Letter from an Atheist

"You are really convinced that you've got all the answers. You've really got yourself tricked into believing that you're 100% right. Well, let me tell you just one thing.
                     
                                Do you consider yourself to be compassionate of other humans?

         If you're right, as you say you are, and you believe that, then how can you sleep at night? When you speak with me, you are speaking with someone who you believe is walking directly into eternal damnation, into an endless onslaught of horrendous pain which your 'loving' god created, yet you stand by and do nothing.

                                   

               If you believed one bit that thousands every day were falling into an eternal and unchangeable fate,  you should be running the streets mad with rage at their blindness.

That's equivalent to standing on a street corner and watching every person that passes you walk blindly directly into the path of a bus and die, yet you stand idly by and do nothing. You're just twiddling your thumbs, happy in the knowledge that one day that 'walk' signal will shine your way across the road.



                                   Think about it.
                                                Imagine the horrors Hell must have in store if the Bible is true.

             You're just going to allow that to happen and not care about saving anyone but yourself? If you're right then you're an uncaring, unemotional and purely selfish (expletive) that has no right to talk about subjects such as love and caring."



This is an excerpt from an e-mail sent to Evangelist Ray Comfort of Living Waters.
 (bold lettering effects are mine)


Share your faith!!!!!!!!!!

Gospel Call Update #11

    

              As always, we were excited to get out on the streets and publicly proclaim the name of Christ.

              This time, we were not only blessed to have Shawn Holes, a.k.a. Shawn the Baptist, with us, but we had Matt Slick with CARM(Christian Apologetics and Research Ministry) there as well, with his friend Brandon doing the filming.

        

     The event was something our city does every Wednesday at city center called Alive after Five.  Hundreds of people turn out to peruse vendor wares, drink from the beer garden, and listen to live shows of all kinds.

     Some may think it odd, but we set up next to the porta-potties for two reasons; it is just too loud in the center of the crowd and the toilet is where many people make quite a line where they wait and are forced to stand and listen to the preaching of God's Word.

     A great deal of folks were overtly hostile to the Gospel, however we experienced the blessing of seeing more than one person respond well, with at least three people taking and giving their information for further contact. Praise God!!!!


   Please remember the names of these people in your prayers. We would implore you to ask God to get ahold of their hearts and revive them unto life everlasting:
     Laura and Chad are a young girlfriend and boyfriend who are from California and are taking a hard look at their faith. They are very interested in attending the Well, my home church.
     Also pray for Jacqueline, (pronounced Jock-Leen).
She came right up to me after I finished preaching and said she wants to know more. She said her parents had converted to Christianity in recent years and she is ever more curious. Hopefully she will be joining us at our Bible study. She expressed a desire to have discussions in a non-confrontive environment. She thanked us for preaching.


              The public proclamation of the Gospel, quite simply, IS the very definition of preaching.


                  You may not be called to go profess Christ on the street corner, but if you are a Christian, 
                                                  you are called to love the street preacher.
                                                             
        As long as the man who is preaching holds to the infallible, inerrant Word of God and tells the full Gospel, there is nothing wrong about it. In fact, it is the most loving thing one could ever do for the perishing.
                             
                                      God will insure His Word
                                does what He has meant it to accomplish.


            Our confidence is not in our voice, charm, or Bible knowledge, but it is wholly founded in the sovereign grace of our Lord and King, Jesus of Nazareth.


    Enjoy this video that CARM put together and please remember to lift us up in prayer as we take the Gospel to the streets.  Bless God

                                   

  

Justification by Faith Alone

      It has been more than a little interesting being involved in an open group debate page on the issue of the apostasy of the church of Rome. Among so many foul doctrines she carries, the one that must be ever brought to bear is her belief that she is justified by faith plus works.


