***If the Gospel is veiled to you, it can only mean one thing.
Rom 14:4
4 Who are you to judge another's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand.
NKJV
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***If the Gospel is veiled to you, it can only mean one thing.
***a perfectly good case can be made for works without James, but if you go looking for "proof" or believe you are in possession of "facts" imo you should acknowledge that you are in court, and seeking a judgement of law anyway.
imo this is because the premise that God considers some Jewish or Gentile, or male or female, or other human/physical distinctions, is not in keeping with NT theology.But I see that no one wants to see them because they never mention them.
***imo this is because the premise that God considers some Jewish or Gentile, or male or female, or other human/physical distinctions, is not in keeping with NT theology.
boy, i'm glad to hear that, because i am a total hedonist, a complete narcissist, etc, and i figured i'd ask Jesus into my heart just in case, y'know...good to hear that me and Hitler will be there in heaven with you***
NT theology is usually wrong because it blends two different gospel together. one of law and one of grace. You know about grace don't you it is a free gift and working for it has made it null and void.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit."***
I listed the facts in the OP. But I see that no one wants to see them because they never mention them. James had some of his evidence from the wrong period of Abraham's live. --- No I am not going to go to the effort to rewrite those facts since the facts don't seem to be getting throuh.
hopefully it becomes obvious that your premise has some deficiencies. I would never counsel working for Grace, but Grace putting one to work is maybe a decent proposition? Isn't that better than cutting out the parts of Scripture you don't agree with, regardless of the reason?***
NT theology is usually wrong because it blends two different gospel together. one of law and one of grace. You know about grace don't you it is a free gift and working for it has made it null and void.
amen, yet he was nonetheless justified by his works, offering Isaac.FACT! No, he was not! ---- He was accounted righteous before God several years earlier, BEFORE the birth of Isaac, and before he had done anything to "prove" his faith in God.
so then Abraham was not justified by his works, but that is a different concept than being accounted "righteous." Obviously.6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
(NKJ)
FACT! Not only that, but God accounted him righteous solely for his faith in His Promises, and not by anything that he did. There is nothing in Genesis 15 that mentions any works that Abraham did.
imo what you have done here is take a passage that is meant to agree that all who are righteous are of Abraham's seed, be they Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, whatever, and turn it into a blessing of those who cry "Lord, Lord," essentially. The MSG translation makes this a bit clearer imo Romans 4 - MSG Bible - Bible Study Tools5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness
He didn't say that. I actually agree with you. You should help brethren and do "works". They have nothing to do with salvation. Not even as evidence of faith.James is saying that once save one should work because they are save
I hope this is not taken the wrong way. It is not intended to offend anyone. These are my personal thoughts based on what the scriptures actually say and put in this study.
The old saying that James and Paul were teaching the same thing, or that the word “works” each used do not mean the same thing, just doesn’t get it for me. --- One must understand that Paul addressed his letters to the Gentile churches he founded. James wrote his letter to the Jews who were scattered over the other countries (James 1:1). James’ letter was not addressed to the same churches that Paul’s letters were addressed
The study:
Was James confused? Or was he still preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, which included the Law?
James 2:20-21
20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered Isaac his son on the altar?
(NKJ)
FACT! No, he was not! ---- He was accounted righteous before God several years earlier, BEFORE the birth of Isaac, and before he had done anything to "prove" his faith in God.
Genesis 15:4-6
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."
5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
(NKJ)
FACT! Not only that, but God accounted him righteous solely for his faith in His Promises, and not by anything that he did. There is nothing in Genesis 15 that mentions any works that Abraham did. Paul accurately reports this. It seems that James did not consider the account in Genesis 15. It was not until Genesis 22, many years after Isaac was born, when Abraham was well over 100 years old, that he agreed to offer Isaac.
James writes:
22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.
23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.
24 You see that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
FACT! Neither of those last two statements jives with the Genesis 15:4-6 account. Nowhere does the OT Scripture say that Abraham "was called God's friend" BECAUSE he was willing to offer up his son Isaac. In Isaiah 41:8 it states that God called Abraham His friend but nowhere in the context of the chapter does He say it was because Abraham offered up his son Isaac.
FACT! What James wrote, as shown above, is a direct contradiction of the Gospel that Paul taught and the account given in Genesis 15:4-6. Abraham was righteous before God solely because he believed God’s promises.
In my opinion the book of James is devoid of the gospel of grace as taught by Paul. However, it was compatible with the law. Since the word of God has to be based on truth, I find the book of James is not based on the truth and is highly suspect.
Here are some more facts that support my opinion. I find them interesting.
1. The word “Law” is found in 18 places
2. The word “grace” is found in 2 places
3. The word “Christ” is found in 2 places
4. The word “Justified” is found in 2 place with the words “by works” after them
5. The words “by faith” is found 1 time (justified by works and not by faith only)
6. The word “cross” is not found
7. The word “reconciled” is not found
8. The word “sanctified” is not found
9. The word “saved” is not found
10. The words “in Christ” are not found
11. The shed blood of Jesus on the cross is not mentioned.
Romans 4:1-7 Abraham Justified by Faith.
1 What then shall we say that Abraham our father has found according to the flesh?
2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.
3 For what does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness."
4 Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
David Celebrates the Same Truth
5 But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness,
6 just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works:
7 "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, And whose sins are covered;
NKJV
Jesus needs His children alone with Himself for a time so they have no external influences to corrupt what He is teaching them,...
yes that is why there are so many religions and so many confused christians.And by that you must mean your face to face interaction with a man you call Jesus. Scripture is sufficient to learn what the real Jesus is teaching us.
yes that is why there are so many religions and so many confused christians.
Gal_1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
not something you get from reading teh bible., just more knowledge more mens wisdom more mens understanding and more knowing "about" but never knowing Jesus. It was not a figment of my imagination that died or suffered for me neither was He a story character out of a book of fables. Teh living Word Jesus Christ who gave His life for Many but accepted by so few.