Are we saved by faith alone, or do we need works, too?

[SioDenz]

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dili pasabot na abig luwas naka dili naka makasala...makasala gihapon ka kay tungod naa paka sa flesh. Ang gi sulti sa bible na after naka ma saved dili naka mu served sa sin....kay inig balik ni Kristo tagaan man ta niya ug sinless body and glorified body.

Makalibog, mao bitaw akong pangutana if after ka Maluwas nya makasala ka, luwas diay ghapon ka nga wa nman ka naka tuman sa requirements nga good works? ni agree baya ka nga after maluwas pwedi makasala ghapon.

unsay pasabot anang DIli naka mu serve sa SIN? di naka makasala?

When man diay ang tawo ma saved, dinhi palang sa yuta while buhi pa siya OR ig kamatay na?

Wala man ta mag lalis, nagpadaygamay raman ta. Di unta ni natu undangun kay healthy man ni nga discussion, naa tah makat unan ani.

[noy]

"Thus, too, faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself" James 2:17 (NW)

mao jud..good works are just merely effects or results for having the faith(Christian faith)..

[wormwoods]

share ko bro ha. Libog man jud tinuod kung wala pa nimo masabti ang doctrine of justification by faith. Mao baya pud akong mga questions sa una just like the trinity. Akong gipangutana ang pastor kay kung 3 persons pa sila y man dili nato iapil permi sa prayer ang holy spirit? addressed to the Father through the Son raman. Pero sa ako nang nasabtan kana nga doctrine, nindot jud diay kay profound kayo nga logic about our relationship as God's children.

Same with our salvation. Hibung sad ko sa una why man moingon nga na save na sila nga wala paman mamatay? siguro na jud diay? It took me almost a year una ko nakasabot jud sa sige namo bible study and ask ko questions. Naay mga maayo jud mo explain and naa puy dili kaayo. But karon naay daghan sources sa internet atong ma extract kung duna tay mga pangutana.

Stay blessed and be a light to the world!

[King]

"Thus, too, faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself" James 2:17 (NW)

we must know also what kind of works does involve in faith.

"But do you care to know, O empty man, that faith apart from works is inactive" James 2:20 (NW)

what is empty man means? a man not filled with accurate knowledge.

accurate knowledge leads to faith, faith produces fine works.

what knowledge?

start with this...
"This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ" John 17:3 (NW)

Understanding the Lord’s Prayer
To see the difference between having an accurate knowledge of the Bible and having a passing acquaintance with what it says, let us consider what is commonly called the Our Father, or the Lord’s Prayer, recorded at Matthew 6:9-13.

Millions regularly recite Jesus’ model prayer in church. But how many have been taught its meaning, especially the first part of the prayer dealing with God’s name and Kingdom? These subjects are so important that Jesus placed them first in the prayer.

It begins:
“Our Father in the heavens, let your name be sanctified,” meaning hallowed, or made holy. Note that Jesus said to pray for God’s name to be sanctified. To many people, that raises at least two questions. First, what is God’s name? And second, why does it need to be sanctified?

what is God’s name?
The answer to the first question can be found in over 7,000 places in the Bible in its original languages. One is at Psalm 83:18: “That people may know that you, whose name is Jehovah, you alone are the Most High over all the earth.” Concerning the divine name, Jehovah, Exodus 3:15 says: “This is my name to time indefinite, and this is the memorial of me to generation after generation.” But why does the name of God, which is the very epitome of purity and holiness, need to be sanctified? Because it has been reproached and maligned from the very beginning of human history.
why does it need to be sanctified?
In Eden, God told Adam and Eve that they would die if they ate the forbidden fruit. (Genesis 2:17) Satan brazenly contradicted God, saying to Eve: “You positively will not die.” Hence, Satan accused God of lying. Yet, he did not rest there. He heaped still more reproach on God’s name, telling Eve that God was unjustly withholding valuable knowledge from her. “For God knows that in the very day of your eating from [the tree of the knowledge of good and bad] your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.” What slander!—Genesis 3:4, 5.
By partaking of the forbidden fruit, Adam and Eve took their stand with Satan. Most humans since then, knowingly or not, have added to that original reproach by rejecting God’s righteous standards. (1 John 5:19) People still malign God by blaming him for their suffering—even though it may be due to their own bad ways. “A man’s own folly wrecks his life, and then he bears a grudge against the Lord,” says Proverbs 19:3. (The New English Bible) Can you see why Jesus, who truly loved his Father, prayed that His name be sanctified?

