If you get to heaven by grace-alone, not by good works, but only by claiming you believe in the divinity of Christ, then how can you argue that good works matter?
If all you need is a confession of sin and a belief in Christ, what difference does it make to scripture god whether you are good or bad?
2006-09-02 05:19:11 · 5 answers · asked by bobkgin 3 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
As James pointed out, how you live shows what you really believe. What does it mean to have faith? Faith implies that I know that God is smarter than me, and that he has my best interests at heart (therefor, no silly or un-necessary commands). If I do not take God's advice (by obeying his commands), then this implies that I do not trust him. No trust (IE no faith) = no salvation.
However, I am saved by my faith, not by my results. God is impressed by the fact that I meant well, not by the fact that I succeeded in doing well or not.
Salvation by works is performance based salvation; salvation by grace is motive based salvation. Good works do not make up for bad motives. Likewise, good motives can excuse poor performance if one is simply doing his best.
Notice that Paul said that we do not get saved by DOING good works; we get saved so that we CAN do good works. Without salvation, good works are pointless; on the other hand, it seems pointless to get saved if one still wants to do evil.
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Romans 6 (NIV)
1What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.
5If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. 6For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
8Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.
11In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13Do not offer the parts of your body to sin, as instruments of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God, as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer the parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. 14For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.
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Ephesians 2: 8,9 (NIV)
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God — not by works, so that no one can boast.
2006-09-02 05:43:54 · answer #1 · answered by Randy G 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The whole point is ,we are all bad. The things we do after being saved is the proof of a life changed by God. It's part of His grace....Jesus did the work.
Grace alone Through Christ alone
2006-09-02 05:30:43 · answer #2 · answered by thomasnotdoubting 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I heard an analogy that might help. Let's say you are on an airplane and it is going down. A flight attendant hands you a parachute and says this can save you. You say yes, I admit I need it and I believe it can save me. Then you place it in your lap, believing it can save you from certain death but you don't put it on.
We are saved by faith alone, that no man may boast. But we have to trust in Jesus Christ and not just confess our sins but let him have control over our life, just like a parachute will have control over our life only when we actually put it on. Good works are the fruit of that "trust" and relationship with Him. They do not save us.
Jesus says if we love Him we will obey Him. Thus we should have good works in our life that are the fruit of that love.
Does that help?
2006-09-02 05:33:43 · answer #3 · answered by Brooke 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
We are saved by Grace through FAITH in Christ Jesus... Faith in Christ requires more than "claming to believe" doesnt it? No amount of good works will save you, no amount of "claiming" belief or faith will either. God knows the heart, and then intentions of man. He cant be fooled easily.
2006-09-02 05:24:55 · answer #4 · answered by impossble_dream 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
So saith
2006-09-02 05:22:44 · answer #5 · answered by tammidee10 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