Can you really get to heaven without works????

[treesitter]

I don't think you can. I think faith alone can not save you.

 

[eolculnamo2]

NO!

James 2:14-19
14What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? 15Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. 16If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? 17In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.

18But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. 19You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.

 

[New_Wineskin]

Since there wasn't an appropriate option , I could only vote - sinner's prayer only .

Since the vote was on "works" without mention of them as a result of faith , I could not vote for "yes" or "balance" . Works without faith are dead .

 

[Strong in Him]

Well I would say that the answer to the question of this thread is "yes", but the question of the poll was worded differently so I voted "no."

We do good works to serve God because we love him; we want to respond to his love for us by serving him. The NT says that we will be called to account for how we have used the gifts that we've been given, and that our deeds will be tested by fire and those things found to be not from God will perish. But this is not the same as saying that we ave to do good works to get into heaven. Jesus is the giver of eternal life and the only way to the Father. He alone saves us. Not Jesus and church doctrine, or Jesus and good works or Jesus and anything else - only Jesus.

If good works could get us into heaven, there'd have been no need for Jesus to have died. And anyone who was severely handicapped, bed bound, on their death beds or whatever and therefore unable to do good works could not be saved.

 

[IamAdopted]

I could not vote with the options that were given. We are saved by Grace through Faith. Faith will produce a changed life and fruit will follow. All of our works will be judged. Ourselves will be saved.

 

[bennyk]

Is it possible for someone to accept Christ on their deathbed and get into heaven? Just a question to think about...

one being crucified next to Jesus at Calvary

"Verily I say unto thee today you will be with me in paradise" (think I quoted that right)

Thanks and God bless,
--Benjamin

 

[holo]

I don't think you can. I think faith alone can not save you.

Christ saves you. You receive salvation through faith, the faith that he GIVES you. And you are saved by works all right - HIS work.

In short, you don't save yourself.

 

[Messianic Jewboy]

Christ saves you. You receive salvation through faith, the faith that he GIVES you. And you are saved by works all right - HIS work.

In short, you don't save yourself.

That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved

Simple as that.

Marc

 

[TigerBunny]

I don't think you can. I think faith alone can not save you.

Works flow from faith. It has always been grace through faith and it always will be. None shall boast before God save in God.

Blessings.

 

[vekarppe]

Our relationship with and our [SIZE=-1]standing before God[/SIZE] is not based on what we do or what we do not do, but on person and work of Christ alone. He is our perfect and sufficient righteousness.

 

[PaladinValer]

Dead Faith (Antinomianism) is belief without works
Pelagianism is works without belief
Living Faith is belief and works

Faith is a work; you must work on your unbelief.
Faith is a belief; you must believe that God will make your works whole.

My Biblical/Traditional/Reasonable position is unfortunately not an option in the poll. However, there it is.

 

[holo]

Faith is a work; you must work on your unbelief.
Faith is a belief; you must believe that God will make your works whole.

"I belive, HELP my unbelief!"

Faith is a GIFT. You can't produce faith.

And God has never made any of my works whole. In fact, he doesn't do anything at all with my works, but rather waits for me to rest and shut up long enough for HIM to do HIS work.

 

[IamAdopted]

Faith is a gift. Living Faith is when we see the fruit of the Spirit in the lives of those who have been born again and have become as scripture says. A new creation in Christ.

 

[Strong in Him]

Christ saves you. You receive salvation through faith, the faith that he GIVES you. And you are saved by works all right - HIS work.

In short, you don't save yourself.

Well said.

 

[PaladinValer]

"I belive, HELP my unbelief!"

Exactly.

Faith is a GIFT. You can't produce faith.

No question about it being a gift. However, with cooperation with the Spirit, there is living faith. No cooperation, no salvation.

And God has never made any of my works whole. In fact, he doesn't do anything at all with my works, but rather waits for me to rest and shut up long enough for HIM to do HIS work.

Sorry, but I disagree with Calvinism and Arminianism. I believe in Theosis, the original soteriological position.

 

[elsbeth]

I could not vote with the options that were given. We are saved by Grace through Faith. Faith will produce a changed life and fruit will follow.

I agree, and I didn't vote either. I like the way you put it.

 

[Tamara224]

I could not vote with the options that were given. We are saved by Grace through Faith. Faith will produce a changed life and fruit will follow. All of our works will be judged. Ourselves will be saved.

Couldn't have said it better. I agree.

 

[holo]

No question about it being a gift. However, with cooperation with the Spirit, there is living faith. No cooperation, no salvation.

How exactly does this cooperation work? Because I know I am saved and I never provided any part of my salvation myself.

Sorry, but I disagree with Calvinism and Arminianism. I believe in Theosis, the original soteriological position.

I have no idea what calvinism, arminianism, theosis or soteriology even means...

 

[PaladinValer]

How exactly does this cooperation work? Because I know I am saved and I never provided any part of my salvation myself.

Do you see the end? Do you know what tomorrow brings?

If not, then you don't know if you will be "saved" or not.

As for the cooperation, it is simple: when we receive the Holy Spirit, we have another will, the Will of God, that dwells with us. We can either cooperate with God's Will that is now with us or we can simply continue to do whatever we will.

God's Will is not controlling; we are not His robots. It is up to us; His Will tells us what we should do, but the final decision is alway's ours. By listening and cooperating with His Will, our souls are healed and our nature repaired, and our will purified. Slowly and surely, we become more and more in the Likeness of God.

I have no idea what calvinism, arminianism, theosis or soteriology even means...

Seriously holo, are you simply pulling my leg? I'm honestly not sure.

 

[holo]

Do you see the end? Do you know what tomorrow brings?

If not, then you don't know if you will be "saved" or not.

I don't know what tomorrow brings, but I know what Jesus brings, and I know he is already in the tomorrow. My salvation isn't like a rash that comes one day and disappears the next. It's not a state of mind, it's not something I do, it's not even my faith. It's my identity. I have been born again.

(But to avoid any confusion, let me say that I do believe I could choose to reject God's salvation. I just don't see why I should).

As for the cooperation, it is simple: when we receive the Holy Spirit, we have another will, the Will of God, that dwells with us. We can either cooperate with God's Will that is now with us or we can simply continue to do whatever we will.

I believe something similar, but instead of going AGAINST what I REALLY want to do, I'm now free to do what I ACTUALLY want to do - which is good. I hate sin, I only desire to do good. I've been born again, transformed, I have a new heart. The very core of my being longs to do the right thing. Sin still lives in the flesh though, but that's not my true identity.

God's Will is not controlling; we are not His robots. It is up to us; His Will tells us what we should do, but the final decision is alway's ours. By listening and cooperating with His Will, our souls are healed and our nature repaired, and our will purified. Slowly and surely, we become more and more in the Likeness of God.

We become more like Christ by looking at him. He doesn't tell me what to do - he lives IN me. And I in him. He doesn't show me the way, he IS the way.

Seriously holo, are you simply pulling my leg? I'm honestly not sure.

Heh, I can see why. But seriously, I don't know what those words mean. I know that calvinism has something to do with a theology from a person named Calvin, that's about it.