You cite a lot of verses but you don't spend much time on the natural context, nor do you have much interest in the gospel. You seem to think that a Calvinist is oblivious to the works the follow salvation, not knowing the doctrines of grace, that is not surprising nor is it unique.
It's called justification by grace through faith and none of the works that necessarily follow are any less a work of God's sovereign will or divine grace. That's the problem, your merit means nothing, the works we do we do by faith in Christ who loved us and gave himself for us. Feel free to beat the stuffings out of your strawman but I know Calvinism and what your arguing against has nothing to do with it.
If you think Calvinists are soft on sin consider the fact that they famously preach fire and brimstone for all who do not seek with all their heart the mercies of God in Christ Jesus:
God seems now to be hastily gathering in his elect in all parts of the land; and probably the greater part of adult persons that ever shall be saved, will be brought in now in a little time, and that it will be as it was on the great out-pouring of the Spirit upon the Jews in the apostles days; the election will obtain, and the rest will be blinded. If this should be the case with you, you will eternally curse this day, and will curse the day that ever you was born, to see such a season of the pouring out of God’s Spirit, and will wish that you had died and gone to hell before you had seen it. Now undoubtedly it is, as it was in the days of John the Baptist, the axe is in an extraordinary manner laid at the root of the trees, that every tree which brings not forth good fruit, may be hewn down and cast into the fire. (
Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God. by the Rev. Jonathan Edwards)
Just understand, apart from Christ you can do nothing.
Yes I'm aware of the context and the content of the passage, I've reminded you of it repeatedly or I think I might never of heard it from you at all.
I know what James is referring to and these were not new converts and the issue here isn't justification by grace through faith, James has already addressed this sufficiently:
My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. (James 1:19-21)
That word is what saves you not you petty works. Of course God takes it personally how you treat other believers, that's not the point.
Of course the child of God bears fruit but that is by grace through faith and let me make myself perfectly clear, you merit counts for nothing.
About time you spent some time on the context. But I see your back to beating the stuffings out of your favorite strawman.
What self respecting Calvinist would deny any of that, we despise easy believing with a passion. Those works are by grace and when you make your works a matter of earning you own salvation you rob God of the glory that is meant to come from them. The emphasis has to be what God does in us and for us by grace through faith, the rest is vanity of the highest order.
Well, you act like you think the context proves your point but it doesn't. You also are insulting me by telling me to learn the context (When I am 100% fully aware of what the context says). Works of faith prove that one's faith is genuine. That is what James is saying here.
Whoever claimed that saving faith was easy? That's your strawman, not the Protestant doctrine of justification by grace through faith. Where is the gospel in your posts because I still don't see you proclaiming it when you tell me that you are called to preach. I hear a lot about works but nothing of the cross, the power of grace to equip us for service or the day when God alone will be glorified and praised for the riches of his grace.
That's the problem Jason, what I'm waiting to hear from you is the gospel.
Who are we to judge someone else's servant?
What does Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
Now to the one who works, wages are not credited as a gift but as an obligation. However, to the one who does not work but trusts God who justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness. David says the same thing when he speaks of the blessedness of the one to whom God credits righteousness apart from works:
“Blessed are those
whose transgressions are forgiven,
whose sins are covered.
Blessed is the one
whose sin the Lord will never count against them.” (Romans 4:3-8)
Of course you missed that so let me point it out, 'God justifies the ungodly, their faith is credited as righteousness'. It also says, 'God credits righteousness apart from works'.
Yet goes on at the heart of the emphasis to say 'constant friction between people of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain.' At the heart of the emphasis, that's the context you so skillfully manage to navigate around.
Who are these people who teach such things, my Calvinist brethren would be appalled. Grace is the means to salvation, sanctification and works of righteousness, to God be the glory. Works follow salvation, they are in fact salvation, they are not the means to that end in any way shape or form.
None of us cease to sin Jason, until the blessed hope of the redemption of the purchased price:
I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? (Gal. 3:2)
Where is the cross in your lessons Jason? The atonement, the power of the Holy Spirit, or the gifts of grace that equip us for service? How do you keep missing this? Of course God wants us to be blameless and upright, to shun evil and to do good. Those who come to Christ without repentance are the worst kind of hypocrites and I know this from personal experience, I'll spare you the details.
I would really like to agree with you on some of this, I don't like incomplete repentance either. I would never want the whitewash of religion that leads me to mistreat another believer, that will get you a hotspot in hell I'm sure of it, and fear it above all things. What kind of a wretched salvation would leave us to wallow in our slavish carnality and offer no means to rebuild our ruined estate. If that were salvation it would be a miserable existence I could never embrace by faith, it would be the worst kind of a lie. God extends his grace in love and mercy when we deserve nothing of the sort, because he wants to see us, blameless and holy, God is glorified by the sinner who throws down his weapons of sin and surrenders to the terrible grace of God defeated, and willing heart and soul to submit to his will.
I think you mean well, I wouldn't bother with this walls of text otherwise. Your struggling with something we all do, how do we honor the God who loved us and sent his Son to die for us. We don't do that my languishing in sin and turning the grace of God into licentiousness, as Paul said, God forbid.
Where is the gospel in all of this? The walls of text and the single resounding theme of your every post? That works are a means to salvation. We do not despise our Arminian brethren, we embrace them as fellow believers we have some issues with. We don't reject repentance or works of righteousness, we celebrate them and praise God for them. But what is the means to that end?
Justification by grace through faith, once in a while you might just want to consider that.
Grace and peace,
Mark
