This subject has confused bibical students from the time it was first written and many have their opinion about it,but if we allow the bible to explain itself it becomes so clear..
The first �key� to spiritual victory, breakthrough, and overcoming is simple, godly faith. But what kind of faith? Just what IS �faith�?
The apostle Paul explained, �Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. . . Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God . . . But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him� (Heb.11:1-6).
Abraham set us all an example of faith. We read of him: �[Abraham] being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb: He STAGGEERED NOT at the promise of God through unbelief; but was STRONG IN FAITH, giving glory to God; and being FULLY PERSUADED that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform� (Rom.4:19-21).
Faith ALONE Is Not Enough!
But faith alone, is dead and worthless. We must also do our own part!
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The apostle James said, �What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?� (James 2:14). James continues, �If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled: notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone� (James 2:15-17).
Now don't blame me -- I didn't say that. James did! And GOD inspired him to do it! Those who teach that there are �NO WORKS� required for salvation can eat their hat -- their words -- or eat straw! They are DEAD WRONG! In order for our faith to be effective, we must have good works -- that is, we must OBEY God's commandments, keep His laws, and follow the example set by Yeshua our High Priest and the Captain of our salvation!
James adds, �But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is DEAD?� (v.20). James mentions the example of Abraham, �Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?� (v.21-22). James concluded, �For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also� (James 2:26).
We need faith AND WORKS in order to become OVERCOMERS! What �kind� of works? The works of OBEDIENCE to the laws and commandments of GOD!
The apostle Peter declared, �And we are witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom God hath given to them that OBEY him� Acts 5:32). Faith in God must be combined with obedience to the LAWS of God! The apostle Paul wrote, �Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! [God forbid!] On the contrary, we ESTABLISH the law� (Rom.3:31, NKJV).
The apostle Paul wrote: �Now the just shall live by faith: but if any man draw back, my soul shall have NO PLEASURE in him. But we are NOT of them who draw back unto perdition; but of them that believe to the saving of the soul� (Hebrews 10:38-39).
This wonderful attribute of faith is not something we must work up ourselves, by our own human efforts. Not at all. But as Paul tells us, �For by grace are ye saved through FAITH; and that not of yourselves: it [the very FAITH itself!] is the GIFT OF GOD; not of works, lest any man should boast� (Eph.2:8-9).
This faith is the very faith of Christ put within us by the Spirit of God. It is the very same faith Jesus had.
Are we saved by faith alone, or do we need works, too?
Roman Catholics often mention that the Bible never says we are saved by faith alone and that the phrase "faith alone" occurs only once in James where it says that we are not saved by faith alone. If this is so, then why do the Protestants say we are justified by faith alone and not by works? Because the Bible teaches that we are justified by faith alone, and not by works.
The following is a list of verses about being saved by faith. Please take note that faith and works are contrasted. In other words, we are saved by faith "not by works" and "apart from works", etc. The point is that there are only two options. We are saved by faith alone or we are not. Since we have faith and works (both conceptually and in practice), then we are either saved by faith alone or by faith and works. There is no other option.
If we see that the scriptures exclude works in any form as a means of our salvation, then logically, we are saved by faith alone. Let's take a look at what the Bible says about faith and works. Then, afterwards, we will tackle James' statement about "faith alone".
1.Rom. 3:28-30, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one."
2.Rom. 4:5, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,"
3.Rom. 5:1, "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"
4.Rom. 9:30, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith."
5.Rom. 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
6.Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."
7.Gal. 2:16, "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."
8.Gal. 2:21, I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.
9.Gal.3:5-6, "Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 6Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."
10.Gal. 3:24, "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith."
11.Eph. 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. 9Not by works, lest any man should boast."
12.Phil. 3:9, "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith."
Again, works/Law is contrasted with faith repeatedly and we are told that we are not justified by works in any way. Therefore, we are made right with God by faith, not by faith and our works; hence, faith alone.
James 2:24, not by faith alone
The scriptures clearly teach that we are saved (justified) by faith in Christ and what He has done on the cross. This faith alone saves us. However, we cannot stop here without addressing what James says in James 2:24, "You see that a man is justified by works, and not by faith alone."
There is no contradiction. All you need to do is look at the context. James chapter 2 has 26 verses: Verses 1-7 instruct us not to show favoritism. Verses 8-13 are comments on the Law. Verses 14-26 are about the relationship between faith and works.
James begins this section by using the example of someone who says he has faith but has no works, "What use is it, my brethren, if a man says he has faith, but he has no works? Can that faith save him?" (James 2:14). In other words, James is addressing the issue of a dead faith, a faith that is nothing more than a verbal pronouncement, a public confession of the mind, and is not heart-felt. It is empty of life and action. He begins with the negative and demonstrates what an empty faith is (verses 15-17, words without actions). Then he shows that type of faith isn't any different from the faith of demons (verse 19). Finally, he gives examples of living faith that has words followed by actions. Works follow true faith and demonstrate that faith to our fellow man, but not to God. James writes of Abraham and Rahab as examples of people who demonstrated their faith by their deeds.
In brief, James is examining two kinds of faith: one that leads to godly works and one that does not. One is true, and the other is false. One is dead, the other alive; hence, "Faith without works is dead," (James 2:20). But, he is not contradicting the verses above that say salvation/justification is by faith alone.
Also, notice that James actually quotes the same verse that Paul quotes in Rom. 4:3 amongst a host of verses dealing with justification by faith. James 2:23 says, "and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, and Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.'" If James was trying to teach a contradictory doctrine of faith and works than the other New Testament writers, then he would not have used Abraham as an example. Therefore, we can see that justification is by faith alone and that James was talking about false faith, not real faith when he said we are not justified by faith alone
The Church of Christ is a false religion because it is wrong on the essential Biblical plan of salvation. In fact, many Church of Christ ministers have taught that the Church of Christ group is the true church of Christ, and no one else is. They even go as far as to claim that people who haven't been baptized by a Church of Christ preacher will go to Hell. I distinctly recall a discussion I once had with a Church of Christ minister. He was arrogant, doctrinally corrupt, and unsaved. He believed that for a person to be saved, they had to have faith, repent of sins, and be baptized. Well, that's two items too many! The only thing that God requires of men to be saved is faith alone in Christ.
"Repent" in the Bible, concerning salvation, simply means "a change of mind," not the forsaking of one's sins. The forsaking of one's sins is a result of growing in grace, which often takes many years, as a believer grows in the Lord. One does not have to surrender anything to the Lord to be saved, BUT, simply believe upon the Lord (Acts 16:31). The only thing that a person needs to repent of to be saved is their unbelief. Salvation is a free gift (Romans 5:15). A "gift" has no strings attached. Many preachers have developed the bad habit of requiring people to walk down to the front of the church to be saved; BUT, that is a work not required by God. Why does a person need to walk down to the front of the church? Can't they be saved in their pew? Of course they can! If you'll simply believe upon Jesus Christ to forgive your sins and save you, then you will go to Heaven when you die (John 14:6; Romans 10:13).
