Christians...Saved By Faith Alone?

[Wolfborne]

For me, this is a rhetorical question, but I am interested in the views of others, including non-Christians and their religious beliefs.

Saved by faith alone, or by faith + deeds (good works)?

(NASB)
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

vs.

Revelation 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Thus the contradiction and disagreement between Christian denominations.

 

[Desert Snake]

Yes, but it's not optimal IMO, that's why there are verses exemplifying both faith a nd works.

 

[savagewind]

Saved by faith to be free. The works we do we will reap the reward or the affliction. We are saved by faith to either do the will of God for a reward or do the will of the flesh and thus reap corruption. They are both true. We are saved by faith but we will reap what we sow. If we are paying attention to being saved by faith we will sow good things so that we might reap good things.

 

[Shiranui117]

Yes, we are saved by faith. However, the just LIVE by faith, and faith without works is dead. It's not enough to just say "I believe." Salvation is not a legal transaction, but an organic and endless transformation into the image and likeness of God, through much prayer, fasting, caring for our fellow man and other good works--and most importantly, through God's grace.

 

[ChristineES]

Yes and no- we are saved by faith but at the same time, we have to do what Jesus commands- to love God, love our neighbor, love our brothers and sisters in Jesus, to love and pray for our enemies, to give to charity when we can, etc. If we say we are a Christians and we don't do those things (or do our best to- it's hard to love enemies, for example). I believe that is what James meant when he said "Faith without works is dead". We are not saved by those works, however.

 

[JustWondering]

If being good is what determines if you go to heaven (or wherever good dead people go) why would faith be important at all? I have problems believing that a good god would require you suck up to him to get into heaven.

 

[Assad91]

You outwardly show what is in your heart. So if you truly believe, you would show it in actions and deeds.

They may not want to admit it, but deeds do play a part

 

[Shermana]

For me, this is a rhetorical question, but I am interested in the views of others, including non-Christians and their religious beliefs.

Saved by faith alone, or by faith + deeds (good works)?

(NASB)
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

vs.

Revelation 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Thus the contradiction and disagreement between Christian denominations.

Consider that Ephesians is considered by the grand majority of scholars to not have been written by Paul...

 

[Shiranui117]

Consider that Ephesians is considered by the grand majority of scholars to not have been written by Paul...

^Even if it was, Ephesians when properly interpreted in the context of the rest of the Bible doesn't lead to Sola Fide. Hence why it took 1500 years for the doctrine to even be invented.

 

[Shermana]

^Even if it was, Ephesians when properly interpreted in the context of the rest of the Bible doesn't lead to Sola Fide. Hence why it took 1500 years for the doctrine to even be invented.

I'll give you that, Sola Fida (or anything like it) was never standard Christian doctrine until the post-Lutheran age. It's quite a doctrine of convenience. Good Works and right actions and behavior were at least considered essential before then.

 

[Awoon]

For me, this is a rhetorical question, but I am interested in the views of others, including non-Christians and their religious beliefs.

Saved by faith alone, or by faith + deeds (good works)?

(NASB)
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

vs.

Revelation 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Thus the contradiction and disagreement between Christian denominations.

"Saved" from what? Death, Life, Hell, Taxes. The "saved" questions from the Bible have never been answered to everyones acceptence. No God will ever judge anyone one. Your own Mind Energy judges yor actions.

 

[Pegg]

For me, this is a rhetorical question, but I am interested in the views of others, including non-Christians and their religious beliefs.

Saved by faith alone, or by faith + deeds (good works)?

(NASB)
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast.

vs.

Revelation 20:12-13 And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne, and books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged from the things which were written in the books, according to their deeds. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead which were in them; and they were judged, every one of them according to their deeds.

Thus the contradiction and disagreement between Christian denominations.

a person with faith will also produce good fruits

Jesus used an illustration making the point “A good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot produce good fruit.” (Matthew 7:17, 18, Contemporary English Version)

a person with faith should be producing good fruit...therefore the fruit is a demonstration of the persons faith.

So there is no contradiction because if you have true faith, you will also produce good works which are motivated by that faith.

 

[Wolfborne]

a person with faith will also produce good fruits...

So there is no contradiction because if you have true faith, you will also produce good works which are motivated by that faith.

Then there are a lot of two faced Christians out there. They have as much faith as the next person, but then act very non-Christian throughout the week. Having faith and living according to the commandments are two very different things.

Just because you have faith and have been "saved" doesn't mean you'll perform good deeds.

 

[Pegg]

Then there are a lot of two faced Christians out there. They have as much faith as the next person, but then act very non-Christian throughout the week. Having faith and living according to the commandments are two very different things.

Just because you have faith and have been "saved" doesn't mean you'll perform good deeds.

no one is saved until they are actually saved...and that doesnt happen until a future time

So no one can claim to be saved just yet...the scriptures say 'but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved" Matt 10:22

 

[kjw47]

no one is saved until they are actually saved...and that doesnt happen until a future time

So no one can claim to be saved just yet...the scriptures say 'but he that has endured to the end is the one that will be saved" Matt 10:22

Pegg is right--Paul likened it to a race--one must cross the finish line by enduring till the end-- proving that there isnt a mortal alive that has the right to tell another that they are saved--they do not have a clue in reality. Its a guarantee they belong in this group if they are telling others they are saved-2 cor 11:12-15

 

[F0uad]

I think it depends on what you want and who to follow at the end..

Either Jesus(pbuh) that did tell people to follow the laws or Paul.

 

[Desert Snake]

I think it depends on what you want and who to follow at the end..

Either Jesus(pbuh) that did tell people to follow the laws or Paul.

Jesus was a Nazarene. The Nazarenes followed different "laws" than other Jews in Israel at the time, so theoretically it would make most sense to adhere to either Nazoretic or Essene belief according to your logic, this would make Christian practice decidedly different from 'standard' Jewish practice.

 

[F0uad]

Jesus was a Nazarene. The Nazarenes followed different "laws" than other Jews in Israel at the time, so theoretically it would make most sense to adhere to either Nazoretic or Essene belief according to your logic, this would make Christian practice decidedly different from 'standard' Jewish practice.

Do you even know the differences if not please don't just throw names out there.
And as i said you follow you who want to follow and what you want to follow at the end.

 

[Desert Snake]

Do you even know the differences if not please don't just throw names out there.

Do you? Lol Jesus is called "The Nazarene", one difference is the ascetic values the Essenes/Nazarenes had, for starters.

 

[Shiranui117]

Jesus was a Nazarene. The Nazarenes followed different "laws" than other Jews in Israel at the time,

Do you have a reference for this? Is there a list of Nazarene laws vs. the laws being followed by other Jews of the time?