Posted on 02/26/2011 1:52:09 PM PST by Dr. Eckleburg
"Grace is not a reward for faith; faith is the result of grace." - John Blanchard
"Saving faith is not a native product of the human heart, but is a spiritual grace communicated from on High." - A.W. Pink, http://bit.ly/drXWnO
"It is not faith that saves, but faith in Jesus Christ.... It is not, strictly speaking, even faith in Christ that saves, but Christ that saves through faith. The saving power resides exclusively, not int he act of faith or the attitude of faith or in the nature of faith, but in the object of faith." - B. B. Warfield
Justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. This is the article by which the church stands or falls...There is no gospel except that of Christ's substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God's children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ's saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him. We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice. We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church. - Cambridge Declaration
Faith itself is man's act or work and is thereby excluded from being any part of his justifying righteousness. It is one thing to be justified by faith merely as an instrument by which man receives the righteousness of Christ, and another to be justified FOR faith as an act or work of the law. If a sinner, then, relies on his actings of faith or works of obedience to any of the commands of the law for a title to eternal life, he seeks to be justified by works of the law as much as if his works were perfect. If he depends either in whole or in part, on his faith and repentance for a right to any promised blessing, he thereby so annexes that promise to the commands to believe and repent as to form them for himself into a covenant of works. Building his confidence before God upon his faith, repentance and other acts of obedience, he places them in Christ's stead as his grounds of right to the promise and so he demonstrates himself to be of the works of the law and so be under the curse." Galatians 3:10 - John Colquhoun (A Treatise on Law and the Gospel)
There is a profound jealousy among Protestant women concerning the special status of Mary and a continuous attempt to drag her into the gutter. Stop trying, you are not her equal and never will be.
Works are the demonstration that the faith is saving faith.
For the RC interpretation of James to be correct, they have to deny the entire rest of the inspired word which clearly teaches otherwise.
Hang onto your works of righteousness, which are as filthy rags in His sight, if you will and present them to God, telling Him that Jesus work on the cross wasn’t enough.
See where it gets you.
Or we could do what YOU think God told us about it? You read a lot into the text, assuming that you, personally, are the authority. In fact, you rely on “human” authority as much as I do, except you seldom admit that your own interpretations are “tradition,” that is, the opinions of dead theologians, or some living teacher.
Jesus rejected the man-made authority structure of the first century Jews. He refused to submit to Tradition, the teaching authorty of the scribes and the Pharisees, or the ruling authority of the Sanhedrin.
What Jesus rejected, the Roman Catholic Church has now restored. It has elevated tradition to the same leveel of authority as God’s inspired Scriptures. The pope and bishops have laid claim to be the sole teaching authority.
“For the RC interpretation of James to be correct, they have to deny the entire rest of the inspired word which clearly teaches otherwise.”
False beyond any objectivity. There is no fancying around with St James. He calls those who believe faith without a response will save them, ignoramuses.
“Faith without works is dead”
Not wise to ignore the Word of God.
And you do not face up to the simple fact that Protestantism originated as a rejection of the efficacy of the monastic life. Your rejection of celibacy is very Jewish, that orthodox Judaism, in which celibacy has no place. Yet the ascetic tradition, the prophetic tradition, did have a place for the man who left all and devoted his life to that. Even in the time of Jesus, we have John the Baptist and, of course, the Essenes. John, the scion of a priestly family —as Mary we may reasonably assume—was a daughter of such a family—lived a celebate life, occasioning the widespread belief that he was indeed a prophet. An inconvenient fact is that Our Lord lived a celibate life, albeit not one as strict as the Baptist.
Prophesy was in deed the response to turbulant times,which is why the monastic movement, as a consistent, driving force in Christian history for more than a thousand years, remained powerful. Luther came upon the scene as a prophet but than abandoned that role and ended up a beefy professor of the Bible. But all historians are in agreement that monasticism that that time was in one of its stagnant phases, following a period of dynamic growth and energy after Francis and Dominic. Until Luther’s time it was the spiritual alternative to the worldly life of the bishops and their aristocratic connections. There after, it would be the rebuttal to the Reformation.
Do Calvinists even read the Christian Bible? The following is an incomplete listing of New Testament passages that would have to be denied and ignored to accept your flawed version of the Gospel. Works are indeed necessary.
Matt 5:16 - Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.
Matt 16:27 - For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay everyone according to his conduct.
Matt 25:34-36 - Then the king will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in prison and you visited me.'
Matt. 7:1 - Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.
Matt. 10:22 - You will be hated by everyone because of me, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved
Matt 24:13 - but he who stands firm to the end will be saved.
Matt 25:40-45 - 40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
41 “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. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 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.’
44 “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?’
45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’
Mark 13:13 - You will be hated by all because of My name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be saved.
Mark 10:21 - Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
Luke 12:43-48 - It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. 44 Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. 45 But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. 46 The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.
47 “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. 48 But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.
Luke 14:14 – 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
Luke 23:41 - 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
John 3:19-21 - 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.
James 2:24 - You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
James 2:26- As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.
