We are saved by faith in Christ "alone" - apart from the merit of works (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9) yet authentic faith does not remain "alone" - apart from the presence of works. (James 2:14-24)
Preaching faith in Christ alone is not the OSAS doctrine of having one's own dead faith alone without works.
Faith alone is never with works, which is why God calls it dead. When faith does have works, then it is faith that saves. Not until then. If we are not being doers of the word, we are not born of God, but hearers only.
OSAS like you try to say your dead faith alone will also have works, but when your works are evil, you still trust in your own dead faitha lone to be saved by. Your dead faith alone only gives lip service to the Lord and obeying the Lord.
The gospel is the "good news" of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (1 Corinthians 15:1-4) and is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that BELIEVES.. (Romans 1:16). To “believe” the gospel is to trust in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as the ALL-sufficient means of our salvation. The gospel is a message of grace to be received through faith.
The good news of the gospel is commandment to repent, which the righteous are glad to hear of power with Jesus to go and sin no more. OSAS only wants to hear about being forgiven and saved by their own faith alone. They spiritualize repentance into a change of mind only, or just ignore it altogether.
Repentance is of dead works of the flesh, not just a doctrinal change of mind. The saints obtain eternal salvation by obeying Jesus. OSAS thinks they already have it by their own doctrine alone.
To believe Jesus is to obey Him. All else is dead faith alone producing self-justifying doctrine only. If we're not obeying Jesus inwardly and outwardly, our soul is just as dead as Adam's the day he ate thereof, and separated himself and died to the Spirit of Christ.
The gospel is not a set of rituals to perform, a code of laws to be obeyed, or a check list of good works to accomplish as a prerequisite for salvation.
But if ye have respect to persons, ye commit sin, and are convinced of the law as transgressors. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. For he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law.
You can doctrinally reject the law of Christ all you want, and refuse to do it, but them without law will also perish, even as them that transgress His law.
For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law (For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
All you have is word-filled doctrine. No man goes to heaven by power of their own doctrine alone, while doing lawless works of the flesh.
In James 2:19, we see that the demons believe "mental assent" that "there is one God," but they do not believe in/have faith in/trust in/reliance in Jesus Christ for salvation. In other words, they do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 16:31) and are not saved. Their trust and reliance is in Satan, as demonstrated by their rebellion in heaven and continuous evil works.
Faith only is mental ascent only, which is proven by continued works of the flesh with the devil. No man while sinning with the devil is doing any good at all:
Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He that doeth good is of God: but he that doeth evil hath not seen God.
In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God.
No man is righteous while doing the devil's unrighteousness. The righteous are only those doing God's righteousness.
No matter what their doctrine tells them otherwise.
It's neither a contradiction or a lie. You just need eyes to see and ears to hear.
I see. Faith alone never being alone, must be understood
spiritually.
No thanks. I'm not at all interested any doctrine made by one's own faith alone, that results in having to spiritualize away standard intelligence, that God gives to any child. When even a child looks at your cross-eyed, you know you're making no sense at all.
Man is saved through faith and not by works (Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9); yet genuine faith is substantiated, evidenced by works. (James 2:14-24) Christ saves us through faith based on the merits of His finished work of redemption "alone" and not based on the merits of our works. It is through faith "in Christ alone" (and not based on the merits of our works) that we are justified on account of Christ (Romans 3:24; 5:1; 5:9); yet faith that justifies does not remain alone (unfruitful, barren) if it is genuine. (James 2:14-24) *Perfect Harmony*
Jesus forgives and saves any soul believing and confessing with godly sorrow to Him.
Faith without the humbling work of confessing to Jesus, is dead, being alone in one's mind only.
What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?
The only way for faith not to be alone and dead, is only when it has works.
No doctrine of man will change the truth of Scripture of God.
As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Neither Paul nor any other Scripture of God ever said man is saved by faith alone. The only time faith alone is ever spoken of by a prophet and apostle of God, is to condemn it as dead.
No man will ever justify themselves and get to heaven, by teaching their own false doctrine made by their own dead faith alone.
