If faith was more important than works, why did Jeuss spend most of His ministry teaching works?
Jesus referred to conviction a really couple of times in His method upon earth: contend 10% of a time, IF which much. Why would He have outlayed 90% of His method training what is not a many critical thing? Why would He not outlay 90% of a time training faith, afterwards a alternative 10% training great works?
It seems by observant conviction is a many critical thing, we have been job Jesus fallible, given He patently stressed a wrong things.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Because the person described as Jesus in the Bible is not necessarily the actual person Jesus (if he ever existed).
Jesus in the bible is a creation written between 35 (some of the Corinthian letters) and 100 years (Gospel of John) after his alleged death.
Therefore, what Jesus actually did (if he ever existed) is what the people who wrote these texts actually wanted him to be.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Faith without works it is dead
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Jesus taught both faith and works. You can’t have Biblical faith without also having works.
Biblical faith does not mean mental assent. Saying the words "Jesus is Lord" does not make him your Lord. Obeying him does.
Luk 6:46 And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say?
1Jn 5:2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments.
1Ti 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
The saying is the easy part, isn’t it? It’s the doing that can be challenging.
Luk 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
If Noah had just believed God that a flood was coming but had not obeyed God’s command to build an ark he would have been lost.
Heb 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Screw all religions and their figures.
We should just be good people to each other and with each other.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Faith is followed by works.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Because works can inspire faith, and if you have faith, you should want to do good works do further inspire faith. It’s a cycle
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
you cant have one without the other its a matter of priority .. really ..
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Faith mentioned 48 times in the gospels:
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=faith&version1=31&searchtype=all&bookset=4&limit=bookset
Faith mentioned 215 times in the epistles:
http://www.biblegateway.com/keyword/?search=faith&version1=31&searchtype=all&bookset=9&limit=bookset
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
"Take up your cross and follow me" should be embedded into the soul of every Christian, and this means, not even trying to impose an opinion, but to simply say: "Thy Will be done…Thy Will be done."…and good works are done by those who have no faith at all, it even says so when Christ teaches: "Does not even the unbeliever give good things to his children?"
(I kinda paraphrased that…XP)
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
mystery?
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
I agree with you. Faith with out works is dead.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Just who the hell is "Jeuss"?
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Essentially good works is almost more a by-product of faith.
But faith in Christ gets you into heaven. Our good works are rewarded once we get there.
I’ve never done a break down of the how much time he spent on one versus the other but the faith is very important.
-B
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Maybe people knew enough about faith but not about works, so he stressed what they lacked knowledge of, not what was most important. What they needed, he gave?
dunno. xP
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
You seem very confused. Jesus Christ had faith through birth. This is the son of GXD you are talking about. Do you not have faith? Jesus taught faith. How can some1 teach something they didn’t know or have??? Start making some sense or start getting some faith yourself.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Well said!
Faith has become more important than works because clubs that have really devoted members are better at recruiting than clubs that do good things.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Excellent point!
I believe actual actions designed to make life better for others is dangerous for those who hold the power. Dictating that everyone must have faith in a prescribed and limited fashion is a powerful way to control the masses.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
The Word clearly says that "Faith without works is dead." And that doesn’t mean volunteering to feed the homeless. It means demonstrations of spiritual power. "Christ is not taught in word, but in POWER!"
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
He mentioned faith MANY times here on Earth. Take it from me, a girl in a catholic school. He always mentions how we can love and serve our Lord. Serving/good works are like faith. You believe you Jesus and show it by serving him.
I’m sorry for my assumption if it is wrong, but it sounds like you don’t know much about Jesus Christ. He obviously did’nt stress the wrong things. He told us everything we needed to know. We had to decode some things, but he told us everything. Of course there are more secrets he told us but never really explained, we just have to listen to God and Jesus to hear our calling and our will for life.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Because Jesus was not in anyways connected to Christianity.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Because just believing does next to nothing to nurture you on your spiritual path. Putting what Christ taught into action / behavior does, though.
Edit – If I’m wrong, how come SO many people here who are constantly saying they believe in Christ are also the ones who show the least amount of love and compassion for their fellow human beings??!!!
