What is Saving Faith.

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I’m going to try a little experiment. So please bare with me.

I don’t want any answers until Tuesday Jan 17th. Break out word pad or word or anything else you use to write with. Write down your thoughts, and then Tuesday post them. I realize that this thread will be buried by Tuesday somewhere on page 3 or 4 so you’re may have to look for it. This will:
  1. This gives you time to think and pray about your answer.
  2. Nobody will be able to say “Your wrong and I’m right” until after Tuesday.
  3. Let you think through what you have written without the pressure of " having to defend your position” mentality
  4. The more answers from different faiths the better.
  5. Please open with Hi I’m insert faith here and this is what Saving Faith means to me
  6. You do not have to defend you answer.
  7. I would like to get at least 5 or 6 answers, hopefully more
I ask that readers of these posts be tolerant of each other’s beliefs. This is after all is said and done, a discussion board. Not a place of Worship. No one is going to make you believe anything different then what you believe. I think the Holy Spirit can take care of that problem Himself. Oh you may get some “FLACK” after Tuesday, but since your posting here I would think that you would have a little thicker skin then most.

So What is Saving Faith? How do you go to Heaven – Paradise etc?

Thanks Hope to see your answers on the 17th

Moderators if this is going to cause a problem on Tuesday then please close the thread
 
Q: What is Saving Faith?
A: Faith that compounds interest daily 😉

-B.

Breaking rules for 4 decades
 
I appreciate that. Well we will find out tomorrow how many has answered the question.
 
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littlesheep:
What? Did I ask the wrong question? :confused:
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I can give you an answer later on if you want… I really haven’t had much time to just sit down and think to myself in the past two days though.
 
Saving faith is the faith God granted to me (upon my insistent request) which saved me from the hedonistic lifestyle I was living and enabled me to do a 180.
Because of His love and generosity, I am working out my salvation with fear, trembling, and great hope.
All praise, glory and honor to our Lord Jesus Christ!
 
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littlesheep:
I’m going to try a little experiment. So please bare with me.

I don’t want any answers until Tuesday Jan 17th. Break out word pad or word or anything else you use to write with. Write down your thoughts, and then Tuesday post them. I realize that this thread will be buried by Tuesday somewhere on page 3 or 4 so you’re may have to look for it. This will:
  1. This gives you time to think and pray about your answer.
  2. Nobody will be able to say “Your wrong and I’m right” until after Tuesday.
  3. Let you think through what you have written without the pressure of " having to defend your position” mentality
  4. The more answers from different faiths the better.
  5. Please open with Hi I’m insert faith here and this is what Saving Faith means to me
Click to expand...
Hi! I’m Bob, the local mailman and my problem is…just kidding 🙂
  1. You do not have to defend you answer.
  2. I would like to get at least 5 or 6 answers, hopefully more
I ask that readers of these posts be tolerant of each other’s beliefs. This is after all is said and done, a discussion board. Not a place of Worship. No one is going to make you believe anything different then what you believe. I think the Holy Spirit can take care of that problem Himself. Oh you may get some “FLACK” after Tuesday, but since your posting here I would think that you would have a little thicker skin then most.

So What is Saving Faith? How do you go to Heaven – Paradise etc?

Thanks Hope to see your answers on the 17th

Moderators if this is going to cause a problem on Tuesday then please close the thread
Click to expand...
I’m Buddhist (been a few other things in the past) and believe a good definition of saving faith is analoguous to a “commitment” to your faith, whether it’s Christianity or Buddhism. That’s my definition of saving faith.

Now, you get to heaven by following your Christian path. I become enlightened by following the Buddhist path. The Muslim gets to heaven by following his path. This is relative. It can get deep from there on out, so I’ll keep silent.

Don’t know if that helps, but there you have it!