         The reality is, the Bible declares that we are Justified by Faith Alone, or Sola Fide. It was the cry of the reformers and it is just as important today as it ever has been. In fact, not only is this the crux of our debate with Rome, it is no less than a crisis within the evangelical church today. Folks just don't believe or they choose to ignore this precious doctrine. Consequently, we are seeing a massive ecumenical movement today where the visible evangelical churches are gladly merging with Romanism and all her pagan idolatry.

       Christians today actually think that Roman Catholics are brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. Rome has been preparing for this very day as she has padded her violent prejudices and claims of salvation within her doors alone, with the fluffy stuff of ecumenical speech in documents like the Vatican Council II. She is conveniently poised as a humble princess with nothing but the best of intentions, patiently awaiting the fellowship of every soul in the world, all in the name of love. How nice. If only that were true.


        One of the ways in which Rome attempts to shoot down Justification by Faith alone is to take us directly to James 2:24. The passage says this:
                                       " You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone."           OK, so what about all the places in Scripture where God clearly highlights the fact that we are indeed justified by faith alone? How about this one:
                                        "Ephesians 2:8-9, "For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. "


or this one..
                                       Romans 4:5, "But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,"




or this one..
                                        Galatians 2:16, "nevertheless knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, that we may be justified by faith in Christ, and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified."




And on and on it goes.                                       
          In fact, I have challenged many a Roman Catholic to deal with this seeming paradox in Scripture.
They usually refuse, and tell me we are only arguing opinions and that I have no authority.
                                 What?
         Well, to their credit, recently a Roman Catholic actually took me up on the challenge. Now, there are many, many Scriptures which affirm Justification by Faith Alone, and I gave them to him. He asked if he could just exposit one, and said yes. The problem is, to truly get at the heart of this matter, one needs to read the epistle of James, and deal with it, not Paul who is clear. Of course, he tried to shake the foundation of the doctrine which Paul speaks of. Here is how he did it.


     He tried to tell me that in Ephesians 2, when Paul speaks of our "own doing" and of "works", he is speaking of those works which have been done prior to conversion, that is, works done by an UN- justified man. However, according to my opponent's understanding, Paul is not referring to those works done by a justified man, oh no, those particular works actually contribute to a man's justification. Really? He called this a radical dichotomy and blamed it on Paul not being able to clarify his point because the necessary superlatives are absent from his native tongue. Sorry, that just doesn't hold any water, for the most obvious reason, and that is zero hint of a dichotomy in this verse. It merely says what it means and means what it says. When he says "Not your own doing", how much plainer can it get? When we read "..so that no one may boast", is there any room for debate?  I have every confidence that if Paul had wanted to differentiate between works prior to or after conversion he would have done so. In fact, reading further, he actually makes sure that we know not only is it all God in salvation, but it is all God in even our ability to continue to serve Him.
   
                   Ephesians 2:10  "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them."
        Now, this little debate was the very eye of the storm that swept through and divided the Christian church in the sixteenth century. To better understand where the Romanists are coming from let's take a look at the Council of Trent.  Martin Luther rang out loud and clear that the Bible declares us justified by faith alone, our works add nothing whatsoever to our justification, and we haven't any merit to offer up to God that enhances our justification. At that point the Roman Catholic church promptly set out to hold their own so-called counter reformation. It didn't work of course, but in it they endeavoured to shut down the idea that salvation was by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone; Because the very notion that it was, threatened their pagan, man-centered view of the cross and of the precious atoning sacrifice of Christ.

            When a Christian dares explain to a Roman Catholic that they have a works-based salvation, often the Catholic will immediately tell the Christian that they do not understand Roman Catholicism and may take them to the Council of Trent.


Canon 8, citing Rom. 11:6:
"None of those things which precede justification, whether faith or works, merit the grace of justification; for if it is by grace, it is not now by works; otherwise, as the Apostle Paul says, grace is no more grace" 


Sounds pretty good, huh? However, reading further in the document, we see them say this:


Canon 9
"If any one saith, that by faith alone the impious is justified; in such wise as to mean, that nothing else is required to co-operate in order to the obtaining the grace of Justification, and that it is not in any way necessary, that he be prepared and disposed by the movement of his own will; let him be anathema." 


