Justification: Through Faith alone?

I have seen many discussions on the theology of Justification and Salvation. Many Protestants, in particular, tend to believe that the soul can be saved through Faith alone, Sola fide, and doing good works plays no part is Salvation. This is reinforced in particular by the books of the New Testament like Romans and Galatians.

Other denominations, such as those in the Catholic, Orthodox, and Restorationist Churches think that one must both be Faithful and do good works. This is supported in particular by the Epistle of James.

here is a list of quotes supporting and opposing the Sola fide doctrine (from wikipedia):

Psalms 84:12: "O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you." Isaiah 64:6: "For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment. And all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." 2 Chronicles 20:20: "Have faith in the LORD your God and you will be upheld..." Matthew 7:22-23: "Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!'" Luke 5:20:"When Jesus saw their faith, he said, "Friend, your sins are forgiven." " Luke 18:10-14:"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood up and prayed about himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.' "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.' I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God." Luke 23:40-43: "But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom. Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." " John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, so that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:18: "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God's one and only Son." John 6:28-29: "Therefore they said to Him, 'What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?' Jesus answered and said to them, 'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.'" John 5:24: "I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life." John 6:40: "For my Father's will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day." John 6:47: "I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life." Acts 10:43: "Of Him all the prophets bear witness that through His name everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins." Acts 16:31: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall be saved." John 14:6: "Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'" Acts 26:18: "...that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in me..." Romans 1:17-18: "Therefore the just shall live by faith. The wrath of God is indeed being revealed from heaven against every impiety and wickedness of those who suppress the truth by their wickedness." Romans 3:28: "Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law." Romans 4:5: "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness." Romans 5:1: "...having been justified by faith..." Romans 10:9: "That if you shall confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shall believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." Romans 11:6: "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace." Romans 14:23: "...and everything that does not come from faith is sin." Ephesians 2:8-10: "For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them." Philippians 3:9: "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith." Galatians 2:16: "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Galatians 2:21: "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." Galatians 3:1-3; 9-14; 21-25: "O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you; did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh? ... So then they who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham. Because as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: because it is written, 'Cursed is every one that does not continue in all things that are written in the book of the law to be done'. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, 'The just shall live by faith'. And the law is not of faith: but, 'The man that does them shall live in them'. Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree. So that the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.... Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, certainly righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scripture has concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up from the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, so that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. Galatians 3:8: "The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith..." Galatians 5:4,5: "Christ has become of no effect to you, whoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith." Titus 3:5: "...he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit..."

Matthew 5:48 (part of the Expounding of the Law within the Sermon on the Mount): "Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." (compare Imitatio dei) Matthew 7:21 (part of the Sermon on the Mount): "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven." Matthew 7:24-27 (part of the Sermon on the Mount): "Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash." Matthew 12:36-37: "I tell you, on the day of judgment you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." Matthew 16:27: "For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done." Matthew 19:17: ""Why do you ask me about what is good?" Jesus replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."" Matthew 24:10-20 (part of the Olivet discourse): "Then many will fall away, and they will betray one another and hate one another. And many false prophets will arise and lead many astray. And because of the increase of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. Matthew 25:31-46 (part of The Sheep and the Goats): "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.' Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.' They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?' He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.' Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life." Matthew 28:19-20a (part of the Great Commission): "Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Luke 8:21: " But He answered and said to them, "My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it." Luke 10:25-28: "On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. "Teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "What is written in the Law?" he replied. "How do you read it?" He answered: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'" "You have answered correctly," Jesus replied. "Do this and you will live."" John 5:29: "And will come out--those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation." Romans 2:6,7; 13: "For he will repay according to each one's deeds. To those who by patiently doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; for it is not those who hear the law who are just in the sight of God; rather, those who observe the law will be justified." Romans 2:16: "on the day when, according to my gospel, God, through Jesus Christ, will judge the secret thoughts of all." Galatians 6:7b-9: "A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up." 1 Corinthians 10:12: "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall." 1 Corinthians 13:2-3: "And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing." 1 Corinthians 13:13: "And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love." 2 Corinthians 5:10: "For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil." James 1:22: "Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says." James 2 (excerpts): "... What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? ... Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou 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? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect? ... Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, James 2:24: "You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone." Phillipians 2:12-13: "... work out your salvation with fear and trembling. For God is the one who, for his good purpose, works in you both to desire and to work." 1 Peter 1:17: "Now if you invoke as Father him who judges impartially according to each one's works, conduct yourselves with reverence during the time of your sojourning." 1 John 2:3-7: "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands. The man who says, "I know him," but does not do what he commands is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But if anyone obeys his word, God's love is truly made complete in him. This is how we know we are in him: Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did. Dear friends, I am not writing you a new command but an old one, which you have had since the beginning. This old command is the message you have heard." Revelation 14:12-13: "Here is a call for the endurance of the saints, those who keep the commandments of God and hold fast to the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying, ‘Write this: Blessed are the dead who from now on die in the Lord.’ ‘Yes,’ says the Spirit, ‘they will rest from their labours, for their deeds follow them.’ Revelation 20:13: "All the dead were judged according to their deeds." Revelation 22:12: "Behold, I am coming soon. I bring with me the recompense I will give to each according to his deeds