1 Peter 1:17 - Since you call on a Father who judges each person’s work impartially, live out your time as foreigners here in reverent fear
1 Pet 2:12 - Maintain good conduct among the Gentiles, so that if they speak of you as evildoers, they may observe your good works and glorify God on the day of visitation.
Rom. 8:13 - For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.
2 Tim 4:14 - Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has done.
Titus 3:8 - This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good. These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.
Titus 3:14 - Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.
1 Cor. 3:15 - If it is burned up, the builder will suffer loss but yet will be saved—even though only as one escaping through the flames.
Rom. 2:6-10, God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Rom. 2:13 - For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous in God’s sight, but it is those who obey the law who will be declared righteous.
2 Cor. 5:10 - For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad.
2 Cor. 9:6 – Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.
2 Cor. 11:15 - It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
Gal. 6:7-9 – Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.
Eph. 6:8 – because you know that the Lord will reward each one for whatever good they do, whether they are slave or free.
Col. 3:24-25 - since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. 25 Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for their wrongs, and there is no favoritism.
1 Tim. 6:18-19 – Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
Heb. 6:10 - God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.
Heb. 12:14 – Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.
Rev. 2:5 - Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.
Rev. 2:10 – Do not be afraid of what you are about to suffer. I tell you, the devil will put some of you in prison to test you, and you will suffer persecution for ten days. Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you life as your victor’s crown.
Rev. 2:19 - I know your deeds, your love and faith, your service and perseverance, and that you are now doing more than you did at first.
Rev. 2:23 - I will strike her children dead. Then all the churches will know that I am he who searches hearts and minds, and I will repay each of you according to your deeds.
Rev. 3:15 – J “I know your works, you are neither cold nor hot. Because you are lukewarm, I will spew you out of my mouth.”
Rev. 14:13 - “for their deeds follow them!”
Rev. 20:12 – “the dead are judged by what was written in the books, by what they had done.”
Rev. 22:12 – “Behold, I am coming soon, bringing my recompense, to repay everyone for what he has done.”
So, telling people to do what the church leaders said rather than what they do was a rejection of tradition? He was telling people that the tradition was still correct even if the leaders didn’t follow it themselves.
That is a false statement FK, the true position is here [in CCC 2008]:
I don't see how that disagrees with what I said. :) When I said "innately good" I didn't mean to imply it was self-generated. I'll grant that you would say [I think] that it is a gift from God. Nevertheless, the key element for works here is "man's free acting", as the CCC says. Merit goes first to God, BUT THEN ALSO to man. That's the problem. If the intent was to give full credit to God for good works (or salvation) then there would be no need to use a term like "the merit of man" when discussing good works (or salvation). The CCC fully acknowledges the concept of man's merit and so it must be in distinction from God's merit.
FK: ...... you contribute merit to your own salvation ......
again incorrect. Our salvation is from Christ's one-time sacrifice alone. You are misreading Phil 2:12 12 Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, --> we must accept Christ's freely given salvation. We do not merit it, we cannot gain it without faith. Yet, we are not justified by faith alone -- even demons have faith yet do not do good and are not saved.
I don't understand how you can say that on the one hand we are saved by "Christ's one-time sacrifice" alone, BUT, "we are not justified by faith alone". According to this we can be saved but not justified since being saved requires nothing from us. How does that work?
In any case, as I understand it Catholicism says that one must do works in order to be saved. And, that partial credit for those works does go to man. This appears to be confirmed by CCC 2010, in the same section as your reference:
“Do Calvinists even read the Christian Bible? The following is an incomplete listing of New Testament passages that would have to be denied and ignored to accept your flawed version of the Gospel. Works are indeed necessary.”
Just when I think it can’t get anymore off-the-mark, the antis gobsmack with the silly statement prefacing your answer above.
That is why I have stopped calling them Christians. They have cut off the Letters of Paul from their roots and have perverted them into their own version of Golden Tablets to which their own internal indwelling gnostic interpretations promises them everlasting life by virtue of some kind of lottery. Calvin puts Vince Schlomi (the Sham-Wow guy) to shame.
Yeah, I can see Calvin saying, "You're gonna love my nuts"
Tradition I can understand...But scholarship??? What kind of scholarship does it take to deny what God clearly says in the scriptures???
Since you are the one denying all of the Scripture I cited in post #1387 I would say it is a lack of scholarship.
In fact, when I read your posts, I can actually hear the banjo music from Deliverance...
Faith and works.
That is contrary to Scripture which says otherwise...
Faith without works, lest any man should boast...
Of course Jesus says differently, but Gutter???
And sexual relations are just for procreation and make sure the lights are off, eh???
I have no reason to believe that Mary was not looking forward to the consumation of her marriage to Joseph just as much as Joseph was...
Sex between married men and women ain't dirty...
What about post #1387 and all of the other Scriptural references I didn't list?
There is no sin in having been duped, but there is sin in remaining so once you have been shown the truth.
Nope, that's not the case...It's all true or none of it's true...
And it has nothing to do with tradition or interpretation...It's comparing scripture with scripture...And believing it...
YOU are reading it. YOU are interpreting it.
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