      In other words, if anyone actually takes serious the word of God as well as our previous statement that makes us look good, you shall be cursed to hell.


      The contradiction between these two statements is what is known as a violation of the Law of Non-Contradiction. Basically this says that it is not possible that something be both true and not true at the same time and in the same context. For example, a table can not be both made entirely of wood and not made entirely of wood.
    We see that the Council of Trent fails miserably in just trying to speak, let alone make doctrinal statements.
I am sure there are those who would love to explain how in fact this is not a violation of LNC, so let's just cut to the chase and bring in the Scripture which canon 9 directly contradicts.

"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. 3:20).



"Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus," (Rom. 3:24).


"Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law," (Rom. 3:28).


"For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness," (Rom. 4:3).


"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," (Rom. 5:1).


"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God," (Eph. 2:8).


"Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost," (Titus 3:5).




      It really doesn't take a lot of exposition to realize that what these verses are declaring is that we are justified by faith alone. Of course, then we still have the little book of James don't we. Did you know that Martin Luther struggled considerably with James' epistle?

                 At one point he actually called it the "epistle of straw", it bothered him so much.


     In those days, men of learning were taking hard looks at what books were truly inspired and should be in the canon. The tyranny of Rome had them scrambling for the truth. Martin wondered long and hard over James, however he eventually came to embrace the book as beloved and inspired of God. One thing that we are attacked for is the historical fact that when translating the Scriptures for all to be able to read, Martin added the word "alone" to Romans 3:28. Here is the verse in context:
Romans 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.



27 Then what becomes of our boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? By a law of works? No, but by the law of faith. 28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.
 Martin Luther added the word "alone" right after the word "faith" in verse 28.
I have to chuckle.
However, I also will say that he should not have done it.
      What needs to be stated very emphatically, is that in no way did Martin change, alter, or take away from the full meaning of the text. The little word "alone" is clearly understood as bright as the shining day. We are being told of the very propitiation, or blood redemption, Christ made on the cross. We are told this and this alone was sufficient for God's righteousness and justification. We are told that it is by faith so there will be no boasting.


     The doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone is the very core of the Gospel. The Roman Catholic church has no soul because it has not this doctrine and today's evangelical church is losing her soul because it knows not nor cares to know this precious theology.

John Calvin called justification the main hinge upon which salvation turns.

Thomas Cranmer declared that justification is the strong rock and foundation of Christian doctrine, and whoever denies it is not to be counted a Christian.

Thomas Watson lamented that justification is the very pillar of Christianity and error about justification is dangerous like a defect in the foundation. Justification by Christ is the very spring of the Water of Life and to have the poison of corrupt doctrine cast into that spring is damnable.

Martin Luther wrote that when the article of Justification has fallen everything has fallen. It is the doctrine from which all other doctrines flow and without it, the church of God cannot stand one hour.

       You see, before you make any assumptions on what the Bible is saying, you need to ask yourself a very fundamental question:  HOW DO I GET RIGHT WITH GOD?
           We take to the streets regularly to evangelize and preach. A very dear brother in Christ who is also one of the pastors at my church likes to ask a similar question of those who would profess themselves to be Christian. He asks:   IF GOD WERE TO ASK YOU WHY HE SHOULD LET YOU INTO HEAVEN, WHAT WOULD YOU SAY?

        Oh, you would not believe some of the answers we get. I cannot recall ever getting a right one. Folks let me tell you something, if your answer to either of those questions is anything else than
"Christ Almighty!!!!!", you are in for a world of hurt.

        Most people hold the belief that God owes them something, and this idea is very corrosive to a Biblical worldview.

