Sola Fide

[theseed]

As I stated in a previous thread, I want to do a series on all the solas. I have not forgotten, but I've been busy with grad. school.

Now after sufficiently establishing Sola Scriptura , I wish too see bible verses supporting the doctrine of sola fide, and commentary. I understand that it can't be spoken of in a vacuum with speaking of Grace, Christ or God's glory, however, I mainly wish to see verses supporting sola fide.

Here we read that faith is a gift of God, and not from us.
Ephesians 2:8-108 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them


And if there should be any doubt, faith is also a fruit of the Spirit, not from the flesh.

[bible]Galatians 5:22-23[/bible]

 

[Knight]

Very good.

What would you say to someone who put forth these passages:

James 2:14 ESV What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

James 2:17 ESV So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:24 ESV You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

James 2:26 ESV For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.


Understand that I do believe in Faith Alone. I am merely trying to promote discussion.

 

[CoffeeSwirls]

First and foremost, let's present Sola Fide for anyone not familiar with it:

[font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]THESIS FOUR: SOLA FIDE[/font][font=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
We reaffirm that justification is by grace alone through faith alone because of Christ alone. In justification Christ's righteousness is imputed to us as the only possible satisfaction of God's perfect justice.

We deny that justification rests on any merit to be found in us, or upon the grounds of an infusion of Christ's righteousness in us, or that an institution claiming to be a church that denies or condemns sola fide can be recognized as a legitimate church.[/font]

An all-too-common perception in this world is that whatever you believe is OK as long as you are sincere in your belief and actions. Many people say that your preferred system of beliefs is equally valid in God’s eyes to whatever degree you adhere to it, and that must include Christianity in order for this statement to be thought of as true, or rather, politically correct. So the question this thought presents is this: Is it enough to believe the checkpoints of any belief system to attain your salvation? To clarify the question: Can a set of beliefs save me? This is the key question here.

Faith is more potent than belief. An intellectual belief isn’t enough, for even the Devil believes in correct doctrine. Also, sentimental belief isn’t enough, for there are many out there who make outward signs of belief, as long as it’s in style to do so. They proclaim that they are justified in Christ because Jesus is their homeboy and copilot. Not everyone who wears a t-shirt or crucifix is condemned, but a proclamation of belief in a sentimental or intellectual way does not constitute saving faith.

faith does not save us. Romans 5:1 tells us that peace with God is through Jesus Christ. Therefore, faith has no intrinsic power. Faith cannot save us. Faith brings us to the one who can save us. Faith can be though of as an ambulance. If you suffer a massive heart attack while far away from a hospital, your only hope may be that someone called 911 quickly enough for the paramedics to arrive. They will assess your situation and load you into the ambulance, racing to the hospital. Once there, the doctor will perform an emergency surgery to right what was wrong and your life will be spared. And what’s the point to this story? The ambulance and paramedics didn’t save you. They raced you to the doctor at the hospital. It is the doctor who saved your life. Without the ambulance, you would certainly have died, but the ambulance can’t ultimately save you. Using this illustration of faith resembling a spiritual ambulance, we can understand that it is not enough to just believe. Faith without works is dead. The ambulance needs to take you to the doctor just as your faith needs to take you to Jesus.

Faith on it’s own may not be enough to complete our salvation, but we need to realize that a faith that works is more than Intellect/Sentiment. It is asking God to restore God’s image in us. He will do it for those He justifies, regardless of our request. It is, however, much easier in the battleground of our hearts when we get on board. The Lord’s purpose is not to make us comfortable, but to conform us back toward the image of Christ.
The fact of the matter: If faith isn’t a part of your life, it doesn’t matter what you believe. As Soloman would say in the book of Ecclesiatics, on it’s own faith is vanity. It is impossible to work our way to God. Weighing good vs bad you will lose. God made us “very good” in His image and we cannot reclaim that image that is necessary to be reconciled to Him. The penalty for this incompatability is death. Since salvation by works is impossible, salvation must be a gift. For those who are being called today, this is the day to put this into action. For those who have received the grace of God, we need to live the life that God wants us to live. We need to stop resisting God, for resistance is a futile struggle that will only cause is misery. We need to get on board with God’s plans to remake us into His image.

After a massive heart attack, we do not have the ability to climb into an ambulance, but we do have the ability to ease our recovery through cardiac rehabilitation.

 

[theseed]

Very good.

What would you say to someone who put forth these passages:

James 2:14 ESV What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?

James 2:17 ESV So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

James 2:24 ESV You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone.

James 2:26 ESV For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.


Understand that I do believe in Faith Alone. I am merely trying to promote discussion.

Short answer: James speaks of justification before men, while Paul speaks of justification before God (See Romans 4).

 

[theseed]

Short answer: James speaks of justification before men, while Paul speaks of justification before God (See Romans 4).

The Epistle by James is about practical Christian living: taming the toungue, helping others, resisting temptation, praying etc.

 

[Knight]

Short answer: James speaks of justification before men, while Paul speaks of justification before God (See Romans 4).

There you go ruining my fun.....

Who said I was looking for the short answer?

 

[theseed]

There you go ruining my fun.....

Who said I was looking for the short answer?

 

[theseed]

What is the relationship between faith and regernation? Does faith began with regenartion, but sometimes the believe is not aware of it. Or does faith begin after regernation, when somone makes a conversion, seeks Christ out overtly and explicitly?

