Paul never taught justification by “faith alone”

[Clare73]

I completely agree that righteousness comes from God and have said nothing contrary to that. Righteousness is a character trait of God that is straightforwardly expressed by doing what is righteous and God's law is His instructions for how to express that character trait, not for how to attain it. For example, the law reveals that it is righteous to help the poor, but no amount of helping the poor will ever cause someone to become righteous because the one and only way that there has ever been to become righteous is by grace through faith. When we have a character trait, then we will express it through our actions, so when God declares us to be righteous by grace through faith, He is also declaring us to be someone who expresses His righteousness through our actions in obedience to His instructions for how to do that found in His law. In other words, the reason why we have received the righteousness of Christ was not in order to hide it under a bushel, but in order to let it shine through our obedience to the Mosaic Law in accordance with the example that Christ set for us to follow of how he expressed his righteousness.

In Romans 2:13, Paul notable did not say that we earn our righteousness by being doers of the law, but that only doers of it will be justified, so he was not speaking about the way to become justified, but about a trait that everyone who will be justified has in common.

. . .and because the Jews could not do the law perfectly, they were unrighteous.

His meaning, in the context of his demonstration of the unrighteousness of all mankind, is the Jews were made unrighteous by the law because they could not keep it perfectly, that rather than the law making them righteous, it put them under its curse.

For example is both true that Abraham was justified by faith and that he was a doer of God's law by the same faith (Genesis 26:5), but he did not earn his justification by being a doer of the law, and everyone who will be justified has this in common, which is why Paul could deny that our justification is something that can be earned as a wage while also saying that only doers of the law will be justified.

 

[Soyeong]

. . .and because the Jews could not do the law perfectly, they were unrighteous.

His meaning, in the context of his demonstration of the unrighteousness of all mankind, is the Jews were made unrighteous by the law because they could not keep it perfectly, that rather than the law making them righteous, it put them under its curse.

Romans 3:21-22, it does not say that the Law and the Prophets testy that the righteousness of God comes through perfect obedience, but rather they testify that it comes through faith in Christ for all who believe, so this has always been the one and only way that there has ever been of becoming righteous. There are many who are described as righteous in the Bible who did not have perfect obedience, so that is not a requirement for becoming righteous, and while everyone in the OT fell short of perfect obedience, everyone being under God's curse does not reflect the recorded reality of what is written about those who served God. Even if someone did manage to have perfect obedience, then they still wouldn't earn their righteousness because perfect obedience has never been a means of becoming righteousness and righteousness is not something that can be earned as a wage (Romans 4:4-5). What you want Paul to have meant in order to fit your theology is not only absent from the text, but contrary to it.

 

[Clare73]

Romans 3:21-22, it does not say that the Law and the Prophets testy that the righteousness of God comes through perfect obedience,

Agreed.

Paul testifies that "it is those who obey the law who are righteous in God's sight." (Romans 2:13)

And Paul testifies that, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse." (Galatians 3:10)

So in your understanding, Paul is meeting himself coming back; i.e.,
the "righteous in God's sight" are "under a curse."

Back to the drawing board. . you've got a design flaw; i.e., comprehension flaw.

but rather they testify that it comes through faith in Christ for all who believe, so this has always been the one and only way that there has ever been of becoming righteous. There are many who are described as righteous in the Bible who did not have perfect obedience, so that is not a requirement for becoming righteous, and while everyone in the OT fell short of perfect obedience, everyone being under God's curse does not reflect the recorded reality of what is written about those who served God. Even if someone did manage to have perfect obedience, then they still wouldn't earn their righteousness because perfect obedience has never been a means of becoming righteousness and righteousness is not something that can be earned as a wage (Romans 4:4-5).

So OT Israel believed and operated on the belief that righteousness came only by faith?
They did not believe that righteousness came by law-keeping?
Then why were the Judaizers such a problem?

 

[Soyeong]

Agreed.

Paul testifies that "it is those who obey the law who are righteous in God's sight." (Romans 2:13)

And Paul testifies that, "All who rely on observing the law are under a curse." (Galatians 3:10)

So in your understanding, Paul is meeting himself coming back; i.e.,
the "righteous in God's sight" are "under a curse."

Back to the drawing board. . you've got a design flaw; i.e., comprehension flaw.