2nd Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." Carefully notice the phrase, "if any man be in Christ..." The change comes AFTER a person is saved, not as a requirement to be saved. Salvation is like picking an old soda can out of the garbage. You've saved it, but it hasn't been recycled (converted) yet. Likewise, God pulls us out of the garbage when He saves us; BUT, now He must recycle us into His image. Christian growth in grace is not required to go to Heaven. I know this shocks many self-righteous religious people; but it's Biblical (John 3:3; Romans 4:3-5; Ephesians 2:8,9). If you trust Jesus Christ as your Saviour, you're going to Heaven, whether you grow in the Lord or not while on earth. There are some lousy Christians in this world, but that doesn't mean they're not saved. King David was an adulterer, murderer, and crook; BUT, he only lost the joy of salvation, not salvation itself. Such rebellious believers will give account at the Judgment Seat of Christ.
'Baptismal Regeneration' is Unbiblical
Church of Christ members teach that baptism is required for salvation, but it is not. They believe that obedience is a part of salvation. However, the only thing which we must obey to be saved is the Gospel, "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ." There is nothing in the Bible which requires a person to be baptized in order to be saved. On the contrary, we read in John 3:18, "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." One who has trusted in Christ is saved, not condemned, whether he has been baptized or not. John 11:25, "Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live." There is no mention in this verse concerning baptism. Or what about John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Again, there is no mention of being baptized to be saved. There are hundreds of New Testament references which mention faith in Christ, without baptism being mentioned. Clearly, it is faith alone in Christ which saves a person, without baptism. The Church of Christ cult teaches damnable heresies by ADDING requirements which God didn't add.
A careful study of the Scriptures with an honest heart makes it quite clear that works CANNOT save a person, "Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified IN HIS SIGHT: for by the law is the knowledge of sin." One cannot be justified in the sight of God by WORKS. When James spoke of being justified by works, he clearly stated...
"Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: SHEW ME thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
James was speaking about being justified in the SIGHT OF MEN. 1st Samuel 16:7 tells us why, "...for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart." Man cannot see our heart's faith, so he looks at our works instead. However, God can see our heart, and it is all that He looks at. It is true that faith without works is dead; BUT, it is equally true that salvation (justification in the sight of God), comes by faith, without works. Romans 4:6 states, "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works." Baptism is a work, that if added to faith in Christ, will send a man to Hell forever.
Faith + any work = NO faith at all
"Baptismal regeneration" is simply the heretical teaching that one must be baptised in order to be saved. It is a Satanic doctrine, which is responsible for sending billions to Hell. The Catholic Church REQUIRES it's members to be baptized in order to go to Heaven. So does the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutherans, Eastern Orthodox, etc. Jesus NEVER told anyone to get baptized to be saved. No one in the Old Testament was ever baptized; yet, we read that Abraham was justified by faith, without works (Genesis 15:6; Romans 4:3-5).
Conclusion
Please leave the Church of Christ cult if you've been entangled in their doctrinal trap. They also deny the existence of a literal Heaven, the millennial reign of Christ, the Rapture, and many other fundamental Bible teachings. The Church of Christ is bad news!!! They focus on baptism so much that the plain Biblical plan of salvation is obscured; thus, they have churchianity without Christianity. So many people go through the rituals and ceremonies of religion, but they never become born-again believers. They join a church, get baptized, sing in a choir, tithe, go through the motions; BUT, they don't know Jesus Christ as Saviour. They go through the outward form of religion, thinking that they are obeying God's plan of salvation; BUT, they do not have the change of heart, because they are trusting the church and the form and the ceremony and holding out faithful and many other works of men, instead of depending solely on Jesus Christ. Psalm 118:8 declares, "It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man." I say to the Church of Christ the same thing which the Apostle Paul said to the church at Galatia, "O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth"? (Galatians 3:1). O foolish Church of Christ, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth? You have erred after another Gospel (Galatians 1:6). The Biblical Gospel does NOT require baptism to be saved, nor does it require a person to forsake their sins. Such actions are "works," and then God would owe us salvation, which is unbiblical (Romans 4:4-5). Salvation is of God, paid for by the precious blood of Jesus. Our responsibility is to "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved..." (Acts 16:31)--and that's it!
COMMON SENSE QUESTIONS A "CHURCH OF CHRIST" PREACHER CANNOT CLEARLY ANSWER
By Pastor David Martin - Solid Rock Baptist Church - Solid Rock Baptist Church
David Martin is pastor of the Solid Rock Baptist Church, 5893 Old Brownsville Rd. E, Bartlett, TN 38135 USA; phone: 901-634-1622. He is a 1984 graduate of Pensacola Bible Institute of Florida, and was ordained to the gospel ministry in 1986. He has been in his current pastorate for eight years. His article on the Church of Christ cult is the result of in-depth personal conversation with a Church of Christ elder that led to a 3-day public debate with a Church of Christ evangelist in 1997. The debate was attended by 250 people nightly from within a 300-mile radius of Memphis, Tennessee.This is one of the most controversial articles on the church of Christ you will find anywhere. No church of Christ preacher can satisfactorily answer any of the questions posed by Pastor Martin.
If you wish to respond to this article, please click here to email Pastor David Martin
The religious sect known as the "Church of Christ" has many peculiar and aberrant doctrines that are contrary to the word of God. It is a most deceptive and dangerous cult. Their teaching of baptismal regeneration is an age-old heresy that has damned millions to hell, and is still doing so today. The idea that they are the one, true and restored church of Jesus Christ puts them in the same league with the Mormon and Roman Catholic churches.
If you are a member of this "church" or have been influenced by its teachings, we challenge you to ask your preacher the questions that follow, then get your King James Bible out, open it up, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you the TRUTH (John 16:13). If you have never been saved in the Bible sense, for heaven's sake, do not mistake being "washed in the baptistry of the church" for being washed in the blood of Christ.
If you ask one of these "preachers" any of the questions in this tract, you won't get a straight answer due to their "screwball" theology. You'll have them in "hot water," "swimming in circles," trying to explain their heretical positions. They'll be "hopping all over the pond" because they can't stay too long in one spot without sinking in the mire of their false doctrines.
Don't YOU wind up being baptized in the "Lake of Fire" by accepting a "waterworks" based plan of salvation and rejecting salvation by grace through faith in the finished work of Christ. (Matt. 3:11; Rev. 20:15; Eph. 2:8,9; Rom. 5:9; Rom. 11:6).
Here are Questions for Campbellites
1. According to the history of the "Church of Christ," God used certain men to "restore" the New Testament Church in the early 1800's. Where was the true New Testament church before then? Jesus said that the gates of hell would not prevail against His church (Matthew 16:18). What happened to the church and where was the truth it was responsible for preaching before God restored it?
