Was Abraham justified by faith alone or works also?
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It's easy for a person to say that they have faith. It's another to prove it. Abraham had faith, and he proved it through his obedience.
As you may be familiar, there are two kinds of faith:
- Dead Faith.
- Perfect Faith.
Dead faith is defined as faith without works.
| James 2:17 & 14 |
|---|
| 17Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 14What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
James tells us that such faith cannot save a person. Hence, what a person requires for salvation is true faith or perfect faith.
Perfect faith is defined as faith coupled with works.
| James 2:22 |
|---|
| 22Do you see that faith was working together with his works, and by works faith was made perfect? (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
In such a way, we can determine if a person has faith by their works. Faith and works are both needed. One who believes also works.
However, with the changing of the priest comes the changing of the law.
| Luke 16:16 |
|---|
| 16"The law and the prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it. (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
| Heb. 7:12 |
|---|
| 12For the priesthood being changed, of necessity there is also a change of the law. (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
In the Christian Era, those who believe are no longer justified by the Law of Moses.
| Acts 13:39 |
|---|
| 39and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
| Rom. 3:28 |
|---|
| 28Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law. (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
What is observed by those who believe is now the Law of Christ.
| John 8:31 |
|---|
| 31Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
| Gal. 6:2 |
|---|
| 2Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. (Holy Bible: New King James Version. Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1982.) |
This is now the work that must be coupled with faith.
This is the viewpoint of the Church of Christ.
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Source: stackoverflow.com
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