I never said that "believe" (pisteuo) in those passages of Scripture that I cited were merely "mental assent" belief, although in James 2:19, we read that the demons "believe" (same Greek word - pisteuo) "mental assent" that "there is one God," but they do not "believe" (pisteuo) in the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and are not saved.
You don't have to have said it explicitly. It is the context of what you are saying. We don't have to do anything, just believe. But that is not what Scripture says.
So, depending on the context, it can at times mean mental assent, as in James 2:19, but believes goes beyond "mental assent" in Acts 16:31. The demons are not saved. Do you understand the difference between merely believing in your "head" and believing in your heart that God raised Him from the dead? (Romans 10:9,10) The demons believe "that it happened" (mental assent belief) and saved believers trust in what happened for salvation. Big difference!
The difference is that the demons do not take action on that belief. They refuse (or are incapable of) to submit to God's authority. We, on the other hand, are capable and are called to submit to His authority and commands. He says that salvation is received when we are baptized in water (1 Pet 3:21, Rom 6:1-7). It is in the action of being baptized that our sins are removed (Acts 22:16), just as it was in the action of dipping the seventh time that Naaman's leprosy was removed. And in the action of marching around the city the seventh time on the seventh day that the walls of Jericho fell down (not by the power of the marching feet, or the sound of the trumpet, but by the power of God when the people obeyed what He said.
Faith demonstrates that it's not dead by actions/works, but we are saved by faith in Christ at it's origin and not by actions/works which are produced afterwards. (Ephesians 2:8,9)
That is not what Scripture says. Rom 10:9-10 is explicit that the physical action of confessing Jesus with the mouth (verbal and public confession (claiming) of Jesus as Lord) RESULTS IN (meaning it must come before) salvation being received. This means that this action of faith (along with repentance and baptism) are actions of faith that must be produced before salvation is received.
In James 2:26, the comparison of the human spirit and faith converge around their modes of operation. The spirit (Greek pneuma) may also be translated "breath." As a breathless body exhibits no indication of life, so fruitless faith exhibits no indication of life. The source of the life in faith is not works; rather, life in faith is the source of works. (Ephesians 2:5-10) You have the tail wagging the dog. The cart before the horse.
Already dealt with this false comparison. It was God's breathing the soul into man that gave man life (Gen 2:7).
"Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living person."
In James 2:14, we read of one who SAYS/CLAIMS he has faith but has no works (to evidence his claim). That is not genuine faith, but a bare profession of faith. So, when James asks, "Can that faith save him?" he is saying nothing against genuine faith, but only against an empty profession of faith/dead faith. So, James does not teach that we are saved "by" works. His concern is to show the reality of the faith professed by the individual (James 2:18) and demonstrate that the faith claimed (James 2:14) by the individual is genuine. Simple!
Precisely. And one who claims to have faith but does not obey the one in whom he claims to have faith is lying. Would the walls of Jericho have fallen down if the people had just believed, but not marched around the city? No, obedience to the command that God says LEADS TO/RESULTS IN receiving His blessing must be done in order to receive His blessing.
In James 2:24, James is not using the word "justified" here to mean "accounted as righteous" but is shown to be righteous. James is discussing the evidence of faith (says-claims to have faith but has no works/I will show you my faith by my works - James 2:14-18) and not the initial act of being accounted as righteous with God. (Romans 4:2-3)
This is a nice dodge, but it is still wrong. A person is initially accounted as righteous by God when that person demonstrates their faith through obedience to what God says LEADS TO/RESULTS IN receiving His blessing.
The only logical conclusion when properly harmonizing Scripture with Scripture is that faith in Jesus Christ "implied in genuine repentance" (rather than water baptism) brings the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43-47; 11:17,18; 15:7-9; 16:31; 26:18). *Perfect Harmony* Confession is already implied or assumed. (Romans 10:8-10)
This is a faulty conclusion based on bad logic and poor understanding of the Scriptures.
The ONLY proper conclusion
when properly harmonizing Scripture with Scripture is that our obedience to God's command is still necessary today, just as it was in the OT.
I never said that we are saved the moment that we merely believe "mental assent" that the death, burial and resurrection of Christ "happened." Even the demons believe that. Saving faith also includes trust and reliance in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation.
What does that "trust and reliance" look like? It looks like baptism in water, trusting God to keep His word and remove our sins in baptism just as He said He would.
You are adding nothing new to this discussion. If all you are going to do is rehash the same old arguments that have been debunked already, and simply reference posts from the past that have already been shown to be full of error, then there is no need to continue. Your heart is still hard and unwilling to come to understand the truth. I pray that God will open your heart before it is too late for the ones you teach.