You’re a strange creature, Alzheimer.

Just one of four examples of Alzheimer.

#1 Are you mocking?

Proverbs 3: 34 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble

#2 Concealing some hatred through this slander?

Proverbs 10: 18 He who conceals his hatred has lying lips, and whoever spreads slander is a fool

#3 Or just Lying?

Proverbs 12: 22 The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in men who are truthful.

Proverbs 19:

9 A false witness will not go unpunished, and he who pours out lies will perish

How are the big 10 coming today for you?

Proverbs 20

9 Who can say, "I have kept my heart pure; I am clean and without sin"?

I'd guess #2 since the slur has the same smell. SO I bid you goodbye.

Proverbs 14

7 Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

You say:
“Show me where you are justified by the Law. See #4 below”.
For the millionth time, Alzheimer (and yes I’m mocking you – maybe you’ll wake up),
Read James2:12 one hundred times until you can say it in you sleep.

Jam 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty.

Judged and if found guilty of not obeying the law of the Big 10, you pay the price.
And he will know when you stand before him, if you are on the level are just ignoring the Big 10.

Don’t know what you mean by #4.

You Quote Romans 4:
Romans 4 Abraham Justified by Faith

Thanks, you enforce my point even more and weaken yours. Why don’t you read the rest of it to see what works he’s talking about. Read Romans 4:11,12,13,14 even though you don’t like to read it. It’s referring to ordinance or law (instruction in Hebrew) of circumcision. His not at all talking about the Law of the 10 commandments. The promises about the land covenant were given before Sinai when the curses were given for Moses to write them in the Book of the Law of Moses. In vs 14 he says that if inheritance of the land was conditional on circumcision and the curses given at Sinai, then there would be no need to have faith and thus really no need for Yeshua having died. In effect, if being an heir was based strictly on the curses of the law, then even the promise given to Abraham would be of no significance. Your favorite verse that you hate to read Galatians 3:13 tells us which law he is referring to that was given at Sinai. That my friend is the law that we are no longer under. Put that in your pipe and smoke it. It is the TRUTH. Ripley’s believe it or not. While you’re at it read the rest of Galatians 4 since it is the same as Romans 4 basically. Nothing about the Big 10. Same about Romans 9,11; Eph 2. Yeshua redeemed us from the curse of the law. Gal 3:13, Deut 15. That is what we must believe. That is where faith comes in. Nothing about the 10 commandments. Ten commandments don’t speak about heirs, inheritance, circumcision, the promise, Abraham, faith, etc. Get a grip and quit trying to make the Bible say something that isn’t there. Remember, there is a stiff penalty for adding or taking away from the Scriptures.

Blessings as you search for TRUTH.

You say:
“Proverbs 3: 34 He mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble”

What about the one’s that apply to you. Like
Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.
There are a bunch others that apply to you. However, I don’t think there are any that talk about Alzheimers.

You say:
#3 Or just Lying?

This one fits you perfectly. I think you need to look at yourself in the mirror and read this verse at the same time.
1Jo 2:4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

By the way, do you keep the 7th day Sabbath holy and teach all to do the same? I’ll answer for you “No, we’re not under the law.” What a joke, liar. Not my words, but that’s Hashem’s cut down.

You say:
Proverbs 14
7 Stay away from a foolish man, for you will not find knowledge on his lips.

You couldn’t have picked a better one that’s fits your person.

Blessings as you desperately run with your tail between your legs ignoring the Truth

Had to go one more time after my 'pre-pagan' holiday workup.

On Jesus: You've warned me a couple of times (despite my protestations to the contrary)about the judgement effects of the 10 Commandments. Sinners will be judged by the Law.

