Sola Fide (Faith Alone) Sets the Record Straight
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What is helpful in understanding John 8:11 is knowing that the Bible teaches not all sin is the same. There are grievous sins that lead unto spiritual death, and there are minor infractions or hidden faults that do not lead to spiritual death.
Grievous sin is another name for a "sin unto death"
(Note: To check out the reference to the "sin unto death," see: 1 John 5:16).
(i.e. death = spiritual death or the second death) (Note: The second death is destruction in the Lake of Fire - Revelation 21:8).
"And the LORD said, Because the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous;" (Genesis 18:20).
Examples of Grievous Sin:
#1. Not loving God, and not loving your neighbor (For loving God and loving your neighbor is a part of eternal life; See: Luke 10:25-28 cf. Matthew 19:17-19; Not loving Jesus (God) means one is accursed, see: 1 Corinthians 16:22; As for not loving your neighbor, see the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37), and then see number #5 below).
#2. Looking at a woman in lust = danger of being cast bodily into hell fire (Matthew 5:28-30).
#3. Not forgiving = not being forgiven by the Father (Matthew 6:15).
#4. One can be condemned by their words (Matthew 12:37).
#5. Not helping the poor or the unfortunate = Going away into everlasting punishment (or everlasting fire) (Matthew 25:31-46).
#6. No man who puts his hand to the plow (i.e. one who spreads the gospel and teachings to lead men of God into holiness by His Word) and looks back (turns away from doing so) is fit for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62) (Note: See the KJV rendering on this verse).
#7. 1 John 3:15 says, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
#8. Galatians 5:19-21 says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Meaning, those who do these kinds of sins will not inherit (enter) God's kingdom (i.e. they will not be saved). For entering God's kingdom is associated with salvation in Matthew 25:34 (Note: Paul is mentioning the violation of the Moral Law. The Moral Law is the same equivalent as loving your neighbor; See Romans 13:8-10).
#9. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8).
#2. Looking at a woman in lust = danger of being cast bodily into hell fire (Matthew 5:28-30).
#3. Not forgiving = not being forgiven by the Father (Matthew 6:15).
#4. One can be condemned by their words (Matthew 12:37).
#5. Not helping the poor or the unfortunate = Going away into everlasting punishment (or everlasting fire) (Matthew 25:31-46).
#6. No man who puts his hand to the plow (i.e. one who spreads the gospel and teachings to lead men of God into holiness by His Word) and looks back (turns away from doing so) is fit for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9:62) (Note: See the KJV rendering on this verse).
#7. 1 John 3:15 says, "Whoever hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him."
#8. Galatians 5:19-21 says, "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God." Meaning, those who do these kinds of sins will not inherit (enter) God's kingdom (i.e. they will not be saved). For entering God's kingdom is associated with salvation in Matthew 25:34 (Note: Paul is mentioning the violation of the Moral Law. The Moral Law is the same equivalent as loving your neighbor; See Romans 13:8-10).
#9. But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8).
Minor infractions or faults of character is another name for a "sin not unto death" (i.e. not unto death = not unto spiritual death or the second death) (Note: While the "sin not unto death" mentioned in 1 John 5:16 is in context to confessed sin in John's epistle (See: 1 John 1:9), it can be extended loosely to refer to the kind of sins that do not lead to spiritual death by it's very name).
"Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults."
(Psalms 19:12).
(Psalms 19:12).
Examples of Sins That Do Not Lead Unto Spiritual Death:
#1. 1 John 5:16-17 mentions the "sin not unto death."
In context to 1 John 5: This would be talking about confessed grievous sin that one is striving to overcome with the Lord's help (1 John 2:1) (1 John 1:9) (Romans 13:14). In 1 John 5, the brethren are praying for this believer to have victory (life) over their sin as this believer confesses their sin.