      We preach the sovereign election of God, because that is what the Bible teaches. What I find on a regular basis is that people do not think election is fair. Do you know why you do not think it is fair? The reason is because deep down, at the core of your being, you think God is in debt to you. If you were to be honest, the reason you want to deny God's predestination and election is because you think you deserve salvation. You are held fast by the notion that God would be unloving if He did not save you. That is very un-Biblical. God is actually God and He is utterly and entirely in control. He is the one who plunged the world into darkness for His own glory as He shows mercy on the wicked.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it. Romans 8:20


He was the one who slaughtered His own Son.




 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. Acts 2:23




Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him;he has put him to grief;
when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days;
the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Isaiah 53:10


We do not understand the sin of man.
We don't appreciate the spiritual inability of man.
We don't understand the judgement of God.
We don't appreciate the sovereign freedom of God to do as He pleases.


    You must wrap your mind around the total depravity of man before much of anything else in Scripture is clear. We are completely infected by sin, so that we are without ability to please God.
Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. Romans 8:8
 
And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father. John 6:65




     We are not as bad as we could be because of the common grace of God, however our entire being is dominated by a hatred of God which prevents us from making the right decisions without the express special grace of God. Our inclusion into the Kingdom can only be the sole work of our Lord and based on absolutely nothing in us. That is why Jesus makes it clear when He says,
"but you do not believe BECAUSE you are not part of my flock." John 10:26


and again..


"For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14


   Justification is a legal term whereby one is declared righteous. It is the exact opposite of condemnation.
This crucial, Biblical doctrine of Justification by faith Alone is an act of God by which He declares sinners to be righteous by grace alone,
Romans. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."


through faith alone,
Romans 3:20 For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin. Rom 3:21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it-Rom 3:22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, Rom 3:24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, Rom 3:25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.



Rom 3:28 For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law.


in Christ alone.
Acts 4:12 And there is a salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.


   These Scriptures are plain and clear for anyone to see. That is because this precious doctrine is so important, God spoke it over and over again that all may know and hear of the wondrous love and righteousness He has displayed in the sacrifice of His sinless Son.
    In justification, Jesus Christ propitiates God the Father and He redeems His people. Then the Father declares His chosen justified. God justifies the un-Godly, not because they are Godly, but because Jesus Christ has taken the wrath of God that was due them upon Himself.

          A statement from a very sound council called the Cambridge Declaration in 1996 says this:
"Unwarranted confidence in human ability is a product of fallen human nature. This false confidence now fills the evangelical world; from the self-esteem gospel, to the health and wealth gospel, from those who have transformed the gospel into a product to be sold and sinners into consumers who want to buy, to others who treat Christian faith as being true simply because it works. This silences the doctrine of justification regardless of the official commitments of our churches.
  While the theology of the cross may be believed, these movements are actually emptying it of its meaning. There is no gospel except that of Christ's substitution in our place whereby God imputed to him our sin and imputed to us his righteousness. Because he bore our judgment, we now walk in his grace as those who are forever pardoned, accepted and adopted as God's children. There is no basis for our acceptance before God except in Christ's saving work, not in our patriotism, churchly devotion or moral decency. The gospel declares what God has done for us in Christ. It is not about what we can do to reach him.



God's grace in Christ is not merely necessary but is the sole efficient cause of salvation. We confess that human beings are born spiritually dead and are incapable even of cooperating with regenerating grace."
           
     We would all do well to pay close attention to the wisdom of these learned men who have called us all to holy living by their excellent council. I strongly encourage you to spend some time in the Cambridge Declaration(click here). It is a brief yet highly satisfying exposition of Christ's Gospel.

         By now I thoroughly hope that you are in love with Christ and bedazzled by His atonement. If not, then you must either be a Roman Catholic or you are a struggling Arminian who just can't shake their synergistic worldview. Either way, I shall not leave you hanging on the matter of James, oh no. If you are still with me, please know that this doctrine of Justification by Faith Alone is necesary to be shown glaringly prevalent in Scripture. We have only touched upon but a few of those passages which declare it boldly and brilliantly. Much like the truth of the Trinity, we do not need a verse which says "faith alone" to easily exposit the very sure doctrine of it.

