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From: weaver@chdasic.sps.mot.com (Dave Weaver)
Newsgroups: soc.religion.christian
Subject: Help
Message-ID: <Apr.23.02.56.12.1993.3147@geneva.rutgers.edu>
Date: 23 Apr 93 06:56:13 GMT
Sender: hedrick@geneva.rutgers.edu
Lines: 44
Approved: christian@aramis.rutgers.edu

In a prior article, lmvec@westminster.ac.uk (William Hargreaves) writes:
>
> Now I am of the opinion that you a saved through faith alone (not what you do)
> as taught in Romans, but how can I square up in my mind the teachings of James
> in conjunction with the lukewarm Christian being 'spat-out'

If you agree that good works have a role somewhere, you will 
generally find yourself in one of two camps: 

   (1) Faith + Works --> Salvation
or (2) Faith --> Salvation + Works

Either (1) works are required for salvation, or (2) faith will 
inevitably result in good works. 

I am also of the opinion that salvation is by faith alone, based on
Ephesians 2 and Romans 3:21-31.  I also conclude that James 2, when 
read in context, is teaching bullet (2) above. When James speaks of 
justification, I would claim that he is not speaking of God declaring
the believing sinner innocent in His sight (Paul's use of the word). 
Instead he is speaking of the sinner's profession of faith being 
"justified" or "proven" by the display of good works. Also according 
to James 2, the abscence of such works is evidence for a "dead" or 
"useless" faith which fails to save.

James 2 is not a problem for the doctrine of salvation by faith if it
is teaching (2).  Works would have their place, not as merit toward 
salvation, but as evidence of true faith. 

Regards,

---
Dave Weaver               | "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to
weaver@chdasic.sps.mot.com|  gain what he cannot lose." - Jim Elliot (1949)

[There are of course a number of other possibilities.  The Reformers
believed

  salvation --> faith --> works

Some of us suspect that the three things are tied up together in such a way
that no diagram of this form can do it justice.

--clh]