Peace…
 
Since today is the feast day of St Macarius the great of Egypt, I will let his words speak to this thread:

To uproot sin and the evil that is so imbedded in our sinning can be done only by divine power, for it is impossible and outside man’s competence to uproot sin. To struggle, yes, to continue to fight, to inflict blows, and to receive setbacks is in your power. To uproot, however, belongs to God alone. If you could have done it on your own, what would have been the need for the coming of the Lord? For just as an eye cannot see without light, nor can one speak without a tongue, nor hear without ears, nor walk without feet, nor carry on works without hands, so you cannot be saved without Jesus nor enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.
(St. Macarius, Homily 3.4 )
 
Most will site Mark 16:16

“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned”. We will get to this latter.

Others will site Luke 7:50 Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace.

but they only site part of it and take it out of context
Luke 7:50 And he said to the woman, Thy faith hath saved thee; go in peace. This woman was about to experience the wrath and rebuke of those present, but thru her “Good Works” upon jesus as described in Luke 7:44-48 was proof of her faith. Was she saved for all eternity or just saved fromt the wrath and ridicule of those present?

Also they site Luke 18:42 And Jesus said unto him, Receive thy sight: thy faith hath saved thee.

Again was he saved for all eternity, or saved from the rebuke of those nearby, or was he just saved from blindness.

So we are back to Mark16:16
“He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved: but he that believeth not shall be damned”.

What does believeth mean? It is not just merely professing in the lord because not all that profess will go to heaven as stated in Matthew 7:21 21 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
God’s will includes Works.

After people became Christians, there was no difference in the basic nature of the faith they were to have. The faith remained active and obedient (Phili. 2: 12). The scriptures teach “For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also” (Jas. 2: 26). We show our faith by our works (Jas. 2: 18). Justification is the result of a working, active faith (Jas. 2: 24). Someone asks, “how about salvation by faith only?” Beloved, salvation by faith only is a doctrine and creed of man, not the teaching of the Bible.

Faith Alone is a man-made creed and tradition invented by the heretic Martin Luther. That is one of the reasons that he wanted to remove the book of James and the Book of Revelation from the Canon of the Bible. 😃

He reaffirmed his heretic state by his statements as follows:
He rejected the Epistle of James: “St. James’ Epistle is truly an epistle of straw.” (Preface to Edition of 1524). :eek:
He rejected Revelation. He says: “I can discover no trace that it is established by the Holy Spirit.” (Preface to Edition of 1622). :eek:

If this is not heresy then heresy is imaginary! :mad:

Furthermore Jesus says we will be judged by our works (and he gives 4 which is a minimum of what we will be judged by) in his dicourse on the Judgement in Matthew 25:31-46.

No doubt we will be judged on other actions and non-actions as well.

Each one of us will be in a “Court of God”. God will be the Judge. There will be a jury of 12. These will be the 12 apostles as stated in Matthew 20:17. There will not be a prosecutor nor will their be a defender. All evidence will be an expose of your entire life. The jury may give a reccomendation, but is GOD who will the make the final decsion. Now if you are accepted into heaven for all eternity, you place a position in heaven will be determined by your works as implied in the least in Matthew 19:29.

I imagine God will ask first, of the four primary works stated in Matthew 25:31-46. I would not want to be the man that sayeth no to these 1st four questions 😦

Saved By Faith Alone? You keep believing that, I choose not to, in light of the words of Christ.

It’s really ironic that when any given question is asked, Protestants seem to go to Paul first for an answer, where as Catholics go to Jesus first.

Protestant tend to read the epistles and try to make the Gospels fit the epistles, when it should be exactly the opposite. Understanding the Gospels and the exact words of Jesus will shed light on the epistles not the other way around

Good Day and Go live the Gospel
 
SAVING FAITH
Code: 
 W.E. Vine comments thus on belief (pistis) as it is used in a spiritual climate: "Its chief significance is a conviction respecting God and His word and the believers relationship to him." The best concise "definition" of faith found in the scriptures is Hebrews 11: 1. "Now faith is assurance of things hoped for," the writer declares, "a conviction of things not seen" (ASV). The value of saving faith cannot be over emphasized, as we shall see.

