Was Abraham's Faith all he needed to be saved?
As a "Born Again" Protestant, I don't believe or have the faith to believe, ha ha, that Faith Alone (Sola Fide) is all we need for Salvation. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Romans 4:3 But what was he believing? And the LORD took him outside and said, “Now look to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able.” Then He told him, “So shall your offspring be.” Abram believed the LORD, and it was credited to him as "righteousness". Genesis 15:5,6 Paul is teaching about "Righteousness", not Salvation. In the context of the Chapter, Paul is teaching about works of the Law, not Good works that we are created to do. Ephesians 2:10 He goes on to talk about circumcision, a Law. Then, in Chapter 10 of the same book, (Romans) in verse 10 Paul states: For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. This comes after he has already said, ... “The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,” that is, the word of faith we are "proclaiming": that if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your "heart" that God raised Him (Jesus) from the dead, you will be saved. For with your heart you believe and are justified, and with your mouth you confess and are saved. vs.8-10 Believing in your heart is more than just believing. We have to believe beyond the shadow of a doubt. Abraham also had to sacrifice animals but, not for salvation, for a sign concerning his offspring. And the LORD said to him, “Bring Me a heifer, a goat, and a ram, each three years old, along with a turtledove and a young pigeon.” So Abram brought all these to Him, split each of them down the middle, and laid the halves opposite each other. The birds, however, he did not cut. And the birds of prey descended on the carcasses, but Abram drove them away. As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and suddenly great terror and darkness overwhelmed him. Then the LORD said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not their own; they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. Genesis 15:9, 10 For the law is only a shadow of the good things to come, not the realities themselves. It can never, by the same sacrifices offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near to worship. If it could, would not the offerings have ceased? For the worshipers would have been cleansed once for all, and would no longer have felt the guilt of their sins. Instead, those sacrifices are an annual reminder of sins, because it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sin offerings You took no delight. Then I said, ‘Here I am, it is written about Me in the scroll: I have come to do Your will, O God.’” Hebrews 10:1-7 Faith Alone is not enough. The demons believe but they will never confess Jesus as Lord until the Judgement, when they will be forced to bend the knee and confess Christ Jesus is Lord. We can do it willfully or with the devil and his angels. Your choice. Sola 6. Confess your sins and Confess Jesus as Lord and Christ. Sola 7. Abstain from wickedness. 2nd Timothy 2:19 Sola 8. Resist the devil, put off the old and put on the new, renew the mind, Love God, Love your neighbor and Love your enemy. Solas are redundant, even though Paul says we are saved by Mercy Alone. Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad, in order that God’s plan of election might stand, not by works but by Him who calls, she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” So it is written: “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Certainly not! For He says to Moses: “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then, it does not depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy. Romans 9:9-16 But Because of His "Great Love" for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in our trespasses. It is by grace you have been saved! --- For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do Good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life. --- But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For He Himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has torn down the dividing wall of hostility by "abolishing" in His flesh the law of commandments and decrees. He did this to create in Himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace and reconciling both of them to God in one body through the cross, by which He extinguished their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. Ephesians 2:4... Born Again Protestants
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