I 've already written about the obvious contrast in James 2 and the three different kinds of works that are involved. Just to clarify, here are some things James is obviously not contrasting:
* Activity vs Inactivity * Merit vs Faith * Good deeds vs Evil deeds * Obedience vs Salvation
What is being contrasted is a living faith and a dead faith. A dead faith is not one that is simply inactive. A dead faith is one that fails to act in works prescribed by God.
With that understanding, we can be very busy and have a reputation for being spiritual, but still be dead. And this is exactly what we find in the book of Revelation. Revelation 3:1 says, "I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead."
The examples
We must exhibit a living faith for that to happen to us. That is why James could write, "You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only" (James 2:24). The "works" he is talking about there are not works of "merit" but works of faithfulness. When we choose to live according to the precepts of God, making the decision to pursue true LIFE, then we are creating a living faith because we are trusting in living the way God says to live.
No one can say that he deserves eternal life because he is living in faith. That is not even possible to suggest. It mistakes the purpose of grace, and it shows a warped understanding of life. Living by faith does not EARN eternal life in the future. It IS "eternal life".
Jesus prayed to the Father and said, "And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3). The way Jesus told us to live is life. When He said, "I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10), He did not say that to people who were dead. They were walking and talking, physically alive. What He came to teach was the way of life, not the way to eventually be granted life, but how to have life
Look at what God wants us to do to live, and live that way. That is what life is all about. And as a Christian, we have the ability to understand and grow in those areas. That is because we experience the new birth--we hear and understand the new life that God wants us to have, and we submit ourselves to living it by deciding to become a child of God.
When you repent and are baptized for forgiveness of your sins, you rise up to walk in a new life (Romans 6:1-7). That "new life" is the life that James is discussing. Understanding this, we can see how important this book is to the Christian faith. We learn how to choose the right path and what that path is. We get to build our faith by deciding to conduct ourselves in the path God determined and recorded for us in the Scriptures. Without this knowledge of what God wants, we would never truly be able to live the way we were designed to live.
Let 's construct our faith by looking into the Scriptures and finding the keys to making the right choice, the choice of
Christianity is considered to be a living religion especially in terms of the reach for salvation. In the present through the practice of Baptism, Christians believe they die to the life of Original Sin and are born again to Christ, thus able to achieve Salvation. Thus, the tradition and sacred ritual of baptism implies that in order to be active adherents in the Catholic church, one must be baptised, just as Jesus was in the New Testament, “Peter said to them, Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.” (Acts 2:38) Another way in which baptism demonstrate that Christianity is a living religious tradition, is through the teachings associated with the purpose of human existence. Through the act of Baptism, which is a direct display of the belief in Salvation through Jesus, the purpose of human life is presented in terms of adherent’s purpose to lov...
Garrett’s concise treatment of an array of relevant questions is reflected in chapter titles like “Faith and Belief”, “The Bible and Theology”, “Sacramental Faith”, “Spiritual Practice”, “The Kingdom of God”, “The End of Things”, and “Friends or Rivals: Living in a Multifaith World”. Each chapter is a vivid explanation on how our life should be based on love, nothing else but the love of Christ, it contrasts the modern day depiction of God bein...
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. (ESV)
no body claim to be an authority on life after death, for as yet none
to show that faith is an idea that is so loosely thrown around that it has lost its meaning.
"For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit; in which also He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah, during the construction of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were brought safely through the water. Corresponding to that, baptism now saves you—not the removal of dirt from the flesh, but an appeal to God for a good conscience—through the resurrection of Jesus Christ, who is at the right hand of God, having gone into heaven, after angels and authorities and powers had been subjected to Him."