2. If a "Church of Christ" elder refuses to baptize me, will I be lost until I can find one who will? Do I need Jesus AND a Campebllite "preacher" in order to be saved? If I do, then Jesus Christ is not the only Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) and the Holy Spirit is not the only Administrator (1 Cor. 12:13) of salvation - the "Church of Christ" preacher is necessary to salvation for he is performing a saving act on me when he baptizes me! Is this not blasphemy against Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost?
3. If the water pipes broke and the baptistry was bone dry, would my salvation have to wait until the plumber showed up? If I were to die before then, would I go to hell? If obedience to water baptism is the means of forgiveness of sins, then I would.
4. If my past sins are forgiven when I am baptized in water, and it is possible for me to "lose my salvation" and go to hell after being baptized, then wouldn't my best chance of going to heaven be to drown in the baptistry?!! - before I had a chance to sin so as to be lost again? If I wanted to be absolutely sure of heaven, isn't that my best opportunity?
5. If as a Christian I can sin so as to "lose my salvation," just what sin or sins will place me in such danger? Is it possible to know at what point one has committed such a sin, and become lost again? Please be specific and give clear Bible references.
6. If as a Christian I can fall and "lose my salvation," is it possible to regain it? If so, how? If God "takes away" my salvation, doesn't that make Him an "Indian giver"? How could I ever know for sure that I was saved or lost?
7. After becoming a Christian, are there any sins that will put me beyond the "point of no return" so that I cannot regain salvation? What sin or sins will put me in such jeopardy, so that, after becoming a Christian, I would be doomed to hell without any recourse? Please be specific and give me clear Bible references.
8. If I committed some sin -whether in thought, word, or deed, one minute before a fatal car crash - would I go to hell if I did not have time to repent of it? And, please, don't just say that it's up to God without giving me a specific Bible reference.
9. Why does the "Church of Christ" insist that their name is scriptural when it cannot be found anywhere in the Bible? The church is referred to as the "church of God" eight (8) times in the Bible, but never is it called the "church of Christ." The verse they use is Romans 16:16, but it doesn't say "church of Christ." Where does the Bible call the church the "church of Christ"?
10. If the "Church of Christ" claims to worship God only as "authorized" by scripture because they sing only (and do not use instrumental music), then where do they get the "authority" to use hymnals, pitchpipes, pews, and indoor baptistries in their worship services? If the answer is that they are "aids to worship," where does the Bible allow for that? Where is your required authorization? If a pitchpipe can be an "aid to worship" for the song service in the "Church of Christ," then why can't a piano be an "aid to worship" for Baptists who may need more help in singing?
11. The "Church of Christ" teaches that a sinner is forgiven of sin when he is baptized in water by a Campbellite elder. Where does the Bible teach that water baptism is required in order to have one's sins forgiven? Every time the phrase "for the remission of sins" occurs it is speaking of the fact that sins have been forgiven previously! The Bible plainly teaches that the forgiveness of sins is conditioned upon repentance of sin and faith in Christ - never upon water baptism! (Matthew 3:11; Luke 24:47; Acts 3:19; Acts 5:31; Acts 10:43; Acts 20:21; Romans 1:16; Romans 4:5; et.al.) Where does the Bible teach that forgiveness of sin is linked with water baptism? When Christ made the statement in Matthew 26:28, "for the remission of sins," it had to be because they had been forgiven all through the Old Testament! Christ shed His blood because God forgave repentant and believing sinners for thousands of years before the Son of God came to "take away" sins and to redeem us and pay the sin-debt with His own precious blood. How can one say that "for the remission of sins" means 'in order to obtain' in light of the fact that God never uses the phrase in that sense? In the Old Testament God forgave sin on the basis of a blood sacrifice (Heb. 9:22) - the Old Testament saints had their sins remitted (i.e., forgiven) but they were not redeemed until Christ came and shed His blood at Calvary. Their sins were covered (Romans 4:7; Psalm 32:1), but the sinner was not cleared of his guilt (Exodus 34:7) until the Cross (Heb.10:4). Before Calvary, the sins of believers were pardoned, but they were not paid for (i.e., redeemed) until the crucifixion (see Romans 3:25 and Heb. 9:12-15). When Jesus said, "It is finished," (John 19:30), all sin - past, present and future - was paid for, and the plan of salvation was completed, so that 'whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins' (Acts 10:43). In Acts 2:38, the people were baptized because their sins were forgiven (at Calvary when Jesus said, "Father, forgive them,") and they received the blessing of forgiveness when they repented of their sin of rejecting Christ and accepted Him as their Saviour and Lord. Friend, heaven or hell depends on what you believe about this.
12. If salvation is not by works of righteousness which we have done, and baptism is a work of "righteousness," then how can water baptism be a part of salvation? (Titus 3:5; Matt. 3:16) In the Bible, we are SAVED BY GRACE, and grace does not involve human effort or merit - grace is grace and work is work! (Just read Ephesians 2:8,9 and Romans 11:6.)
13. The "Church of Christ" teaches that "obeying the Gospel" includes being baptized in water in order to be saved. If this is true, then how is it that the converts of Acts 10 were saved by faith before and without water baptism? The Bible says in Acts 5:32 that only those who obey God may receive the Holy Ghost - so what did those in Acts 10 do to obey and receive the Holy Ghost and be saved? In the light of Acts 10:34-48, Acts 11:14-18, and Acts 15:7-11, how can anyone honestly believe that water baptism is necessary to salvation? Simon Peter said their hearts were "purified by faith" (Acts 15:9) and that we are saved by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ like they were (Acts 15:11); that is, before and without water baptism! We know that unsaved people do not receive or have the Holy Spirit (John 14:17; Romans 8:9). We know that the Holy Spirit is given only to those who have believed on Christ (John 7:39). We know that the Holy Spirit seals the believing sinner the moment he puts his faith and trust in Christ as Savior, before he is ever baptized in water (Ephesians 1:12,13). How does the warped theolgy of Campbellism explain away these clear passages of Scripture without "muddying the waters" of truth and drowning its members in eternal damnation?
It would be impossible to discuss all the false doctrines of the "Church of Christ" in this small article. If you have a particular question not dealt with here, or need clarification on the issues discussed, contact us via email or at the phone number or address listed. We will provide you with sane, sensible and scriptural answers to your Bible questions
We come tonight to the fourth chapter of Romans, Paul's great epistle. Some have called it the Magna Carta of the Christian faith, the great statement of Christian doctrine. All religious thinking, all religious activity, all religious instruction must measure itself by the standard really of the book of Romans ... which lays down God's truth in terms of His plan for redeeming man. So, it's a great, great epistle.
Now tonight, obviously, because we've done some special things tonight, we're not going to have the time we usually have to develop fully the message, but we're going to begin to look at chapter 4, a great chapter. If we were to entitle the chapter we could title it "The faith of Abraham," because the whole chapter is really the story of Abraham. Paul uses him as an illustration of the truth that salvation is by faith not works. And Abraham is the illustration.
