Dan admits genuine faith has obedient works.
Yet he teaches we are saved by faith that has no works.
This is illogical.
If genuine faith has works then faith alone is not genuine faith.
Dan admits that genuine faith results in producing works (James 2:14-24) yet we are still saved by faith that trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation at its origin (Romans 4:5; Ephesians 2:8) and not by works which follow. (Romans 4:6; Ephesians 2:9) These works are a manifestation of genuine faith.
Also notice when Dan teaches on James chapter 2.
He never quotes James but puts his own commentary on what he thinks James is saying.
Dan cannot let James speak for himself because James never teaches faith alone saves.
I quote James in context and properly harmonize scripture with scripture before reaching my conclusion on doctrine. James is not using the word "justified" 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)
James teaches that the kind of faith that saves does not remain "alone" - barren of works. (James 2:14) Paul teaches that we are saved through faith in Jesus Christ "alone" for salvation and not by works. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) We are saved by faith apart from the merit of works (Romans 4:4-6) yet genuine faith does not remain apart from the presence of works. (James 2:24) Titus places the cart before the horse and teaches salvation by works.
Just the opposite. Dan says the opposite of James.
Dan is perverting James' teaching putting words in his mouth.
Oh, the IRONY. Dan says exactly what James is saying.
Says/claims to have faith but has no works (James 2:14) which is a
bare profession of faith. I will
show you my faith by my works (James 2:18)
show, not establish. Big difference. You see that a man is justified
(shown to be righteous) by works and not by an
empty profession of faith/dead faith that remains alone/barren of works. (James 2:24) Context is key. Along with properly harmonizing scripture with scripture. *Hermeneutics.
Dan also says exactly what Paul is saying. Romans 4:2 - For
if Abraham was justified
(accounted as righteous) by works,
he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham
believed God, and
it (faith, not works) was
accounted to him for righteousness.” 4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. 5 But to him who does not work but
believes on Him who justifies the ungodly,
his faith is accounted for righteousness, 6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom
God imputes righteousness apart from works:
James 2:24,
- ye see then how by works a man is justified and NOT by faith alone
James 2:24 - ye see then how by works a man is justified
(shown to be righteous) and not by
(and empty profession of faith/dead faith that remains) alone
(barren of works). For James, faith alone = bare profession of faith that remains alone/barren of works. (James 2:14) For Paul, faith alone = faith that trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8.9) Genuine faith goes on to produce good works (Ephesians 2:10) so it does not remain alone/barren of works.
Not once in all of James epistle does he teach faith alone is good.
That's because James is talking about an
empty profession of faith/dead faith that "remains alone" -
barren of works. Says/claims to have faith but has no works. (James 2:14) That is not genuine faith, but a
bare a profession of faith. Works are not instantaneous the very moment that faith is firmly rooted and established and the believer becomes saved, yet if a person merely claims to have faith yet does not produce resulting evidential works, then that person's faith is spurious.
According to James it is dead faith that cannot save anyone.
It is dead because it's not alive in Christ (Ephesians 2:5-8) which is evidenced by the lack of works. (James 2:14)
James 2:17,
- even so faith if it hath not works is dead being alone
What kind of faith is that?
Empty profession of faith/dead faith that
remains alone/barren of works. (James 2:14)
James makes himself clear that Abraham's faith that justified him was perfected with works of obedience. Dan wants to be saved in disobedience. Faith alone according to James is a faith that does not obey God.
James' faith that justified him/accounted him as righteous took place in Genesis 15:6, many years before James was justified/shown to be righteous in Genesis 22. In
James 2:22, faith made perfect or complete by works means bring to maturity, to complete like love in
1 John 4:18. It doesn't mean that Abraham was finally saved based on the merits of his works after he offered up Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22. When Abraham performed the good work in Genesis 22; he
fulfilled the expectations created by the pronouncement of his faith in Genesis 15:6. Titus remains confused and believes that faith made perfect or complete by works means accounted as righteous part 2/saved by works.
James 2:19,
Thou believest there is one God, thou doest well, the devils also believe and tremble
There is a difference between believing "mental assent" that "there is one God" (
James 2:19) and believing in/on the Lord Jesus Christ and being saved. (
Acts 16:31) The demons believe the former but not the latter. Just like there is a difference between believing "mental assent" that the death, burial and resurrection of Christ "happened" and believing in/trusting in the death, burial and resurrection as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. (
Romans 1:16;
1 Corinthians 15:1-4) The demons believe the former but not the latter. Since you basically teach that ALL belief/faith is the same "except for the lack of good works" and cannot seem to grasp a
deeper belief/faith that trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation, you remain confused.