You called Jesus a 'mediator' which He is but He is alot more than that. I only bring this up because I had been posting to another 'non-pagan' festival dude who had some crazy ideas regarding Jesus. If you aren't afflicted that way, they are still good passages.

John 17:

Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him

Romans 9:

5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen

John 5:

21For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,

This should interest you since you use Yashua for Jesus...perhaps you might want to use something else as well

John 8:

58"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

Two separate verses presented together but with different speakers, I know you know what Alpha and Omega means.

Rev 1: 8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

17When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Jesus speaking again:

Rev 22:

13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Redemption, Justification, Salvation it is really ALL Jesus.

Faith vs. works

I'm sure Jesus and James are in agreement

Luke 7:

47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little." 48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven." 49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" 50Jesus said to the woman, "Your faith has saved you; go in peace."

if you’re foolish enough to believe that Hashem doesn’t give everyone freedom of choice

Everybody might be a stretch, also another look at works for salvation

Rom 9:

11Yet, before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad—in order that God's purpose in election might stand: 12not by works but by him who calls—she was told, "The older will serve the younger." 13Just as it is written: "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated."

14What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all! 15For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion."[f] 16It does not, therefore, depend on man's desire or effort, but on God's mercy.

And finally while we are on Paul, we know what his 'free' will had been until now

Acts 9:

3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do

Placing his hands on Saul, he said, "Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit." 18Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul's eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized,

Had to go one more time after my 'pre-pagan' holiday workup.

On Jesus: You've warned me a couple of times (despite my protestations to the contrary)about the judgement effects of the 10 Commandments. Sinners will be judged by the Law.

John 17:

Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him

Romans 9:

5Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of Christ, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen

John 5:

This should interest you since you use Yashua for Jesus...perhaps you might want to use something else as well

John 8:

58"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!"

Two separate verses presented together but with different speakers, I know you know what Alpha and Omega means.

Rev 1: 8"I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Jesus speaking again:

Rev 22:

13I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.

Redemption, Justification, Salvation it is really ALL Jesus.

Faith vs. works

I'm sure Jesus and James are in agreement

Luke 7:

if you’re foolish enough to believe that Hashem doesn’t give everyone freedom of choice

Everybody might be a stretch, also another look at works for salvation

Rom 9:

And finally while we are on Paul, we know what his 'free' will had been until now

Acts 9:

3As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. 4He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?"

5"Who are you, Lord?" Saul asked.

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," he replied. 6"Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do

"If one can be saved without being baptized, then one can be saved without remission of their sins."

By definition forgiveness of sins saves a person, for where the sins are forgiven, there is no accusation, and if there is no accusation there is no condemnation.

Water baptism on the other hand, is a ceremony that symbolizes the death to sin and rebirth, and it is a public testimony. As such it fulfills Christ command to acknowledge him before others and his command to baptise as part of the great commission.

The water baptism ceremony was commanded, but in most verses that deal with eternal life or salvation only belief in Jesus is mentioned. No additional conditions other than belief is mentioned. Again this belief is not mere mental ascent to Jesus' identity but a trusting faith.

There are a couple of verses that mention baptism in connection with salvation, but in light of the numerous other passages, baptism does not appear to actually be a requirement of salvation, but rather a command to be performed immediately after salvation.

And there are two baptisms, there is the water baptism, and the spiritual baptism. The spiritual baptism occurs the instant you accept Jesus. Everyone who has accepted Jesus as Savior has been baptised in the Spirit.
Acts 11:16 Then I remembered what the Lord had said: 'John baptized with [ Or in] water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.'

> 1 Peter 3:21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge [ Or response] of a good conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

In Acts 10:44-48, the Holy Spirit fell on the Gentiles when they believe before water baptism had occured.

1 John 1:7 says "But if we walk in the light,...." In the very next chapter, 1 John 2:19 talks about some people who left the faith. John says they were never one of us to begin with, and the fact that they left, proves that they were never Christian to begin with, because if they were Christian they wouldn't have fallen away. You're either entered the light or you haven't, you've either known Christ or you've never known him. Christ is in you or He's not, there is no inbetween or in and out. And again this echoes what Jesus says He will say to the unrighteous, "I never knew you."

John also writes this 1 John 5:13 I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life.

We as Christians should KNOW that we have eternal life. It's not something that we should be going around doubting or worrying that God is going to reject us after having adopted us, because to do so, is to put our faith in our own works instead of in Jesus.