Bill Gold is a writer who recently wrote in the Washington Post and he said a little girl had saved up enough money to buy her father a present for Fathers Day but she was concerned about one thing. She said to her mother, "Mother, I want to buy something for Dad but I can't be going downtown every month to make payments. Is there a store anywhere where they'll let you pay for the whole thing at once?"
We understand that little girl's perspective. And you know, men have always thought and always taught that you buy salvation on the installment plan, that you sort of earn your way along and God looks at the good works this month and the good works next month and the good works the month after that and Fe sort of keeps the installment plan moving. But Paul is telling, us it's not so ... that there is a place where the whole thing was paid at once. And that place was the cross of Jesus Christ. Christ Himself paid the full price, once for all. Therefore, salvation is a paid‑for gift, not something we earn on the installment plan.
Now basically that's Paul's message in this section of Romans, from chapter 3 verse 21 on to chanter 6, and even into chanter 8. He's talking about the fact that God has provided a salvation, a deliverance from sin and death and hell and that salvation is provided by Christ through His work as a free gift to those who believe not by their own works.
Now because he is very much aware that this doctrine is foreign to the ears of those who will hear and read Romans, it is foreign to the Jews who believed you earned your way into heaven. It was even foreign to the pagans whose systems of religions have always been religions of human achievement. But particularly does he have the Jew in mind as he argues through Romans and he knows that saying salvation by grace through faith is God's way to save is going to run contrary to what they have always taught that you are saved by earning your way in. And so, consequently, having taught salvation by grace through faith in verses 21 to 31, he now illustrates it and he selects as his illustration Abraham--Abraham. This man becomes the classic proof, the classic model, the classic illustration of salvation by grace through faith.
Paul has told us how to be right with God and he said a man is right with God not by what he does but by what he believes...by believing in Jesus Christ and His perfect work. And now it is very important that Abraham be his illustration because this that he has just taught would be unacceptable to the Jewish mind. And so he selects Abraham to make his point.
Let me give you some reasons why. First, Abraham would show the eternal truth of righteousness by grace through faith since Abraham was an Old Testament character. In other words, by using Abraham, Paul is saying this is nothing new, this is something very old. Abraham even proceeded Moses. Abraham even proceeded the identify of the nation Israel. Abraham really belongs in the patriarchal period, the very primitive tine. He appears early on in the book of Genesis. And if Paul can establish that a man in the book of Genesis was saved by grace through faith and not of works, then he has given to us a timeless truth and nothing new at all.
Secondly, he selects Abraham because Abraham is also the supreme example of faith. Nobody in the Old Testament exercised as much or more faith than Abraham. And the New Testament even tells us that Abraham, ‑‑‑ the book of Galatians tells us ‑‑ is the father of all who believed. In a very real sense, all who come to God by faith are children of Abraham who sort of set the standard for faith by believing God in a most incredible way.
Now, this would run contrary to the rabbis' teaching. Let me fill you in a little bit. The majority of rabbis at the time of Paul and the time of our Lord in Jewish history believed, and this is still what the majority of them believe‑‑certainly of the orthodox persuasion‑‑that Abraham was made right with God, was saved if you will, was forgiven of his sin, was given eternal life, was chosen by God for salvation because of his character. He was the best man in the world, the best man in his generation therefore he was chosen by God to be the father of His people Israel. And they say Abraham was a righteous man and that's why God chose him. And we ask two questions. Number one, how could any man be righteous at God's standard level? And then a second question, how could a man keep God's righteous standard when it hadn't been given yet?
Well, they answer back do the rabbis, he kept it by intuition and anticipation. Fe sensed in his conscience the law of God and he kept it as he anticipated it and he kept it intuitively. And so the rabbis said he was the best man, he was a good man; he was a righteous man on his own terms therefore God chose him because of his self‑righteousness. And so, Paul selects Abraham in order to destroy this myth, to wine out the Jewish illusion and establish the truth that Abraham is not an example of a righteous man whom God chose, he is an example of an unrighteous man whom God chose. He is not an example of a man who earned salvation by his good works, he is an example of a man who received salvation by grace through believing. In simple child‑like trust, in complete yieldedness to God he took God's word at face value, believed God and by that act of faith he received righteousness. And of course it was very important to the Jews to have Abraham be an example of a righteous man whom God chose because they believed by their own self‑righteousness God had to choose them to.
But Paul wants them and us to realize that it may be the supreme discovery of all of life to find out that you don't need to torture yourself with a losing battle to earn salvation. You don't need to torture yourself with a losing battle to gain acceptance to God on your won good works. You don't need to think you can buy salvation on the installment plan.
And there's a third reason that he chose Abraham and that is because up till now all that he has said to us has been theological theory, theological truth and it needs flesh and blood and so he takes it out of the abstract and puts it into the concrete. Fe gives it flesh, the flesh of Abraham.
And so, for these reasons Paul chooses Abraham as his illustration. Now as you go through the 25 verses that make up this marvelous chapter, I believe‑‑and this chapter has been analyzed many ways, it's been divided up many ways‑‑let me give you what I think is a very simple way to divide the chapter. Abraham's life is an example and a model and a pattern of saving faith in three key ways. And I think the chapter divides easily these ways.
First of all, he was justified by faith not works, verses 1 to 8. Secondly, he was justified by grace not law, verses 9 to 17. Thirdly, he was justified by divine power not human effort, verses 18 to 25. Simple enough. He was justified by faith not works, by grace not law, by divine power not human effort. And in both... or rather in all three, there are both negative and positive perspectives. Faith not works; grace not law, divine ‑Dower not human effort, and Paul hits on both the negative and the positive in each case.
So, in a very real sense, and you would understand this if you were Jewish, some of you are and perhaps understand it even more than the rest of us, but when Paul attacks the opponents of justification or salvation by faith at the point of Abraham, he is storming the very fortress of Judaism. He is smashing down the walls of their strongest arsenal. Because if Abraham couldn't be justified by works then nobody can be because they said he was the most righteous man of all. And if you can show that Abraham cannot be justified by his works then nobody can.
Secondly, and conversely, if it can be demonstrated that Abraham was justified by faith then everyone must be justified by faith for Abraham is the standard. If Abraham can't glory and boast then nobody can because it must be of grace. So, this is critical.
Now let me talk a little more about Abraham because I think it's so very important that we understand this. Just think through this background because you need this to get a grit) on the whole story. The reason that they believed that Abraham was righteous is because they picked certain Scriptures, selected certain Scriptures, turned and twisted certain Scriptures to come to their own conclusion. Let me give you an illustration. Genesis 26:5 says this: "Because that Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments My statutes and My laws." Now God said that Abraham kept My laws, My commandments, My statutes, My charge and so they say Look, Abraham did all that. What they don't say is that that is why God saved him, made him righteous but that is because God saved him and made him righteous. And they also like to quote Isaiah 41:8 in which God spoke to Abraham as "My friend." They also draw from the book of Ecclesiasticus which is an apocryphal book, not to be confused with Ecclesiastes, but in Ecclesiasticus that spurious non-inspired book taught that Abraham was given justification, or made right with God, justified, and he was given circumcision because he earned it by keeping the law. The rabbis also taught that Abraham was one of the seven men who by his merit and by his personal righteousness had the privilege of bringing back the Shekinah glory to dwell in the tabernacle. The rabbis also taught that Abraham was so righteous he began to serve God when he was three years old. And there is the following quote from the prayer of Manasseh which is another writing, a non‑biblical writing, says: "Therefore, Thou 0 Lord God of the righteous, hast not appointed repentance for the righteous, for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who did not sin against Thee, but Thou hast appointed repentance for me who am a sinner." Isn't that interesting? You have not appointed repentance for Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who did not sin. Now you've really got to go through Genesis with blinders on to come to that conclusion...that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob didn't sin.
