The Real reason why one cannot be saved by faith alone.

[GaryZak]

By that LOGIC, and premises like that; EVIL is a FIGMENT of OUR IMAGINATION…

We should be able to EAT LITTLE CHILDREN’S GUTs with NO differentiation, simply to fullfill a need… Sexual satisfaction with ANIMALS should have NO consequences either VIRUALLY, infestation wise, or otherwise… Human NEEDS are beING met consequences are FIGMENTS… EVIL is NON existant, there EXISTS only STRONGER WINNERS, for as long as they live, and FEAR, right? CONSCIENCE is just a psychological imperfect IMAGINATION which NEEDS to be DARWINLY BREED OUT OF EXSISTANCE right?

And ADOLF HITLER WAS RIGHT on page 443 of MEIN KAMPF, his struggle The BEST, and HIGHEST PHILOSOPHY is to give the EARTH TO THE BEST the PEOPLE, and JESUS CHRIST IS and WAS WRONG with his beatitudes, the MEEK WILL ONLY INHERIT their GRAVES and ROT, right?

MoreOVER GOD the FATHER, the HOLY SPIRIT wHICH all religions CALL UNFORGIVABLE TO DENY, has SOME PROFIT in ,“FORTIFING/STRENGTHING,” that which is NOT HIS WILL???

 

[RMP]

OK, this last post…Im not sure how to respond. ill leave that to better men than me…

I cannot understand how MARY at her very CREATION, her conception, could accept or reject this grace from GOD. Its beyond me. The GRACE was given freely 100%, unmerited. I cant remember where it was taught or by who, but some believed this was like the FIRST baptism of GRACE into the world. santifying grace in anticipation. NOT just natural grace. we all have natural grace. review the Catecesm. Could MARY have lost her grace afterward during her everyday life?, well all I CAN SAY is she didnt…All the doctrines of mary cooperate with each other. Immaculate conception, virgin birth, ever virgin, ever w/o sin, assumption. She truly cooperated with her GRACE through her entire life, How? BY the GRACE of GOD. This grace led her, it didnt force her.

 

[mayra_hart]

I. Goo

Sir. 35:19; Luke 23:41; John 3:19-21, Rom. 8:13, 2 Tim 4:14, Titus 3:8,14, Rev. 22:12 - these verses also teach us that we all will be judged by God according to our deeds. There is no distinction between the “saved” and the “unsaved.”

1 Cor. 3:15 - if works are unnecessary for salvation as many Protestants believe, then why is a man saved (not just rewarded) through fire by a judgment of his works?

Matt. 7:1-3 - we are not judged just by faith, but actually how we judge others, and we get what we have given. Hence, we are judged according to how we responded to God’s grace during our lives.

d Works in Sanctifying Grace are Necessary for Salvation

Rev. 2:19 - Jesus acknowledges the good works of the Thyatirans, except their tolerance of Jezebel and is thus not satisfied.

Rev. 2:23 - Jesus will give each of us as our works deserve. He crowns His own gifts by rewarding our good works.

Rev. 2:26 - Jesus instructs us to keep his works to the very end. This is not necessary if we are “once saved, always saved.”

Rev. 3:1-2,8,15 - again, Jesus is judging our works from heaven. We choose to apply Christ’s merits to our own lives.

Rev. 14:13, 20:12 - we are judged by the Lord by our works. Our faith during our life is completed and judged by our works.

Heb. 7:27, 9:12,26;10:10; 1 Pet 3:18 - Jesus died once and redeemed us all, but we participate in the application of His redemption by the way in which we live.

Heb. 9:12 - Christ’s sacrifice secured our redemption, but redemption is not the same thing as salvation. We participate in and hope for salvation. Our hope in salvation is a guarantee if we are faithful to Christ to the end. But if we lose hope and fail to persevere, we can lose our salvation. Thus, by our own choosing (not by God’s doing), salvation is not a certainty. While many Protestant churches believe in the theology of “once saved, always saved,” such a novel theory is not found in Scripture and has never been taught by the Church.