The power of water, a meek and gracious force, as illustrated in the Bible is the source of life and fruitfulness. The prayer has different sections to articulate the overall purpose of baptism, beginning with gratitude and recognition of God’s omnipresence, the prayer then references from the Old Testament, as the church has seen in Noah’s ark a prefiguring of salvation by Baptism. As the water of baptism gives new life, the crossing of the Red Sea, the liberation of Israel from the slavery of Egypt, proclaims the liberation wrought by baptism. The final reference to the Old Testament is prefigured in the crossing of the Jordan River by which the people of God received the gift of the land promised to Abraham’s descendants, an image of eternal life. All the Old Covenants prefiguration’s find their fulfilment in Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ begins his public life after being baptised by St. John the Baptist in the river of Jordan. After his resurrection Christ gives this mission to his apostles: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you." To fulfil all righteousness, Jesus’ submissive baptism by John the Baptist, is a gesture of
Simply stated, “the word "gospel" means simply good news.” With that definition, then the good news would summarize all of the information found in the New Testament and the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Apostle Paul recaps the most basic components in the gospel message. These are found in 1 Corinthians 15:1-8, specifically listed in 15:3-4 (NRSV) “For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures,”. “These verses, which were an early Christian confession, give us the heart of the gospel” and show the importance of three incidents; that Christ died
One argues that today we have a crisis of belief, not a crisis of faith. To explain this crisis, I will briefly examine the relationship between faith and belief, explain why cultural shift is important to note when trying to understand religious issues, go into detail on the three hallmarks of each of the two cultures by showing how they compare to each other, show how Tillich’s notion of correlation deals with this idea of culture and a crisis of belief, and explain how Marsh’s notion of a “theology of negotiation” (33) fits with Lonergan’s definition and allows him to argue that film can help us raise theological questions.
life is part of god's. In the Bible, chapter of (Romans 14:18) it states "If we
God and the Bible’s teachings are used as a framework to find meaning in life and purpose of human presence. Purpose resides in every human’s potential to strive for peace, seek equality, nurture relationships and the environment to achieve harmony with the earth (Valk, 2012). “Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my savior and my hope is in you all day long” (Ps 25:5). The Holy Spirit, known as God’s active force and His power in action (Lk 1:35), is used as a guide by Christians to ascertain and determine what is right. “We choose to act based on good thinking, scripture and prayer, and the Holy Spirit helps us discern the right alternatives” (Shelly & Miller, 2006, p. 89). In seeing others as the image of God, choosing what is right from wrong is influenced by beliefs cultural background and respect for one another. In this religious culture, the tendency to do wrong is seen as sinfulness. However, it is the admission of sin that leads Christians to Jesus Christ to find and experience God’s forgiveness (Shelly & Miller, 2006). The recognition of sin and eventual redemption strengthens the relationship with God which directs a life of service to humanity (Shelly & Miller,
In chapters three through five, Paul talks about being justified through faith. God reveals His righteous through faith in Jesus Christ, and explains that everyone has sinned had fallen short of His glory (3:16), but we can be redeemed by our faith in Jesus. Paul uses Abraham as a prime example of someone who had faith in God, and God used him before circumcision (example of Gentiles) and after circumcision (example of Jews). Paul explains that we are all sinners, and that Christ died for all of us (5:8). It started with Adam in the beginning and spread throughout time, and by our faith in Christ and the grace of God we are saved. In chapters six through eight, he talks about our new life in Christ, and how our old self dies, while we are made new in Christ with the Holy Spirit. He explains we are no longer slaves to sin, but we are enslaved to God’s righteousness and are to produce good fruits.
Life has meaning. One way in understanding life is the importance that life has. If something is considered important then it is valuable. Life is important because of the fact that it serves a purpose and has some sort of value connected to it. Value can be interpreted in relation to someone or some procedure that can be said to have interests. In the religious viewpoint it is understood that God is the person that individuals are valuable to. God was the one that created humans and we are important to Him because we are made in his image. Being made in his image, for the religious people, makes us wonder if we are living our life as if God would want us to. Most religious people go through each and every day with the question of “What Would Jesus Do?” The reason why most individuals live their life by this question is because God is very important to them and they do not want to do anything to disappoint Him. That is not the only possibility. Life can be important within ourselves. It doesn’t ma...
Rather, faith embeds itself into every aspect of human life. Proverb 3:1-12 explains that faith must play out in all that we do. Faith is an emotion, spiritual experience that must surround and penetrate our hearts. Faith is also a physical experience – it calls us to pray, walk, talk, and do everything else with the Lord. In addition, faith has the capability to strengthen our physical bodies when we live our faith fully. Lastly, faith is in everything we do - faith includes our careers, relationships, wealth, sadness, and happiness. As explained in Prov. 3:1-12, faith comprises the emotional, physical, and experiential aspects of life. If we follow this Proverb correctly and offer our lives to God, God will in-turn bestow upon us compassion and blessings beyond
Paul tells us to “fight the good fight of faith” (Tim. 6:12). We must not hold on to unbelief. When we give ourselve...