The Book of Jubilees, another historic traditional Jewish book, non‑biblical, probably dating from the second century before Christ, said Abraham was perfect in all his deeds with the Lord and well pleasing in righteousness all the days of his life.
And so, the rabbis said because he was perfect and because he was righteous and because from the time he was three he served God and because he wasn't a sinner, God chose him and made him the head of the nation. And that's the standard. If you want to be righteous, if you want to be right with God, if you want to get your sin forgiven, if you want to be saved, as it were, and brought into the Kingdom, you've got to get to where Abraham was. You've got to be righteous on your own good works.
They were so in love; by the way, with this theory because it fed their ugly pride that they needed Abraham for their support so they twisted everything around. For example, in Habakkuk 2:4, you don't need to look it up, it takes too long to find Habakkuk anyway, but in Habakkuk, in Brazil they call it "Habakookie". I always think of that when I think of Habakkuk, but anyway‑‑it's for your file. In Habakkuk 2:4 there's a very familiar verse which Paul quotes in the New Testament and it is this: "The just shall live by... what? ... faith?" The rabbis changed it and they quoted it: "The just shall live by his faithfulness." See the difference? Instead of living, that is before God in a right relationship, by believing faith, the just live by being faithful to keep God's law. So they twisted the Scripture conveniently to fit their own desire.
One ancient rabbinic commentary says Abraham our father inherited this world and the world to come solely by the merit of faith whereby he believed in the Lord. And this is an interesting shade. What they say is that it was by faith but it was his own faith, it was the merit of his own faith, he earned it with his own faith. And that isn't right either, as we shall see.
So, because of all of this teaching that Abraham was righteous before God on the basis of his own personal righteousness, Paul has to attack Abraham and he has to disprove that because, you see, Abraham became the standard and then the Jew said that's the standard so we all gain righteousness by living as Abraham in perfect obedience to the rules. And so they all tried to keep the law. So, Abraham's faith must be made clear.
Now, let's look tonight initially at point number one, we won't get past this, we may not even get through this. I'm sure we won't get through this. But Abraham, first of all, was made right with God not ... but rather by faith not by works. Abraham was made right with God by faith not by works. Let's begin in verse 1. "What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found? For if Abraham were justified by works, he has something of which to glory but not before God. For what saith the Scripture? Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt. But to him that worketh not but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man who...whom God imputeth righteousness apart from works, saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin."
Now, that's the first section. Now it begins with a negative ‑ how Abraham was not justified, how he was not made right and it was not by works. Back to verse 1: "What then," in other words, therefore‑‑that's the Greek term‑‑the force coming from the previous passage since we've been talking about justification by grace through face ... faith, then what then about Abraham? What do we say about him? Our father Abraham the one whom we've always said, and Paul said this too before he was saved, was righteous by his own self‑righteousness and therefore sets the standard for us, what about him? What has he pertaining to the flesh discovered? In other words, what do we learn from him? Is his case a contradiction? He is our father, he's the father of the nation, he is the one who would be called, I guess, the father of the Abrahamic covenant, he is the man of the covenant, he is the supreme one of all of God's people, the whole nation of Israel came out of his loins. Therefore whatever is true of him must be true of all of us as his seed, if he is the progenitor then whatever was true of him must be true of us. Now what has Abraham as pertaining to the flesh found? What does it mean as pertaining to the flesh?
Well, it basically means by his natural unaided powers, by his natural human ability, his natural human power. What did he do? What did he discover? What did he find? What did he attain? What did he appropriate on his own? Does Abraham contradict? Has he been able to gain something on his own according to his natural unaided powers? Does he contradict what we've just said?
Verse 2, "Well, if he were justified by works, that is by those things which he did by his natural unaided powers, if he was able to be justified by those things, then he should have something of which to glory, then he had a right to boast." "But not before God."
And that's Paul's way of saying ‑ But not so. He can't open his mouth before God. The translation is really saying in verse 2 ‑‑ If Abraham was justified by works, then he has something about which to boast. I mean, if I save myself by being so good, then I have a right to say ‑ Hey, I'm so good I saved myself. But, from God's viewpoint he had no right to boast ... he had no basis for pride‑‑none at all. Now Paul's going to prove that in the rest of the chapter. He was not justified by his works.
You see, men are never made right with God with what they do. You can go and light all the candles you want, you can pray all the prayers you want, you can go to all the religious meetings you want, you can get baptized, you can buy a Bible, you can take communion, you can feel religious feelings, you can go through all of the religious exercises, you can be a good person, you can be a very good person, you can be a goody‑good person, you can be so good that nobody even likes to be around you, but the sum of it all is you cannot attain unto God's standard of righteousness. That's why it says in chapter 3 verse 27 that boasting is excluded, no one can boast. And that's Ephesians 2, we're saved by grace through faith that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast. Because salvation is designed to give glory to God not glory to man.
So, Abraham had nothing about which he could boast. Now what Paul is doing here, if any of you have studied debate or logic, Paul presents what is called a hypothetical syllogism. A hypothetical syllogism has a major premise, a minor premise and a conclusion. Now the major premise is if a man is justified by works he has ground for boasting. The minor premise is Abraham was justified by works. The conclusion is therefore Abraham has a right to boast. But then God says ‑ Not on your life. So, if the conclusion isn't true then we ought to back up. Now the major premise if a man is justified by works he has ground for boasting‑‑is that true? Yes it's true. If you were justified by works you'd have ground for boasting, right? So that's true. The minor premise Abraham was justified by works‑‑is that true? That's not true. So we cannot grant the minor premise therefore the syllogism doesn't work. The minor premise is false. Abraham was not justified by works...not before God.
And how does Paul prove his point? I love this; this is a man after my own heart. Where does he go? Verse 3, "For what saith... what? ... the Scripture?" That, my friend, is the coup de grace. That's all you really have to know, right? What does the Bible say. What saith the Scripture? And he quotes Genesis 15:6, "Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness." That's Genesis 15:6. Not exactly new, right?
How did he gain righteousness? Righteousness means to be right with God. How did he get right with God? Well, it wasn't that he was so good on his own that God just sort of had to accept him, but rather he believed God and it was counted to him for righteousness. Now we enter in this section from verses 3 to 8 in which we find the positive, Abraham was justified by faith. Abraham believed God.
