it touches my heart beyond measure to see such a wonderful young man
born again by the grace of God . . .
defending the truth of the Word of the Lord , no matter the consequence !!!
may God richly bless you brother Matt -
this is without a doubt a true piece of solid Bible study ,
it is uplifting, exhorting and sharp , cutting to the marrow
we need this kind of men today
below was written in 'response' by Matt, to a article series that is run EVERY
sunday in our local newspaper , by several 'churches of Christ' -
if i can find the 'article' , i will post it too, for reference
Matt, i am honored to call you a brother in Christ !!
drive on , sir, drive on
*******
I write this e-mail to you with all the love in my heart. I would like to respond to a recent article you put in the standard, entitled "Are sinners saved by works." There is no good deed we could ever perform that would commend us to God. For you see even "our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment." (Isaiah 64:6) Ephesians chapter two verses 8-9 clearly says "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. Not as a result of works so that no one may boast." "Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). "Not because of works but because of Him who calls." (Romans 9:11) Being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus; whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith." (Romans 3:24) So you see it is by grace alone, through faith alone, based on the work of Christ alone. Of course genuine faith and repentance go hand and hand. You cannot have true faith and it not cause you to repent, nor can you trust in Christ alone for salvation without repenting. So sinners are saved when they respond to the gospel call in repentance and faith. We are saved unto good works. "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10) Now let's look at some of the verses you cited in your article and see if we can put them into context. The point of James 2:17-26 is not to show how works play into God's plan of salvation. Our Lord Jesus Christ completed that on the cross. If that's not enough, then none of us will make it. Rather, the point of the text is to show that genuine faith is demonstrated and proved by works. Back up a few verses. Don't miss that important phrase in verse 14 "...if someone says he has faith... Can faith save him." The answer of course is no. We know that not everyone who says they have faith actually has faith. That's the point of the text. "But someone may well say, "You have faith but i have works show me faith without works and i will show you my faith by my works." (v.18). Faith without works is dead. It is true. It cannot save. Not because of a lack of works but still because of a lack of real faith. When Abraham was counted righteous it was years before he offered Isaac on the altar. "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." When he offered Isaac up it proved he believed God, thus his faith was perfected and the scripture was fulfilled. (v.22 and 23.) The faith he is talking about in verse 24 is the vain, dead faith he started with in verse 14. You quoted Matthew 7:21 to support your work-based gospel, but again if we put it in context it proves just the oppostie. Look at the following verse " Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord Lord', did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons and in your name performed many miracles. or many wonderful works as king james says." So we see condemnation is not based on a lack of works. These folks our Lord says done many wonderful works in His name, they even professed faith in Him. (v21) But yet he said "I never knew you, depart from you who practices lawlessness." Why is that? Because, "He saved us,not on the basis of works which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing and regeneration of the Holy Spirit" They never experienced regeneration. Thus they were inable, in their fallen state, to produce true faith and repentance.(Rom. 8:7) You see even faith and repentance are gifts from God.(Ephesians 2:8, 2Tim. 2:25) So what is the will of the father? That men be born again and come through Jesus alone for salvation. You quoted Romans 2:13, but why would you take that so far out of context. The point of Romans is obviously not that works of the law saves. "because by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in his sight; for through the law comes the knowledge of sin." (Romans 3:20) 2 Thessalonians 1:8 says those who "obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." What is the gospel? Paul tells the church at Corinth the gospel he preached to them.(1 Corinthians 15:1-4) He preached the work of Christ, not the work of man, as the gospel. So what does it mean to obey the gospel. It is to obey the gospel call, our Lord said "repent and believe the gospel". (Mark 1:15) You said even belief is a work of man and said to look at John 6:29. Well I did. Let me share with you what it says, "Jesus answered and said to them, "this is the work of God that you believe in Him whom He has sent." I pray that you would take time to search these things out for yourself. We are commanded not only to study but to get these things right "Be diligent to present yourselves approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth."(2 Tim. 2:15) I think the main difference between what you believe and what i believe is that you believe works produces salvation. Whereas, I believe salvation produces works. My prayer is that God would lead us both to the truth of His word. May God bless you. (all scriptures i quoted are from the NASB version of the Bible) *******
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
3 comments:
H eresponded to Matt today. Pretty much telling him he took things out of context.
i cannot find nor get the original article that Matt responded to
but it was on works based , christianity and baptismal regeneration
I HAVE ONE THING TO SAY ON THAT
would a faithful biblical christian , ever baptize , someone who DOES NOT repent, have faith and profess Christ ? NO!!!
you would not , so the pre-requisite to baptism is a changed nature by the Holy Spirit , what Jesus called 'you must be born again . . ." gospel of John chapter 3
the Baptism of Christian believers , is an outward sign of faith , to God , and to others, of the changed life, that God has wrought in them
here is the second article to the original article , as it ran in our local paper, yesterday 8-10-2008
basically the same thing as the one ran 8-3-2008 but more detail
**************************
"where in the Bible will I find?"
DO WORKS PLAY A PART IN SALVATION?
yes. James 2:24 says, " ... by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." "as ye have always obeyed .. . work out your own salvation . . ."phillippians 2:12.