      So then, what of James? He seems to say we are indeed  not justified by faith alone. So does he contradict Paul? This is the simple question I have been asking of Roman Catholics, and one which every single man who calls himself saved should tackle. Granted, at first it seems one of those difficult passages Peter speaks of that men twist to their own demise. However, at even a cursory glance, let alone deep study, we find that there are for more complicated passages in Scripture than this apparent dilemma. Additionally, it would be right to here point out that anytime Scripture is not understood, the Bible tells us it is the very fault of those who are reading it. Just because it is difficult does not excuse us from understanding it.

      When we come to James, we see that his main drive or push is an all out, frontal assault upon a heresy known as antinomianism. This is described to mean "against the law", or denying that God's law in Scripture should directly control the Christian's life. Many people in all the new churches were exhibiting behaviour contrary to a new life in Christ, at the same time professing to be saved.
   James had a message for them and consequently for us. Some of his main themes are testing of your faith, hearing and doing the word, sin of partiality, taming the tongue, and warnings against worldliness.
    When James speaks of justification in 2:24 he is speaking of what justification looks like on a HORIZONTAL level--MAN TO MAN.  When Paul speaks of justification over and over again in various places he is speaking of justification on a VERTICAL level--GOD TO MAN.

            So you see, we really don't have a conflict here. Paul helps us understand when, in his theological masterpiece, called the letter to the Romans, he says this:
Romans 4:2  For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God.

"..but not before God", he says. Paul is clearly saying that while a person has an outward justification to men and may have reason to boast, those works don't add to that person's justification at the judgement seat of God.
          What James is saying is this: If a person says he has faith, but he gives no outward evidence of that faith through righteous works, his faith will not justify him. Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Knox would absolutely agree with James. We are not saved by a professed faith or a claimed faith. IT IS ONLY GENUINE FAITH THAT THE MERITS OF CHRIST IMPUTES UNTO ANYONE. And if that faith is genuine, then we WILL SEE an outworking of righteous deeds. If there are no righteous deeds from a person who says he has faith, then that person has no justification before the eyes of man.
                                 You can't just say you have faith.
         True faith will absolutely and necessarily yield the fruits of obedience and the works of righteousness.
                Again, THOSE WORKS DO NOT ADD TO THE JUSTIFICATION AT THE JUDGEMENT SEAT OF GOD,
              however they do justify man's claim to faith BEFORE THE EYES OF OTHER MEN.
    James is saying, not that a man is justified before God by his works, but that his claim to faith is shown to be genuine as he demonstrates the evidence of that claim of faith through his works.
        When James says in v. 26 of ch. 2 that faith without works is dead, he is describing a faith that knows the Gospel and even agrees with it, but has fallen short of trust in God. Failure to grow, develop, and bear the fruit of righteousness shows that the free gift of God has never been received. For those with this kind of "dead faith" to think they could save themselves by their own righteousness, as if they could create their own faith is utter folly. They are to call upon the name of the Lord.
Romans 10:13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

God alone saves those who are otherwise unsavable.
Mark 10:27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man it is impossible, but not with God. For all things are possible with God.”

Paul shows us that good works cannot break this impossibility;Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion,  but on God, who has mercy

James shows us in his epistle that the faith required is faith that rests in the living God.

Through faith we receive Christ who satisfied the law on our behalf. In this way we are justified through faith alone, without doing the works of the law. But since faith unites us with Christ, it cannot be lifeless. Directed toward God and resting in Him, it is active, "working through love"(Galatians 5:6), seeking to do all the "good works, which God prepared beforehand" for us (Ephesians 2:10)
           You might not think of this verse as declaring Justification by Faith Alone:
John 3:16, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life."           Think again. "...whoever BELIEVES in Him.." is quite clear that it is faith alone which saves. Did you know that the very act of believing is an ability that comes entirely from God and nowhere from within yourself?
Remember Ephesians?
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing;
 IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD
 or this passage..