Look at Galatians for a moment. This is again Paul's argument, chapter 3 verse 6 of Galatians, it says there, "Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him, for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they who are of faith the same are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles through faith preached before the gospel unto Abraham saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed, so then they who are of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham." Abraham was saved by faith not by works so that all who are saved by faith since Abraham in a real sense are the children of Abraham; he's sort of the father of all who exercise faith.
Later in the same chapter, verse 26, "For ye are all the sons of God by faith in Christ Jesus." So, from Abraham on anybody who is saved is saved by faith. To Paul then and to the Holy Spirit, the essence of Abraham's greatness was that God had chosen him, God had commanded him and he believed God. Now what in his life was the incident where he exercised faith? Let's look at Hebrews chapter 11, tremendous text, and let's see what it was that Abraham believed. And he did believe and took God at His word, no debate, no hesitation, no argument.
Here you have the list of the people who exercised great faith in the past and it says in verse 8 of Hebrews 11, "By faith (and always Abraham is associated with faith) by faith Abraham when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed and he went out not knowing where he went." Now this is faith. He lived in the city the Bible tells us called Ur, the city of the Chaldees. Fe had his family, his possessions, his reputation, his business, his life was there. There was no nation Israel. There was no promised land. There was no people of God ... as such. And yet God cane and it says he was called, present participle, indicated that he was being called, that God was working over Abraham And when he was being called he also obeyed. And that was a great act of faith because God said get up and get out of Ur of the Chaldees and I want you to go somewhere else and I'm not going to tell you where you're going ... but you just abandon everything and leave.
So, he left the land of his birth, forsook his home, his estate, severed ties with those he loved and he left... abandoning present security for future uncertainty‑‑that s faith. Why did he do that? Because he believed God. He believed that God would fulfill His good promise and that God would take him to a good place and that God would bless his life. Fe believed that. And that's all God asks.
Verse 9, his faith was patient, "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob the heirs with him of the same promise." To God, Abraham was the chosen man. And yet Abraham never really saw the fulfillment. He never really saw the land unfold as the possession of God's people. He never owned any land, he spent his life as a tent dweller wandering around just like Isaac and Jacob did. He never saw the fulfillment of his dreams; it was to be out of his loins that another generation would see that. He never saw that. And yet always as he went he believed. And verse 10 says, "He looked for a city which hath foundations whose builder and maker is God." He always had his eyes on God. He always had that heavenly perspective, that heavenly vision. And so his faith was a patient faith.
And then came a great testing in verse 17, Abraham when he was tested offered up Isaac. God finally gave him the son Isaac and God said I want you to slaughter him on the altar. And he did. He took him up, put him on the altar, ready to drop the knife. Why did he do that? It's very clear. "By faith Abraham when he was tested," verse 17, "offered up Isaac and he that had received the promise offered up his only begotten son of whom it was said, In Isaac shall all thy seed be called." In other words, he would kill the very fulfillment of the promise. Why? Accounting that God was able to raise him up even from the dead. He said ‑ Look, if God says I'm going to have a nation out of this child and God says kill him, then I kill him in confidence that God will raise him up. Now that's faith‑‑great faith. Had Abraham ever seen a resurrection? Never ... 0 what faith. Go to a land you've never seen, have a child you cannot have, kill the child who is the hope of all the promise. And he would have done it all, so great was his faith.
He is a model of faith. Now as we draw to a conclusion, go back to Romans 4 and see what this means to you now. Verse 3, what does the Scripture say in Genesis 15:6? Abraham believed God and it was counted unto him for righteousness. How did he gain righteousness? How was he made right with God? How did he become acceptable with God? Through his perfection? No, through his faith. Because he believed God enough to leave his country, because he believed God enough to trust God to give him a son, because he believed God enough to kill that son if God said so and believe that he would raise him from the dead‑‑great faith.
The word "counted," very important word. It's the word logizomai. That word is used 11 times in this section. In fact, I think it's 11 times right in this immediate section. And what does it mean‑‑logizomai. It means "to credit to one's account, to put to one's account, to reckon, to impute to one." And what it's saying is that because he believed God imputed to him, put to his account, a righteousness which Abraham on his own did not possess. That's the whole point. And, beloved, that's what salvation is all about. When you believe God, when you believe the Word of God and the promise of God then God takes a righteousness you don't have and 'Puts it to your account. That's a legal act. Righteousness is put on your account. It's like being a beggar, a pauper and having nothing and having the world's richest person put in the bank a fortune to your account, it belongs to you. We are credited with a righteousness we do not have and how? By faith, this is the heart, listen, of all Christian theology. It's the heart. You muff this doctrine and You've blown it.
John Murray writing in his very fine book called Redemption Accomplished and Applied says, "God's judgment is according to the truth here as elsewhere, He constitutes the ungodly righteous and consequently can declare them to be righteous." And I tried to say that to you in weeks past that God actually credits to our account righteousness. He actually imputes to us righteousness. He actually infuses into us the divine life. He regenerates us. He sanctifies us. He makes the unholy holy and therefore declares that we are righteous so there is ontology as well as a forensic
declaration. There is a reality‑‑God gives righteousness and thus can declare that we are righteous.
How so? How can this be? How can God look at Abraham with his sin, and we know he had sin, you just read Genesis and find out? He lied and that's a sin. I'll tell you how. Isaiah 53, oh what a great text, Isaiah 53 verse 4, here's a description of Christ. The prophet sees Christ on the cross, he says, "Surely He hath borne our griefs, carried our sorrows, yet we did esteem Him stricken smitten of God and afflicted, He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement (or the punishment) for our peace was upon Him and with His stripes we are healed." What a statement.
Listen, do you know why God can credit righteousness to your account? Because He credited your sin to Christ's account. And on the cross Christ paid the price for your sin which then satisfies God's requirement and allows God to credit His righteousness to your account and mine. That's the heart of the Christian faith. God never ever could have credited righteousness to Abraham's account had not Abraham's sin be paid for and it was on the cross of Jesus Christ though Christ had not yet come into the world, that's no more difficult to understand than that our sin should be credited to Christ who care 2,000 years ago. He is the apex of redemptive history.
So, the believing sinner is justified by righteousness infused into him. Arthur Pink summarizes by saying, "It is called the righteousness of God because He is the appointer, approver and imputer. It is called the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ because He wrought it out and presented it unto God. It is called the righteousness of faith because faith is the apprehender and receiver of it. It is called the righteousness of man because it was paid for him and imputed to him. And all these varied expressions refer to so many aspects of that one perfect obedience unto death which the Savior Performed for His people."
And may I add to Pink's list? Daniel calls it "everlasting righteousness." Daniel 9:24.