Rom. 5:2 - we rejoice in the “hope” (not the certainty) of sharing the glory of God. If salvation is assured after accepting Jesus as Savior, why would Paul hope?

Rom. 5:5 - this “hope” does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Rom. 8:24 - this “hope” of salvation that Paul writes about is unnecessary if salvation is guaranteed. If salvation is assured, then why hope?

Rom. 10:1 - Paul prays that the Jews “may be saved.” Why pray if it’s guaranteed? Further, why pray unless you can mediate?

Rom. 12:12 - rejoice in your “hope” (not your certainty), be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.

 

[francisca]

mayra hart:

I. Goo

Sir. 35:19; Luke 23:41; John 3:19-21, Rom. 8:13, 2 Tim 4:14, Titus 3:8,14, Rev. 22:12 - these verses also teach us that we all will be judged by God according to our deeds. There is no distinction between the “saved” and the “unsaved.”

1 Cor. 3:15 - if works are unnecessary for salvation as many Protestants believe, then why is a man saved (not just rewarded) through fire by a judgment of his works?

The difference between the “saved” and the “unsaved” is :

The saved knows God’s Mercy, and they have been living in that Mercy. So they say “All I do is to keep my trust in Him who has saved me, and because of this I am crowned with good works that I do in that grace, and on top of all these I have received blessings for the good works I have done. He has given me His joy so that I rejoice even in difficult times, because He uphold and carry me in His mighty hand. Praise His Holy Name”.

But the “unsaved” would say “God is just (read: holy). There is noway sinners can escape His justice. Therefore-- eventhough I believe that He is good, yet-- I need to work hard so that God has no reason to condemn me. He is just. God is great !!! Full of compasion and merciful indeed. Yet, He will judge me according to my work. Alas!!! I forgot to go to mass yesterday. Look at that girl, how come she wear such clothes to mass. O where was I? Ah yes now I remember : we need to go to mass every Sunday. That’s an obligation !”

Sure we will be judged according to our works, but

those who has faith live by the faith, while

others who do not believe live by their own strength.

Matt. 7:1-3 - we are not judged just by faith, but actually how we judge others, and we get what we have given. Hence, we are judged according to how we responded to God’s grace during our lives.

Exactly. And how do we respond to God’s grace during our lives?

By believing. This is how we receive grace. This is how we excercise our FREE WILL : choose to believe.

Rev. 2:19 - Jesus acknowledges the good works of the Thyatirans, except their tolerance of Jezebel and is thus not satisfied.

So what do you think : Are there works of ours that “satisfactory” for God?

Rev. 2:23 - Jesus will give each of us as our works deserve. He crowns His own gifts by rewarding our good works.

Then be focus on HIM who give us gifts. If we focus on “our works” : we focus on the gifts instead of the Giver.

Actual grace is also grace. It is unearned. So focus on the Giver, so you might receive it from Him who is generous indeed.

Rev. 2:26 - Jesus instructs us to keep his works to the very end. This is not necessary if we are “once saved, always saved.”

Thus you are saying that your salvation is depend on your own faithfulness. Becareful here. Remember what Jesus said : “let it be done unto you according to what you believe”.

Rev. 3:1-2,8,15 - again, Jesus is judging our works from heaven. We choose to apply Christ’s merits to our own lives.

He is judging us with Mercy. The unmerciful will condemn itself when God comes with His Mercy : nothing unmercifull can stand in front of Him. All condemnations shall perish in His Presence. Remember that God is love. Love is merciful : there is no condemnations in Him.

Rev. 14:13, 20:12 - we are judged by the Lord by our works. Our faith during our life is completed and judged by our works.

Our works of love will prevail : but not of human love but God’s love. To love like God we need faith.

[continue…]

 

[francisca]

…continue]
myra hart:

Heb. 7:27, 9:12,26;10:10; 1 Pet 3:18 - Jesus died once and redeemed us all, but we participate in the application of His redemption by the way in which we live.

Yes. And how do we participate ? By “our own works” ? No, but by believing first, then we will do “HIS works” !

Heb. 9:12 - Christ’s sacrifice secured our redemption, but redemption is not the same thing as salvation.

