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| The right tongue says, "Saved by grace alone." The left tongue says, "Saved through my faith in Christ" They speak of "saved" in the same sense. |
Ephesians
2
8
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the
gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
1. It is VERY POPULAR to understand the pronoun 'that' in verse 8 as referring to the antecedent 'faith'. However, this can't possibly be because 'that' is a neuter pronoun, and 'faith' is a feminine noun. 'That' refers back to the specific thing called 'salvation-by-grace-through-faith'! And this thing 'it' is the gift of God. The gift is NOT 'faith'.
2.
It is very popular to understand the pronoun 'that' in verse 8 as referring to
the antecedent 'faith', and that this faith refers to man's act of believing.
This view spawned the synergistic fable that though salvation is by God's free
grace alone, yet it is made effectual only through man's activity of believing.
3.
It is very popular to say that salvation is by God's grace ALONE from one side
of the mouth. It's EQUALLY POPULAR to insist from the other side of the SAME
mouth that man's activity of believing is ALSO involved in that same salvation.
I wander what is their idea of 'grace alone? Do they say 'clone' or 'alone'?
ALAS! man, by nature, is synergist to the core!
4.
If salvation by God's free grace ALONE involves man's act of believing TOO,
then verse 9 - i.e. 'not of works, lest any man should boast' - is completely
repudiated! If man's act of believing is ALSO involved in the salvation by
God's free grace ALONE, then 'that' most certainly involves man's work.
5.
And the man who believes in order to make the salvation by grace alone
effectual to himself can most certainly boast because his work of believing
appropriated that salvation.
Christ
himself declares that believing in Him is a WORK required by God.
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."
This
is THE WORK of God... i.e. the work God requires of His CHILDREN (i.e. the
elect that has been regenerated).
If
by this point you are not yet bursting with the objection, 'through whose
faith, then?' then you are not even thinking. You don't need to read further!
Sing
'Saved
by grace through faith' - whose faith? What is that faith?
https://things-new-and-old.blogspot.com/2008/01/saved-by-grace-through-faith-whose.html
Sing
That
gift, which is salvation by God's grace through Christ's faith EMBRACES the
free gracious divine acts of justification, regeneration, adoption of an elect
(who is by nature in the state of condemnation and death) , WITH the gift of
the Spirit of adoption to dwell within a child of God.
Sing
If
by grace, then it EXCLUDES all human participation.
Eternal
salvation EXCLUDES all human participation.
God
ALONE purposed eternal salvation for His elect.
Christ
ALONE accomplished that eternal salvation for the same.
God,
through the Spirit of Christ, applies that eternal salvation to an elect who is
dead in trespasses and sins in effectually calling him out of his native state
of condemnation and death. Once the eternal salvation is applied freely and
sovereignly by God's grace, a man is fit for eternal glory. Nothing more is needed.
Temporal
salvation, i.e. that which relates to the temporal well-being of God's children
in the life here and now REQUIRES active and conscious human participation.
This is the proper sphere of 'human responsibility.' God holds His children
responsible for their temporal salvation.
To
the Philippians saints, Paul said, "Work out your own salvation with fear
and trembling..."
To Timothy, He said, "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee."
PJ
Walters
(Sarcasm
alert) But that's not fair! I didn't get to choose!
Sing
But
every man did get to choose... and he freely and willingly chose LIE and DEATH!
<LOL>
Jackson
Walsh
The
answer to all questions is in verse 7: That in the AGES TO COME he might shew
the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ
Jesus. This is all in time that we are "saved" through faith. Yet it
is God's grace that makes this possible by saving eternally. You can't have
timely without eternal, but you can have eternal without timely.
Mphathe
Nemabubuni
Is
God alone who draws sinners to be saved by Christ, by believing, yet we have to
know that everyone who believes in Christ is by grace, and the Holy Spirit is
God at work in us from the first time we believe until our Lord Christ Jesus
come back for His church.
If in any way you believe in Christ, isnt yourself who manages to believe in God who lets you believe in His Son Christ Jesus. Is by grace through faith in Christ Jesus.
Charles
Page
Injuns
say pale face speak with forked tongue! New-fangled baptist preachers speak
with forked tongues! They say the unregenerate are l-o-s-t and need to be talked
into coming to Christ!
Sing
So
Jackson Walsh, is 'saved by grace through faith' speaking of eternal salvation,
or eternal salvation and temporal salvation in the same breath? Is there room
for your idea of "this is all in time that we are "saved"
through faith'?
Whose
faith is involved in 'saved by grace through faith'?
Sing
Mphathe
Nemabubuni, if words have meaning, you are a classic example of DOUBLE TALK!
You
said, "It is God alone who draws sinners to be saved by Christ, by
believing."
Let
me ask, is God's act of drawing sinners to be saved by Christ CONDITIONED on
sinners' believing?
Or
is the sinner believing an effect of God ALREADY DRAWN sinners to be saved by
Chris?
In
your understanding, you are saved by God's grace through YOUR WORK OF BELIEVING
in Christ Jesus.
See what I mean - men are synergistic to the core!
Jackson
Walsh
Bro.
Sing, I feel that it is speaking of both.
Sing
You
can now demonstrate that Eph 2:8-9 is speaking of both. Thanks.
Jackson
Walsh
I
already did. It's in verse 7, explaining how Christ will shew his riches in the
AGES TO COME. For by grace are ye saved (eternal) through faith (timely)
Sing
Thanks, Jackson. So you understand 'faith' as man's TIMELY act of believing?
Jackson
Walsh
Cognitively,
yes.
Jackson
Walsh
Good
observation Bro. Sing
Sing
May
I suggest to you that 'by grace through faith' is referring to the faith of
Christ Jesus as per Rom 2:21-24
'By
grace' speaks of the manner eternal salvation is bestowed,
'through
faith' the basis of that eternal salvation.
21
But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed
by the law and the prophets;
22
Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and
upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
23
For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;
24
Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus:
The
righteousness of God, the righteousness of God's provision, is by the faith of Jesus Christ, i.e. Christ's faithfulness in rendering perfect obedience to the
laws of God.
This
righteousness by the faith of Christ is the ground of eternal salvation... i.e.
saved by grace through Christ's faith.
No,
man's faith plays NIL, ZILCH role in his eternal salvation.
Eternal salvation is applied to him when he is dead in trespasses and sins.
It's that elementary.
