Q.  Do you believe in faith alone for salvation?

A.  The only place in the Bible where the two words “faith” and “alone” are found in association is in James 2:17: “Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone.”
            Faith that is not backed up by action (works) is an empty faith.  It is mere profession without the possession.  In chapter 2, verse 14, James explains how powerless this mere profession of faith is if it is not manifested and proved by actions: “What does it profit, my brethren, though a man says he has faith, and have not works?  Can faith save him?”  (James 2:14)  James adds in verse 20 that faith without works is dead.
            The teaching of faith alone for salvation was born in the Protestant Reformation.  It has been said that Martin Luther wished that the Book of James had not been in the canon of New Testament books because of what it says about the necessity of works and obedience.
            Does that mean that obeying Yahweh is “earning” salvation by works?  Not at all.  We are not saved by any human works.  Human righteousness is a filthy rags to Yahweh, Isaiah 64:6.  Salvation can only come by the graciousness of Yahweh, as Paul explains in Ephesians 2:8: “For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of Elohim.”
            Salvation begins with justification, where upon repentance we ask Yahweh’s forgiveness for our past sinful life.  At that point we stand before him just as if we had not sinned, which is the meaning of justification.  As we read in Romans 3:28, “Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.”
            From that point on we live our life for Yahweh, giving up our past life of sin.  This is called sanctification, or setting apart for a holy purpose.  Under sanctification is where “works” come in – we begin living a new life in Messiah by obeying our Heavenly Father in all things.  We are now different from the world as evidenced in our very worship and in our personal life.  As we mature spiritually the attractions of the world and flesh become of little interest, while the spiritual takes on greater and greater importance in our outlook.  We realize that living for Yahweh is what really matters – what this world has to offer will pass in a relatively brief time.
            No amount of lawkeeping can “earn” you a place in the coming Kingdom.  At the same time, you can relinquish your crown by deliberate disobedience.
            Hebrews 10:29 explains:        
            “Of how much sorer punishment, suppose you, shall he be thought worthy, who has trodden under foot the Son of Yahweh, and has counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and has done despite unto the Spirit of grace?”
            The last phrase, “done despite unto the Spirit of grace,” means to insult the unmerited favor and blessing that come from Yahweh by deliberate disobedience.  For example, suppose we know we need to keep the commandments, Feasts, and Sabbaths, but we choose otherwise for a variety of human reasons or pressure from family, friends or boss.
            What is Yahweh to think of our attitude?  The blood of His Son shed for our redemption is not esteemed highly enough to keep worldly influences from hindering our way of obedience.  In other words, where Yahweh should come first, He is relegated to second or third place in our lives after human desires or worldly pressures or pleasures.
            In that case, we are putting another elohim before Yahweh, and breaking the first Commandment.
            As one begins to live one’s life for Yahweh, one is regenerated or spiritually and morally reformed.  Yahshua spoke about that:
            “And Yahshua said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That you which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, you also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matt. 19:28).
            We become set apart, sanctified, through obedience.  That means Yahweh comes first.  Here is what Yahshua promises those who live for Him by making personal sacrifices:
            “And every one that has forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life” (Matt. 19:29).
            No matter what we do in serving Yahweh, He always sees that we will be rewarded, either now or in the future Kingdom.  We can never go wrong putting Him first.  

 
                 
         
     
                   
               
                         
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