“For by grace you have been saved through faith. (Ephesians 2:8)”
As I said, we are saved by grace alone. That’s exactly what Ephesians 2:8 says. We receive that grace through faith and works and not by faith alone (James 2:24).
That’s not what Ephesians 2:8 says. It says that we receive faith by grace but it’s the faith that saves as I showed from scripture in my previous post.
>>We receive that grace through faith and works and not by faith alone (James 2:24).<<
That is absolutely backwards from what scripture states. Once again, it is by grace that we have the faith that saves. I for the life of me fail to understand how Catholics take one verse and make it mean something contrary to the rest of what scripture says.
It’s an interesting amalgamation of two different passages in different epistles and two different apostles. I thought only fundamentalists did such things:)
There are no scriptures relating works with Grace other than the Finished Work of Christ Jesus. I noticed you snuck in all the key words of faith, Grace and works then tagged James 2:24 in there.
I would say accurate theology is not based on a verse or a few verses.
But in the case of James 2, he is clearly providing instruction to those proclaiming to be believers in Christ Jesus. He is not on Mars Hill reasoning with pagans presenting the Gospel; nor is James teaching doctrine as we see in Romans and Hebrews (and other places). No James epistle is discipleship 101, exhortation and what we could call catechism for the young already proclaimed in baptism. We note this “tone” in the topic of the passage which is “dead faith.” It is an interesting use of words given how could one be in Christ Jesus if they have “dead” faith? A sobering issue brother James brings up here. An issue or topic not found alone in James but also Peter, Paul and John where they exhort others to examine themselves to see if they are in the faith.
Was this what you wanted to discuss or just do dueling verses?
I would also offer the question...If works and faith is the formula for salvation, then how much of the equation is works? Faith? Or are works the fruits of saving faith?