It's not a bad translation in the NASB1995 and multiple other translations are in agreement.
www.biblegateway.com
I understand, but the fact that multiple other translations agree with the error does not change error into truth. Rendering faith into just "assurance and confidence" waters down the understanding of what faith really is. Sure there is assurance and confidence, but that is not all that faith is. It is active, evident, substantial. Without action faith is dead, not real, not effective, worthless.
Trusting in a false gospel for salvation is not obeying. We obey the gospel (Romans 10:16) by choosing to believe the gospel (Romans 1:16) by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. (1 Corinthians 15:1-4)
Without faith it's impossible to please God no matter how much alleged obedience that you set out to accomplish in a vain attempt to obtain salvation by works. (Matthew 7:22-23) If you trust that Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection is sufficient then you will not also be trusting in works for salvation. Jesus, along with Peter and Paul made it clear what is required for forgiveness. (John 3:15,16,18; John 6:40,47; 11:25,26; Acts 10:43; Acts 13:38-39; 26:18 etc..).
All of that is true, but not the only action that is required by Scripture. Just choosing to believe does not bring salvation to us. By picking out only those passages that speak of belief and ignoring those passages that tell of other requirements you are negating Scripture and making those other passages out to be lies.
Yes, it is. Faith is established first and then works follow. (Ephesians 2:5-10) We are saved by faith at its origin and not a sometime later, after we accomplish a list of works. Works are the fruit, by product and demonstrative evidence of faith, but not the essence of faith and also not the basis or means by which we obtain salvation.
It is not "some time later" that actions are required. Without action there is no faith to begin with. You can say you believe the Gospel all day long, but until you obey it, you do not receive salvation (1 Thes 1:8). Obeying the Gospel is not accomplished in just "believing" that it is true. It is accomplished in doing what God says "leads to/results in" receiving salvation.
Yes, good works are indeed actions that come AFTER and flow out from having received salvation through faith.
You are confused. Faith is not defined as repentance, confession and baptism. By the time you place repentance "after" faith and re-define it as "moral self-reformation" and you turn confession into a work for salvation "after" faith and baptism into a work for salvation "after" faith you are teaching salvation by works no matter how much you try and sugar coat it.
I am not the one putting those actions before salvation is received, God did.
Rom 10:9-10 - confession with the mouth RESULTS IN receiving salvation.
Acts 2:38 - repentance and baptism RESULT IN receiving salvation.
Acts 3:19 - repentance RESULT IN receiving salvation.
Acts 22:16 - baptism RESULT IN receiving salvation.
1 Pet 3:21 - baptism RESULT IN receiving salvation.
Rom 6:1-7 - salvation received during baptism.
Col 2:11-14 - salvation received during baptism.
That's false. Faith demonstrates that it's alive by works but works are not the source of life in faith. Dead faith does not produce works in order to become a living faith just as a dead tree does not produce fruit in order to become a living tree. You place the cart before the horse.
I am placing nothing before anything. God is the one who said that faith without action is dead. You are arguing against God's command.
In regard to James 2:24, James is not using the word "justified" here to mean "accounted as righteous" but is shown to be righteous. James is discussing the evidence of faith (says-claims to have faith but has no works/I will show you my faith by my works - James 2:14-18) and not the initial act of being accounted as righteous with God. (Romans 4:2-3)
There is no difference. Either you have faith, which means you have actions that demonstrate your trust and belief, or you just say you have faith, which means you do nothing and really have nothing.
You are trying to redefine "justified" because it does not fit with your preconception. No man is righteous unless he is declared to be righteous by God. James says here that man is justified by God because of works, not just because of faith.
In James 2:26, the comparison of the human spirit and faith converges around their modes of operation. The spirit (Greek pneuma) may also be translated "breath." As a breathless body exhibits no indication of life, so fruitless faith exhibits no indication of life. The source of the life in faith is not works; rather, life in faith is the source of works. (Ephesians 2:5-10) You have it backwards.
That explanation does not fit with the context. How did God make man a living being? He breathed a soul into the body He had made. Without the soul, the body was dead, and when the soul leaves the body, the body returns to death. It is the same with faith. Without action, the body of faith is dead, and if actions leave it, the body of faith returns to death. Without action faith is dead.
More confusion on your part. Man is saved through faith and not by works (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9);
Not by works "of the Law". But that does not mean that there are no works that are required at all. Rom 10:9-10 proves that beyond argument.
yet genuine faith is (evidenced) by works. (James 2:14-26) Christ saves us through faith based on the merits of His finished work of redemption "alone" and not based on the merits of our works.
Agreed. There is no merit to a servant who does what his master commands (Luke 17:7-10). But there is no reward to the one who claims to be a servant who does not do what the one he would call master says. If you don't do what He says, He is not really your Master.
