Im not talking about another kind of faith and Im not depending on dead works that are done apart from saving faith.
The document you referred to a few days ago is absolutely full of doctrinal error. Honestly, I dont have the time to deal with it. I could spend a month picking out the errors, explaining them to you, and getting no where with you.
This is demonstrated by your response to Part I. You twisted what I said into something else, erected a straw man, and destroyed it.
I dont have time for that cat and mouse game. I have seen the same hackneyed debates rage for over two decades on FR. Yes, this is not my original screen name. (I was booted for supporting the wrong primary candidate.)
I asked a question, you almost answered it, referred me to a long-winded, error-packed treatise (that fully answered my question according to my suspicion), I read almost all of it, I identified the errors in paragraph 14 (the most pertinent to the question), and in your response you introduced some other topic (Dead works).
I go back a long way here. Ive tried to help advance the Kingdom by using Gods Word to show people the numerous errors of the RCC - errors that are so far outside of orthodoxy that the lead people away from the Kingdom.
I admire the men and women here on FR who continuously try to lead the lost to a better understanding of Gods plan for them. I hope the best for them and you.
Kindly,
KR