Where is this gospel given? It comes from the epistles, but the gospel of Jesus Christ comes from Acts. So I want to make some observations about this.
1) The gospel of grace is man's "reverse engineering" of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By that I mean, the gospel of grace is cobbled together from passages where the biblical author, usually Paul, is addressing those who are already saved. He is telling them about their sanctification, not about their justification.
2) There are zero passages in scripture that say we are saved by "faith alone," but there is a passage that says that we are not justified (saved) "by faith only." (Jas 4:24)
3) Those who believe by "faith alone" have not been born again nor received the Holy Spirit. This tells us that they do not understand the things that they think they do (1Cor 2:14). So let's find out why.
Acts 5:32 tells us that the Holy Ghost is "given to those that obey Him." So what does the gospel that we KNOW saves tell us to do? "Repent and … receive the Holy Ghost." (2:38) Could it be any more clear that what "faith only's" believe is the gospel of grace, the gospel of men?
Repentance throughout the Bible is the method by which the unregenerate sinner enters into saving relationship and into covenant God (Acts 2:36-40). And it is obviously so .. 3000 men were saved by it!
Repentance is not only a change of the mind (believing) but a change of the heart (faith) by which we put off the old man and put on the new man, the new creation (Col 3:9-10, Eph 4:24). 2Cor 10:5 has it that we also "Cast off every imagination and high thing [gospel of grace] that exalts itself above the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." — which is what Acts 2:40 is about.
And this IS good news .. not the fact that we are sinners bound for hell but that God has made a way of escape!
skypair
who is faith only's?
and Paul does talk about what justifies the believer:
Rom_2:13 (For not the hearers of the law
are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.
Rom_3:4 God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged.
Rom_3:20 Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law
is the knowledge of sin.
Rom_3:24 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:
Rom_3:26 To declare,
I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Rom_3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
Rom_3:30 Seeing
it is one God, which shall justify the circumcision by faith, and uncircumcision through faith.
Rom_4:2 For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath
whereof to glory; but not before God.
Rom_4:5 But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.
Rom_4:25 Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.
Rom_5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:
Rom_5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.
Rom_5:16 And not as
it was by one that sinned,
so is the gift: for the judgment
was by one to condemnation, but the free gift
is of many offences unto justification.
Rom_5:18 Therefore as by the offence of one
judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one
the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.
Rom_8:30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.
Rom_8:33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect?
It is God that justifieth.
1Co_4:4 For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he that judgeth me is the Lord.
1Co_6:11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Gal_2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Gal_2:17 But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners,
is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid.
Gal_3:8 And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham,
saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
Gal_3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God,
it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.
Gal_3:24 Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster
to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
Gal_5:4 Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace.
1Ti_3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Tit_3:7 That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.
which is based on his knowledge of the Torah:
Gen 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
Gen 15:5 And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be.
Gen 15:6
And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.
Gen 15:7 And he said unto him, I am the LORD that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to inherit it.
and the revelation of Christ.
you confuse works with faith and Paul's teachings in the mist of the arguments of law and grace a nd faith he experienced in his day.
you have to believe (faith) to repent and belief comes by knowing [To perceive (a thing or person) as identical with one perceived before, or of which one has a previous notion; to recognize; to identify.] and knowing comes by revelation.
so the principal thing that is accounted to the Abraham as righteousness "
he believed in the LORD" according to scripture. works are simply the result of what ever a person has faith in or believes and trusts. works don't justify, God justifies, works are the evidence of what is believed and or trusted.
for example Abram believed and trusted the Word of God and packed his stuff and family and went to the promised land. he didn't have to repent and believe. God revealed His Word that expressed God's will to Abram for Abram that is what is good for Abram and Abram because he trusted the Lord his God went.
teenagers either trust and believe their parent's judgment of what is good for them, or they don't. should they learn come to the realization ( trust and believe) that their parents judgements are good for them then they repent (change their ways or mind). belief and trust is the principle thing, and if the trust and belief is genuine then the works will be according to the belief.
again works justify nothing, because without the faith there is no works according to the faith.