Point in fact – there’s Chris with his "I’m a saved believer in Christ", yet here is the perfect example of someone who spews hatred and condemnation for other people left and right. Your faith has done NOTHING to help you connect to your fellow human beings. >> Furthermore, you must not read what Christ taught. Try the Sermon on the Mount. That’s just one example of Christ teaching how to behave. How many times did he tell people to "go and sin no more"??
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Jesus wanted to stress the point…especially to the Pharisees that truth faith will result in works of faithfulness. The Pharisees got it backwards…they wanted to Show their goodness in outward ways, thereby proving they were approved by God. Jesus was always in conflict with them. God looks upon the heart. If the heart is in tune with God/Jesus, then good works will follow.
You can try to "good work’" yourself to Heaven and fail miserably if your heart is evil and full of deceit and wickedness and you just want to show off to others how "good" you are.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Here are my favourite verses on this matter:
14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? 15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, 16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? 17So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
18But someone will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder! 20Do you want to be shown, you foolish person, that faith apart from works is useless? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up his son Isaac on the altar? 22You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by his works; 23and the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness"—and he was called a friend of God. 24You see that a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25And in the same way was not also Rahab the prostitute justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out by another way? 26For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.
I think that North American Christianity has gutted true Christianity of a lot of truth. We will be judged by our works. Matt 28 makes that completely clear. Most Christians like to ignore that though. We are saved by faith but our faith is made evident by our good works.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
By your premise, you are in a sense saying that 10% of what Jesus said was wrong…if that is true, then that throws all of what Jesus said into question.
He was pretty clear, when he said in John 6:28-29 that the only good works necessary were to believe in Jesus. Also in Luke 23:42-43, Jesus did not require the criminal on the cross to perform some good works before he died in order to get into heaven.
Of course Jesus wants us to strive to be like him and help others and do good works, but it isn’t by good works that one "buys" their way into heaven. The challenge with requiring good works for salvation, is defining how many good works are enough to counter the terrible sin of our rebellion against God.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Jesus teachings were well rounded.He gave us a preview of what he would do under his Kingdom that he taught us to pray for and to teach others about.Matthew 6:10, Revelation 21:3,4 Matthew 28:19,20 Jesus’ brother James explained faith and works plainly to us again showing us the Bible is everthing we need.James 2:14-25
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Because believing in Jesus is the easy part. Jesus tells us that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20, Luke 17:6)
But one must be a TRUE believer. Basically, your actions speak what you believe. Satan and his demons believe that Jesus is Lord, but they are in Hell.
(James 2:14-18)
What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.
But someone will say, "You have faith; I have deeds."
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by what I do.
We are not saved by good deeds, but by God’s grace. But just because we are saved by God’s grace doesn’t mean we have the excuse to disobey the commandments. It may seem contradictory, but let me explain. The Bible clearly says that All have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).. Many people think that because all of us will always be sinners and continue to fall short of the glory of God, then it is impossible to turn from sin. They believe that our sin has nothing to do with salvation.
They like to use Ephesians 2:8-9 out of context that states
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast."
Obviously this is true… the Bible is perfect, its the Word of God. Good works will NEVER get you into heaven. You can’t buy your way into heaven with the works you do. God’s grace allowed us to get into heaven, not the works we do. HOWEVER, where these people screw up is understanding what it means to be a True believer. Being a believer in Jesus Christ doesn’t simply mean believing that he is the savior and that’s it. The Devil believes that Jesus is the savior, but he’s in Hell. Here are some things to look at while considering if you’re a true believer…
True believers walk in the light (1 John 1:6-7). The light here means both intellectual and moral truth. Ask, "Do I affirm the truths of Scripture, and desire to obey them?"
True believers confess their sin (1:8-2:1) Confess here doesn’t mean to recite every wrong that we have ever done. Rather, it means to agree with God about our sin. That means that true believers hate their sin; they don’t love it. They acknowledge they are sinful, and yet they know they are forgiven.
True believers keep His commandments (2:3-4; 5:2-3). The term here refers to a watchful, observant obedience. Here the believer desires to obey truths he deems precious. It involves a proactive approach to obedience-the Christian studies Scripture in order to understand and obey it.
True believers love the brethren (2:9-11; 3:10, 14-15; 5:2). Ask yourself the question, "Do I love God’s people and desire to be around them?"
True believers affirm sound doctrine (2:20-23; 4:2,6). John here teaches that no true believer will fall into any serious, Christ-denying error or heresy.