Phillipians 1:29 For IT HAS BEEN GRANTED TO YOU that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake.
                                 Let me be very clear at this point.
       Salvation is accomplished by the almighty power of the Triune God. The Father chose a people, the Son died for them; the Holy Spirit makes Christ's death effective by bringing the elect to faith and repentance, thereby causing them to willingly obey the Gospel. The entire process(election, redemption,regeneration) is the work of God and is by grace alone. Thus God, not man, determines who will be the recipients of the gift of salvation.

           You see, even after regeneration, the good works we do are never perfect. You have never loved the Lord with all your heart, soul,  mind, and body. Our works are acceptable to God only because the mercy of Christ.
Romans 7:13 Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, producing death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure. 14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin. 15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.


And those words are out of the mouth a very much converted Paul.

Galatians 5:17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.


            We show outward love for God by obeying His all-knowing commands, and He in all-loving kindness assures us that He will give us great reward.
        Again, due to antinomianism, the Puritans coined a phrase called "Lordship salvation". Many were professing to be saved, yet exhibited no sign of their conversion, so the majority began to preach that unless evidence of the true Lordship of Christ was seen in one's life, one must be considered an unbeliever.
       Today, this term has been construed to mean that the Gospel itself includes good works which must be performed. This is silly and the whole debate is very unfounded. No one is saying that any ability to please God comes from a man.
           What we are saying, and what the whole reformed tradition has always said, is that if a person has been regenerated, there can only be good works which flow from him and those very good works have been prepared beforehand by God. A quote from Augustine clears the whole nonsense up and it is one which resonates within my breast like a crackling fire. "God in rewarding us is graciously crowning His own gifts."                 Wow.
      That is just amazing when you truly dwell upon it. It is perhaps the most clarifying and reassuring look at God's grace that one can have. It is absolutely gazing straight at God's free grace. Grace WILL manifest in one's life as righteousness and piety. There is no worry that should come from "trying" to do good, because it will never, indeed it can never come from our own ability. It is all God, and we will see it. Period.


             Let me say it again, a person is not SHOWN BEFORE MEN to be just by a mere profession of faith or by having a faith that remains alone. A person is only SHOWN BEFORE MEN to be just by what he or she does. We see that is clearly what both Paul and James are speaking of when they refer to Abraham. No one is saying that any of our deeds are worthy of ultimate justification IN THE SIGHT OF GOD. Only the merit of Christ avails for that kind of justification. Trust in Christ alone is all that declares us righteous IN THE SIGHT OF GOD.

         What is happening when we get these things confused is that many people, Roman Catholics, Mormons, and evangelicals alike, fuse the doctrines of sanctification and justification together, thus confusing the true relationship between faith and works that both James and the Apostle Paul speak of, respectively.

Sanctification is the on-going process in our life whereby the Lord teaches us and hones us unto holiness for His glory, by His grace alone. Justification happens once and completely at regeneration. Ultimately, we are brought unto absolute physical and spiritual perfection by Christ alone before the throne of God in the final state of grace called Glorification. These doctrines are vivid throughout Scripture. I invite you to study them.

                It is interesting to find that when Paul and James are speaking of the symbiotic relationship between faith and works, they both refer to Abraham. However, essentially, to make their respective points, they refer to different times of Abraham's life. James appeals to Abraham for one who is justified by works and Paul appeals to Abraham as one who is justified by faith alone. Contradiction? Hardly!! There is no conflict here, especially when we remember we speak of a horizontal view of justification vs. a vertical view of justification.

             Now hang in there and watch closely, we are almost done.
In James 2:21, the apostle refers to Genesis 22. The verse says this:
   21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar?
Here, Abraham is justified TO US, TO HUMAN EYES, as we see his faith being worked out in his obedience.

