Faith either has good or bad works

[Ghada]

James 2 is not teaching that we can have faith without works, but rather having faith without good works does not save nor justify any man.

There is no such thing as having faith without works, because it's not possible for any man to be without works at all, so as to neither be doing good or evil. In such a case, there would be no works for God to judge and justify or condemn. Which is never possible, since God does judge every man by his works.

There is no 'neutral' ground with God. We are either on the Lord's side by our deeds, or the devil's. We are either doing works in the light or of darkness.

Only babes have no works, neither any faith.

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth)

And so, the whole gospel of being saved or justified by faith without works, is a Christian canard, that hides claiming to be saved and justified by faith with evil works.

By the examples given, God in James 2 is talking about faith without good works, not about no works at all. By not doing good when we can, it is judged by God as an evil work of omission.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

And so we see that man is never 'without works', neither doing good or evil, whether by commission or omission. That is true only for babes.

There is no doctrine of having faith alone without works. God says that is a dead issue. What some unrepented Christian sinners do preach, is being saved and justified by God, while sinning against God and man.

 

[Ghada]

Claiming a saving faith without works, is claiming to be babes in the womb again. And being babes they cannot be judged by God for their works.

Such Christians are teaching being born again as if Nicodemus were right, that they are once again babes in the womb without works, neither doing good nor evil, and so cannot be judged.

Though they are in fact still doing works, both good and evil, they think pertaining to judgment, that they can be as babes in the mother's womb.

This aligns itself to their declaration that God cannot see what they do anymore, nor condemn them.

They are preaching a gospel of babes hidden in the darkness of God's bosom. It's akin to hiding in Mother Mary's Sacred Womb.

 

[Tommy Cool]

There is no doctrine of having faith alone without works.

Years ago, I dated a girl named Faith who did not have a job…. So there you have it….. Faith without works! …….. only she was not dead … she was very much alive ….and that presents a contradiction.

 

[Ghada]

Years ago, I dated a girl named Faith who did not have a job…. So there you have it….. Faith without works! …….. only she was not dead … she was very much alive ….and that presents a contradiction.

That would be jobless faith without work. Not works.

 

[Earburner]

James 2 is not teaching that we can have faith without works, but rather having faith without good works does not save nor justify any man.

There is no such thing as having faith without works, because it's not possible for any man to be without works at all, so as to neither be doing good or evil. In such a case, there would be no works for God to judge and justify or condemn. Which is never possible, since God does judge every man by his works.

There is no 'neutral' ground with God. We are either on the Lord's side by our deeds, or the devil's. We are either doing works in the light or of darkness.

Only babes have no works, neither any faith.

(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth)

And so, the whole gospel of being saved or justified by faith without works, is a Christian canard, that hides claiming to be saved and justified by faith with evil works.

By the examples given, God in James 2 is talking about faith without good works, not about no works at all. By not doing good when we can, it is judged by God as an evil work of omission.

Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

And so we see that man is never 'without works', neither doing good or evil, whether by commission or omission. That is true only for babes.

There is no doctrine of having faith alone without works. God says that is a dead issue. What some unrepented Christian sinners do preach, is being saved and justified by God, while sinning against God and man.

What works did the repentant thief on the cross display for the Promise of his salvation by Jesus Himself?

Here is a clue of what that "work of God" was, that the thief did do:
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.

 

[Ghada]

What works did the repentant thief on the cross display for the Promise of his salvation by Jesus Himself?

Repentance is not a work to do. It's a ceasing of dead works. Works worthy of repentance follow by doing good rather than evil.

The work the thief did to be saved by was confession of Jesus as Lord with His mouth.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The works worthy of repentance would no doubt have been to cease reviling Jesus like the other thieves.

The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

In any case, your challenge is not about the Bible doctrine of repentance unto salvation itself, but how it is accomplished on earth at any time. That's where understanding Bible repentance and confession unto salvation is needed.

 

[Ghada]

Here is a clue of what that "work of God" was, that the thief did do:
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.

True. The work of God is granting repentance unto salvation, to them that repent of dead works for Jesus' sake.

We repent of our sinful deeds (which is not a work), while God's work is to instantly change our old lustful heart, into the new and pure promised heart of His risen Son's NT.

Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel?

The work of God to believe on His Son, is not with mind and lips only, but is to give them that repent, a whole new heart of the Spirit, that believes unto the righteous obedience of His Son.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Those who repent not for Jesus' sake, obviously have no new heart of righteousness from God, since God only grants His repentance and promised heart of righteousness to them that repent.

The proof of not believing on the Son is by still having the same old heart of lust, by which the same old works of the flesh are still committed. The reason for not having the promised new and pure heart of Christ, is by not repenting of lusting and sinning.

It's all doctrinally simple and self-proven:

Repent with a new heart, now doing righteousness and not iniquity. Repent not with the old heart, still doing unrighteousness and not good.

It's Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection that makes it now possible for man to repent for His sake, and receive the whole new heart of God, and to do His righteousness at all times.

Without Jesus' death and resurrection, any man can repent of anything, but not for Jesus' sake, which is the only repentance God the Father grants unto salvation, sanctification, and holy manner of life from a pure heart.

This is the gospel of whole hearted repentance unto salvation, that I preach. It's not the gospel of salvation by faith alone, unto half hearted repentance from time to time.

The two are certainly not the same. I hold to the first for sake of God's righteousness, and reject the other as unrighteous religion for man's own sake.