You are talking about mere "mental assent" belief. You would need to believe "mental assent" that Jesus exists before you would come to understand that you are a sinner in need of a Savior. (Romans 3:23; 6:23)
Just understanding that you need a savior does not save.
Repentance precedes belief that saves. *Notice the scriptural order of repent and believe/believe the gospel/faith in our Lord Jesus Christ in (Matthew 21:32; Mark 1:15; Acts 20:21).
Repentance precedes salvation, but until you believe that Jesus is the only one who can save you, you have no reason to repent as He commands you to do. As with any math problem involving addition, the order of the components around the addition symbol doesn't matter. It is the same with "and". There is no indication of which comes first in any of these verses.
Paul is not talking about believing unto righteousness today (then remaining lost) until you round up a group of folks at Walmart next week and verbally confess Christ to them and then you are finally saved next week. That would turn confession into a work for salvation. But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” TOGETHER (that is, the word of faith which we preach). (Romans 10:8) Notice the reverse order from verse 9-10 - that if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. Confess/believe; believe/confess. Not two separate steps to salvation but chronologically together.
We have been over this many times. Your argument is a distraction from the real issue. Yes, belief and confession come together. And both precede reception of salvation, because they both RESULT IN receiving salvation, as the verse says.
Faith is not actions/works and faith "precedes" actions/good works. Folks who teach salvation by faith + works cannot seem to grasp the difference between faith and works. These folks take both faith and works then wrap them both up in a package and simply stamp faith on the package. Been there, done that prior to my conversion while still attending the Roman Catholic church several years ago.
The roman catholic papist cult is not a Christian Church, so I am glad you got out.
But, as Scripture says, you cannot be saved without believing the Gospel AND repenting of sin AND confessing Jesus as Lord AND being baptized into Christ. These actions, according to Scripture (not according to me) all RESULT IN receiving salvation.
We are condemned because of unbelief (John 3:18) and simply choosing to believe "mental assent" in the Son, such as "I believe that Jesus exists and acknowledge that His death, burial and resurrection "happened." Believing in the Son for salvation/trusting in Him as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation is the act that saves. That goes beyond mere "mental assent" belief with the head and reaches the heart.
Just believing in the heart does not save either. It is certainly required, but it still does not constitute "obedience of the Gospel" according to Scripture. Confessing Jesus as Lord "with the mouth" is still required because it also RESULTS IN receiving salvation, as do repentance and baptism.
Quit leaving out verse 8. The word of faith is in our mouth and in our heart TOGETHER. Folks who are mute (cannot speak) would remain lost according to your erroneous interpretation of Romans 10:9,10.
I am not leaving out verse 8. But it does not change the meaning of verse 10. Yes, the Word is in our mouth and in our heart, and what does it say?
"that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."
That is what the Word of faith is telling us. Just believing in the mind or in the heart by themselves do not bring about salvation. Both are required
BEFORE salvation is received. But again, these are not the only verses that speak of actions leading to salvation, and if they are ignored or bypassed then salvation is still not received.
You also have another problem. In your 4-step church of Christ plan of salvation, water baptism comes "after" confession so how could confession be unto salvation if you still need to be water baptized "afterwards" in order to be saved? Good luck with that one Houdini.
Houdini has nothing to do with it. All of NT Scripture is equal, and as such every statement of what leads to salvation is equal. When does Rom 6:1-7 say salvation is received? It says we die to sin in baptism. That in baptism we are united to Jesus' death and resurrection and thus receive salvation. Similarly, Col 2:11-14 says that the Holy Spirit cuts our sin from us in baptism thus resulting in salvation.
Only on the surface. See post #42 from the link below:
Your linked comment was already answered. Repentance and baptism both result in forgiveness of sin. The verse does not say repent so that you sins can be forgiven and then be baptized because you have been forgiven. It says,
"Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." If anything,
"be baptized ... for the forgiveness of sins" is the point here. But Acts 3:19 makes the point that repentance is also required, as it also leads to forgiveness (you cannot be forgiven for a sin that you are not repentant of). So both repentance and baptism are required and both lead to forgiveness (salvation).
More eisegesis on your part. See post #378 from the link below: We've had this discussion before.
Yes we have. But you refuse to accept the truth. You have accepted Satan's lie that ignores Scripture's instruction and twists it to leave a person lost in sin.
It's you who re-defines faith to "include" works which culminates in salvation by faith + works and renders Christ an IN-sufficient Savior. It's you who is fighting against God. (Romans 4:2-6; 11:6; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9 etc..). You refuse to believe the gospel.
I am not redefining faith, simply accepting Scripture's definition: faith without works is dead, and dead faith cannot bring justification.
What does Titus 3:5 says?
"He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we did in righteousness, but in accordance with His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit."
We are not saved on the basis of (because of) deeds of righteousness, but because of His mercy. He sent His Son to save us while we were still sinners. But, HOW does that verse say He saves us? "by the washing of regeneration and the renewing by the Holy Spirit. Water and the Spirit, just as John 3:5 says.