Our redemption by the blood of Jesus is EVERYTHING regarding our salvation.

We participate in and hope for salvation.

Yes. and we participate by believing. For if we don’t believe we can’t participate. Work comes from what we believe.

This is how we excercise our “free will” : we choose to believe.

Our hope in salvation is a guarantee if we are faithful to Christ to the end.

Everything is Grace “alone” and yet, it depend on our own faithfulness? Can’t be! For Grace is much much more faithful than we.

But if we lose hope and fail to persevere, we can lose our salvation.

There you go… You have made your point.

Therefore next time you declare the opposite.

Thus, by our own choosing (not by God’s doing), salvation is not a certainty.

Don’t deny Christ.

Salvation is God’s doing period. Everything is God’s GRACE. It does not depend on us, but on Christ.

While many Protestant churches believe in the theology of “once saved, always saved,” such a novel theory is not found in Scripture and has never been taught by the Church.

Romans 6
8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Rom. 5:2 - we rejoice in the “hope” (not the certainty) of sharing the glory of God. If salvation is assured after accepting Jesus as Savior, why would Paul hope?

Rom. 5:5 - this “hope” does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

Rom. 8:24 - this “hope” of salvation that Paul writes about is unnecessary if salvation is guaranteed. If salvation is assured, then why hope?

Especially because salvation is secured in God’s hand, that we can ALWAYS HOPE.

If I don’t believe that God will surely fulfill His Promise, I CANNOT hope anymore.

Rom. 10:1 - Paul prays that the Jews “may be saved.” Why pray if it’s guaranteed? Further, why pray unless you can mediate?

Rom. 12:12 - rejoice in your “hope” (not your certainty), be patient in tribulation, and be constant in prayer.

Our hope is certain because of God’s Promise. If you question this, you don’t believe Him who give you the promise.

Hold on to this : God’s Promise is secure. We can rest assured of His Salvation because He will fulfill His Promise according to His Faithfulness. Believe this, then you will see His wonders working in your life.

God bless.

 

[francisca]

YAQUBOS:

Peace be with you!

Why are you trying to put me in a category all the time? Are you carnal?

“For when one says, “I am of Paul,” and another, “I am of Apollos,” are you not mere men?” ( 1 Corinthians 3:4 )

In Love,
Yaqubos†

You are right, it’s not important.

As long as we BELIEVE God’s salvation through Christ.

 

[beng]

francisca:

You are right, it’s not important.

As long as we BELIEVE God’s salvation through Christ.

Wrong, it is important.

If A believes this and B believes that, then A and B can’t be both right.

 

[Sirach14]

JimG:

I don’t believe that we are saved by Faith or by works, but by God’s grace.

But if I were to go by the words of Jesus describing the last judgment in Matthew 25:31-46, I would surely conclude that we must be saved by works, since that is the criteria He gives for entry into Heaven.

The Catholic Church teaches that we are saved by “Grace Alone”; but not “Faith Alone”.

 

[Sirach14]

mayra hart:

st james condems the idea that we are saved by faith apart from good work:“see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone… for as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith aprt from works is dead”(jam2:24,26)luther’s battle cry,"justification by faith alone ",is expressly contradicted by scripture, which explains why he belittled the book of james(a part of god"s infallible word) as “an epistle of straw”. santa maria madre de dios ruega por nosotros. amen

Remember, it was Martin Luther who added the word “Alone” to Scripture, otherwise it is not there. You can find the verse in his German Bible. His explanation for the insertion is in his own words: " I know very well that the word ’ alone’" is not in the Latin and Greek texts; but Dr. Martin Luther will have it so, and I order it to be so, and my will is reason enough." So whom are you going to listen to; St. Paul who writes under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, or Martin Luther who created his Luther Bible under his Own 'audacity"?

 

[Sirach14]

JimG:

rarndt01: I agree with you entirely. I was only making the point that in reading the Gospels, especially in the account of the last judgment, works come across as very important!

