Wyatt earp
Diamond Member
- Apr 21, 2012
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As a christian your suppose to read the entire Scripture and I know they have been arguing about this for what 1600 years???
But Saved by grace or works?...................and can you lose your salvation???
Sola Fide: The Reformed Doctrine of Justification by J.I. Packer
“The confession of divine justification touches man’s life at its heart, at the point of its relationship to God. It defines the preaching of the Church, the existence and progress of the life of faith, the root of human security, and man’s perspective for the future.”1 So wrote G. C. Berkhouwer of the doctrine of justification by faith set forth by Paul and reapprehended with decisive clarity at the Reformation; and in so writing he showed himself a true heir of the Reformers. For his statement is no more, just as it is no less, than a straightforward spelling out of what Luther had meant when he called justification by faith articulus stantis aut cadentis ecclesiae-the point of belief which determines (not politically or financially, but theologically and spiritually) whether the Church stands or falls.
With Luther, the Reformers saw all Scripture as being, in the last analysis, either law or gospel—meaning by “law” all that exposes our ruin through sin and by “gospel” everything that displays our restoration by grace through faith—and the heart of the biblical gospel was to them God’s free gift of righteousness and justification. Here was the sum and substance of that sola fide—sola gratia—solo Christo—Sola Scriptura—soli Deo gloria which was the sustained theme of their proclamation, polemics, praises and prayers. And to their minds (note well!) proclamation, polemics, praise, and prayer belonged together, just as did the five Latin slogans linked above as epitomizing their message. Justification by faith, by grace, by Christ, through Scripture, to the glory of God was to them a single topic, just as a fugue with several voices is a single piece. This justification was to them not theological speculation but a religious reality, apprehended through prayer by revelation from God via the Bible. It was a gift given as part of God’s total work of love in saving us, a work which leads us to know God and ourselves as both really are—something which the unbelieving world does not know. And to declare and defend God’s justification publicly as the only way of life for any man was at once an act of confessing their faith, of glorifying their God by proclaiming his wonderful work, and of urging others to approach him in penitent and hopeful trust just as they did themselves.
So, where Rome had taught a piecemeal salvation, to be gained by stages through working a sacramental treadmill, the Reformers now proclaimed a unitary salvation, to be received in its entirety here and now by self-abandoning faith in God’s promise, and in the God and the Christ of that promise, as set forth in the pages of the Bible. Thus the rediscovery of the gospel brought a rediscovery of evangelism, the task of summoning non-believers to faith. Rome had said, God’s grace is great, for through Christ’s cross and his Church salvation is possible for all who will work and suffer for it; so come to church, and toil! But the Reformers said, God’s grace is greater, for through Christ’s cross and his Spirit salvation, full and free, with its unlimited guarantee of eternal joy, is given once and forever to all who believe; so come to Christ, and trust and take!
Saved by grace or works? Ephesians 2:8-9 Commentary
Saved by grace or works?
When we receive the forgiveness of sins our spirit is saved—that is the beginning of our faith. But Peter writes about the end of our faith, the salvation of our soul.
Written by Tom Harris
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.
Grace for forgiveness
We can see this in the case of the thief who died on the cross together with Jesus. He turned to Jesus and Jesus received him saying: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise”. Luke 23:43. His sins were forgiven and he was able to go with Jesus into Paradise. He received the forgiveness of sins by grace, even though he had absolutely no works to boast of.
But there is more to salvation than just receiving the forgiveness of sins. Paul writes in Romans 5:10 that after being reconciled to God through Jesus’ death, much more we will be saved through His life. What does it mean to be saved through His life?
Grace means power to do God’s will
After we have received the forgiveness of sins and come to faith in Jesus we are able to receive His Spirit. That means we have received the power (grace) we need to do the will of God, just as Jesus did. But then we must deny our own will, according to the fleshSin is anything that goes against God’s will and His laws. To commit sin is to transgress or disobey these laws. The lust to sin dwells in human nature. In other words, it is contaminated and motivated by the sinful tendencies that dwell in all people as a result of the fall into sin and disobedience in the garden of Eden. This... More. When we do this, we lose our life according to the flesh, but gain a new life according to the Spirit. This is what Jesus speaks about in Luke 9:23,24:
“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.’”
In this way a transformationThis is the process of sanctification, in which we our sinful human nature is gradually exchanged for divine nature when we in obedience to God’s will deny and put to death the sinful lusts in our flesh. (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Peter 1:3-4)... More takes place. Our arrogance is being replaced by humility, our hardness by mercy, our impatience by patience etc. Our own works are replaced by God’s works. This is much more than just receiving the forgiveness of sins. So we see it is by doing the will of God that we partake of this “much more” salvation.
