My Daily Pause

Tag: Faith Only

  • The Faith of Jesus Christ

    Today I am still looking closely at Romans 3. Continuing with the notes I previously posted about segmenting what is written to wrest meaning that isn’t in the Scriptures, I am going to capture some additional points about it. This way I have the thoughts recorded so I can remember them later. I apologize in advance for it looking more like a rough draft than a finished devotional.

    In addition to breaking up Romans 3:22b-25 into chunks to make the argument for a “faith only” salvation, there is another problem that can be seen when one consults an older commentary, such as Adam Clark, with something newer from someone who teaches faith only. Several verses through the New Testament have been changed in newer versions to talk about faith in Christ instead of the faith of Christ!

    KJV:

    Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference – Romans 3:22 KJV

    ESV:

    the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: – Romans 3:22 ESV

    This little tweak to the Scriptures gives the faith only teacher the basis to use Romans 3:28 as support for their error. The biggest question I have for them, is how does the faith of a sinful person give him salvation when compared to the perfect faith of Jesus Christ? And then, if our own faith alone is sufficient, why was Jesus’ perfect faith not enough to save us? He also had to be obedient to God to complete the plan!

    Some other Scriptures that have this same problem between versions:

    • Galatians 3:22 KJV – Galatians 3:22 ESV
    • Ephesians 3:12 KJV – Ephesians 3:12 ESV
    • Philippians 3:9 KJV – Philippians 3:9 ESV
    • Galatians 2:16 KJV – Galatians 2:16 ESV
    • Galatians 2:20 KJV – Galatians 2:20 ESV

    (For those reading in email, these references are linked for easy comparison.)

    Daily Bible reading for October 9

    Psalm 69
    1 Kings 4
    Ezekiel 31
    Romans 3:21-31

     

  • Faith Only: A Complete Listing

    Faith Only: A Complete Listing

    Here is an exhaustive listing of the places in the Bible that mention “faith only” (Or “faith alone” depending on your version)

    Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. – James 2:24 KJV

    Yes that’s it. The complete and unabridged list.

    Faith is a Milestone

    While faith is a very important milestone on the path to salvation, the path doesn’t end there. As I have outlined on my Gospel Plan of Salvation page, faith comes very early on that journey, but at this point, the seeker is only beginning to see the goal in the distance. God has never accepted a person’s faith by merely taking his word for it.

    In my post, But, What Do You Do By Faith?, I listed off a few points for consideration when discussing “faith only” salvation vs. the requirement to be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) With those points (and even more) we can quickly determine that we need a deeper study of the word if we have taken any passage and tried to prove “faith only.”

    The Heroes of Faith didn’t get away with Faith Only

    Relying on "faith only" and not obeying God will bar one from salvation
    Moses Striking The Rock – Pieter de Grebber, 1620

    One of the points in the But, What Do You Do By Faith? post looks to Hebrews 11 as proof that God requires more than just believing or “accepting” God. Each and every one in that chapter had to go do something:

    • Faith led Abel to offer the correct sacrifice (Hebrews 11:4)
    • Faith led Enoch to actively please God (Hebrews 11:5)
    • Faith led Noah to build the ark (Hebrews 11:7)
    • Faith led Abraham to pack up and move his family (Hebrews 11:8-10)
    • Abraham and Sarah had innumerable descendants through their faith (Hebrews 11:11-12)
    • Abraham knew that God could raise Isaac after he sacrificed him (Hebrews 11:17-19)

    …and the list goes on. We know that we need faith to please him, (Hebrews 11:6) but we can also see that if any one of these folks in Hebrews 11 had failed to act on God’s command, the outcome would have been very different for them. (See: Moses Strikes the Rock)

    God has a complete plan for us. It is up to us to complete the plan.

  • But, What Do You Do By Faith?

    God never accepted faith only from his people
    Sacrifice of Isaac – Caravaggio – 1603

    Ephesians 2:8-9 is the corner stone for those who build a case for salvation by faith only. The whole idea of “salvation through faith only” was started by Martin Luther, who was born in 1483. Since there is no evidence of the concept prior to that, we might say it is a “new” idea. But you see, Luther had a problem with his theory. The problem was the book of James. He insulted James and tried to cast doubt as to whether it was even a book of the Bible. James 2:24 says that man is not justified by faith alone. (This is also the only place in the Bible where the words “faith” and “alone” or “only” appear side by side!) James also says that faith without works is dead. (James 2:26)

    Five Points that Counter “Faith Only” Doctrine

    I just want to leave here a list of things to think about if you have need to debate the Gospel’s plan of salvation vs. the invented “faith only” route to salvation. These thoughts should be sufficient for negating Ephesians 2:8-9 as the proof text for “faith only” doctrine

    1. In Ephesians, the works Paul mentioned were words of the Law of Moses.
    2. In James’ letter, he is talking about works of faith.
    3. John 6:29 shows us that faith is a work
    4. Romans 2:6 is very clear that the judgment will include an account of our deeds.
    5. In Hebrews 11, a list of faithful men had to act on their faith to please God.

    Faith is a necessity of salvation, to be sure. It is also a necessity to teach and follow the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:26-27)

  • What the Bible says about “Faith Only”

    What the Bible says about “Faith Only”

    Here is an exhaustive listing of the places in the Bible that mention “faith only” (Or “faith alone” depending on your version)

    1. Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only. – James 2:24 KJV

    Yes that’s it. The complete and unabridged list. While faith is a very important part of salvation, is it not the only part.

    Please see my page on the Gospel Plan of Salvation for more.