It condemns it. But it does not mean the person is not saved. For we see the following verse too, in regards to such believers. I said "believers."
The references to “Belief Alone-ism” was towards the Jews, and the Jews who rejected their Messiah and held to a form of “Belief Alone-ism” were clearly not saved. Jesus said in John 15:6, “If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast
them into the fire, and they are burned.” Jesus said, “And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.” This means a person who lives out their faith and does not produce good fruit will not be saved.
You said:
If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death,
he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin
not leading to death. There is a sin leading to death; I do not say
that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and
there is a sin not leading to death." 1 Jn 5:16-17
The problem is that you are inserting your own ideas and or the ideas of others into this text that is completely foreign. This method would be eisegesis and not exegesis. The context of John's 1st epistle mentions nothing of your version of the “sin unto death.” In order for your interpretation to work, you have to actually ignore what is going on in 1 John 5. See, the brethren are praying for a brother who is struggling to overcome sin that they are confessing to the Lord. The goal of their prayer is to give this believer life or victory in overcoming their sin. As long as this believer who is struggling with their sin is confessing and seeking to overcome their sin genuinely, they are not committing a “sin that is unto death.” (i.e. spiritual death). They are confessing their sin in order to be forgiven of their sin. This is the sin that does not unto death (i.e. spiritual death). The context here is in relation to the spiritual and not the physical.
The physical death interpretation here makes no sense because how would the believers know if another believer was committing a sin unto death vs. a sin that is not unto death in the physical sense. In the physical death view, it is God who takes the life of a believer on the account of their sin. So the believer would have no way of knowing whether or not to pray for them or not. In context: If you were to look at the previous chapters of John's 1st epistle, you would see that he makes a contrast between “spiritual life” vs. “spiritual death.” A person is of the light or darkness. A person has the truth and or does not have the truth. A person is of God, or they are not of God and they are of the devil. They either have eternal life, or they do not have eternal life abiding in them. This is the theme that is established.
There is no discussion in John's epistle of God taking physical life on the account of certain sins. James 5:14-16 coupled with 1 Corinthians 11:29-30 may be the closest to sounding like a defense of your view. While it is true that men can get sick and even die on the account of sin. We see Ananias and Sapphira are killed on the account of their sin, but we know they clearly lost their salvation by what they did because the church experienced the emotion of fear. If you were to put on your detective cap, and examine the scene like a criminal investigator would do, you would realize that only certain emotions can fit the truth of things. If Ananias and Sapphira were never saved, and they were fakes, then the church would most likely feel a sense of justice being done or feel sad that they did not repent. But they would not be in fear over false pretenders dying. If Ananias and Sapphira were safely in the arms of Jesus, the church would either feel sad that they would miss their friends, or they would rejoice that they are in Heaven with God. The emotion of fear again would not make any sense in this view. The emotion of fear by the church only makes sense if they knew that a similar sin could take their own life and they would be condemned in a similar way by God. For a believer is not to fear death. Jesus and Paul made that fact clear. Jesus said do not fear the one who can destroy the body, but fear the One who can destroy both body and soul in hell (Gehenna) (Matthew 10:28). Paul says to live is Christ and to die is gain. So Paul did not look at death as something to be feared.
Anyways, nobody is sick to the point of dying in 1 John 5. If you hold to the physical death view: You must assume that a believer's sickness is the result of their sin (and that is the indicator that they are committing a potential sin unto death). But not all ailments or sickness is related to sin. We learn in John 9:2-3 that the man who was born blind was not related to anything sinful that they did. So again. How would they know what the “sin unto death” vs. the “sin not unto death” actually is? How would they truly identify it?
Side Note:
Oh, and the whole “
leads unto death” is an additional word by Modern Translations and their bent way of thinking. The King James does not have this addition to Scripture. The KJV simply says “sin unto death” or “sin not unto death.” The word “unto” is commonly defined as the word “to” in older dictionaries. For example: Bob went to the store is different than Bob leading the way to the store. But of course, many in your camp believe the original languages are better and that the English words in our Bible can sometimes be disregarded.
You said:
If you have faith without works? You are refusing God his purpose in saving you for your life on earth. You become as good as dead to God. Faith without works is dead to God.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good
works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Eph 2:10
God will remove such believers before their time. In doing so they will forfeit their eternal rewards. But, not their salvation!
You did not learn this from reading your Bible on your own (by asking God the understanding of His Word) and by looking at the context. The only way you could know of this is from a church, articles online, a Bible college, or group of other believers, etc.; Why do I say this?