#2. Psalms 19:12 says, "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults." I believe these would be faults of character or minor errors that a person might make with people. Example: A person may not be a great listener, and they do not allow others to speak like they should. By not listening to others may come off a little like they do not care (even though they care in their own way or a different way). Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem. The Spirit warned Paul not to go. He was still determined to go because he loved His fellow Jews and wanted them to know the love of Jesus. The Spirit told the brethren that Paul will be imprisoned by his going to Jerusalem. The brethren warned Paul not to go. They were in tears and loved him and begged him not to go. But Paul did not listen. He would not hear them. He did not want to hear it. Fault of character. Hidden fault. Minor error of his character. It is not something that condemned him (See Acts of the Apostles 21, and read this article here by Ray Stedman; Note: There is even a better write up than this one by Bible commentator James Boice here; Please keep in mind I do not share their views on Soteriology, though; I merely agree with their view on what happened with Paul in Acts of the Apostles 21).
#3. The Command to Be Baptized.
Paul says Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17). If it was essential to salvation, then why would Paul say something like this? In 1 Peter 3:21: Peter says baptism is not for the putting away of the filth of the flesh. If you were to turn to 2 Corinthians 7:1, you would see that it uses similar wording ("filthiness of the flesh") that is clearly in reference to sin. So Peter is saying that baptism is not for the putting away of "sin" [i.e. filth of the flesh]. In other words, baptism is not a command that if disobeyed, leads to spiritual death.
#4. Other Commands in the New Testament that do not seem like a major violation of loving God and loving your neighbor that have no death penalties attached to them. One example would be the command to Rejoice when men persecute you or falsely accuse you of evil in Matthew 5:11-12.
Real world examples: Going 5 miles per hour over the speed limit in area that is not life threatening to others. Not taking out the trash yesterday when it was a little stinky. These minor transgressions would obviously not send a Christian to hell.
But we as Christians strive to obey and do good in all things in the Lord. We strive to keep His commandments. For it is written,
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.' (1 John 5:3).
In context to 1 John 5: This would be talking about confessed grievous sin that one is striving to overcome with the Lord's help (1 John 2:1) (1 John 1:9) (Romans 13:14). In 1 John 5, the brethren are praying for this believer to have victory (life) over their sin as this believer confesses their sin.
#2. Psalms 19:12 says, "Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults." I believe these would be faults of character or minor errors that a person might make with people. Example: A person may not be a great listener, and they do not allow others to speak like they should. By not listening to others may come off a little like they do not care (even though they care in their own way or a different way). Paul wanted to go to Jerusalem. The Spirit warned Paul not to go. He was still determined to go because he loved His fellow Jews and wanted them to know the love of Jesus. The Spirit told the brethren that Paul will be imprisoned by his going to Jerusalem. The brethren warned Paul not to go. They were in tears and loved him and begged him not to go. But Paul did not listen. He would not hear them. He did not want to hear it. Fault of character. Hidden fault. Minor error of his character. It is not something that condemned him (See Acts of the Apostles 21, and read this article here by Ray Stedman; Note: There is even a better write up than this one by Bible commentator James Boice here; Please keep in mind I do not share their views on Soteriology, though; I merely agree with their view on what happened with Paul in Acts of the Apostles 21).
#3. The Command to Be Baptized.
Paul says Christ sent him not to baptize but to preach the gospel (1 Corinthians 1:17). If it was essential to salvation, then why would Paul say something like this? In 1 Peter 3:21: Peter says baptism is not for the putting away of the filth of the flesh. If you were to turn to 2 Corinthians 7:1, you would see that it uses similar wording ("filthiness of the flesh") that is clearly in reference to sin. So Peter is saying that baptism is not for the putting away of "sin" [i.e. filth of the flesh]. In other words, baptism is not a command that if disobeyed, leads to spiritual death.
#4. Other Commands in the New Testament that do not seem like a major violation of loving God and loving your neighbor that have no death penalties attached to them. One example would be the command to Rejoice when men persecute you or falsely accuse you of evil in Matthew 5:11-12.
Real world examples: Going 5 miles per hour over the speed limit in area that is not life threatening to others. Not taking out the trash yesterday when it was a little stinky. These minor transgressions would obviously not send a Christian to hell.
But we as Christians strive to obey and do good in all things in the Lord. We strive to keep His commandments. For it is written,
"For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not grievous.' (1 John 5:3).
