GodsGrace said: Apparently, Jesus does not agree with you.
Jesus was not teaching salvation by works as you suppose. He was using descriptive language to contrast two different foundations which represent Christians and "nominal" or pseudo-Christians.
Jesus stated that a wise person who HEARS His words and ACTS on them will not fall because he is founded on the rock.
Matthew 7:24
24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock.
Jesus stated that a foolish person who HEARS His words and DOES NOT ACT on them will experience a great fall.
Matthew 7:26
26 "Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.
Matthew 7:27
27 "The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell -and great was its fall."
As I already previously explained to you in post #847: In Matthew 7:24-27, we find
two different foundations with two different results, and not salvation by works, as you suppose. Each house has a different material upon which its foundation is laid, and each house has a different final outcome. One house is built by a wise man upon a
rock, and it
stands. The other is built by a foolish man upon the
sand, and it
collapses. The rock the wise man builds upon is true righteousness found in Jesus Christ alone. (descriptive of genuine Christians) The sand the foolish man builds upon is self-righteousness. (descriptive of pseudo-Christians) Only those who
truly believe in Him (demonstrative evidence) are wise and hear the words of Jesus and properly act on them. Also keep in mind that in context, genuine Christians and pseudo-Christians are being
contrasted throughout Matthew 7:15-27. Jesus starts out in verse 15 saying, "Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves." In verse 17, Jesus also compares a good tree that bears good fruit (believers) with a bad tree that bears bad fruit (unbelievers). Jesus mentions many people in (vs. 23) who He
never which means they were
never saved.
No long-winded explanations MMD.
There it is in black and white.
You could heed Jesus or not...
YOUR choice.
That was not so long winded. It's black and white to me after reading these passages of scripture in
context.
Isn't it unfortunate that the writers of the NT did not know how to communicate what Jesus had taught them?!
They know how. You just don't understand.
Faith without works is dead.
Works, together with faith, is what gives life.
Faith is made alive in Christ by grace through faith, not works (Ephesians 2:5-9) then good works follow. (Ephesians 2:10) Works don't cause our faith to become alive. They
show that our faith is alive. (James 2:18) Just as fruit that grows on a tree does not cause the tree to become alive. (something that is dead cannot produce anything) They
show that the tree is alive. You have this backwards. Cart before the horse.
Abraham obeyed God....and he was declared righteous.
Abraham believed in the Lord/believed God and his faith (not his works) was accounted to him for righteousness. (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:2-3) It was not until many years later that Abraham was justified (shown to be righteous) by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar. So, Abraham was accounted as righteous based on his faith (
Genesis 15:6) not his works (
Romans 4:2-3) long before he offered up Isaac on the altar in Genesis 22.
James 2:14 your verse
14 What use is it, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but he has no works? Can that faith save him?
SAYS (key word) he has faith, but he has no works? Can
that faith save him? What kind of faith is
that? Empty profession of faith/dead faith.
If one has faith,,,,but no works,,,that faith will not save him.
That is not genuine faith but a
bare profession of faith. That is why it will not save. Faith is the root of salvation and works are the (fruit) evidence of faith. The absence of evidence can be construed as evidence of absence.
Faith Alone will not save anyone because it's NOT what Jesus taught.
An empty profession of faith/dead faith that remains "alone" barren of works will not save anyone (James 2:14) because that is not genuine faith but a bare profession of faith. Not to be confused with faith that trusts in Jesus Christ "alone" for salvation. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) Faith in Jesus Christ saves and it also does not remain barren of works (Ephesians 2:10) which demonstrates that it is alive.
James 2:20 your verse
20 But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?
Faith that produces no works at all is useless and is not genuine faith.
James seems to be agreeing with Jesus!
A FOOLISH person believes faith alone is all that is needed.
Without works...faith is uselss...it's dead.
A foolish person does not ACT on the words of Jesus.
A wise person ACTS on the words of Jesus.
Again, you just don't understand. You misunderstood what believers mean by salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. We do not mean the kind of faith that remains "alone" barren of works. That is a spurious faith. (James 2:14) We mean the kind of faith that trusts in Jesus Christ "alone" for salvation. (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) That is saving faith.
Plain and simple.
According to you...Jesus left no words or instructions or teachings.
Strawman argument.
James is speaking about FAITH.
FAITH without works is DEAD.
James is speaking about a bare profession of faith. Faith that produces no works demonstrates that it's dead. Simple!
You copy and paste.
Who knows if you even know what you're posting.
Copy and paste what? My own posts again to save time? I know exactly what I'm posting. I have discussed this with numerous people over several years and on various Christian forum sites, which I have been a member of since 2010. You will say anything in an effort to win your arguments at all costs. This seems to be very personal for you.
There are no two types of branches.
There is ONE type of branch.
The type that is ATTACHED to the vine and gets it's nourishment from the vine.
There are two types of connections with the vine. The branches that bear no fruit have no vital and spiritual connection with Christ as the vine which explains the lack of nourishment from the vine. Apart from Christ we can do nothing. Self-attached dead branches bear no fruit and faith without works is dead. Those branches (like Judas Iscariot) will be removed. There is no such thing as a no-fruit Christian. That is an oxymoron. In Matthew 3:8, we read - "Bring forth therefore fruits that fit repentance." True repentance will bear fruit. Don’t say to yourself we have Abraham as our father. I tell you right now God can make these stones into children of Abraham. “Now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore, every tree that brings not forth good fruit is cut down and cast into the fire." There’s the same analogy. Pay attention - if John the Baptist used that analogy of being cut down and cast into the fire of pseudo-Christians/false believers, if Jesus used it of pseudo-Christians/false believers twice, then Jesus would use the same kind of an analogy a third time in John 15. Right? So again, what you have in view there are branches that are cut off because they did not bear fruit, which gave evidence they were not genuine believers. Do you see that? They are false believers. They are not true believers.
All genuine Christians will have fruit and some more than others.
John 15:1-2
1 "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.
2 "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
Every branch IN JESUS that does not bear fruit...
God TAKES AWAY.
No further explanation needed.
You fail to rightly divide the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15) I already thoroughly covered this with you in post #434 in the "Excellent discussion on OSAS" thread and in multiple other posts in other threads and on other Christian forum sites as well but I feel like I'm just wasting my time beating a dead horse. Your beliefs are fixed, and your ears are dull of hearing.
Jesus and the NT writers knew full well how to communicate their message.
Of course they did. But some persons prefer their eisegesis over the message of the NT writers.
It's just that some persons to not wish to receive it.
Oh, the irony.
