Matthew 5:20: "For I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven."
Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.
Matthew 19:17: "If you want to enter life, obey the commandments."
2007-12-08 06:34:07 · 9 answers · asked by Bruce 7 in Society & Culture ➔ Religion & Spirituality
NB: Quotations from Paul don't explain Jesus' teaching about the necessity of morality and virtue for salvation. Paul was laboring to divorce Christianity from the Jewish disciplinary laws on Sabbath, diet, and circumcision; he was not talking about the morality and virtue required of Christians.
2007-12-08 15:36:59 · update #1
of course he did; no one gets a free pass to Heaven at the misery of Jesus; he showed us the way, gave us the message from God , his gift to us; we have to do the work , it is like someone giving you a map and telling you the destination; how you get there via the map is your choice ; it is by your hand and actions
2007-12-08 06:42:07 · answer #1 · answered by sml 6 · 3⤊ 0⤋
I have to disagree to some extent with the statement that "Paul was laboring to divorce Christianity from the Jewish disciplinary laws on Sabbath, diet, and circumcision; he was not talking about the morality and virtue required of Christians."
No doubt, Paul was dealing with the Jewish disciplinary laws in Colossians 2, but in the book of Romans, when Paul wrote about the law, he was referring to the ten commandments (or the moral laws, as you would say it).
"...For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.'" (Romans 7:7)
"You shall not covet" is the tenth commandment. Paul was referring to the moral laws. He was saying the law is spiritual, but we are carnal, sold under sin. (Romans 7:14)
If we are honest, we will admit we are unable to keep the commandment "You shall not covet". The perfection of the law demands that we cannot even desire in our heart to covet, to want someone's possessions. It is not just outward obedience, but inward obedience as well, that Jesus said we are to obey the law.
Has any of us managed to obey the law both outwardly and inwardly? If you say you can, I will ask you, "Are you Jesus?" Because, with all due respect to you, as far as I know, our Lord Jesus is the only One who is able to obey the law perfectly.
Also, if we are able to obey the law perfectly, then it is unnecessary for Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to indwell us to guide us from within. When we follow the Holy Spirit, we will not want to do evil things. The Holy Spirit can do much more than what the ten commandments require. For example, it is possible for the husband who is under law to not commit adultery and still not love his wife. But the husband who is under grace can't help but love his wife because his heart is filled with the unconditional love of God for him, and adultery will be the furthest thing from his mind. God bless you.
2007-12-10 20:50:28 · answer #2 · answered by Music and dancing 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Jesus teachs the necessity of morality and virtue, and so does every good man in the history of religion...which is what makes the bloody life of Mohammed so out of keeping with prophets of God.
The fact that our sins are forgiven in NOT licence to do more sinning, "so grace will abound even more"! That would be evil. It would serve the devil, not the lliving God!
2007-12-08 22:37:30 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 0⤋
Faith alone is unbiblical. The only place where you find the words 'faith' and 'alone' together in the same sentence is to denounce it!! (James 2:24)
Also to have faith is in fact an act of the will and of the intellect...To believe is actually a works ("What must we do to do the works God requires?" Jesus answered, "The WORK of God is this: to BELIEVE in the one he has sent." John 6:28-29)
To believe is to do a work. That means that salvation by faith alone implies a work...therefore it is self refuting.
God Bless
Robin
2007-12-08 22:02:20 · answer #4 · answered by Robin 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
As R. Paul states in Romans 11, 'wild-olive branches' can be broken off...and NOT for lack of faith. Those who said, 'LORD, LORD'... believed they were saved and yet He knew them not.
Unless there is fruit in a believers life...which comes from how we submit under Him and live our lives...which involves some 'action' on our part... then there is no evidence of our Salvation. Peter discusses this life-long process in detail...and yet the Lord is assisting us in the process.
It is that He was tortured and then killed for our sins that we have Salvation available to us...but He will not be mocked by those who continue to not obey Him. As for faith..ours is only the size of a mustard seed...and without Him we have no real faith anyway...He as our intercessor gives us faith. As Paul said to the man..you have faith to be 'healed'...here, healed refers to Salvation (as in Isa 53 also) ...not physical healing. We have enough faith to make a decision for Yeshua...but do not be fooled into thinking that you can continue in disobedience to His will for you, and that all is well.
2007-12-08 15:03:12 · answer #5 · answered by rabbisb 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Who could be more virtuous and pious as the scribes and Pharisees? That is the point. You can't. It has to be done through Christ via faith.
Matthew 7:21 - So what is the will of the Father? To believe on the One He has sent. Again, faith.
You are taking Matthew 19:17 WAY out of context.
Titus 3:5
Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us.
2 Timothy 1:9
Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began
If we are saved through being virtuous and moral, then how could we ever be 100% sure that we are good enough to EARN our way to heaven? Me? I have assurance, not only own righteousness, but by the righteousness imputed to me through the Lamb who is without spot of blemish.
2007-12-08 14:37:58 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 4⤋
I believe that you will discover that "sola fide" Christians have a much broader definition of "faith" than what is described in a dictionary. However, let me point out that faith alone *is* sufficient (i.e. "11th hour" or death bed conversion).
Some possible "sola fide" responses to your quotes:
righteousness *through* faith
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=3&verse=21&end_verse=23&version=49&context=context
especially http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=4&verse=4&end_verse=6&version=49&context=context
and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=4&verse=9&version=49&context=verse
and http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=4&verse=13&version=49&context=verse
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=9&verse=29&end_verse=31&version=49&context=context
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=10&verse=5&end_verse=7&version=49&context=context
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=57&chapter=3&verse=8&end_verse=10&version=49&context=context
etc. etc.
"obedience of faith"
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=1&verse=4&end_verse=6&version=49&context=context
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?book_id=52&chapter=16&verse=25&end_verse=27&version=49&context=context
In other words, your passages are by no means sufficient to sway a believer of "sola fide" (of which I am not).
Nice try, though.
Jim, http://www.jimpettis.com/wheel/
2007-12-08 20:47:33 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes He did.
2007-12-08 14:36:54 · answer #8 · answered by Royal Racer Hell=Grave © 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
christian nailed that to the cross.
every time they judge with them they put their Jesus back on the cross
2007-12-08 14:38:54 · answer #9 · answered by Od Ephraim Chai 4 · 0⤊ 3⤋