From: "David Miller" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
David Miller wrote: >> Have you ever said to someone in normal conversation, >> "man is not justified by faith only, but rather a man is >> justified before God by works."
Perry wrote: > I have never said this to anyone, because taken > out of context like that it would imply salvation > by works, that is, they we made right with God by > doing works. There are so many verses that indicate > that salvation comes by faith, and we cannot ignore > them because we find a few that, out of context, > imply works righteousness.
LOL. Your answer here is very interesting to me. In my perspective, many Christians take Paul's writings out of context to argue the unbiblical position of, "saved by grace through faith alone." In other words, it seems to me that maybe you are uncomfortable with the passage in James and see it as something that might be de-emphasized because it seems to you to be a minor theme in the New Testament. From my perspective, however, we live in different times, and I think more emphasis is needed on the passage in James, at least when evangelizing among Christians.
I am not reticent to teach the verse, within the context in which it is written, and in light of many verses that declare that salvation is by faith alone, and reconciled with those verses. However, I would never walk up to a non-beleiver, or new Christian, and read them that verse in James without first establishing the context. Many verses can be taken out of context to mean something other than what they means IN context, and I believe that this is one such verse.
Would you agree with me that the Christians to whom James was writing believed in, "saved by grace through faith alone"? Would you agree that this was his target audience for this message of his?
I am not totally sure what they beleived, but it appears that James' letter is meant to correct doctrine. Perhaps his audience had some confusion about salvation relative to faith and works.
Peace be with you. David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida.
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"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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---------- "Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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