True believers follow after holiness (2:29; 3:3-4, 6-9). These verses certainly aren’t talking about sinless perfection, or even the frequency or duration of sin. The term sin in these verses describes one who lives an immoral, ungodly, unrighteous life as a matter of continual practice, and carries the attitude of hardened hate for God’s righteousness.
True believers have the Holy Spirit (4:13; 5:10-11). This is an over-arching test summing up all the others. Is there evidence that the fruit of the Spirit is present in your life (Galatians 5:22-23)?
Many people claim that they are true believer, but the evidence in their life show’s otherwise. If getting to heaven were as easy as a simple belief that has nothing to do with a lifestyle, then it would be pretty easy to be saved and MANY would be in heaven. But doesn’t it say in Matthew that…
“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell[a] is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. 14 But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.
And doesn’t it say in Revelation that…
8 “But cowards, unbelievers, the corrupt, murderers, the immoral, those who practice witchcraft, idol worshipers, and all liars—their fate is in the fiery lake of burning sulfur
Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
If salvation has NOTHING to do with sin, then could these verses make any sense whatsoever? The answer is no.
Its not that the sin itself is what sends you to hell, its , its that those that continue their habitual sin are not true believers.
For True Believers once you have earned your salvation, there is neither anything you could do to lose it, nor anything you WOULD do to lose it.
True Faith in Jesus Christ is evident from a change of lifestyle. Lets look at the Gospel of Luke, it states..
Luke 9:23-24… Then he said to them all: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it."
This means we refuse to associate with the person we are on Earth. I deny myself and give myself to God. I am giving up my life here on Earth for Jesus. This is the cross that I am carrying. If I give up my life here on Earth for Jesus then I will find it (Eternal life) But if I worry about my earthly life more than living for Jesus, then I will Perish in Hell.
To sum it up, God’s grace saved us, and all we need to do to get to heaven is be a TRUE believer in Him. But throughout the Bible it shows us what a true believer is: It is one who’s heart longs to know God and to express to God and to talk to God and to sense God, to love God; One who hates their sin and is willing to turn their back on sin and deny themselves for God’s sake.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Works without faith is nothing.
The works come BECAUSE of faith. We have faith in God and believe in Jesus Christ, so we accept Him, and GOD WORKS THROUGH US with the Holy Spirit. It is God’s work shown through us, not our own works. And in order to show God’s work, one must have Him living in their heart. Then, one will do the WILL OF GOD. "Not my will, but Thine be done."
"Works" are the fruit of our faith. Not the other way around.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
far too difficult to manipulate people accomplishing works but faith can never be shown to be perfect and as such is perfect for guilt manipulation. Cant knock the opportunist traitor Paul for that thought
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Go back and look again.
I think you’ll find that Jesus is all about faith…the kind of faith that produces good works, just as a vine which is rooted in the branch will produce fruit.
Just what did He mean when He said "According to your faith be it unto you"??
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
in the bible it clearly states that faith without works is dead. This means that they go hand in hand. JESUS’ ACTIONS PROVED THAT HE HAD FAITH IN HIS FATHER his father told him to do all of these things and he had faith in his father so he did so. his works didnt delete his faith it added to it
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
He didn’t you don’t know crap
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Consider what it’s possible to write or talk about – what can you say about faith other than "faith is good – you have to have faith"? Now works, you can spend a long time talking about what all the different good works are.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
Jesus said… "Faith without works is dead."
Let’s break that down: "without works" is a preposition that modifies the word "faith". Therefore, the subject of this phase is going to be about one’s faith without the involvement of good works. The verb (only other part of the sentence) refers to something being ceased. Gone. Done. No more. Therefore, the message of this passage conveys that one’s faith is nonexistent if good works are not additionally practiced. If one’s faith is nonexistent, it is impossible for them to be saved. Therefore, a faith without good works results in a lack of salvation.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
List how many times He said "Your faith has made you whole." He also said it to the centurion when He healed his servant without seeing him. He said to the centurion, I have not seen such great faith in all of Israel.
Faith without works is dead. Our faith should lead us to do good works.
Read the gospels again and you’ll pick up on this. I’m not going to do your research for you.
September 29th, 2009 at 5:50 am
It’s the works of the old law that were never capable of saving a soul.
Jesus taught a gospel based on his works saving our souls through our faithful cooperation with the grace that only he can and does provide.