Now, that's a thrilling truth. What a joy to a person who's deeply convinced that he's lost, who knows he's a rebel against God, who knows he's a lawbreaker, who knows he's condemned to hell and he knows he can't earn his own way in to discover that he doesn't have to‑‑that God will impute righteousness, God will credit righteousness to his account because his sin has been credited to Christ's account on the cross ... if he but believes. And so, when a sinner is alerted to the holy majesty and unbending justice and sovereign power of God, there is a terrorizing sense of lostness, a great feeling of depravity, the foul character of sin and the inevitable deserved judgment becomes frontal in the mind and the awaken soul cries out for a salvation that he knows he can't earn. He may cry with that text of Micah 6:6 and 7, "Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams or ten thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my first born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?" Isn't that a great word? What am I going to do? What am I going to offer to God? How many "Hail Mary's" does it take? How many religious rites does it take?
The poor soul may cry with Job 25:4, "How then can a man be justified with God? Or, how can he be clean that is born of woman?"
And then comes this blessed truth. By faith ... by faith righteousness is put to your account. What a great reality. Next time we'll talk about what that faith is. Some say it's a work. God says it isn't. We'll see why next time. Let's pray.
Father, we have had a wonderful, wonderful time in fellowship tonight and best of all, You've spoken to us. You've spoken through the words of the songs sung. You've spoken to us through the transformed lives of your children that surround us. And mightily and powerfully You've spoken to us through Your precious Word and You've reminded us of that great truth that we are saved by faith ... righteousness. The very divine character is given to us, put to our account when we believe as Abraham believed. We pray, Lord, that You'll work especially in the heart of that one who is trying so hard to earn his way or her way in. May they in coming to the desperate point of realization that they can't get there on their own, may they hear the echo of Paul's words, "If you believe in your heart and confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, you'll be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto salvation."
Father, we pray that You'll speak to every life, especially those who've not entered into this salvation by faith. To those of us who are Christians, may we never grow so indifferent that the thrill is gone when we think of these great truths. Thank You, for Jesus' sake. Amen.
Paul and James did not contradict each other; but rather they complemented each other. What both men wrote was inspired by God (2 Tim. 3:16) and true. Paul�s focus was on the unsaved man and how he might get right with God. James� focus was on the saved person and how he might show his faith and demonstrate the reality of his faith.
Paul�s Teaching
James� Teaching
You cannot be saved by works
(Ephesians 2:8-9)
You cannot show that you are saved without works (James 2:14,18)
How can a person be saved?
By faith alone (Rom. 3:28)
How can a person show that he is saved? How can he �show his faith�?
Only by works (James 2:18)
Faith without works saves
(Romans 3:28)
This is a living faith (saving faith)
Faith without works does not save
(James 2:14)
This is a dead faith (James 2:17,20,26)
Faith alone saves
The faith that saves is not alone
A person is not saved by works
(�works� are rejected by Paul as the means of salvation: it is wrong to say that a person must do good works in order to be saved)
These are meritorious works, that is, works done to try to merit or earn salvation
A saved person will perform good works
(�works� are understood by James to be the result of salvation: a person does good works because he is saved)
These are faith works, that is, works that spring from a faith that is real and living.
Paul agreed with James
He taught that good works must accompany saving faith (Eph. 2:10; Titus. 3:8; Gal. 5:6; Phil. 2:11-12).
James agreed with Paul
He taught that a person inherits the kingdom only by faith (James 2:5) and that Abraham was justified by faith (2:23)
Paul used the example of Abraham when he first believed in God (Rom. 4:3 and compare Genesis 15:6).
James used the example of Abraham when his faith was tested by God, about 40 years later (James 2:21 and compare Genesis 22)
The error Paul corrected:
Salvation is by the works of the law (the error of legalism)
The error that James corrected:
Works are unnecessary after a person is saved (the error of antinomianism)
Paul wrote about how a guilty sinner may be justified before God.
James wrote about how a believer can show that his faith is genuine (justification or vindication before men)
At the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 the key issue was that salvation is by grace through faith and not by the works of the law. See the error in Acts 15:1 and Peter�s conclusion in Acts 15:9,11. James, who took a lead role in this discussion never voiced any disagreement with Peter or Paul over this crucial matter.
Paul�s perspective: He was viewing the guilty sinner who needed to be right with God. (The sinner is in view)
James� perspective: He was viewing the believer (or professing believer) who needed to demonstrate that his faith was real. (The believer is in view)
The Example of Abraham
Both Paul and James turned to the life of Abraham to illustrate justification. Paul writes, �For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the scripture say? Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness� (Rom 4:2-3). James seems to contradict Paul when he writes, �Was not our father Abraham justified by works when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?� (James 2:21) A careful analysis will help shed light on this apparent disagreement.
Paul makes it clear that it was faith alone that justified Abraham. He was referring to Genesis 15:6, where Abraham put his trust in the divine promise that he would be the father of many nations. It was his assurance that God�s character guaranteed the completion of this promise for which God justified him. Thus, Abraham was not justified by works of the law, but by faith when he believed God.
The event James is alluding to occurred in Genesis 22, when Abraham obediently offered Isaac as a sacrifice according to God�s command, until at the last moment God forbade him. It is notable that James also recites Genesis 15:6, thus inferring that Abraham was justified by faith earlier in is life, in agreement with Paul�s teaching. Likewise, verse 24 states, �You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.� In addition, James teaches that Abraham was justified by works �when he offered his son Isaac on the altar.� Therefore, James is suggesting that Abraham was first justified by faith years before he was justified by works. Yet, the question remains: �If Abraham was completely justified by faith, why must he also have been justified by works?�
The answer to this can be found by identifying the difference between what James and Paul mean by justification. The emphasis in James is that faith is not living unless it is outwardly shown and demonstrated. �Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works� (James 2:18). This is because, as Paul states, faith is a personal belief that takes place in the mind and heart, and thus cannot be seen in and of itself. Thus, while God knows whether or not one has faith, there is no way for another person to recognize it exists unless there are works in his life that directly point to it. Consequently, while Paul is dealing with the necessity of faith before God, James is concerned with an outward demonstration of such faith before men through works. Therefore, unlike Paul, who teaches justification before God, James portrays justification before men. However, their views on justification are complementary. Paul stresses acceptance before God entirely by grace through faith, whereas James presents the continual evidence before men of the initial transaction.
Abraham�s life was chosen as an example because it wonderfully illustrates what kind of faith-evidencing works James had in mind. Works in James are the outworking of faith; apart from a living faith, they would be dead works. Abraham�s work of faith was seen not only in his obedience to God�s command, but especially in the fact that he believed that God would raise up his son (see Gen. 22:5; Heb. 11:19). God had promised Abraham that Isaac would have children (see Genesis 17:19; 21:12), and he believed that God would keep this promise even though God had commanded him to kill Isaac (Gen. 22:2). How can a dead Isaac have children? Abraham knew that the only solution to this impossible dilemma was that God would have to raise his son from the dead. Abraham�s momentous faith in God�s ability to fulfill His Word despite such difficulty, which faith is evident from Genesis 22:5 (�we will come back to you�), is commended by the writer of Hebrews (Heb 11:19). Abraham�s faith manifested itself in his willingness to obey God when all reason would repudiate his actions.