Well, there is no Bible verse that says faith can be dead and yet a person can still be saved (despite that fact). It makes no sense to even suggest such a thing. Ephesians 2:8-9 says that we are saved by God's grace through faith. If there is no faith (
on the account of it being dead), we cannot be saved. James says faith without works is dead (James 2:17). A dead faith means that a person's faith is nonexistent. It's dead. So it cannot access the saving grace of God anymore.
You said:
If any man’s work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a
reward. If any man’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he
himself will be saved, yet so as through fire." 1 Cor 3:14-15
Again, nothing in 1 Corinthians 3 suggests that the building materials are works in general of a believer and that the bad materials are sinful works. That again is eisegesis and not exegesis (and seeing what you desire to see instead of just reading and believing the text). You are inserting an outside belief that states this information. Nowhere is there a connection to the materials that are wood, hay, and stubble as being the sinful actions of the believer. Paul tells us that we are God's building (1 Corinthians 3:9). So the works are the believer's themselves. The work is in reference to the kind of believers we bring to the faith. According to the Parable: Paul's work would be the Corinthian believers. They are justifying the sins of strife and envy in 1 Corinthians 3:3. Paul mentions the sins of strife and envy in Galatians 5:19-21, and says that they which do such things will not inherit the Kingdom of God. The words “inherit the Kingdom” is in reference to entering God's kingdom (i.e. salvation) (See: Matthew 25:34, and compare with Matthew 25:46). Paul warns that if any man defiles the temple, God will destroy them.
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which
temple ye are.” (1 Corinthians 3:17).
You said:
We can lose our rewards for faith without works manifested, but not our salvation.
No. Paul's work of bringing the Corinthians to the faith would be lost. The Corinthians at the time they were justifying sin were like hay, wood, and stubble that would be burned up. Paul would be saved, but his work (the Corinthians) would be burned. Paul would be saved as through the fire in this instance. The parable is not talking about good works and sinful works of the believer in general but it is talking about the work being the kind of people we bring to the faith. You are free to point out the context of 1 Corinthians 3 that supports your viewpoint on this, but we both know you will not be able to do that.
You said:
You guys always throw out the baby with the bathwater. Dirty water. Can't see through it, type dirty. You keep assuming that man is saved by works from the Lake of Fire. That mocks the saving work of Christ on the Cross. The one true work that saved us from such a fate.
12 “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.
13 And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.
14 And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.
15 And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:12-15).
5 “...God;
6 ...will render to every man according to his deeds:
7 To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:
8 But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,
9 Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;
10 But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:
11 For there is no respect of persons with God.
12 For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;”
(Romans 2:5-12).
“And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation." (John 5:29).
“And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;” (Hebrews 5:9).
You flip on and off in realizing the significance of the Blood of Christ.
While we may agree with having faith in His blood according to Romans 3:25, you do not accept 1 John 1:7 in what it says plainly.
1 John 1:7 says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The word “if” is a condition here.
If we walk in the light.... the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.
Walking in the light is loving your brother according to 1 John 2:9-11.
So you have to continually meet the condition of “loving your brother” in order for the blood of Jesus to cleanse you of all sin.
This truth is confirmed with 1 John 3:10 that says that a person who does not righteousness and does not love his brother is not of God.
1 John 3:15 says whoever hates his brother is like murderer and no murderer has eternal life abiding in him.
So yes. Salvation is conditional upon not sinning and doing good.
To miss this is to miss what the Bible plainly says.
You said:
James says, “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands,
ye sinners; and purify
your hearts,
ye double minded.”
(James 4:8).
This is in context to this:
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.” (James 4:7).
Also, James 1:8 says, “A double minded man
is unstable in all his ways.”
This is in context to asking the Lord by way of prayer in regards to growing in the faith and becoming strong in the faith to resist temptations.
“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” (James 1:12).
A man who does not believe God will answer His prayer always in being faithful in protecting them in times of temptation is like a man whose faith is tossed to and fro like a boat lost at sea. It wavers. Back and forth. So such a man who prays does not receive anything of the Lord in regards to building up their faith because they do not truly believe. Their faith wavers back and forth in their thinking that they can overcome sin. Most believers today do not even think they can stop sinning this side of Heaven. So they do not even believe what James is saying in James chapter 1. They have no real clue as to what he is saying. It is because they don't want to know.
