Is Christianity acts based, faith based, or ...

[Xeno.of.athens]

It is said that Judaism is acts based, and some say that Christianity is faith based, others say that Christianity is grace based, but is there another alternative that you would say?

 

[bling]

Grace and faith are certainly the main factors, but humbly accepting pure undeserved charity is needed.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Grace and faith are certainly the main factors, but humbly accepting pure undeserved charity is needed.

I believe that Christianity is founded on love, and since love is manifested through actions, it implies that Christianity is also action-based. Moreover, a devout Christian only acts when they believe their actions are just, indicating that Christianity is fundamentally faith-based. Therefore, it follows that actions and faith stem from love, which is bestowed as a divine grace by God.

 

[Maria Billingsley]

It is said that Judaism is acts based, and some say that Christianity is faith based, others say that Christianity is grace based, but is there another alternative that you would say?

Show your faith by your acts.
Blessings

 

[RandyPNW]

It is said that Judaism is acts based, and some say that Christianity is faith based, others say that Christianity is grace based, but is there another alternative that you would say?

To me, that's like asking if Christianity involves love, joy, or peace? It actually involves all three.

Christianity is certainly Faith-based--Protestants like me would call it "Faith Alone," not meaning that it excludes Works but only that our Atonement comes not from our own Works but from our trust in the Works of Christ in providing an atonement for our sins.

So our lives are to be completely Faith-based. But unless our Faith produces Works, it is proven to be false Faith. So it is Works-based, as well.

Grace just means we have received our redemption by the work of Christ, as I said. Eternal Life cannot be earned by us because our record is that we're Sinners and disqualified, by our Works, from Eternal Life. So it *must* be received from Christ as a gift of Grace.

But if we are to receive this gift of Grace, we must exercise Faith to receive it, which means that Faith must be proved to be genuine and demonstrate that we've received it by showing that Christ has become our life and our God.

 

[bling]

I believe that Christianity is founded on love, and since love is manifested through actions, it implies that Christianity is also action-based. Moreover, a devout Christian only acts when they believe their actions are just, indicating that Christianity is fundamentally faith-based. Therefore, it follows that actions and faith stem from love, which is bestowed as a divine grace by God.

It is extremely hard for any person to humble themselves to the point of taking pure undeserved charity, especially when the provider of that charity has done so at a huge personal cost (like sending His own Son to the cross). Most people do not realize that the huge ransom payment (Christ crucified) is being made to them (the criminal kidnapper of a child of God) and thus avoid accepting it.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

Most people do not realize that the huge ransom payment (Christ crucified) is being made to them

Christ is definitely a ransom for the faithful (Christians).

The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus' sacrifice is a ransom paid to God, not to the sinner. The Church holds that Jesus' death reconciles humanity with God, atoning for sin and restoring the relationship between God and humankind. This teaching is rooted in the idea that Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to redeem all people, offering salvation to everyone who accepts it.

 

[bling]

Christ is definitely a ransom for the faithful (Christians).

The Catholic Church teaches that Jesus' sacrifice is a ransom paid to God, not to the sinner. The Church holds that Jesus' death reconciles humanity with God, atoning for sin and restoring the relationship between God and humankind. This teaching is rooted in the idea that Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to redeem all people, offering salvation to everyone who accepts it.

You do good to realize: Christ going to the cross is a huge ransom payment!

Jesus, Peter, Paul, John and the Hebrew author all describe Christ’s sacrifice as a literal ransom payment. Peter emphasizes the payment to be much greater than silver and gold payments, so the payment is a huge sacrifice on God and Christ’s part similar to a kidnapping sacrificial payment made by Loving parents. The people at the time might remember the ransom payment made for Cesear’s release and this being ransom being described as much greater.

Think about this:

When you go to a none believing sinner, you are not trying to get them to accept some book, church, doctrine, way of life or philosophy, but you want them to humbly accept “Jesus Christ and Him crucified”.

As long as the sinner rejects Jesus Christ and Him Crucified, a child is being held out of the kingdom and away from their Father.

If the person accepts Jesus Christ and Him crucified a child is set free to enter the Kingdom and be with his/her Father.

We know: Jesus Christ and Him Crucified is the unbelievable huge ransom payment.

The Greek word translated “redeemed” by the ransom payment is a strong word suggesting rescued from danger or death, like we have when a person going from hell bound to heaven bound.

In life, we often want to blame others or something other than ourselves for not being heaven bound but are we not to blame ourselves. Are we not the ones rejecting salvation?

This coming to Christ scenario all fits a kidnapping ransom scenario, with the unbelieving sinner being the criminal undeserving kidnapper holding a child of God back away from his/her Parent.

With this description of Atonement, the sinner has a very important required part to play in the Atonement process.
This is only an introduction for Atonement and not really describing the atonement sacrifice's value to the sinner.

Issues with God being paid the ransom:

God is not undeserving of anything, yet this makes God out to be a kidnapped (which is always undeserving of the ransom payment).

God is not a criminal kidnapper keeping His children away from Himself and we know we, ourselves are keeping us away from God.

God and Christ both personally would prefer to have Christ’s blood flowing through Christ’s veins, but we need that blood outside His body available to cleanse us.

It makes God out to be blood thirsty, when I am the blood thirsty one.

God’s Love is not so weak He would need help to forgive us, even help from Christ.

Under yours (or the Catholic Churches) description: “Jesus' sacrifice is sufficient to redeem all people, offering salvation to everyone who accepts it.” This has the Atonement process fully completed for all people, but then add “everyone who accepts it”, but where do you find Biblical support for man’s part in this ransom scenario.

This theory has universal atonement (everyone’s sins have been atoned for) and the process is completed and our not “accepting” it, does not keep our sins from being atoned for.

We have the Bible describing: a huge ransom payment, children being held out of the Kingdom, a redemption (being set free), Children entering the Kingdom and going to their Father, yet in your description of this kidnapping ransom scenario there is no undeserving kidnapper, so how is it a ransom/kidnapping scenario the Bible is describing?

Many people do see God happily and vengefully wanting to send everyone to hell and somehow Christ does something, to cause God to allow people to go to heaven. So, is the problem a God problem or a man problem, which Christ is resolving?

 

[Soyeong]

It is said that Judaism is acts based, and some say that Christianity is faith based, others say that Christianity is grace based, but is there another alternative that you would say?

We can take actions that express our faith, such as with all of the examples of faith listed in Hebrews 11, or with James 2:18 saying that he would show his faith by his works, so the significance of our works is not that it is part of something that we are required to have done first in order to earn our salvation is the result, but rather the significance is that it is the way to express our faith, and it is by that faith alone that we are being saved. In Psalms 119:29-30, he wanted to put false ways far from him, for God to be gracious to him by teaching him to obey His law, and he chose the way of faith by setting it before him, so this has always been the one and only way of salvation by grace through faith in Christ alone. In Titus 2:11-13, our salvation is described as being trained by grace to do what is godly, righteous, and good, and to renounce doing what is ungodly, so doing those works has nothing to do with trying to earn our salvation as the result, but rather God graciously teaching us to be a doer of those works is part of His gift of salvation.

 

[Dale]

It is said that Judaism is acts based, and some say that Christianity is faith based, others say that Christianity is grace based, but is there another alternative that you would say?

Here's something that I have been told.
Work as if everything depends on you. Pray as if everything depends on God.