Speaking of works, read Psalm 106:30,31: " Then stood up Phinehas, and executed judgment: and so the plague was stayed. And that was " counted unto him for righteousness" unto all generations for evermore," (KJV) Non-Catholics find this verse very troubling, and try to attribute it to a person’s faith, but the Psalmist does not say this. The meaning is the same as in Genesis 15:6.

 

[beng]

francisca:

myra hart:

While many Protestant churches believe in the theology of “once saved, always saved,” such a novel theory is not found in Scripture and has never been taught by the Church.

Romans 6
8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

Rev 3:5
*He that shall overcome shall thus be clothed in white garments: and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life. And I will confess his name before my Father and before his angels.
*

Ex 32:31-33
31And returning to the Lord, he said: I beseech thee: this people hath sinned a heinous sin, and they have made to themselves gods of gold: either forgive them this trespass, 32Or if thou do not, strike me out of the book that thou hast written. 33And the Lord answered him: He that hath sinned against me, him will I strike out of my book:

Ps 69:27-28
27Add thou iniquity upon their iniquity: and let them not come into thy justice. 28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living; and with the just let them not be written.

2Pet 2:20
For if, flying from the pollutions of the world, through the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they be again entangled in them and overcome: their latter state is become unto them worse than the former.

Philippians 2:12
**Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. **

Especially because salvation is secured in God’s hand, that we can ALWAYS HOPE.

If I don’t believe that God will surely fulfill His Promise, I CANNOT hope anymore.

Our hope is certain because of God’s Promise. If you question this, you don’t believe Him who give you the promise.

Hold on to this : God’s Promise is secure. We can rest assured of His Salvation because He will fulfill His Promise according to His Faithfulness. Believe this, then you will see His wonders working in your life.

God bless.

There’s no such thing as assurance of eternal security. You are too Protestant. If there’s an assurance of eternal secuurity there’s no longer HOPE:

Ro 8:24
For we are saved by hope. But hope that is seen is not hope. For what a man seeth, why doth he hope for?

If you KNOW that you are saved than what is there to hope for?

The assurance of salvation is a man-made doctrine invented by Luther because he was scruupolous. And here you are clinging to the erroneous doctrine never before believed by the Fathers of the Church.

I have recommended you to read this article within Catholic.com. Have you done this?

 

[MikeB]

I know that what I am writing probably has been voiced before so if I am repeating anyone please accept my apologies. As a recent returnee to the Catholic Church I have been amazed at the amount of debate over this point. Since it is a point of argument between my best friend (once a Catholic, now a Baptist) and me I have spent some time on the subject. My level of experience could be described as first sememster of a 4 year course. This is my observations and I am willing to accept any views that prove me wrong. Paul in Romans was writing to Jewish converts to Christianity. He was trying to point out to them that the “works of the law” could not save them and trying to make Gentiles do the Mosaic practices was not the way to salvation. Even his mention of Abraham was trying to point out that Abraham was justified long before he was circumised. Every time that God ordered Abraham to do something(works?), such as go to Egypt, etc Abraham did it. I may be wrong but I do not believe that Paul ever used the two “faith and works (or works of the law)” together. Paul was telling his readers that we were only saved through our faith in Jesus Christ and that even though they may be doing works of the law they could not be saved. These works being the Mosaic Law. James follows then that “faith alone” cannot be enough, we must have works, which is what his entire Epistle is about. James is instructing the readers to care for the sick, feed the poor, etc. He even says that demons believe in Jesus, but where are the “good works”. One post even mentioned Titus 3:5 “not because of any righteous deeds we have done…” but the post fails to follow with Titus 3:8 & 14 - “I want you to insist on these points, that those who have believed in God be careful to devote themselves to good works; these are excellent and beneficial to others” & “but let our people, too, learn to devote themselves to good works to supply urgent needs, so that they may not be unproductive.”

Finally, I never fail to read in the Gospels where Jesus doesn’t tell his followers to “sell everything they own and give it to the poor”. If faith alone was necessary then all they should have to do is drop everything and follow Jesus.

 

[SocaliCatholic]

MikeB.:

Finally, I never fail to read in the Gospels where Jesus doesn’t tell his followers to “sell everything they own and give it to the poor”. If faith alone was necessary then all they should have to do is drop everything and follow Jesus.

