What I find interesting, Catholic Dude, is the internal inconsistencies in the arguments of those who teach faith alone. When you point out James 2:24, they immediately say that James is teaching that genuine faith produces good works. However, when you point out a verse like…
John 15:2
**"Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. **
… many will admit that this is a reference to genuine Christians. So if they are genuine Christians, they
must have genuine faith. If they have genuine faith, why haven’t they born fruit? Doesn’t genuine faith
automatically leads to good fruit, according to the standard Protestant interpretation of James 2? And if it’s not true in the case of John 15:2, then the Protestant interpretation of James 2 does not hold water because John 15:2 proves that a person can have genuine saving faith
without having followed up on that faith with good works. Secondly, we have 2 Peter 1:5-9
**5 But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, 6 to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, 7 to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. 8 For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins. **
Note that Peter does
not say, “he who lacks these things (virtue, knowledge, self-control, perserverance, godliness, brotherly kindness, love) never had faith or was never really saved.” He says that “he who lackes these things… has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” In order for that person to have been cleansed from his old sins, he
must have had genuine faith. That makes sense because Peter opens by saying that one must
add these things to faith. And he says that we must give “all diligence.” “Diligence” means earnest effort. This again contradicts the standard Protestant interpretation of James 2 because true faith should automatically lead to good works. Consequently, the Protestant once again must address the following question made in James 2:14
**14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? **
The obvious answer is no, hence the popular Protestant mantra “the faith that saves is a faith that works.”
However, how do they deal with those in Christ who have
not born fruit, thus having a faith that has
not worked? And how do you reconcile the salvation of these “unfruitful” Christians with passages like:
Revelation 2:26
26 And he who overcomes, and keeps My works until the end, to him I will give power over the nations—
Revalation 2:10
Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.
Galatians 6:7-9
**7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. 9 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. **
Romans 2:6-8
6 who “will render to each one according to his deeds”: 7 eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality; 8 but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness—indignation and wrath,
John 5:28-29
28 Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice 29 and come forth—those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.
God Bless,
Michael
You are very confusing. One moment you sound like a standard OSAS Protestant and a few posts later you sound Catholic. 