Side Note:
Please understand that it is not possible for a person to obey God's commands without them first being saved by Jesus Christ and His grace (i.e. by seeking forgiveness of their sin with Him, and believing in His death, and resurrection on their behalf). For Christians are initially and ultimately saved by Jesus Christ.
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- Jul 22, 2014
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There is only one interpretation when it comes to the primary meaning of a particular passage or verse. All forms of communication that is in written form has a primary meaning to convey information to us. If this was not the case, then our world not function. Airplane mechanics would read the blue prints for an aircraft wrong because they all have different interpretations? Surely this kind of thinking is not going to fly if they want to all have a job. The reason why there are many interpretations on the Bible is because of selfish motives. Man wants to do his own thing. So selfish motives gets in the way of understanding God's Word by their trying to enforce wrong ideas or beliefs that makes room for them to do their own thing on some level. This is why they look at a verse and say it does not mean what it says plainly. But when you look past the motives of men and you just read and believe God's Word plainly for what it says like all written texts, you will see it for what it says. It's not that complicated as some people making it out to be. Reading the Bible is not Rocket Science (Although, some try to make it appear that way).
The key to understanding the Bible is:
1. Asking God for the understanding.
2. Reading the context.
3. Looking at cross references.
4. Does the interpretation line up with Basic Morality?
5. Is there a preconceived idea when you are reading the text?
There are other ways to check, but this is a good place to start.
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How does that work in light of James 2:18, and James 2:24?
James says he will show you his faith (belief) by his works of faith (i.e. faithfulness) in James 2:18.
James 2:24 says we are justified by works, and not by faith alone.
In your view, it would sound nonsensical. It would say, we are justified by works (faithfulness), and not by faith (faithfulness) alone. So yeah. It doesn't make sense. James even relates faith (belief) that has no works like that of demons. For the demons believe and tremble (James 2:19). The point of James 2:19 is that the demons believe but they are not faithful (i.e. they do not have good works).
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Bad Advice From Loving Saints - Acts 21:1-14: Berean Bible Church
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Now notice what the text says, "They kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem"--Now the question is this: Did Paul get a word from the Holy Spirit not to go to Jerusalem? If he did, then he went anyway, he was disobedient. So the question that comes up is, "Is Paul disobedient?" Did he make a mistake in going to Jerusalem?
Some commentators, such as Donald Barnhouse, Ray Stedman, and James Boice, argue that Paul was either deliberately sinning or making a foolish mistake to continue his journey in light of these warnings. Paul was human, and he could have been disobedient to the Holy Spirit, but I don't believe he was. The Holy Spirit forbid them to preach in Asia. You know what they did? They didn't preach in Asia. Paul didn't violate the Spirit's commands. The text says the Spirit didn't allow them to go to Bithynia. They didn't go there either. When the Spirit directed, Paul obeyed.
So what does it mean, "They kept telling Paul through the Spirit not to set foot in Jerusalem"? It could mean that the Holy Spirit revealed only the fact of Paul's fate, and that the conclusions drawn from this were not those which came from the Spirit, and were not the will of God for Paul. The expression "through the Spirit" (NASB) must refer to the fact that the words spoken "through the Spirit" were the words pertaining to Paul's bondage, while the words spoken urging Paul not to go were not spoken "through the Spirit," but were spoken out of the loving and well-intentioned hearts of these mistaken saints.
We know that Paul was told by the Spirit to go to Jerusalem:
Now after these things were finished, Paul purposed in the Spirit to go to Jerusalem after he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, saying, "After I have been there, I must also see Rome." (Acts 19:21 NASB)
When the phrase "purposed in the Spirit" is taken in combination with the "must" of the next sentence, which is "dei," a term often used by Luke to indicate divine necessity, Luke seems to be declaring Paul's conviction by the power of the Spirit that it is God's will for him to continue pursuing his calling by preaching the Gospel in Rome.