“Let Your Kingdom Come”
After praying for God’s name to be sanctified, Jesus said: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” (Matthew 6:10) Concerning that passage, we may ask: ‘What is God’s Kingdom? And what does its coming have to do with God’s will being done on earth?’
In the Bible, the word “kingdom” basically means a “rulership by a king.” Logically, then, God’s Kingdom would refer to a rulership, or government, by God, with a king of his choosing. This King is none other than the resurrected Jesus Christ—the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” (Revelation 19:16; Daniel 7:13, 14) Concerning God’s Messianic Kingdom in the hands of Jesus Christ, the prophet Daniel wrote: “In the days of those kings [human governments now ruling] the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be brought to ruin. And the kingdom itself will not be passed on to any other people. It will crush and put an end to all these kingdoms, and it itself will stand to times indefinite,” that is, forever.—Daniel 2:44.
Yes, God’s Kingdom will take complete control of the earth, ridding it of all the wicked and ruling “to times indefinite,” that is, forever. In this way, God’s Kingdom is the means by which Jehovah sanctifies his name, clearing it of all the lying reproach of Satan and wicked humans.—Ezekiel 36:23.
Like all governments, God’s Kingdom has subjects. Who are these? The Bible answers: “The meek ones themselves will possess the earth, and they will indeed find their exquisite delight in the abundance of peace.” (Psalm 37:11) Similarly, Jesus said: “Happy are the mild-tempered ones, since they will inherit the earth.” Of course, these ones have accurate knowledge of God, which is a requirement for life.—Matthew 5:5; John 17:3.
Can you imagine the whole earth filled with meek, mild-tempered people who truly love God and love one another? [1 John 4:7, 8] That is what Jesus prayed for when he said: “Let your kingdom come. Let your will take place, as in heaven, also upon earth.” Do you appreciate why Jesus taught his followers to pray that way? More important, do you see how that prayer’s fulfillment may affect you personally?

Millions Are Now Reasoning on the Scriptures
Jesus foretold a global campaign of spiritual education that would announce God’s incoming Kingdom. He said: “This good news of the kingdom will be preached in all the inhabited earth for a witness to all the nations; and then the end [of the present world, or system] will come.”—Matthew 24:14.
Around the world some six million of Jehovah’s Witnesses are sharing that good news with their neighbors. They invite you to learn more about God and his Kingdom by “carefully examining the Scriptures,” using your power of reason. Doing so will fortify your faith and make your eyes glow with the hope of life on a paradise earth, which will be “filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”—Isaiah 11:6-9.

[Footnote]
Some scholars prefer the rendering “Yahweh” instead of “Jehovah.” However, most modern Bible translators have erased God’s name from their versions in any form, replacing it with the generic titles “Lord” or “God.” For an in-depth discussion of God’s name, please see the brochure The Divine Name That Will Endure Forever, published by Jehovah’s Witnesses

[King]

oops double post. sorry my bad connection too lag.

[noy]

share ko bro ha. Libog man jud tinuod kung wala pa nimo masabti ang doctrine of justification by faith. Mao baya pud akong mga questions sa una just like the trinity. Akong gipangutana ang pastor kay kung 3 persons pa sila y man dili nato iapil permi sa prayer ang holy spirit? addressed to the Father through the Son raman. Pero sa ako nang nasabtan kana nga doctrine, nindot jud diay kay profound kayo nga logic about our relationship as God's children.

Same with our salvation. Hibung sad ko sa una why man moingon nga na save na sila nga wala paman mamatay? siguro na jud diay? It took me almost a year una ko nakasabot jud sa sige namo bible study and ask ko questions. Naay mga maayo jud mo explain and naa puy dili kaayo. But karon naay daghan sources sa internet atong ma extract kung duna tay mga pangutana.

para nako bro, faith comes in the very moment we accept Jesus as our Lord and Saviour, we are GIVEN the chance for salvation, which i believe what John was saying in the second part of John 3:16 that whoever believes in Him will not perish but will have eternal life..and the word BELIEVE in the scripture is retaining that chance for salvation because that's where good works(result of faith)comes in..'cause i could decide to follow Jesus today and change my mind tomorrow thus throwing salvation away.
mao pud nang christianity is never a religion but a faith/relationship with Christ and a life style..

regarding sa prayers nga di kanunay ma apil ang Holy spirit..btaw sah? hehehe...
naka notice pud ko..may because the holy spirit is the power that is released when we invoke
the name of Jesus or in any prayer that we ask in His name...or in deliverance...or in any action
of faith we take...