John 6:37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away.

Jam 2:12 So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty. Judged and if found guilty of not obeying the law of the Big 10, you pay the price.

Again, I know we will be judged by the 10 Commandments. the Law. For the sake of argument, I'll concede your point regarding the ordinance section of Romans/Gal being about the land covenant.

With these concessions, how then does one receive salvation via the Law? James is specific. As no one save Christ has kept the 10 Commandment/Law, there must be a repentance and forgiveness factor somewhere. In whom is it to be found? If it is in Jesus (which is what I believe) then the Redeemer of the Law is the Author of it. John 8:58. If one accepts that passage, the logical extension is obvious.

Further, IAW, John 5:21-22 Jesus will be our judge. What does He say about salvation? That is what is important to me. Since I have violated the Law, confessed and received forgiveness, but will violate it again for sure, the only hope in the Law is that I hope I won't die prior to the confession of that next particular sin. That isn't the way God intended for us to live.

I contend we live by Grace, freely given, by Grace Christ has authored our Faith (Heb 12:2), through the work of the Holy Spirit, we can do good works (fruits of the Spirit) which reflect the hope within us. All of this is freely given by God to those who believe. It doesn’t give us sway to violate the Law at will, if anything we feel compelled to follow the Lord’s instruction because of the saving work of the Holy Spirit. It is by their fruits that ye shall know them, but not the fruits of my will, God’s will. The free will argument notwithstanding, to me it is obvious that God is responsible for all of it.

I will be out the rest of the day.

I must say that you have summed it up very well.
In regards to :

That isn’t the way God intended for us to live.

He knows our trials and tribulations and the sincerity of our daily prayers in asking for forgiveness of our sins. I remember when the apostles asked Yeshua about how they should pray. And he recited the “Lord’s Prayer”.

In reference to your post 160; I have gone over Romans again. There is sufficient evidence, I find, to say that yes Abraham was considered righteous and justified for only his faith and not any past or present sins. So it is in the New Testament. To become part of the plan of salvation , which means to become an adopted heir and have a right to the Kingdom of the Abrahamic land covenant, one only need have to accept the same concept of “righteousness by faith”, regardless if one is in a state of sin at the time. His sins will be oblilerated. Yeshua died not only for the transgressions of our fathers (2Kings 16-23), who were under the curse of the law and as a result of sin were dispersed to all nations of the world, but for the same sins which were imputed to their descendants. Up to the time of Yeshua, there was no way to return to lost promises of the land covenant. They had lost the inheritance. Yeshua provided the means of salvation or method to return to the lost inheritance. During the life of Yeshua and after his death, any one who accepted and currently accepts Yeshua as Redeemer from the curses of the law, and the sins of the fathers imputed to the then and future descendants of the fathers, as well as the Gentiles, falls under the “righteousness by faith” concept and are justified the same as Abraham was justified. At that instant, a person’s past sins are forgotten and he becomes an adopted heir, whether physically circumcised (Israelite) or not (Gentile), in the future Kingdom according to the promise of the New Covenant (Jer 31:29-34; Heb 8:6-13). Another way of saying it is, his faith (belief that Yeshua’s death has erased all his past sins and he is now justified to enter in the Kingdom of the land covenant) gives him access to grace (Rom 5:2). Now that he is under grace, he is no longer under the law and it curse (Deut 28:15 on down) from which we were redeemed (Gal 3:13) by Yeshua. Also, it is not a license to return to sin (Romans 6:1,2). Yeshua demonstrates this concept very clearly when he said, go and sin no more in John 5:14; 8:11. However, as Paul speaks of the carnal, sinful nature of man, if one should fall from grace due to sin, he currently has a Mediator with the Father who stands up for him (Heb 9:23,24) if he truly repents (Matt 9:13). When Yeshua returns a 2nd time to reign on earth as King (Rev 5:10) in his inherited Kingdom, he also comes back as Judge. He will judge the then living and also the dead according to the Big 10 (James 2:12).

No one fully understands Hashem’s way of thinking or judging, but from Scripture, it does seem he is merciful and gives preferential treatment to some and not to others as you posted in Romans 9. It seems he uses or calls certain people in order to accomplish a certain end result that will demonstrate that he is the one that is running the show. Romans 9:11,12,17,20,21, etc. the whole chapter is really a good study.

Blessings in your search for TRUTH

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