Excellent point. If salvation were assured would leave NO MANDATE to do anything good while still on earth…including preaching the Gospel itself.

 

[Pax]

francisca:

The difference between the “saved” and the “unsaved” is :

The saved knows God’s Mercy, and they have been living in that Mercy. So they say “All I do is to keep my trust in Him who has saved me, and because of this I am crowned with good works that I do in that grace, and on top of all these I have received blessings for the good works I have done. He has given me His joy so that I rejoice even in difficult times, because He uphold and carry me in His mighty hand. Praise His Holy Name”.

But the “unsaved” would say “God is just (read: holy). There is noway sinners can escape His justice. Therefore-- eventhough I believe that He is good, yet-- I need to work hard so that God has no reason to condemn me. He is just. God is great !!! Full of compasion and merciful indeed. Yet, He will judge me according to my work. Alas!!! I forgot to go to mass yesterday. Look at that girl, how come she wear such clothes to mass. O where was I? Ah yes now I remember : we need to go to mass every Sunday. That’s an obligation !”

Sure we will be judged according to our works, but

those who has faith live by the faith, while

others who do not believe live by their own strength.

QUOTE]

Francisca,

After all that has been pointed out to you over numerous posts, you, nevertheless, persist in mispresenting Catholics, and you make a point of saying that we are not saved.

Your first paragraph sounds very Catholic but your second paragraph accuses Catholics of something that is not true. You cannot in all honesty continue to mis-characterize Catholic teaching after all that has been said to you. Moreover, you belittle the obligation of going to mass. Let’s examine that just a little.

We know from the New Testament that as Christians we become adopted sons and daughters and are members of the household of God. As such we are, as Paul points out, heirs and we will receive the inheritance of salvation. Now for the moment go back to the OT and notice how Esau forfeited his inheritance for a pot of stew. Then in the NT we see the prodigal son squandering his inheritance. Now these are lessons for us as members of the household of God. If we snub the Lord our God and do not attend mass on Sunday in order to offer the only “perfect offering” of worship(i.e.the body and blood of Jesus) then what does that say about our faith and love of God? You make too little of the God that created you and you make too little of Jesus Christ who saved you.

It is just as it says in Hebrews 10:28-30, "A man who has violated the law of Moses dies without mercy at the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much worse punishment do you think will be deserved by the man who has spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and outraged the Spirit of grace? For we know him who said, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge his people.”

 

[Pax]

Francisca,

Your latter posts make it pretty clear that you must believe in “once saved always saved.” Otherwise, we would indeed have to do something, even it’s by the grace of God, which you seem to deny over and over again. Now, I have personally researched over 65 New Testament verses of scripture that refute exactly what you believe. A few of them have been posted on this thread. If you are open minded enough to read them, then I will be glad to send them to you by email. Simply send me a private message and I will email you the file.

If you are truly looking for truth, you will take me up on my offer. Besides it’s all scripture so what’s there to fear?

 

[Sirach14]

YAQUBOS:

Peace!

“You believe that God is one. You do well; the demons also believe, and shudder.” ( James 2:19 )

And I guess you notice that James is being very practical in what he is writing. So he is using practical terms. For instance, the whole Bible clearly says that Abraham was justified by faith, while James says that he was justified by works… Go now and understand what he was trying to tell those people who believed with demons’ faith!
And notice what is the work of Abraham, according to James! It is not that he went to help poor people etc, but that he obeyed God in sacrificing his son!

And the practical side is very clear in the following:

“did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?
But you have dishonored the poor man. Is it not the rich who oppress you and personally drag you into court?
Do they not blaspheme the fair name by which you have been called?” ( James 2:5-6 )

Well, I don’t think you believe that God only chose the poor, and that rich people will not be saved, do you?

Do you think that only the rich blaspheme the Name?

So James is being practical in what he writes. What we must understand from James is that Christian Faith always lives!

For “THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH” ( Romans 1:17 )

Notice that the Scripture doesn’t say that the righteous will DIE by faith, but that he shall what? LIVE by faith.

