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| Grace is neutered by Faith |
https://www.facebook.com/sing.f.lau/posts/1182086067794
December 7, 2011
'Sola fidei' or 'justification by faith
alone' is a very popular religious jargon among both the Arminians and the
Calvinists
But does it occur to you that 'justification
by faith alone' (faith referring to man's act of believing) is an obvious
heresy, a doctrine of the devil? Why?
It not only repudiates and contradicts the
biblical teaching of justification by the free grace of God, it also teaches
that salvation is conditioned upon the work of obedience!
All acts of obedience to God's revealed will
by way of the commandment are "deeds of the law." And believing in Jesus
Christ is most certainly an act of obedience to God's repeated command to His
people to believe in Jesus Christ.
John 6:28 ¶ Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God? 29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
Believing is a work God requires of His
people. If justification is by faith alone (as popularly understood by the
Calvinists as well as the Arminians), then justification is by man's work of
believing, a damnable heresy.
The elect are saved solely by Christ's work
of obedience to all the laws of God for all His people.
Rom 3:24 Being justified freely by his grace
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Faith in Christ justifies the believer ONLY
in the sense that his believing certifies, demonstrates, evidences, justifies,
vindicates that he has been effectually called to grace and salvation (i.e.
freely justified regenerated and adopted, with the gift of the Spirit of
adoption dwelling in him, working the grace of faith that enables him to believe
the gospel of Jesus Christ).
Sola Fidei (commonly understood) is a
doctrine of the devil... for it contradicts salvation by free grace, and
promotes salvation conditioned on man's work of believing.
Justification by faith alone is correct ONLY
when it is understood in its EXPERIENTIAL SENSE, not in its LEGAL sense.
Faith in Jesus Christ is indeed the sole
instrument God has ordained for His children to experience the blessedness of
their justified state by God's free grace based on the works of Christ alone.
Abraham in Gen 15;1-6 is the classic example
marshaled by Paul to prove this point. It was at that point that Abraham
experienced the blessedness of his justified state by God's free grace when God
effectually called him while he was an idolater in Ur of the Chaldeans.
Charles Page
so simple even a package handler can
understand it...there is nothing we can do to merit justification...nothing
what is so difficult about that?
BTW Roscoe, our dog, just saw your picture and he said that it wasn't funny!
Sing
Tom Holmes, that's a very popular shibboleth!
Don't repeat it again, please.
Please read an exposition here:
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2008/01/saved-by-grace-through-faith-whose.html
(Tom Holmes deleted his comments)
Sing
Christians repeat so many jargons and
shibboleths that they have never understood!
Sing
1. Justified by the faith/blood of Christ:
the ground of justification, i.e. the works of Christ in securing
righteousness.
Sins bring condemnation. Justification
requires righteousness. And this righteousness is either by your own obedience
to the laws of God, or by Christ's obedience to the law of God. There are no
other alternatives... like man's act of believing.
2. Justified by the free grace of God: the
manner the righteousness of Christ is applied to the condemned sinner.
The manner the righteousness of Christ is
applied to condemned criminals is by the free grace of God, not upon any condition
on man's part, like believing in Jesus Christ. A man under the condemnation of
death CAN'T possibly believe in order to be justified by God! Not a chance!
3. Justified by faith IN Christ: the means to
experience the blessedness of the justification by God's free grace.
Faith in Christ, and not the observance of
the ceremonial laws is the means appointed, for God's children to experience
the blessedness of their justified state by God's free grace.
The biblical distinction is the essence of sound theology.
Sing
Justified by the blood/faith OF Christ:
- LEGAL justification at the cross, where the
legal IMPUTATION of Christ righteousness to the elect took place.
Justified by the free grace of God:
- VITAL/PERSONAL justification at effectual calling
to grace and salvation, where the righteousness of Jesus Christ is APPLIED
personally to an elect.
Justified by faith IN Jesus Christ:
- EXPERIENTIAL justification at initial
conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ, when a child of God experiences the
blessedness of his justified state by God's free grace.
Romans 4:
9 ¶ Cometh this blessedness then upon the
circumcision only, or upon the uncircumcision also? for we say that faith was
reckoned to Abraham for righteousness.
10 How was it then reckoned? when he was in
circumcision, or in uncircumcision? Not in circumcision, but in uncircumcision.
The means to experience that blessedness of
one's justified state is not through the observance of the ceremonial laws...
but through faith in Jesus Christ.
Gen 15:
6 And he believed in the LORD; and he counted
it to him for righteousness.
Compare 'that faith was reckoned to Abraham
for righteousness' - Rom 4:9.
Abraham's act of believing in the promised
seed was blessed by God as the means to experience the blessedness of his
justification by God's free grace based on the righteousness of the promised
Saviour.
Counting Abraham's act of believing to
Abraham is COMPLETELY different from counting Christ's righteousness to
Abraham.
Only the willfully ignorant and the blind
won't see the difference!
PJ Walters
This is the truth.
Sing
Tom Holmes, I have a solid piece of
information indicating what you do believe... the plain statement you have
made, i.e. 'justified by grace through faith in Christ alone.'
You have just stated plainly that your
justification is through your faith in Christ.
Words have meaning... and those words mean
just that.
I am not in the business of judging anyone.
I have only stated what you do believe... that your faith in Jesus Christ is the means by which you are justified before God. If you don't believe such NONSENSE, then choose your words correctly... BECAUSE I can only understand you through your words!
Sing
The righteousness of Christ LEGALLY IMPUTED to
all represented by Him at the cross, EVEN AS the sin of Adam was LEGALLY
IMPUTED to all represented by him at the fall.
The righteousness of Christ is PERSONALLY APPLIED
to an elect at his effectual calling to grace and salvation EVEN AS the sin of
Adam was PERSONALLY APPLIED at conception, thus being conceived in sin.
The righteousness of Christ applied personally is experienced through the righteous act of believing in Christ Jesus, even as the sin of Adam personally applied is experienced at the first act of sin.
Sing
You have said that 'justified by grace
through faith in Christ alone.' So however you disclaim, without you believing
in Christ, there would be no justification for you. That's the point.
If your faith is not what saves you, please
don't mutter such shibboleth any more. ''justified by grace through faith in
Christ alone'!
Your faith evidence your justification by
God's free grace.
Your faith is not the necessary instrument
for your justification by God.
Words have meaning. Say what you mean, and mean what you say... otherwise you will cause confusion.
Sing
You are speaking like a silly kid who is
unhappy because his loose manner of speaking is pointed out, and is advised to
speak and write accurately so that he may be understood properly.
It is precisely that the only perfection is
in Christ that your statement that ''justified by grace through faith in Christ
alone' sound so offensive to me... such fable only robs and detracts from the
perfection that is only in Christ alone, and not your faith in Christ!