The Biblical principle that was governing Paul's trip to Jerusalem was his strong conviction that in the Church there is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, but we are all one in Christ (Gal. 3:28). He was taking the collection that he had raised from the Gentile churches to the Jewish church as a demonstration of love and unity. Luke hardly mentions this collection (24:17), but from Paul's Epistles we know that it was a big deal to him (Rom. 15:25-32; 2 Cor. 8 & 9).
So the statement in verse 4, "through the Spirit" means that they were enabled to advise him not to go, by knowing through the Spirit, what awaited him. The knowledge was supernatural; the advice was the result of their own judgment.
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- Jul 22, 2014
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Keeping the Moral Law is the equivalent of loving your neighbor (brother) (See Romans 13:8-10).
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- Jul 22, 2014
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Not true.
This verse says that Paul purposed in the spirit (lower case) to go to Jerusalem:
"After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome." (Acts of the Apostles 19:21).
This verse specifically says that disciples told Paul through the Spirit not to go to Jerusalem:
"And finding disciples, we tarried there seven days: who said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem." (Acts of the Apostles 21:4).
So Paul was doing his own thing (Acts 19). He was purposed in the spirit (his spirit) to go to Jerusalem (Acts 19). This was before he received warning from the Holy Spirit via disciples not to go to Jerusalem (in Acts 21). Chapter 19 happens before chapter 21.
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If I went to a plumber's shop and stole his monkey wrench, it would be immoral. There is a law against theft.
If I saw a customer going to his shop and offered to fix his tap for half the going rate, it would be unethical.
You can see that the second example is a subjective situation, can even be interpreted as an act that would reduce monopolies, cartelization, etc.
Similarly, if a poor man came to the church and I offered help, he could ignore me if I was more shabbily dressed than him! How am I sinning if the job is not done?
Therefore, all commands to sin no more are moral prohibitions.
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The Holy Spirit only revealed Paul's fate. The Spirit did not forbid him from going to Jerusalem. Any other claim is just adding to what is not there.
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In Romans 13:8-10, Paul's point is that if one loves their neighbor, they will automatically fulfill the moral prohibitions. You also side stepped the whole James 2:18, and James 2:24 point I made.
How can James show you his faith by his works if faith is the same thing as works? Works would be faithfulness.
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No. That's not what it says. Here it is again.
"disciples... said to Paul through the Spirit, that he should not go up to Jerusalem." (Acts of the Apostles 21:4).
You think it says:
"disciples... said to Paul of their own opinion not by the Spirit that they should not go up to Jerusalem."
Sorry, I prefer to trust the Bible in what it says.
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When we do not sin, we find favor with God. The act that God found favor with in Paul's life was his act of praying three times to be cleansed. Remember, to stop sinning, we need to pray. It is God who is faithful in cleansing us from unrighteousness.
Instead of cleansing, God strengthened His grace towards Paul.
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The Bible says:
After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome." (Acts of the Apostles 19:21).
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The Bible says:
After these things were ended, Paul purposed in the Spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been there, I must also see Rome." (Acts of the Apostles 19:21).
The King James does not capitalize this.
Besides, Acts 21, is clear that the disciples told him not to go by the Spirit.
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I agree that we can please God by obedience. But like I said before, not all sin condemns one to hell. There are grievous sins that the Bible clearly mentions as condemning us, and there are minor transgressions that do not condemn.
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English Standard Version
Now after these events Paul resolved in the Spirit to pass through Macedonia and Achaia and go to Jerusalem, saying, “After I have been there, I must also see Rome
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Faith alone in our relationship with God is true, but justification by faith alone is false.
First, justification by faith alone directly contradicts the teaching of James that we are justified by works and not by faith alone (James 2:24). Note that James is not saying that we are not justified by faith, he just throw in another element.
Secondly, in the New Testament, we find justification by grace, by faith, by works, and by the blood of Christ. Therefore, justification by faith alone is false.
The problem: Justification means different things to different people. From a given meaning, one extrapolates and because the Bible is very sensitive to initial meanings, different gospels are created from different meanings - the butterfly effect takes hold.
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If you read the first chapter of James... you cannot come to that conclusion.
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