But Saved by grace or works?...................and can you lose your salvation???
Sola Fide: The Reformed Doctrine of Justification by J.I. Packer
“The confession of divine justification touches man’s life at its heart, at the point of its relationship to God. It defines the preaching of the Church, the existence and progress of the life of faith, the root of human security, and man’s perspective for the future.”1 So wrote G. C. Berkhouwer of the doctrine of justification by faith set forth by Paul and reapprehended with decisive clarity at the Reformation; and in so writing he showed himself a true heir of the Reformers. For his statement is no more, just as it is no less, than a straightforward spelling out of what Luther had meant when he called justification by faith articulus stantis aut cadentis ecclesiae-the point of belief which determines (not politically or financially, but theologically and spiritually) whether the Church stands or falls.
With Luther, the Reformers saw all Scripture as being, in the last analysis, either law or gospel—meaning by “law” all that exposes our ruin through sin and by “gospel” everything that displays our restoration by grace through faith—and the heart of the biblical gospel was to them God’s free gift of righteousness and justification. Here was the sum and substance of that sola fide—sola gratia—solo Christo—Sola Scriptura—soli Deo gloria which was the sustained theme of their proclamation, polemics, praises and prayers. And to their minds (note well!) proclamation, polemics, praise, and prayer belonged together, just as did the five Latin slogans linked above as epitomizing their message. Justification by faith, by grace, by Christ, through Scripture, to the glory of God was to them a single topic, just as a fugue with several voices is a single piece. This justification was to them not theological speculation but a religious reality, apprehended through prayer by revelation from God via the Bible. It was a gift given as part of God’s total work of love in saving us, a work which leads us to know God and ourselves as both really are—something which the unbelieving world does not know. And to declare and defend God’s justification publicly as the only way of life for any man was at once an act of confessing their faith, of glorifying their God by proclaiming his wonderful work, and of urging others to approach him in penitent and hopeful trust just as they did themselves.
So, where Rome had taught a piecemeal salvation, to be gained by stages through working a sacramental treadmill, the Reformers now proclaimed a unitary salvation, to be received in its entirety here and now by self-abandoning faith in God’s promise, and in the God and the Christ of that promise, as set forth in the pages of the Bible. Thus the rediscovery of the gospel brought a rediscovery of evangelism, the task of summoning non-believers to faith. Rome had said, God’s grace is great, for through Christ’s cross and his Church salvation is possible for all who will work and suffer for it; so come to church, and toil! But the Reformers said, God’s grace is greater, for through Christ’s cross and his Spirit salvation, full and free, with its unlimited guarantee of eternal joy, is given once and forever to all who believe; so come to Christ, and trust and take!
Saved by grace or works? Ephesians 2:8-9 Commentary
Saved by grace or works?
When we receive the forgiveness of sins our spirit is saved—that is the beginning of our faith. But Peter writes about the end of our faith, the salvation of our soul.
Written by Tom Harris
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9.
Grace for forgiveness
We can see this in the case of the thief who died on the cross together with Jesus. He turned to Jesus and Jesus received him saying: “Today you will be with Me in Paradise”. Luke 23:43. His sins were forgiven and he was able to go with Jesus into Paradise. He received the forgiveness of sins by grace, even though he had absolutely no works to boast of.
But there is more to salvation than just receiving the forgiveness of sins. Paul writes in Romans 5:10 that after being reconciled to God through Jesus’ death, much more we will be saved through His life. What does it mean to be saved through His life?
Grace means power to do God’s will
After we have received the forgiveness of sins and come to faith in Jesus we are able to receive His Spirit. That means we have received the power (grace) we need to do the will of God, just as Jesus did. But then we must deny our own will, according to the fleshSin is anything that goes against God’s will and His laws. To commit sin is to transgress or disobey these laws. The lust to sin dwells in human nature. In other words, it is contaminated and motivated by the sinful tendencies that dwell in all people as a result of the fall into sin and disobedience in the garden of Eden. This... More. When we do this, we lose our life according to the flesh, but gain a new life according to the Spirit. This is what Jesus speaks about in Luke 9:23,24:
“Then He said to them all, ‘If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.’”
In this way a transformationThis is the process of sanctification, in which we our sinful human nature is gradually exchanged for divine nature when we in obedience to God’s will deny and put to death the sinful lusts in our flesh. (Romans 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Peter 1:3-4)... More takes place. Our arrogance is being replaced by humility, our hardness by mercy, our impatience by patience etc. Our own works are replaced by God’s works. This is much more than just receiving the forgiveness of sins. So we see it is by doing the will of God that we partake of this “much more” salvation.
