Salvation through faith alone?

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Kimella

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How can I properly discuss this point to a n-C whose planted her roots on sola fide? How do I start so that she can easily follow through? She sounds like a sweet mom but can be very harsh when I point out salvation as an ongoing process.

If it’s already discussed in prev threads, pls show which ones :confused:
 
Kimella said:
How can I properly discuss this point to a n-C whose planted her roots on sola fide? How do I start so that she can easily follow through? She sounds like a sweet mom but can be very harsh when I point out salvation as an ongoing process.

If it’s already discussed in prev threads, pls show which ones :confused:
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She has been told that justification is a one-time event only and that we are saved by faith alone. But the Bible mentions “faith alone” only once and that’s in James 2:24 where it says we are “not saved by faith alone.”

James 2:14-26

14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister has nothing to wear and has no food for the day, 16 and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well,” but you do not give them the necessities of the body, what good is it? 17 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 Indeed someone might say, “You have faith and I have works.” Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works. 19 You believe that God is one. You do well. Even the demons believe that and tremble. 20 Do you want proof, you ignoramus, that faith without works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by the works. 23 Thus the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,” and he was called “the friend of God.” 24 See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way, was not Rahab the harlot also justified by works when she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by a different route? 26 For just as a body without a spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

And she has been told that salvation is a one-time event only, but Scripture says salvation is a process.

We are saved (past event) Rom 8:24, Eph 2:5,8, 2 Tim 1:9,Tit 3:5
We are being saved (present event) Phil 2:12,1 Pet 1:9
We are being saved Mt 10:22,Mt 24:13, Acts 15:11,Rom 13:11, 1 Cor 3:15.

Abraham is THE example of salvation being a process and I can show you if you wish.
 
Kimella said:
How can I properly discuss this point to a n-C whose planted her roots on sola fide? How do I start so that she can easily follow through? She sounds like a sweet mom but can be very harsh when I point out salvation as an ongoing process.

If it’s already discussed in prev threads, pls show which ones :confused:
Click to expand...
Unfortunately not all Protestants understand what their church teaches just as all Catholics do not understand theirs.

Most Protestants do recognize salvation as an ongoing process. However terminology is used diferently. To most Protestants salvation involves 4 aspects, each of which is separate but related. These are regeneration, justification, sanctification and glorification. The view on justification varies according to whether “once saved always saved” is accepted.
Justification is the declaration that the person is righteous and has been reconciled to God. This allows that person to pursue sanctifiaction. This is the ongoing process in which we work out our salvation. We are sanctified, are being sanctified and will be sanctified. Sanctifiaction is where we prove our regeneration and justification by striving to be like Christ and obey His commands. We are not rewarded for this as we already are obligated to conform to His commands. One does not expect an award for obeying traffic laws and neither should we expect one for doing what we ought to do anyway.
If we are doing good works because we want eternal life I think we are doing them for the wrong purpose. In such a case we are still focussing on ourselves. I am doing these things because **I want **salvation. We are doing it because we want something, not because it is what Jesus wants. I think this is the hardest thing, to do things for the right motives and not self-interest.
 
Why is it that some Protestants cannot fathom the difference between “God Willed Works” and “Works of the Law” or “Man initiated works”?

“Works of the Law” and “Man Initiated Works” never justify and never save.

“God willed Works” Do Justify and Do save.

Abraham offering Isaac as sacrifice is an example of a “God Willed Work”.

“God Willed Works” Complete Faith.

Catholics believe that Faith is Completed by “God Willed Works” and without that Completion there is no justification or salvation.

The only exception would be one who repents immediately before death.

But Catholics also believe that “God Willed Works” do not always necessarily come after Faith.

After initial faith God lets us exercise freedom of will and we can Choose not to do a “God Willed Work”.

Choosing not to do a “God Willed Work” is disobedience to God and is Mortal sin which cuts us off from God’s grace and if we are in a state of mortal sin and do not repent and die in that state then Yes we go to Hell!

That is true for everyone–Catholic and non Catholic alike.

Catholics also believe that Mortal sin cuts us off from God but Venial sin does not.

That’s why the scriptures can truthfully say that “even the just man falls seven times a day.”

That “Just man” is still “Just” because his sins are Venial.

Faith in order to save Requires not raising an impediment to grace and letting God work His grace in us through His “God Willed Works”.

Interupting that grace means mortal sin and death.

So “Faith alone” as the scriptures say Does Not Justify or Save!

Mortal Sin is a Fact–Does Exist–and that is WhyJesus Breathed on the disciples:

After His Sacrifice on the Cross

And gave them the power to Forgive and Retain sin.

That’s why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

If it weren’t so Jesus who knew the significance of God breathing on Man–

The only other time God did that was when He Breathed on Adam and made him a living soul–

Jesus wouldn’t have Breathed on the disciples and gave them the power to forgive sins—which up to that time belonged to God alone

If Jesus hadn’t thought that giving them that power was the Good and Right thing to do–

So that man could be restored to grace after Mortal sin–

And then could Let Faith work through “God Willed Works” and Save!
 
I Timothy 1: 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (KJV).

I think that these two passages are important. To me, they seem to work together.

I have always believed that ”For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: It is the gift of God” was incomplete. Grace, as I believe, includes love, not just faith. The passage from I Timothy seems to say that grace includes faith and love. Love then includes many more things such as patience, kindness, peace, hope and so forth (I Corinthians chapter 13).

Ephesians 2: 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:

I Timothy 1: 14 And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (KJV).

I Timothy 1: 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (RSV).

I Timothy 1: 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (Hebrew Name version).

I Timothy 1: 14 and the grace of our Lord abounded exceedingly with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (American Standard Version).

I took this from another thread! The thread is something like: Grace, faith and love save us.
 
“I already received the gift of salvation through faith. What more do I need.”

“Is 64:6, 1Pt 1:18-19, Rom 10:9-10 supports above.”

“Rom8:1-3, Rom6:1-4 corresponds to Phil2:12 - work ‘out’ our sal. and not work ‘for’ sal. Eph 2:9 and Tit 3:5 explain what u understand by sal. through faith.”

“Eph6:13-18, shows how to go into battle. Studying his word and prayer are normally enough instructions on how to live.
What did the thief crucified with Jesus do to earn?”

Typical n-C argument on salvation, there’s more to this.
 
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