Christians:: Can you be saved by faith alone?

Question

Do you believe that it is true that one is saved by faith alone without producing a good crop of fruit?

Answer 1

This is one of my favorite subjects when it comes to apologetics. I end up having to defend Christianity against Christians, so it is a pet peeve at the same time.

I am willing to go into many details and examples of why I think that my answer is the right one, something that I claim in all gratefulness to the Lord for, because I seem to be one of the few, even amongst the elect, that understand it.

Yes. We are saved by faith alone. No, we are not without by producing 'good fruit', unless the Christian dies before being able to be a part of them. That's between God and the believer then.

What is Faith? That would be a crucial question to have answered when considering why faith is all that's required. Because faith is not simply believing. Faith is trust, and trust in God has action already involved. So it is those who faith that are practicing faith, and those who only believe that require no action, not acting upon a promise of God is not faith.

What God brings to the faither are all the things that make a believer more perfect according to His will. All the promises of God are in yea, and in Him Amen.

He spurs someone to trust Him in the first place.

He is the one who spurs the believer into acts of righteousness.

He is the one therefore that rightfully gets the glory. He claims it too.

Therefore we can say in all truth, " Glory to God."

Because He made us, He provided Righteousness, and He has us continue in faith with those works that He brings to the believer- the only acts that will have eternal implications.

So the works He has us willing to do are those works that will stand in the fire, we being only willing vessles who have complied to His will.

All too many times Christians believe James who was verifiably a Legalist. James was confused on this matter. He thought that the works of the Law were to be practiced at the same time that the Gospel was preached, and for a time Paul went along with that. But we have examples of Paul's disagreement that are all too well known, but never applied in the way he wrote them. Galatians and Romans come to mind.

So faith has works attached, but those works that have eternal consequences are those that God brings to the believer. So coming from the top down, not from the bottom (us) up to Him. We don't make ourselves perfect, but only God can do the perfecting.

Answer 2

Your first Q was negated by your second Q. Anyone with a biblical understanding of what saving faith is knows that it produces a good crop of fruit - the fruit of the Holy Spirit. You cannot have saving faith WITHOUT good fruit resulting in your life. They are like the two blades of a pair of scissors, or the parallel tracks of a railway line. However, it IS possible to appear to have a good crop of fruit in your life WITHOUT having saving faith!

So the important point is to ensure that saving faith comes first. Then the good works that God ordained the believer would do, even from before eternity, will be done. As only God can give us saving faith - to those who ask - this shows that grace is all of God, with no contribution on our part "counting" towards our salvation. The faith comes from God, and the good works / fruit come from such activated faith. So, nobody can boast! Nobody can earn Brownie points! Nobody can "earn" their salvation. Is that not good news for the poorest person, and the vilest sinner? Repent and believe, and you will be saved!

Answer 3

A death-bed conversion, sure.

But how do we know that even a death bed conversion did not produce a good crop of fruit?

If we have true faith in God, we will produce good Fruit. If we are doing bad works on earth, then we have not true faith in God.

There is a possibility that one could have faith that there is a God, but chose to reject him, but that would not fit with the spirit of your question. Rejecting God will not save you, even if you believe he exists.

Peace!

Answer 4

No.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds." Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder. You foolish man, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless? Was not our ancestor Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,"and he was called God's friend. You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.

Answer 5

The essence of salvation is new spiritual life by the Spirit of Christ who regenerates an individual. This new life is received by faith. True biblical faith is when we receive Christ as our Savior, who has paid the penalty for all our sins, and also as our Lord, to whom we swear allegiance and commit our lives to follow. If our faith is genuine, we will experience the regenerating and transforming work of the Spirit of God in our lives which will produce a life of good works. The problem is that many people receive Christ on their own terms, and neglect to surrender their lives to Him as Lord. God does not regenerate unrepentant rebels. In their minds, these people have faith and think they are saved because they went through the motions that they thought would secure them salvation. But in reality they have not experienced the new life through Christ that produces a transformed life. Making a claim to having faith and actually having exercised true saving faith are two entirely different things. Superficial faith does not produce a changed life because there is not the power of God in the person's life. True biblical faith does produce a changed life because of the power of God.

Answer 6

Wether your saved at 5years of 5minutes from death, your still saved.

"We are saved by grace through faith, and not by works least any man should boast."

A story to support it:
As Jeus hung on the cross, he was mocked by 2 thieves that hung with Him.
After a while, the one on His right said to the other, "Leave Him alone. You and I deserve what we are getting, while this man has done nothing wrong."
Then he turned to Jesus and said, "Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom."
Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, this day, you shall be with me in paradise."

Jesus and the thief both died soon after. The thief never left the cross and was not able to do any work for God, but Jesus had guaranteed him a place in heaven, on belief alone.

Answer 7

No.

James 2:26 - "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also."

Matthew 7:21 - "Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven."

Even the famous verses in Hebrews 11 shows that these people were declared righteous by their faith after having done some work of faith. One must have both; works without faith are useless as well.

Answer 8

Good Deeds are more important than a mere faith- , a lip-service proclamation in loving God. Love can be substantiated only by deeds . The illusion that love alone is enough is a satanic illusion and it has waylaid many, many of the believers in the Clergy and in the Laity alike.

Answer 9

This is the number #1 problem with all religions (Churches) they teach according to their own will, agenda, and make the true Word of God to no effect by their traditions.

You can not be saved, live in heaven, or be justified by confessing "I believe in Jesus" or "Jesus is my Lord and savior" Read John 5:19-47, but give special attention to John 5:29

Answer 10

Faith doesn't save you. Grace does. Faith and works are both the Christian's response to Grace, made possible by the work of the Holy Spirit, especially through the sacraments.