@FreeInChrist
Eph 2: 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God,
2: 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
IOW..Faith is not considered a work in the context of salvation; rather, it is viewed as a gift from God that does not rely on human effort. The Bible teaches that we are saved by grace through faith, not by our works
Requiring anything in addition to faith in Jesus Christ for salvation is a works-based salvation. To add anything to the gospel is to say that Jesus’ death on the cross was not sufficient to purchase our salvation. To say that baptism is necessary for salvation is to say we must add our own good works and obedience to Christ’s death in order to make it sufficient for salvation. Jesus’ death alone paid for our sins
But you all are certainly entitled to your opinions....
Brother, you are close, much more so than those who have a work gospel they are peddling. Consider my notes on Ephesians 2:8, if you would please.
"In Ephesians 2:8 we have a classic example of an
metonymy. The
only faith that saves
us legally is the faith of Christ, for no man can have faith in God, the faith that meets the requirement of a Royal law, a faith that
is produce by perfect obedience to its laws! Jesus Christ
alone had the faith that honoured God's law in all points, from conception, to death, in thoughts, words, and deeds ~
and this faith alone is the means of man's free justification.
This faith is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God
secured for God's elect by our surety, Jesus Christ. This faith is given to us in regeneration when the Spirit of God creates a new man within us after the image of his Son, Jesus Christ.
When a man hears and believes, it is
not the old man (
for that is impossible) but his new man that is a creative work in God's elect by the almighty power of God~this birth happens to a child of God sometimes
after conception and
before death, and is evidenced by faith and obedience to the word of God. Two prime examples of this is John the the Baptist and the thief on the cross.
I could spend more time proving the metonymy in Ephesians 2:8 by the context in just before verse 8, in verses: 4-6..."
But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:"
We were IN CHRIST from all eternity, even while he lived in this world and in his death and resurrection, which secured our redemption for us.
What he did, it was as though we did it, what happen to Christ happened to us
legally speaking two thousand years ago."
Brother this is the truth of Ephesians 2:8, not because I put this together, but because it can be supported by the word of God when ALL scriptures are compare ~ it will flow perfectly with them all, for only then can we know we have the truth or not. All of God's children said amen, amen.