[noy]

oops double post. sorry my bad connection too lag.

nice kaau imung go post bro...akong copyahon..hehehehe...

[King]

accurate knowledge leads to true faith.

John 3:16 “For God loved the world so much that he gave his only-begotten Son, in order that everyone exercising faith in him might not be destroyed but have everlasting life.

here in this text you may notice that God sent His only begotten son, with accurate reasoning and knowledge this does not involve trinity.*

As stated in John 3:16, did God send his only-begotten Son, or did he himself come as a man, so that we might have life? It was the blood, not of God, but of his Son that was poured out.

note:
this prove that God and his son are different person.


Does the Bible teach that the “Holy Spirit” is a person?
Some individual texts that refer to the holy spirit (“Holy Ghost,” King James) might seem to indicate personality. For example, the holy spirit is referred to as a helper (Greek, pa·ra′kle·tos; “Comforter,” King James; “Advocate,” JB, NE) that ‘teaches,’ ‘bears witness,’ ‘speaks’ and ‘hears.’ (John 14:16,*17, 26; 15:26; 16:13) But other texts say that people were “filled” with holy spirit, that some were ‘baptized’ with it or “anointed” with it. [Luke 1:41; Matt. 3:11; Acts 10:38] These latter references to holy spirit definitely do not fit a person. To understand what the Bible as a whole teaches, all these texts must be considered. What is the reasonable conclusion? That the first texts cited here employ a figure of speech personifying God’s holy spirit, his active force, as the Bible also personifies wisdom, sin, death, water, and blood. (See also pages 380, 381, under the heading “Spirit.”)

The Holy Scriptures tell us the personal name of the Father—Jehovah. They inform us that the Son is Jesus Christ. But nowhere in the Scriptures is a personal name applied to the holy spirit.
Acts 7:55,*56 reports that Stephen was given a vision of heaven in which he saw “Jesus standing at God’s right hand.” But he made no mention of seeing the holy spirit. (See also Revelation 7:10; 22:1,*3.)
The New Catholic Encyclopedia admits: “The majority of N[ew] T[estament] texts reveal God’s spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God.” (1967, Vol. XIII, p.*575) It also reports: “The Apologists [Greek Christian writers of the second century] spoke too haltingly of the Spirit; with a measure of anticipation, one might say too impersonally.”—Vol. XIV, p. 296.

note:
all creatures has a name. God name is Jehovah, his son is Jesus, Holy Spirit is not a person but the active force.

*According to the Athanasian Creed, there are three divine Persons (the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost), each said to be eternal, each said to be almighty, none greater or less than another, each said to be God, and yet together being but one God. Other statements of the dogma emphasize that these three “Persons” are not separate and distinct individuals but are three modes in which the divine essence exists. Thus some Trinitarians emphasize their belief that Jesus Christ is God, or that Jesus and the Holy Ghost are Jehovah. Not a Bible teaching.


Jesus name means: God is Salvation not Jesus is Salvation which will not refer to his Father.

so if we put Jehovah, then it will be Jehovah is Salvation. this will explain with 2 different person.

supported text:
Rome 10:13: For “everyone who calls on the name of Jehovah will be saved.”

[Kenshiro]

Makalibog, mao bitaw akong pangutana if after ka Maluwas nya makasala ka, luwas diay ghapon ka nga wa nman ka naka tuman sa requirements nga good works? ni agree baya ka nga after maluwas pwedi makasala ghapon.

unsay pasabot anang DIli naka mu serve sa SIN? di naka makasala?

When man diay ang tawo ma saved, dinhi palang sa yuta while buhi pa siya OR ig kamatay na?

Wala man ta mag lalis, nagpadaygamay raman ta. Di unta ni natu undangun kay healthy man ni nga discussion, naa tah makat unan ani.

Good point.
The important thing is that we are new creation of Christ being born again and We no longer desire to sin.

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Gal 2:20

We are already saved if we continue to walk with Christ. It is up to us to carry our on Cross and live faithfully.

And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple.
Luke 14:27

Once we accept Jesus Christ w/ genuine repentance God sees us as he sees Christ:
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
Romans 3:22

Imagine your sin as scarlet it will be as white as snow this is how God sees a person who is faithful w/ genuine repentance.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.
Isiah 1:18

[Kenshiro]

We should strive for perfection not justify our imperfection.

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Matthew 5:48

if we try to sin and justify it that we are not perfect isn't that making an excuse to sin? God knows the heart if we strive to imitate christ or creating excuses to sin. Is trying to excuse our sin a genuine repentance?