18 But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.”
Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. 19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.
20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless[a]? 21 Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar? 22 You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did. 23 And the scripture was fulfilled that says, “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,”[b] and he was called God’s friend. 24 You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.
My recent discussion with a member of CCF reveals that the doctrine that faith alone saves is deeply ingrained among CCF members. I just can't understand how such a false doctrine can continue to flourish when James 2: 14-24 clearly and categorically say that faith without works will not save anyone. One just has to open his bible and read to determine that what CCF teaches is a false doctrine. I guess the long years of being bombarded with the false doctrine has brainwashed CCF members to believe such a blatant lie. The danger of the said doctrine, aside from being false, is that CCF members are not properly encouraged to do good works. CCF members are being fooled into believing that they merely have to have faith to be saved.
Aside from adversely affecting the salvation of its members, CCF with its false doctrine, denies the performance of good works and in the process prevents people from experiencing completely the joy that helping others brings.
Oh. I said I would reply to this later, and I will, but so you understand CCF's rationale a bit better, here's an outline of an old message on James 2:14-26 from CCF. I don't know which pastor did this sermon.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.ccf.org.ph/oldsite/bsguides/Bsg211.htm
If you want to read more on the James series, check out the links here: http://www.ccf.org.ph/oldsite/bsguide.htm
dear anonymous,
ReplyDeletethank you for your comment.
i would just like to point out several interesting facts in CCF's interpretation of james 2:14-24. first, james 2:14 is not merely talking about genuine faith that produces good works. it talks more about the need for good works together with one's faith to gain salvation. the main issue is not merely genuine faith. it is about being saved because of faith and good works. second, why is CCF not offering any explanation to verse 20 and 24 ? these verses categorically proclaim that FAITH ALONE DOES NOT SAVE !!! clearly, there is an effort for CCF to protect its doctrine even if it means twisting the meaning of the verses. we are talking about the salvation of people here. it is imperative that people know the truth. CCF owes that much to its members and readers.
keep reading.
beer lang katapat nitong usapan na to...
ReplyDelete"clearly, there is an effort for CCF to protect its doctrine even if it means twisting the meaning of the verses."
ReplyDeleteNot true. CCF's doctrine is completely legitimate and rational. Just because you disagree with the doctrine doesn't mean you can just assume that CCF knows you are correct and chooses to twist Scripture anyway. The CCF leadership team has extensively studied scripture, and through this study and pursuit of truth, they have formulated the basic doctrinal beliefs of CCF.
For an academic perspective on why James 2 does not contract salvation through faith alone, please read the following article:
http://restorethegospel.wordpress.com/2008/03/01/does-romans-328-contradict-james-224/
dear anonymous,
ReplyDeletethank you for your comment.
interestingly, you have not used ccf's material to prove your point that ccf's doctrine is legitimate and rational. you would have driven home your point more effectively if what you used is ccf's own article.
another point that i wish to expose is ccf's bible study guide that tries to explain james 2 : 14-24 by defining dead faith. the verses in james do not at all try to define dead faith. the problem lies when faith is alone. james specifically was talking to believers when he spoke his words. james was not questioning their faith. he was questioning their lack of initiative to do good works despite their good faith. to impute that his audience all had bad faith is wrong. in fact, james called them brothers and sisters to indicate that they had good faith. why would he call them brothers and sisters if they had bad faith ?
unless ccf answers these questions, i maintain that it twists the meaning of the verses to support its doctrines.
Take a look at parallel translations of James 2:20. Some use the word useless, others the word dead. Dead faith, useless faith, they are both used to describe a believer who has faith, but has no works.
ReplyDeleteHe called them brothers and sisters because they were believers. Because they had faith. But their faith was dead and useless in the sense that it produced no works.
James wasn't questioning their salvation. He was addressing a problem where his audience had decided that because they were already saved, they no longer needed to do works. Dead faith was an issue within his audience, but he was not asserting (and CCF never said he asserted) that "his audience all had bad faith."
If you feel that you can say that CCF is twisting these verses, then you are also saying that all Protestants are twisting them as well. Look, you and I read James and come to different conclusions. Does having different conclusions imply that one of us is lying or twisting meaning to be what we want? No.
dear anonymous,
ReplyDeletei believe that only one of us is telling the truth. and speaking of protestants, are you aware that martin luther wanted to throw out the book of james ? because he knew that it did not support his doctrine. he knew that the book of james clearly says that faith alone does not save .
Lie
ReplyDelete1. A false statement deliberately presented as being true; a falsehood.
2. Something meant to deceive or give a wrong impression.
Lying and twisting meaning are not the same as being incorrect. So please stop saying CCF is deceitful. Continuing to do so would be dishonest and slanderous.
dear anonymous,
ReplyDeletethank you for your comment.
so what is ccf's interpretation of james 2:24 ? i wish to know, word for word, what ccf thinks when the verse says that a person is justified by what he does and not by faith alone.
thank you.
It says in Acts 16:31 - Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved. Here's what I read regarding the meaning of James 2:14-26
ReplyDeleteJames 2:14-26 is sometimes taken out of context in an attempt to create a works-based system of righteousness, but that is contrary to many other Scriptures. James is not saying that our works make us righteous before God, but instead he is making it clear that real saving faith is demonstrated by good works. Works are not the cause of salvation; works are the evidence of salvation. The person who claims to be a Christian but lives in willful disobedience to Christ with a life that shows no works has a false or dead faith and is not saved. James is clearly making a contrast between two different types of faith—truth faith that saves and false faith that is dead.
Read more: http://www.gotquestions.org/faith-without-works-dead.html#ixzz2jI6MhSBS
How can I be saved? - http://www.gotquestions.org/how-can-I-be-saved.html
ReplyDeleteDear Jeremiah,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment.
Jesus instructed us to do good works. In fact, all His instructions are contained in what is known as the laws of Christ.
Thank you.
EPHESIANS 2:8-10- WE ARE SAVED BY THE GRACE OF GOD THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS AND THE RESULT OF OUR SALVATION IS GOOD WORKS. WE ARE SAVED BY FAITH FOR GOOD WORKS. BECAUSE IF GOOD WORKS CAN SAVE US, WHY DID JESUS HAVE TO DIE TO ATONE FOR OUR SINS. GOOD WORKS IS THE RESULT, THE FRUIT OF OUR SALVATION.
ReplyDelete