Changing your mind and choosing to believe the gospel with the word of faith in your mouth and heart TOGETHER is not works salvation.
If you don't obey the gospel (Romans 10:16) by choosing to believe the gospel (Romans 1:16) by trusting in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of your salvation (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) then you don't really trust in Him for salvation, and He cannot save you. (2 Corinthians 4:3,4) The act of obedience that saves is choosing to believe the gospel. Not to be confused with multiple acts of obedience/works which follow.
That paragraph contradicts Scripture many times over. Believing the Gospel is certainly required, but JUST believing does not fulfill many of the Scriptures that tell us what leads to salvation/justification/forgiveness/eternal life. If you ignore any of them, then you have violated God's will, and do not receive the blessing He offers.
You just described repentance and faith but not faith and works. Faith has an origin and works follow and are produced "out of" faith. That does not make works the very essence of faith. This is a huge stumbling block for works-salvationists.
No, I was talking about faith and works, not faith and just one of the works that Scripture says leads to salvation.
Those who teach salvation by faith + works fail to see and understand God's plan and purpose and there is a reason for that. (1 Coirnthians 1:18-21; 2:11-14)
LOL, It is not I who am confounded by the word of the cross. When you accept all of what Scripture says LEADS TO receiving salvation (as opposed to those actions that FLOW OUT) of it, then you can see clearly what all is required of God before salvation is received.
1 Corinthians 12:3 - Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except BY the Holy Spirit. There is divine influence or direct operation of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a person when confessing Jesus as Lord. This confession is not just a simple acknowledgment that Jesus is the Lord (even the demons believe that), but is a deep, personal conviction from the heart that Jesus is that person's Lord and Savior. If we lack saving faith in Christ, then confession is simply lip service.
Absolutely correct, and that confession LEADS TO receiving salvation. It does not flow out from having already received it. The Holy Spirit works on a person even before he receives salvation. Even the demons believe deep down in their hearts that Jesus is God, but they either cannot or will not act on that belief and throw themselves on His mercy.
These things are signified but not procured in water baptism. Remember, a symbol is not the reality but is simply a picture of the reality.
Not according to Scripture. Rom 6:1-7 says that we die to sin in baptism, and that because we have died to sin we are united to Jesus' resurrection in baptism. Col 2:11-14 says that in baptism the Holy Spirit cuts our sin from us and unites us with Jesus' death and resurrection. This is not just signified, but received in baptism.
Mental assent belief. In Acts 2:37, their "belief" at this point was "mental assent" that Jesus was the Messiah, and they were guilty of crucifying Him. That is not saving belief yet. They still needed to repent (change their mind) about Jesus further which would culminate in believing in/trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. This is why Peter told them to repent in the following verse.
He did not tell them to just repent. He told them to repent AND be baptized so that they could be forgiven. Both together.
When we repent {change our mind) and believe the gospel (trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation) we are turned from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God.
Again, that is not all the Scripture says about what turns us from darkness to Light. We must also confess Jesus and be baptized. You keep skipping those Scriptures.
Again, Naaman received healing from leprosy and not remission of sins in the Jordan River.
True, but that is not the comparison I am making. Naaman did not receive cleansing until he did what he was told would result in his cleansing. We do not receive forgiveness/justification/salvation until we do what we have been told will result in those things.
Yes, you do. You trust in accomplishing the act of getting water baptized in order to be saved. I trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. His finished work of redemption is sufficient and complete to save believers. (Romans 3:24-28) No supplements needed.
Baptism is not a "supplement". It is what He told us was required to receive His blessing. If we don't do what He said, then we don't receive what He offered.
You trust in your eisegesis in regard to what Jesus commanded. John 3:18 - He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who (is not water baptized? - NO) does not believe is condemned already, because he has not (been water baptized? - NO) because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Again, "beleive" in that veres is "pistis" which means faith. It is not just believing, but obeying Jesus (as indicated in verse 36) that is most important.
You need to stop reading verses in scripture out of context. I already covered this in post #976 from the link below:
Again, see post #42 from the link below:
I have not read any of those passages out of context, as I have already explained.
Is baptism not an act that Jesus commanded the Apostles (and through them, all Christ followers) to perform? Yes, it is whether you want to admit it or not.
Are repentance and baptism both linked and both result in receiving forgiveness? Yes, they are whether you want to admit it or not.
Is the Flood a foreshadowing of baptism that now saves the NT Christ follower? Yes, it is whether you want to admit it or not.
Faith is the root of salvation and works are the fruit. No fruit at all would demonstrate there is no root. Hopefully that analogy will help you.
Not all works are the fruit of faith. Those works that FLOW OUT FROM salvation are the fruit. But there are three actions that Scripture says LEAD TO/RESULT IN salvation, and they are not fruit of faith, but the seeds of it.