 

[CoffeeSwirls]

Regeneration is a gift of God when He makes you spiritually alive and shows you both sides of the issue clearly. We are granted faith and repentance at that point and have no desire other than to express those things. I suggest reading Ephesians 2:1-10 for a good understanding of what I am getting at here and will provide the portion that explains why I say that faith begins with regeneration.

Ephesians 2:4-9
But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

 

[theseed]

Does God elect people unto salvation by quickening thier spirit, even though they may be in a far away place where they will die before they hear the Gospel? Will an angel preach the Gospel to them? This is one of those, "What about those who have never heard" questions.

 

[CoffeeSwirls]

Romans 1:18-25
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.

Nature contains enough information to convict us of our sins, but not enough to save us. That is why we send missionaries into the field. It is evident from scriptures that when someone is of the elect, God makes sure that they are given the gospel. Jonah is an Old Testament example of God making sure the people He wishes to reach are given a chance to come to repentence. Another example is found in Acts 10.

Acts 10:1-16
At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the seaside.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.

The next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray. And he became hungry and wanted something to eat, but while they were preparing it, he fell into a trance and saw the heavens opened and something like a great sheet descending, being let down by its four corners upon the earth. In it were all kinds of animals and reptiles and birds of the air. And there came a voice to him: “Rise, Peter; kill and eat.” But Peter said, “By no means, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean.” And the voice came to him again a second time, “What God has made clean, do not call common.” This happened three times, and the thing was taken up at once to heaven.

Acts 10:34-48
So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him. As for the word that he sent to Israel, preaching good news of peace through Jesus Christ (he is Lord of all), you yourselves know what happened throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee after the baptism that John proclaimed: how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. He went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him. And we are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of the Jews and in Jerusalem. They put him to death by hanging him on a tree, but God raised him on the third day and made him to appear, not to all the people but to us who had been chosen by God as witnesses, who ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead. And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one appointed by God to be judge of the living and the dead. To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”


While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. And the believers from among the circumcised who had come with Peter were amazed, because the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles. For they were hearing them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter declared, “Can anyone withhold water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?” And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to remain for some days.

For another great story of God making sure the gospel goes out to His elect, see Acts 8:26-40.

 

[Reformationist]

What is the relationship between faith and regernation?

Faith is a fruit of regeneration, as is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Does faith began with regenartion, but sometimes the believe is not aware of it.

The newly born may not be able to pinpoint a specific moment when they knew they believed but faith is a pretty consuming thing. When we believe, we pretty much know we believe. What we believe will always need refining but true faith is one of our most helpful assurances of God's favor.

Or does faith begin after regernation, when somone makes a conversion, seeks Christ out overtly and explicitly?

Faith is the natural byproduct of being quickened unto life, not because regeneration produces faith, but because regeneration is the quickening of the spirit from death unto life and faith is God's gracious accompaniment to the gift of life He has blessed us with. We live as those who have life in the same way that Lazarus, when renewed unto the fullness of physical life, sought to walk and talk. It becomes natural to our reborn natures to seek after our new Lord, the Lord of the living, in whom we live and move and have our being, just as we once sought to live our lives in the depths of our fallenness and in subservience to our old master. The process and confirming proof that we belong to the Lord is a desire and hunger for both knowledge and relationship with Him.

God bless

 

[Reformationist]

Does God elect people unto salvation by quickening thier spirit, even though they may be in a far away place where they will die before they hear the Gospel?

Election is a sovereign decision of the Godhead, for reasons not revealed to their creation, that was made in eternity, before the foundations of the world. There is no such thing as a person whom the Lord God has elected unto salvation that never hears the Gospel, for it is by and through the preaching of the Gospel that the Lord has decreed to gather His sheep.

Will an angel preach the Gospel to them? This is one of those, "What about those who have never heard" questions.

Those who fall asleep in the Lord go to be with Him that day, just as those who do not stand before His judgment seat. There is no period of heavenly evangelism.

God bless

 

[theseed]

Those who fall asleep in the Lord go to be with Him that day, just as those who do not stand before His judgment seat. There is no period of heavenly evangelism.

Yes, Hebrews 9.27.

 

[theseed]

Those who fall asleep in the Lord go to be with Him that day, just as those who do not stand before His judgment seat. There is no period of heavenly evangelism.

Yes, Hebrews 9.27.

 

[orthedoxy]

Act 2:38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Being born again comes after believing and repenting.

 

[tigersnare]

Act 2:38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Being born again comes after believing and repenting.

I'm not sure Peter was giving an actual time line of conversion. This would be at odds with the rest of scripture.

A sermon in chronological order would sound awfully funny....

"You may have recieved the Holy Spirit, you might want to repent, you could need to be baptised now!".

 

[orthedoxy]

I'm not sure Peter was giving an actual time line of conversion. This would be at odds with the rest of scripture.

A sermon in chronological order would sound awfully funny....

"You may have recieved the Holy Spirit, you might want to repent, you could need to be baptised now!".

The verse says "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
These people that he was talking to were not saved after they repented and were baptized they were saved.
You see they were not saved then regenerated then believed.
I have a question do calvinist believe God didn't know wether one believed or not before he saved them and did salvation come before faith?

 

[theseed]

Is being born again and recieving the Holy Spirit the same thing? Does the Holy Spirit live in a dirty vessel first? Isn't regerneration simply the quickening of our spirit?

 

[orthedoxy]

Short answer: James speaks of justification before men, while Paul speaks of justification before God (See Romans 4).

What is justification before men?Is it showing off your good works so people could say man look at this person he is saved?

Matt 6:5“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. 6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.