In Love,
Yaqubos†

“Catholic theology holds that just as a demon can believe in God’s existence and power yet still be condemned, so a person in mortal sin can still believe in God and yet still be under eternal condemnation. In this sense, then, james’s use of the demons is not strictly hyperbolic. The sins James mentions in James 2:11, e.g., murder and adultery, are mortal sins. If a Christian fell into such sin he would essentially be in the same situation as the demons in regard to faith, i.e., believing yet condemned. Unlike the demons , however, he still has time to repent and be restored to grace. In order to be restored to grace, and thus be justified, the person must have the mortal sin forgiven. Sins of such serious nature must be forgiven by God through the instrumentality of the Church. Hence this is another reason why faith alone cannot justify. One must add repentance to his faith, along with works of penance ( prayers and good works) and restitution ( restoring or repairing the damage done by sin).”

 

[mayra_hart]

this i quoted from a former fundamentalist: 'evangelical and catholic theologies both accept as the starting tenet of soteriology that we are saved by grace. god gives us his life as an act of generosity on his part. we are saved by grace. anyone who disagrees with this analysis is not looking at the facts.evangelicals define grace by referring primarily to its origin in god: grace is “the free generosity of god through the self giving of christ”. catholics agree with this part of the evangelical definition but go on to define how the grace of god affects us when we are touched by it: grace is “any divine assistance given to persons in order to advance them toward their supernatural destiny of fellowship with god… grace transforms a person’s nature”. but if we agree that we are saved “by grace, “through” what are we saved? how does that grace of god become an active part of my life? that is the point at which evangelicals and catholics part company. we both call that part of the salvation ,justification. justification prepares a christian to meet a holy god in eternity. " by " what are we justified? evangelicasl define justification as an act of god whereby he declares the christian righteous. it happen at one time and is made possible by the christian’s faith alone. catholics teach that justification starts at a moment in time but continues throughout a christian life. justification is made operative in one’s life by both faith and works. catholics agree with evangelicals that justification is by faith but not that it is by faith alone-works continue the justification after faith has begun it. first, does scripture indicate anywhere that work are essential for justification? if it clearly does so in even one passage, it would make the evangelical position untenable and would strongly suggest that justification is more than just a momentary event. after all, works do take time.secondly, does scripture anywhere state that “by faith alone” we are justified? first, scripture does clearly and emphatically teach that work are involved in the “by” of justification. the most obvious passage is in james2:14-26).this passage alone should put an end to the contention that we are justified by faith alone. is it any wonder that some of the reformers attempted to put james into an appendix to the bible rather than in its historically accepted place???. it is interesting to me how many Evangelicals handle this passage. THEY IGNORE IT! or they view it without INCORPORATING its truth into their theology. they view it as a PROBLEM PASSAGE needing extensive explanation. but neither james nor the catholic church claims justification comes by work alone. justification is accomplished by FAITH COUPLED WITH WORKS.” BLESS YOU ALL

 

[beng]

Pax,

Francisca has said that she is Catholic elsewhere. isn’t that surprising?

 

[SocaliCatholic]

Epistle Of Saint James

1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ of glory with respect of persons.

2 For if there shall come into your assembly a man having a golden ring, in fine apparel, and there shall come in also a poor man in mean attire,

3 And you have respect to him that is clothed with the fine apparel, and shall say to him: Sit thou here well; but say to the poor man: Stand thou there, or sit under my footstool:

4 Do you not judge within yourselves, and are become judges of unjust thoughts?

5 Hearken, my dearest brethren: hath not God chosen the poor in this world, rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which God hath promised to them that love him?

6 But you have dishonoured the poor man. Do not the rich oppress you by might? and do not they draw you before the judgment seats?

7 Do not they blaspheme the good name that is invoked upon you?

8 If then you fulfill the royal law, according to the scriptures, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself; you do well.

9 But if you have respect to persons, you commit sin, being reproved by the law as transgressors.

10 And whosoever shall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is become guilty of all.

11 For he that said, Thou shalt not commit adultery, said also, Thou shalt not kill. Now if thou do not commit adultery, but shalt kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.