The final example of justification by works given by James was that of Rahab, who belonged to Jericho just before Israel was about to attack it. Her good works involved sheltering Hebrew spies and ensuring them a safe passage. Like Abraham, she demonstrated faith by her belief in the supremacy of the God of Israel and His providential plan for his people, in spite of apparently insurmountable odds (conquering a great walled city!).
Reasons why Paul and James did not
contradict each other:
1. Each man had a very different perspective. Paul was declaring how a guilty, lost sinner could get right with God. James was writing about how a saved person could SHOW that his faith was real.
2. Both writers used Abraham to illustrate their doctrine but they did not choose the same incident of his life. Paul used a time early in Abraham�s life, before he had given birth to any children, and the Genesis account declares that this was when Abraham was justified by faith. He believed God and because of this God put righteousness to his account (Gen. 15:6). James, while not disputing the fact that Abraham was justified by faith (see James 2:23), nevertheless chose an incident in Abraham�s life which took place many years later, when he offered up Isaac. According to James, this is when Abraham showed his faith by his works (the Genesis account indicates that this is when Abraham�s faith was �tested��Genesis 22:1).
3. Both writers mention �works.� Paul teaches that works are unnecessary but James teaches that works are essential. This apparent contradiction is solved when we realize that Paul was speaking of those good works that an unsaved person tries to do in order to win God�s favor or work his way to heaven. James on the other hand was referring to those good works that a saved person performs which gives evidence of a real, living, saving faith.
4. James does not teach that good works are necessary in order to gain salvation and Paul never teaches that good works are unnecessary after a person is saved. On the contrary, Paul agreed with James that for the person justified by faith, good works are essential (Phil. 2:12-13; Titus 3:5-8; Eph. 2:8-10). Likewise, James agreed with Paul that the only condition for inheriting the kingdom was faith and faith alone (see James 2:5 and also Acts 15 where at the Jerusalem Council James never expressed disagreement over Paul�s teaching that salvation was by faith and not by the works of the law).
5. The Jerusalem Council of Acts 15 very clearly shows that James was not in disagreement with Peter or Paul in their teaching that salvation was by grace through faith and not by works. In Acts 15:1 we see that certain men were teaching that a person could not be saved unless he kept the deeds of the law (in this case, circumcision). Peter, in his speech, made it very clear that people are saved in only one way: by faith through grace [see v.7��hear the word of the gospel and believe�; verse 9��purifying their hearts by faith�; verse 11��through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved.�] Soon thereafter James gave his speech, and if he had been in disagreement with Peter and Paul, this would have been the time to say so. He could have said, �Men, I must respectfully but very strongly disagree with your teaching that salvation is by simple faith in Christ alone. I agree with these men who are teaching that justification is by the works of the law, and not by faith alone. It�s not enough to simply believe on Christ. We also must try to keep the law of Moses and in this way try to earn our way to heaven.� But James never said any such thing. He was in complete harmony with the teaching of Peter and Paul.
6. Both men speak of justification but there is a slight difference of emphasis or meaning. Paul is speaking of a lost sinner being justified or declared righteous before a holy God based on the work of Christ on the cross. James is speaking of a saved person being justified or vindicated by works. In other words, the works prove that his faith was real and not just a dead faith. Paul�s message: In order to be saved, you must be justified by faith. James� message: If you have really been justified by faith, then prove it! Show me your faith by your works! Paul was writing about something that an unsaved person needed to do; James was writing about what a saved person needed to do. So it is with the example of Abraham. Abraham at the beginning needed to be justified by faith. Abraham later on in his life needed to have his faith tested and vindicated. He showed that his faith was real. His faith was so real and vibrant that he believed that if he were to kill his only son, God would raise him back to life (see Hebrews 11:17-19 and see Genesis 22:5��we will come again to you�).
7. CONCLUSION: We are justified by faith alone (Paul�s teaching). The faith that justifies us is not alone; it must be accompanied by good works (James� teaching). Faith alone saves but the faith that saves is not alone! We should also note that James agreed with Paul that faith alone saves (James 2:23; 2:5 and Acts 15) and Paul agreed with James that the faith that saves is not alone (Eph. 2:10; Titus. 3:8; Phil. 2:12-13). Thus the conflict between Paul and James is only apparent; it is not real.
ephesians 2:7-10 7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast. 10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.
ephesians 2:13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.
now folks as we can clearly see that we have been saved by grace through faith.. and not of ourselves . its a gift of GOD.. not of works less anyone boast..
i do believe that with our salvation we are led by the HOLY SPIRIT to do good works.. and that we as christians saved by the blood of the LAMB are sposed to wanna do good works.. and though we may falter as we are but mere men.. we are still saved by the same blood of the LAMB that saved us to begin with..
unless we turn away from GOD in unbelief and loose our faith in the grace that saved us to begin with.. in other words.. works didnt save you to begin with.. you remain saved the same way you were saved to begin with...by your repentance ,belief and faith in JESUS CHRIST..
Man...ofgod, there you go posting hoards of stuff again. It wasn't even me this time!:goofball: We ARE justified by faith alone. But works without faith is dead. Are we justified by dead faith alone? What James is saying is that if we have faith we will be working. It is a direct result. You can't have faith in God and say you won't obey Him. That is false faith, false belief. God requires obedience. Simple as that. We will obey the law of God if we have faith. Not the law of Moses. God's royal law of liberty. The 10 commandments. Woo! I didn't need 50 paragraphs! Good posts, Cattle & gablueyes. Hope you don't mind a cult member agreeing with you:devil:
I love my mom. I appreciate her, I respect her, and I would do anything in my power to make her happy. Because without a doubt, I love her.
My mom has never liked swearing. Before I was saved, I used some pretty foul language - but never, ever around her. Why? Because I knew it would bother her and I didn't want to disrespect her. Would she have hated me for it? No. She would have still loved me, but would have been disappointed in me.
When I was in my teens, I remember times she didn't want me to do certain things. I didn't always understand her reasoning and would sometimes try to argue my way through it, but in the end, I usually listened to her and obeyed. The times I didn't listen, I found out first hand what she had been trying to protect me from and it was never good. Sometimes I paid for my disobedience for a long time afterward - but I eventually learned to listen to her and understand that she was keeping me from certain circumstances for my benefit - not because she didn't want me to have fun.
Now that I'm older, do I still listen to my mom? Probably more than ever. I know her very well and I know that she's always there for me, she would do anything to help me, and she loves me with all her heart. She would never put me in harms way or ask me to do anything that wouldn't have an outcome that would be beneficial to me. I trust her completely. And because of all this, I want to make her happy. When she smiles or hugs me because of something I've done for her, there's no greater feeling in the world.
It's the same with God. We aren't saved by works, but when you really, really love someone, you want to make them happy. And that does come from your attitude, what you do and don't do, how much time you spend with them, and how much you listen to what they tell you.