James Chapter two shows vividly that saving faith is a working faith. "though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?" (v.14)? the answer is NO. "even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone"(v.17) we show our faith by the works we do and without works, faith is dead. "but wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead" (v.20) ? Abraham was justified before God (declared to be innocent) by his works of obedience and not by "faith only." Faith is genuine only when it is coupled with works, and "by works is faith made perfect" (vs.20,21). likewise, Rahab was justified by her works "when she had received the messengers, and sent them out another way" (v.25) the conclusion is : "for as the body without the spirit is deat,so faith without works is dead also" (James 2:26).
the works by which one is justified are works of obedience to God's will. they are not works of merit whereby we obligate God to grant us salvation. a person is simply moved by his living and active faith to obey God's commands and thereby comply with the conditions God has stipulated in order to obtain salvation. No man can or will be saved in disobedience to God. Salvation comes by faith and obedience.
there are two parts in obtaining salvation: God's part(work) and man's part (work) . God's part is complete- salvation is extended to all (Hebrews 2:9; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter3:9) . It is only man's work that is lacking and it is an individual matter with each one. A man must "do something" to be granted salvation . therefore, everything man does is a work on his part, even to the point of believing in Christ (John 6:29). men cannot escape works in God's scheme of redemption . the jailor asked , "what must I do" (acts 16:30) On pentecost thousands asked "what must we do" (acts 2:37). God requires man to DO (work, obey) .
One who says works are not essential to salvation has a dead faith and is not honest with the Scriptures (James 2:14-26)! ! works are not all there is to salvation, but they are most definitely a part. without works, no man will be saved!!!
**********************
my comments are this -
1. he is confusing the types of faith , there is SAVING faith and active faith that is given to EACH believer, imparted by God upon being regenerated by the Holy Spirit. the active faith grows as we are sanctified by Him
i may have faith that a chair will hold me up, but until i sit in it and prove to me that it DOES INDEED hold my weight , its NOT active faith .
2. he quotes Scripture of the examples of Abraham and Rahab. the problem here is that these two people were made a promise by either God Himself or God's representative (the Hebrew spies) , so Abraham and Rahab were believers or had reason to believe.
THEIR NATURE OF DISBELIEF HAD ALREADY BEEN CHANGED ....
today people that are not born again , or lost as some say , HAVE NOT had their nature (which is always against God , ) changed .
who does this changing ?
judging by the article above, its the MAN OR WOMAN that takes it upon himself/herself to make that change to "simply , have faith and believe"
what ?!! they cannot !!!! its impossible !!!!
show me any Biblical account of that happening , without first God changing that person first - it doesn't exist
God sought and found Abraham, Isaac, King Saul, King David, Gideon, Elisha, Elijah, Moses, Paul, ALL THE APOSTLES . . . the list goes on and on
but some how today , its up to men to make a decision for Christ , to choose , to simply have faith and believe, and we preach that and tell that till we are blue in the face, but THEY DON'T COME , DO THEY !!
its the Holy Spirit Who changes mens hearts, so that THEY CAN BELIEVE and have FAITH in God
as a wise friend told me to day ,
FAITH IS A GIFT FROM GOD !!!!!!
accept it , give God glory for it, quit stealing God's thunder -
when we say
1. scripture alone,
2. faith alone,
3. grace alone,
4. Christ alone,
5. for God's glory alone
we do not mean that those items above alone save, what mean is those items ONLY will save
take this in context, Cahtholics believed coming into the reformation that it took , FAITH in God but also, faith in priests, etc,. they added to what the Word of God says about justified by Faith in God only, the perverted it.
again they said that Scripture , the Word of God, is good BUT you also have to believe in the Church and what the Pope says is equal to what Scripture says . so they perverted that too
when we say Christ alone, they perverted that too , by invoking and venerating Saints, who were dead.
when we say Grace alone , they perverted that by saying that taking the Mass, God then grants us grace , so it was the ceremony of Mass that actually grants repentance; if you couldn't take Mass you couldn't get forgiveness
DOES THIS SOUND FAMILIAR TODAY !!
can you say baptismal regeneration !
there are many who do and they hang their hat on that , till the cows come home , and in fact , will say , "we had 3 baptized today !!" not born again today, but baptized today
its heresy
pure and simple
heresy - twisting and perverting the Word of God
and the rub salt in the wound
these people imply that , after the new testament church, until the mid 1800's in America , under the beginnings of the churches of Christ, (campbellites) that whole span of time , AD 100ish to 1860's or so , ALL THOSE CHRISTIANS WERE WRONG, FALSE AND COULD NOT READ , INTERPRET , STUDY NOR DID THE HOLY SPIRIT GIVE OR IMPART KNOWLEDGE OR WISDOM TO THEM
because it took the churches of Christ to set the truth straight and the put this forward and stand on it , till they die !!
1800 years, went by with all those people , claiming to be christians , and they were wrong; they weren't christians at all see
because this denomination claims that you HAVE TO BAPTIZED TO BE IN CHRIST. and that if you believe , repent and confess Christ, but a Roman soldier wacked off your head, without you being baptized, YOU WENT TO HELL
they say . . . you are not regenerated until you are baptized
may God have mercy on us
Post a Comment