Do you recognize that there can be a difference between someone obeying and set of instructions because they want to earn something in return and someone obeying the same set of instructions because they have faith in the one who gave those instructions to rightly guide them? All of the examples of faith in Hebrews 11 are examples of people following God's instructions, we can say that all of those people who followed God's instructions are righteous in God's right, and that they were all justified by faith, but did not earn their justification by following God's instructions.

To rely on the Mosaic Law is to rely on the Lawgiver, while to deny that we can rely on the Mosaic Law is to deny that we can rely on the Lawgiver. In Galatians 3:10, it is speaking about works of the law, not about the Mosaic Law, so the problem was they were relying on works of the law and were under a curse because they weren't relying on the Mosaic Law. In Deuteronomy 30:15-20, obedience to the Mosaic Law brings life and a blessing while disobedience brings death and a curse, so it is those who refuse to rely on it who are under a curse, while those who rely on it are under a blessing. It doesn't even make sense to think that we are better off living in complete disobedience to God because He will curse us if we repent and obey Him, especially when all throughout the Bible, God wanted His people to repent and obey His law. Over and over, the Bible promises a blessing for obedience and a curse for disobedience, and not once is it the other way around. Why do you think that Paul associated a quote from Habakkuk 2:4 with quote from Leviticus 18:5 if both quotes weren't referring to the same group of people?

So OT Israel believed and operated on the belief that righteousness came only by faith?
They did not believe that righteousness came by law-keeping?
Then why were the Judaizers such a problem?

Abraham was justified by faith, so that has always been there and some Israelites who correctly understood this, but there were others who incorrectly believed that righteousness was earned by obeying God's instructions, who were fundamentally misunderstanding the goal of law. Again, in Romans 9:30-10, they had a zeal for God, but it was not based on knowledge, so they obeyed pursued the law as though righteousness were by works in an effort to establish their own instead of pursuing the law as through righteousness were by faith, for Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness for everyone who has faith. Christ taught how to obey the Mosaic Law both by word and by example, so the problem with the Judaizers was not that they were teaching Gentiles how to follow Christ, but they they were teaching a false works-based salvation.

 

[Trev T]

The Catholic Church has as close to an atheist of a Pope as it's ever had. "God's not a magician." I don't know about anything. I'm very new to apologetics, theology, all of it. I just think Jesus is for everybody. I don't know if you have to act without God to do good deeds, though. That is saved by works, right? Showing God that you believe? Doesn't that come with saved by faith and faith alone with accepting Jesus, and it's that simple? Martin Luther didn't have Apostolic Succession. He didn't add to the early believers stuff that Christ never acknowledged.

 

[bbbbbbb]

The Catholic Church has as close to an atheist of a Pope as it's ever had. "God's not a magician." I don't know about anything. I'm very new to apologetics, theology, all of it. I just think Jesus is for everybody. I don't know if you have to act without God to do good deeds, though. That is saved by works, right? Showing God that you believe? Doesn't that come with saved by faith and faith alone with accepting Jesus, and it's that simple? Martin Luther didn't have Apostolic Succession. He didn't add to the early believers stuff that Christ never acknowledged.

My goodness! Apparently you haven't read much of Catholic church history. Many of the Renaissance popes were complete and utter scoundrels. The Borgias, in particular, were among the worst. By comparison, the current pope is a complete saint.

 

[anna ~ grace]

Paul never taught justification by “faith alone”!

Did not Paul write these scriptures?

1 cor 13:2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

Three things are eternal (and therefore inseparable) faith, hope, & charity, and the greatest of these is charity! 1 cor 13:13

Phil 1:29 For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake;

Heb 10:36 For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.

Heb 12:4 Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin.

Romans 8:17
And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.

2 Corinthians 12:9
And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Thessalonians 1:5
Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that ye may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer:

Colossians 1:11
Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness;

2 Timothy 2:12
If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:

James 1:2-8
My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing

Hebrews 6:12
That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Other scriptures opposing “faith alone”

Matt 5:7 mercy thru merciful
Lk 7:47 forgiven by love
1 pet 4:8 charity covers sins
Jn 20:21-23 sins forgiven

Awesome, brother. God bless you. You have discovered a beautiful, holy, and life-changing Truth.