 The importance of faith. Jesus said, "…for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins" (Jn. 8: 24). It is impossible to please God without faith (Heb. 11: 6). Not only must we believe that God exists, but we must believe he is a rewarder of them who diligently seek him (Ibid.). The importance of faith or belief is seen in the fact that the saved were called "believers" (I Tim. 4: 12). 

 How faith is produced. Many believe and teach that faith is supernaturally produced, independent of man. Not only is this false doctrine, but it convinces man that he has no part in the acquisition of faith. Hence, those so influenced do not acquire faith. "So then faith cometh by hearing," Paul wrote, "and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10: 17). This is one reason the word is called the "seed of the kingdom" (Lk. 8: 11, Matt. 13: 19). Reading of Jesus' teaching and miracles produces faith in a good and honest heart (Jn. 20: 30, 31).

 Some accomplishments of saving faith. The achievements of faith help us to appreciate the value of faith. The scriptures teach that the saved are justified, purified, and sanctified by faith (Rom. 3: 28; Acts 15: 9; 26: 18). Paul succinctly stated that men become children of God by faith. Hear him: "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3: 26, 27). 

 The kind of faith that saves. There is often no disagreement relative to the importance of faith in the matter of man's salvation, but when it comes to the nature of this saving faith, there is no small amount of needless disagreement. Some religionists contend saving faith is simply an intellectual ascent as to the existence of God (nothing more involved on man's part). They may add that saving faith involves trust, to a limited degree. However, some believed but they would not confess Christ (Jn. 12: 42). Were they saved? According to Jesus' teaching, those who believed but would not confess him were not saved (Matt. 10: 32, 33). Hence, there is more to saving faith than just believing in the reality of God. 

 James wrote, "Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the demons also believe, and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (Jas. 2: 19, 20). James calls the man vain who believes faith only saves. Beloved, a good, sound rule is when faith is mentioned in the climate of salvation, faith is always active, obedient, and comprehensive (see Heb. 11: 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 20, 24, 27, 28, 29). Paul wrote that faith that avails is faith that "works by love" (Gal. 5: 6). Is this to say man earns his salvation? The answer is an emphatic, no! (Tit. 3: 5.). However, Jesus became the "author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him" (Heb. 5: 9). 

 The case of initial salvation. When we examine faith in the application of primary or initial salvation, we find that without exception men and women in the First Century who became saved possessed an active faith (Acts 2: 36-42). Man's faith and God's grace are the two chief components, if you will, in the matter of man's salvation (Eph. 2: 8-10). A careful study of the examples of people being saved in the Book of Acts collectively reveals that they believed, repented, confessed Christ's deity, and were baptized for the remission of their sins. 

 Faith considered in the case of secondary salvation. After people became Christians, there was no difference in the basic nature of the faith they were to have. The faith remained active and obedient (Phili. 2: 12). The scriptures teach "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (Jas. 2: 26). We show our faith by our works (Jas. 2: 18). Justification is the result of a working, active faith (Jas. 2: 24). Someone asks, "how about salvation by faith only?" Beloved, salvation by faith only is a doctrine and creed of man, not the teaching of the Bible.
Good Day and Go Live the Gospel
 
It’s really ironic that when any given question is asked, Protestants seem to go to Paul first for an answer, where as Catholics go to Jesus first
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I ask that readers of these posts be tolerant of each other’s beliefs. This is after all is said and done, a discussion board. Not a place of Worship. No one is going to make you believe anything different then what you believe. I think the Holy Spirit can take care of that problem Himself
Click to expand...
.Just had to remind myself and others…
 
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littlesheep:
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.Just had to remind myself and others…
Click to expand...
No problem.

Just remember this a forum.
Questions are to be asked
Questions are to be Answered.

But it must be done charitibly when defending ones faith as stated by 1 Peter 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

Amen
 
“Saving faith”, that is, “divine faith”, is traditionally defined by the Catholic Church (q.v. Vatican I) as “the loyal assent of the mind and submission of the will to the truth revealed by God”.

I don’t think a Catholic should be relying on Mr. Vine for an understanding of faith. :tsktsk:
 
my bad, I just saw the part about James when talks about faith without works is DEAD!
 
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