Shoot...No replies again to this line of inquiry. Have you ever received an answer to this?
Faith is an open, empty hand. Faith is a beggar. Faith looks outside of itself and one’s self to Christ. Faith has no power except Christ its object. Faith is receiving and resting on Christ and his finished work for sinners. Faith is a certain knowledge and a hearty trust in Christ and his gospel. That’s sola fide.
To which should be added that it is God-given effectual faith out of a convicted poor and contrite heart (Ps. 34:18) that is salvific, being counted for righteousness, (Rm. 4:5) making one accepted in the Beloved, and positionally seated with Him in Heaven, (Eph. 1:6;2:6) and fit to be with God at death, but which "is not alone in the person justified, but is ever accompanied with all other saving graces, and is no dead faith, but works by love." [Westminster Confession of Faith, CHAPTER XI. Of Justification.
But which effects themselves are what makes one accepted in the Beloved, but justify one as being a believer, manifestly "things that accompany salvation." (Heb. 6:9)
And that contrary to the Catholic description, it does not leave the person whitewashed but that in conversion the heart of the damned and morally destitute sinner is purified by faith, regenerated, (Acts 10:43; 15:7-9) and both rightly enabled and motivated to serve the Lord, not in order to earn eternal life but as one given that gift on Christ's account, but His sinless shed blood. (Rm. 3:25; 6:23)
Thus the exhortations to keep the faith, a faith which effects obedience, versus having an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God. (Heb. 3:12) Thanks be to God
Man could not and would not believe on the Lord Jesus or follow Him unless God gave him life, and breath, and all good things he has, (Acts 17:25) and convicted him, (Jn. 16:8) drew him, (Jn. 6:44; 12:32) opened his heart, (Acts 16:14) and granted repentance (Acts 11:18) and gave faith, (Eph. 2:8,9) and then worked in him both to will and to do of His good pleasure the works He commands them to do. (Phil. 2:13; Eph. 2:10)
Thus man owes to God all things, and while he is guilty and rightly damned for resisting God contrary to the level of grace given him, (Prov. 1:20-31; Lk. 10:13; 12:48; Rv. 20:11-15) man can not claim he actually deserves anything, and God does not owe him anything but damnation, except that under grace — which denotes unmerited favor — God has chosen to reward faith, (Heb. 10:35) in recognition of its effects.
Which means that God justifies man without the merit of any works, which is what Romans 4:1-7ff teaches, with “works of the law” including all systems of justification by merit of works, “for, if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law.” (Galatians 3:21)
Thus the penitent publican and the contrite criminal, both of whom abased themselves as damned and destitute sinner and cast all their faith upon the mercy of God (which ultimately is Christ), were justified, and as such could go directly to be with the Lord at death, even before they did any manifest works of faith. But works justify one as being a believer, and fit to be rewarded under grace for such, (Mt. 25:30-40; Rv. 3:4) though only because God has decided to reward man for what God Himself is actually to be credited for.
Apparently some RCs imagine that "shewing by the scriptures" (Acts 18:28) means that you simply post a wall of text, versus as Paul's manner reasoning with them out of the scriptures, (Acts 17:2)