Thread: New Century
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Old 03-06-2009, 08:48 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tonybones2112 View Post
My aunt died of leukemia in 1973 and was saved on her deathbed. She died a few hours later. The capillaries in her body ruptured. She was a mass of bruises and looked like she had been in a barfight. She had no time to perform any works, either good or evil.

Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

According to James, not written TO me but FOR me, my aunt's faith was dead. Is she in hell?

I'm not being facetious. I'm asking a serious Bible question.
It is an excellent question, and one that has caused a lot of confusion for people. I believe that the answer is that your aunt was given Christ's faith and along with it Christ's works. So her faith was "not without works."

Since, as James says, faith is dead without works, faith and works go hand-in-hand. The question is who's "faith" we have.

This changes for different dispensations. Note:
Habakkuk 2:4 Behold, his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
(His being "the just.")

But for us:
Romans 3:22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
Galatians 2:16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.

Of course, we must have faith in Christ, and we must believe in Christ:
Galatians 3:26 For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Galatians 3:22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
I don't claim to have this all sorted out perfectly, but I do think it's clear that there is a difference between "of" and "in." The faith "of" Christ is a gift given to use by God after we believe:
Ephesians 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:
(Side note: I think Calvinism has greatly misunderstood the above verse. This is not about being given belief, it is about being given the faith of Christ.)
Ephesians 1:13 In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise,
So whatever "works" that are required to make our faith "alive" (per James 2) have been done by Christ. That is not to say that we don't have our own works to do -- we do (1Th 1:3). But as for the works that bring us our righteousness and salvation, we can rest assured that someone far more reliable than ourselves is taking care of it.
Psalms 74:12 For God is my King of old, working salvation in the midst of the earth.