Faith Plus Works vs. Faith Alone and Works as Evidence of Faith: Is it Just Semantics?
Visitor: Faith + Works [heresy?] = Faith + Sanctification [works is essential !] = Justification, Sanctification, Glorification = Salvation?
To me, it just points to why so much division is in Christianity. No sooner than a work is done, someone will claim heresy. Another will claim it as their testimony of faith.
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Response: Salvation by Christ alone vs. salvation by Christ plus works are two entirely different visions of Christianity, not just a simple division over whether we should have red or green carpet in our local church building. To think that "Christ alone" does not matter or is not important enough to fight for is more worrisome to me. Indifference or thinking that church unity is somehow more important than preaching Christ alone ... i.e.. that we can (at least partly) maintain our own just standing before God -- is not a matter simple division among otherwise well-meaning brothers... this is critical as to whether we are honoring God or dishonoring Him (Gal 3:3; Phil 3:3). This is where the rubber meets the road.
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Visitor: You're kidding, right? The "Christ alone" view keeps insisting that it includes works that is evidence ..
but the works gets interpreted as heresy vs. evidence of faith in "Christ alone".
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Response: are you, then, affirming, that Jesus Christ is not sufficient to save you? That you yourself must MAINTAIN your just standing before God? That Jesus isn't enough? I am talking about your justification here - your right standing before God. To believe that your flesh contributes one bit of righteousness to your standing before God is the heresy Paul refers to in Galatians 3:3.
"Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you" - 1 John 3:13
Evan May recently did a five-part class for his church interacting with three typical objections to Christianity that arise from our secular culture. Each lecture contains MP3 audio and a helpful pdf outline.
We cannot ascribe our repenting and believing to our own wisdom, humility, sound judgment or good sense, but, rather, to Christ alone. We turn our trust from ourselves to Christ only because He first opened our eyes, unplugged our ears and turned our stoney heart to a heart of flesh (Ezek 36:26) that we might believe the gospel. (Deut 29:4, 30:6) Arminian prevenenient grace actually begs the question - if two persons receive the same prevenient grace, why does one man believe the gospel and not the other? What makes them to differ? It is obviously not grace which makes them to differ since both had grace so all that is left is some native good will or good inclination that the other did not have. But who makes the will good? Where does the wisdom or humility to come to Christ come from? No man is naturally willing to submit to the humbling terms of the gospel. The Bible declares it: Jesus says, "the Spirit quickens, the flesh counts for nothing...that is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me grants it." (John 6:63, 54). and just before this Jesus also declares "All that the Father gives me will come to me" (John 6:37)