by greendawn 26 Replies latest watchtower bible
As far as the faith vs work debate...
This is a cult buster; if there was anything at all that we could have done to earn salvation or a relationship with the Creator, Jesus would not have had to die
Faith produces works of charity. Not the other way around.
Why do works of charity not produce faith???
To be honest the modern day cult of protestant christianity was born from Catholicism which demanded works - it is a modern day liberalism very in keeping with western sociey that seeks to deny any personal responsibility in the process of becoming one with our Saviour IMHO. Which of the follwoing works would a grace alone believer argue is not required:
Prayer
Charity
Repentance
Baptism
Partaking the Sacrament
Sabbath Observance
Tithing
Marriage
Honesty
Not to kill
Modesty
Humility
Respect for parents
Not saying more than yes or no
Not lusting after another
Not being angry
Forgiving
No idolatory
No adultery
No theft
you get the idea...
Why do works of charity not produce faith???
Depends on what faith you are talking about.
There are wonderful people all around the world who are not Christians who do good works and acts of charity.
There are clearly defined attributes of a cult versus healthy mainstream churches. You cannot lump them all together. The personal responsibilty comes from making the decision to accept the entirly free gift of life from Jesus. Romans 5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
When one recieves this free gift it is not us but God by the power of the Holy Spirit that guides us to acts of charity. Philippians 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that he who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ.
Again, if there was anything at all that we could have done to earn, deserve or work for salvation, Jesus would not have had to die. We could have worked our way via good deeds to a relationship with God.
The unconditional love of God is what moves a truly converted soul to acts of kindness and good works. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that guides us as to what to do with ourselves, and how to serve God by serving mankind.
The issue is what saves you. God's grace through the faith God enables you to produce, or by your works. You, like many before you, confuse salvation with sanctification. We are saved by grace through faith unto good works.
Now back to James, and his practical approach to fleshing out your faith. Most of the items you listed I would agree that a Christian would be doing or abstaining from in his sanctification.
The truth is qcmbr none of those works will save you because even if we do all those works and are perfect until christ comes what about our imperfect lives up until now Also we were born in sin and are sinful. It is our very nature.
The confusion is we are talking about two different things here one being Justification which is 100% and is the free gift of Salvation the other is Santification which is the growing up of the christian into maturity and is never 100% until christ comes when the faithful are glorified and there sanctification = there justification.
Those that would say a person must be perfect for salvation usually say if pressed on the issue 'Well God wouldnt expect us to do something we are not capable of' Isnt that a bit like lowering the high jump bar for the Olympics when God expects perfect obediance? The truth is we are perfect in our representitive because his righeousness is imputed to us though we may fail and we do fail 1000 times a day.
As far as the faith vs work debate...This is a cult buster; if there was anything at all that we could have done to earn salvation or a relationship with the Creator, Jesus would not have had to die
By such a standard I guess much of the Gospel of Matthew should be branded as cultish.
Actually what type of "early Christianity" is more "cultish," if we take this adjective in its common (sociological) meaning? (1) A "school" (bordering on "religious order") within the national and religious frame of Judaism, potentially (and conditionally) extending to some Gentiles, advocating a different way of observing the common Torah? Or (2) a Torah-free gospel, offering justification/salvation on mere confession of "Christ Jesus" as "Lord," resulting in severing its Jewish adepts from the rest of Judaism and its Gentiles adept from other "pagans"?
The theoretical universalism of Paul did not become a really universalistic religion without going through a rather long "cultish" moment -- as long as the still minoritary Christians deemed themselves as neither Jews nor Pagans, i.e. a "third race," strangers in the world.
Why was God unable - or unwilling - to forgive unconditionally? Why does he require works or faith or a ransom sacrifice? Why can't he just cancel the debt he believes we owe him?