James 2:21-24,
- was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered his son Isaac upon the altar
Seest thou how by faith wrought + with his works and by works was faith made perfect
- and the scripture was fulfilled(Genesis 15:6) which saith, Abraham believed God and it was imputed unto him for righteousness and he was called the friend of God
Ye see then how that by works a man(Abraham) is justified and not by faith alone
Once again, notice closely that James does not say that Abraham's work of offering up Isaac resulted in God accounting Abraham as righteous. The
accounting of Abraham's faith as righteousness was made in
Genesis 15:6, (also see
Romans 4:2-3)
many years before his work of offering up Isaac recorded in Genesis 22. The work of Abraham did not have some kind of intrinsic merit to account him as righteous, but it
showed or manifested the genuineness of his faith. (
James 2:18) That is the "sense" in which Abraham was "justified by works." (
James 2:21) He was
shown to be righteous. Also, faith made perfect or complete by works means bring to maturity, to complete like love in
1 John 4:18. It doesn't mean that Abraham was finally saved based on the merits of his works after he offered up Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22. You see then how by works a man is justified (shown to be righteous) and not by a bare profession of faith alone. Simple! You simply refuse to see it.
James so clearly teaches the scriptures were fulfilled by Abraham being justified, made righteous by God with what kind of faith?
Abraham's faith was an obedient faith.
And James says that's the faith that justified Abraham.
To claim James is teaching the Abraham was justified by faith alone is twisting the words of James and any honest person can see this.
Abraham was justified
(accounted as righteous) by faith apart from works (Romans 4:2-3) and many years later Abraham was justified (shown to be righteous) by works. (James 2:21) *Perfect Harmony* To claim James and Paul are teaching that Abraham was justified/accounted as righteous/saved by works is twisting the words of James and Paul and any honest person can see this. You need to start being more honest, Titus.
James 2:25-26,
- likewise also was Rahab the harlot justified by works when she had received the messengers and had sent them on their way
- for as the body(physical body) without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also
Again, in
James 2:25, Rahab believed in the Lord with authentic faith (
Joshua 2:9-13), requested "kindness" (2:12), received the promise of kindness (2:14), and hung out the "scarlet line" (2:21), as the
demonstration of her faith. She
showed that her faith in God was not a dead faith by her works, just as all genuine believers
show theirs. (
James 2:18)
Verse 26 is the conclusion to James' question in verse 14.
James asks can faith alone save us? His conclusion is obvious.
It is dead, in the Greek the word dead means spiritually dead!!!!
Something that is spiritually dead cannot produce good works. A good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. (Matthew 7:17) Remember that James is describing a
bare profession of faith
says/claims to have faith but has no works (James 2:14) which is not genuine faith but a spurious faith. Faith that is alive has been made alive in Christ by grace through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:5-9) and goes on to produce good works. (Ephesians 2:10) Simple!
James 2:14,
- what doth it profit my brethren though a man say he hath faith and have not works
can faith save him
Key word Titus
SAY he hath faith.
Says/claims to have faith but has no works. No works are ever produced from it to evidence his claim. That is not genuine faith but a bare profession of faith, which is why that faith cannot save him.
Dan refuses to admit the context is about what kind of faith saves.
*James 2:14 sets the context.
Says/claims to have faith but has no works to
evidence his claim. That is not genuine faith but a bare profession of faith. Titus refuses to admit that 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) because Titus pridefully wants to be saved by works and boast.
Dan claims the context is what kind of faith doesn't save but justifies in mens eyes.
An empty profession of faith/dead faith that produces no works (James 2:14) is the kind of faith that does not save and it's because this is not genuine faith but a
bare profession of faith.
Dan wants everyone to believe that James already teaches faith alone saves but the big problem with that is you must believe that based upon presupposition not evidence.
James is talking about the kind faith that remains alone/barren of works. (James 2:14) James is discussing the
evidence of faith. It does not remain alone. It goes on to produce good works. Not to be confused with faith that trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation and not in works, which is what Paul is talking about (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) yet Titus just cannot figure this out and there is a reason for that.
The evidence overwhelming points to James being against faith alone.
James is against a
bare profession of faith that remains alone/barren of works (James 2:14) and so am I. Not to be confused with faith that trusts in Jesus Christ alone for salvation. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) Not the same alone.
That is making up your own context which is a pretext.
That describes you. I interpret scripture in
context and
properly harmonize scripture with scripture before reaching my conclusion on doctrine. *Hermeneutics.