Paul, on the other hand, references Genesis 15. The verse says this:
Romans 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.”
Here, Abraham is justified in the sight of God, way before he offers Isaac on the altar. God declares His knowledge of the genuineness of Abraham's faith, and again we know from Scripture that faith is a gift of God, therefore, just like Augustine's quote, God is favoring or "crowning" His very own gifts!!
           Interestingly enough, the same verb used in Genesis 22 is the self-same verb Jesus used in Luke 7:35. The verse says this:   "Yet wisdom is justified by all her children.”

                           Has Christ suddenly become a post-modern before our eyes? Does He purport to say that wisdom is determined by what one believes? God forbid!!
                             We see that wisdom is shown to be genuine wisdom by its results.

            In Genesis 22, as in James 2:21, to "justify" does not mean to be reconciled to God but to demonstrate a prior claim. Exactly like when Jesus tells us in Luke that true wisdom is demonstrated by its fruit, Abraham's claim to faith is justified BEFORE MEN by his outward obedience. At the same time, his works were not meritorious toward his salvation; there was nothing they added to the perfectly sufficient merit of Christ.
To say anything else is to deny the very fabric of the Gospel.

       Before we wrap things up, let's read through more of God's holy Word and truly see that
                                                          Justification is by Faith Alone.

   Phil. 3:9, "and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith."

    1 Tim. 1:16, "And yet for this reason I found mercy, in order that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience, as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life."

   Rom. 3:22, "even the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction."


   Rom. 3:24, "being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus;"

   Rom. 3:26, "for the demonstration, I say, of His righteousness at the present time, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus."

   Rom. 3:28-30, "For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law. 29Or is God the God of Jews only? Is He not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30since indeed God who will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith is one."

   Rom. 4:3, "For what does the Scripture say? "And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

    Rom. 4:11, "And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed to them also,"

   Rom. 4:16, "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all."

   Rom. 5:1, "therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,"

   Rom. 5:9, "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him."

   Rom. 9:30, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith."

   Rom. 9:33, "just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

   Rom. 10:4, "For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."

   Rom. 10:9-10, "that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved; 10for with the heart man believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation."

   Rom. 11:6, "But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace."

   Gal. 2:21, “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly.”

   Gal.3:5-6, "Does He then, who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? 6Even so Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness."

   Gal. 3:8, "And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, "All the nations shall be blessed in you."

   Gal. 3:14, "in order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

   Gal. 3:22, "But the Scripture has shut up all men under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe."

   Gal. 3:24, "Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith."

   Eph. 1:13, "In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise."

       Well, by sound study of Scripture we see not only is there no conflict between Paul and James, there is no doubt whatsoever that Justification is by Faith Alone.

It is amazing that so many will endeavour so doggedly to thwart such clear Biblical teaching.
        It is little wonder, with such prevalent attitudes, there is an horrendous and terrible famine of the Word of God in today's spiritual landscape. When we forsake the very bedrock of Christ's Gospel, we undermine everything that we would ever know or do.
                               Thankfully, God is actually in control.
                     Blessedly, God is actually sovereign.
    It is this sovereignty and free grace that gives us perfect confidence to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that when we have been regenerated, we will indeed show forth His glory in our obedience to Him.
      Indeed, we need not ever worry nor fret that we have said or done the wrong thing when we preach the Gospel and care for others as long as we truly preach the full Gospel. God will always insure that His purposes are accomplished. Even when the Gospel is distorted and sensualized, we can rest assured that God is still working though it, for he is God. This is how we know that even Roman Catholics can be saved despite their idolatrous religion. This in no way absolves us of the command to preach the full Gospel, smack the wolves, and expose the works of darkness. We are to contend for the faith and when we do, believers will be exhorted!

God does everything in us unto salvation. We see His hand in those who are saved, by the good evidence of their obedience to His commands.
JUSTIFICATION IS BY FAITH ALONE,          
               BUT JUSTIFYING FAITH CAN NEVER BE ALONE. 

a wretch in His grace,
Dan