Faith Alone?

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Question:

Many Christians claim that "faith alone" saves and that there's no need to lead a righteous life.  I just want to ask them all, "are you sure you shall be saved?"  I am more than sure that their case will be worse than that of atheists. They're just using Jesus to promote sin!  They think that a simple faith in Jesus is the greatest thing a person can do on earth; it is by "GRACE" a person is saved and not by "FAITH". If a person is to receive God's grace, he should be righteous and should be following the words of God. By following the words of God alone one can prove his "faith" in God. It is not "knowing" Jesus' sacrifice that saves, but following the path he has shown that leads to salvation by grace of God through Jesus. Unless there is true faith (evidenced by following Jesus' words), no one can attain salvation. God is a righteous God and he loves righteousness.
The criminal who died with Jesus and saved is an example for a person receiving God's grace through repentance. It was his repenting mind that brought him salvation; not his faith. Faith without repentance and obedience means nothing. Hence, do not mislead people by letting them live in sin without fear of God since Jesus has died for them. No one shall be saved that way; the sacrifice of Christ is for those who truly repent and obey God.

My Reply:

My friend, I hear you, but I think you've combined salvation and discipleship into one.  We are saved by grace through faith in Christ Jesus. But it doesn't stop there, and this is what I believe you're arguing.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer has a book called "The Cost of Discipleship", that I think you'll like, for it talks about this. Many Christians today promote what Bonhoeffer calls "cheap grace". They accept Jesus, but continue in their sinful ways. They figure they're saved, nothing can harm them, back to business. But this isn't what salvation's about.
Salvation in Christ is what Bonhoeffer called "costly grace", for to be called by Christ is to be called to come and die...to follow in His footsteps, even to the cross (if needed). 
I did a Bible study the other day where I learned that the word used for Peter's denial of Jesus is the same word that's used for when Jesus said that in order to be His disciple, one must first deny himself.  Same word, same type of denial, same impact.  Those who practice costly grace understand this.  Those who practice cheap grace might say they do this and agree with you, but obviously don't practice it.

James said faith without works is dead, and one of the main frustrations in the early Church was idle Christians. Unfortunately, we still have a similar problem in the Church today.

So yeah, you're on target, but I think you need to reword your question. Check out that book, too (linked below).

---Pastor Andy

All Religions Are False!!!

All religions...are they true, or are they false?  What is the possibility that everyone's outcome (after death) relies only on their own views. Possibly, there is no right way or wrong way to worship 'God' (if you believe in him) or fear hell (if you believe in it).

 A lot of people say: "Well what about murderers"? Well, who's to say they won't live peacefully as well? The important thing is not that we're punished for our mistakes, but rather that we learn from them and progress. Surely God (or whatever's out there) is willing to forgive them for learning a lesson. Weren't we all sent here to learn lessons?

Please answer this question with an open mind.

  

My Answer:

You're right...all religions are false. I say this as a Christian, for Christianity isn't a religion, but a RELATIONSHIP with God through Jesus Christ. So the possibility of all being right is several billions (of religions) to 1. And I am saying this with "an open mind".

Religions are all about "what I need to do" in order to be "happy", at peace, or obtain righteousness from God or a god, to be a "good person", or to change. But the Bible tells us that righteousness can only be obtained through faith (which is also entering into a relationship with God through Christ), not works.  But religions are about works. So when faced with the Truth of God, anything else can only be false.
The Pastor at the church we're frequenting said it another way: "Religion tries to change you from the outside-in.  But Christianity changes you from the inside-out."

In terms of punishment, the important thing isn't that we're punished for our mistakes, for often times we're punished even in our innocence. What about murderers? We can ask about their salvation, but to say that we're punished for our mistakes is to say that the people he murdered deserved it, and if so, then the murderer shouldn't be punished, right? But he/she is, right?

We learn and progress, yes, and there IS a God out there willing to forgive them, yes, but they have to repent and accept His forgiveness. Sounds pretty easy, right? Yet so many choose not to and instead follow a religion.

Finally, why were we sent here? To glorify God. If you choose not to glorify Him, then why would you want to spend all of eternity with Him? Because that's what Heaven is...God's home. Good vs. evil, right vs. wrong, left vs. right, yin vs. yang, yes vs. no, heaven vs. hell. God didn't create hell for us, but for Satan and his demons. But as a loving God, He's given us the freedom to choose where we wish to go when we die. We could go to be with Him, or not.  Check out my blog for more on this topic.

---Pastor Andy