12 So speak ye, and so do, as being to be judged by the law of liberty.

13 For judgment without mercy to him that hath not done mercy. And mercy exalteth itself above judgment.

14 What shall it profit, my brethren, if a man say he hath faith, but hath not works? Shall faith be able to save him? 15 And if a brother or sister be naked, and want daily food:

16 And one of you say to them: Go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; yet give them not those things that are necessary for the body, what shall it profit?

**17 So faith also, if it have not works, is dead in itself. **

18 But some man will say: Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without works; and I will shew thee, by works, my faith.

19 Thou believest that there is one God. Thou dost well: the devils also believe and tremble.

**20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead? **

21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, offering up Isaac his son upon the altar?

22 Seest thou, that faith did co-operate with his works; and by works faith was made perfect?

23 And the scripture was fulfilled, saying: Abraham believed God, and it was reputed to him to justice, and he was called the friend of God.

**24 Do you see that by works a man is justified; and not by faith only? **

25 And in like manner also Rahab the harlot, was not she justified by works, receiving the messengers, and sending them out another way?

26 For even as the body without the spirit is dead; so also faith without works is dead.

 

[StSteverino]

So James is being*** practical*** in what he writes.

***Merely practical? Just good advice for wise living by the elect, sort of like Dr Phil’s bromides or Oprah’s? ***

What we must understand from James

Oh, must we? You speak as one having authority? Yet your opinions are utterly contrary to all we know of what was taught in the apostolic age and immediately there after. Where you there when they crucified Our Lord? Where you at the Last Supper? Did your eyes behold Him in splendor when you were taken up to Heaven on the Isle of Patmos.

---

Teach me not, but venture your opinions as the speculations of a man like myself, a sinner of unclean lips, no more or less. Replace ‘must’ with ‘might’ and show me the humility of a publican, not the pride of a pharisee.

is that Christian Faith always lives!

If it is Christian and it is Faith it must be LIVED. That is what our Teacher Jesus insists on now. Again, you might read the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. We are all saved by grace, through Faith, but Faith is only efficacious if it cooperates with grace in works of Love! That is why we are called the Christians. The Christ lives out His Will and Works through us.

---

***No one is saved by mere interior opinion or ‘right religion’. I recommend you read 1 Cor 13 repeatedly, because nothing is more clear in the Gospels and in the New Testament than the fact that a Faith which does not cooperate with Gods grace to be lived out in love is of no avail. ***

---

***We may presume that the disciples in John 6:62-72 who walked away, did so at grave peril to their souls. We may presume that at one point in his life, Judas, ‘accepted Christ’, but that he will not be counted among the final elect. ***

---

We have a deposit on our heavenly mansion, not a title free and clear. This is not because God wants our ‘works’ but rather he generously allows us to be incorporated into Christs works.

---

***You do not know the meaning of the Scriptures because you do not see that the Mercy Commands of Christ are not the same as the ‘works of the Law’. ***

---

The Judgement of Matt 25 where sheep and goats are separated appears to be the Judgement of the Church. All call HIm Lord, but saying Lord, Lord, will be of no avail, no matter how right your Faith Opinion if it was not lived out doing His Mercy.

---

Right Faith is the Obedience of Faith Paul talks about.

---

Right opinion is only a starting point. Or do you not know of the parable of the Sower?

For “THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH” ( Romans 1:17 )

Amen! Praise God! This is exactly what our Church and its Catechism Teaches!

Notice that the Scripture doesn’t say that the righteous will DIE by faith, but that he shall what? LIVE by faith.

And we know that like the Pilgrim Abraham, we must Trust and Obey, and Love, above all, for without actually obedience, Christs love will not be lived out and we will die without a saving faith. God is never going to ask to see the back of the silly little bible tract with the date of the day you supposedly ‘accepted Him’, but he will want to know if you cooperated with His grace to live out His Gospel, most especially in your love of His Eucharistic Presence among the poor and defenseless.

---

Lets agree to pray together outside an abortion center.***