salvation

My opponent asks how one receives this "gift certificate" that is analogous to faith. Well, all one must do to receive a gift certificate is believe that the gift certificate is what it says it is. Any stipulations on where to spend it, or what is required to spend it... come ONLY if you believe that the gift certificate is valid. My opponent seeks to confuse the issue by pointing out that there are other parts to the salvation equation. I do not deny this... however, the only part relevant to this debate is what Humans are responsible for in this equation. Is God required for salvation? Of course. Is grace? Yes. If you want to get technical, Hell and Sin are required for salvation (you must be saved from something in order to be saved). However, the nature of this debate is not to list all component parts of salvation, rather it is to discuss and debate what is required on the part of the human to be saved. Ephesians 2:8 - You are saved by grace (Instrument of Salvation) through faith (Means of accessing the instrument of salvation), not by works. My opponent has sought to undermine this passage by mis-characterizing the concept of faith alone and redefining it as "do nothing salvation." He again does this in the final round by saying "but they do not teach that we are saved by FAITH ALONE OR WITHOUT OBEDIENCE." This is not what Faith alone means... faith alone does not mean that other things do not accompany faith... however, it does mean that faith is the only thing that saves you (as a means of accessing the instrument of salvation). My opponent then goes on to list a litany of things he claims are required for salvation. However, each of these things is only truly made possible through faith. The Gospel - Without Faith, this is just a story. Learning God's will - Without Faith, why would anyone seek the will of a God they do not have faith in. Love - Without Faith (in God), love is simply a feeling of mutual affection. Hope - Without Faith in God, what hope is there? Repentance - Without Faith in God, why are we bothering to repent? Obedience - Obedient to what? Without faith... what are we being obedient to? Confession of Christ - How does one confess Christ with no faith in Christ Baptism - Baptism is an outward sign and sacrament of an inward faith. There is never anyone in scripture who is baptized without expressing faith first. Faithfulness - Not sure why Con listed this... You can't be faithful without faith... Church Membership - Without faith, this is no more than a country club. A faithful obedient life... how are we to be faithful without faith, and without faith... what are we being obedient to? As I've shown, each of these things requires faith first. They flow out of faith and are the RESULT of faith. Even if they are a requirement of salvation... they are a byproduct of faith that necessarily comes. So their ultimate cause is faith. My opponent uses the example of the Key to a Car. Suppose you are given a Key to a functional car... do you have everything you need to drive that car? Yes. Is there anything else required to drive that car besides the key? No... there is not. My opponent claims that 1 Peter 1:22-23 and Romans 6:17-18 require purifying ones soul, and obeying the truth to be a requirement of salvation. The fact is, these verses do not say this. 1 Peter 1:22-23 gives instructions for what to do once one has had their soul purified. One must ask how this is done... and the answer is "Obeying the Truth." How does one "obey the truth?" Well, the answer is simple. You obey the truth by acknowledging it as true. Is this not exactly what faith is? Acknowledging a truth without proof that it is true? Romans 6:17-18 simply is an expression of thanks by Paul that those who were once slaves to sin have become obedient. No where in the passage does it imply an imperative. Hebrew 5:9 - This passage does not say that he is the source of salvation BECAUSE they obey him. Simply that he is the source of salvation for those who obey. If obedience is an outflow of salvation rather than the source of it... then faith leads to salvation, which leads to obedience. So all who are saved obey and all who obey are saved. However, Faith is the source of both things. James 2:24 - I wondered when this was going to come up. I'm surprised it didn't earlier. To understand this passage, we must understand it in its context. My opponent would have you believe that James is arguing that we are saved by our works. However, James is not arguing that. Rather, James is arguing for the fact that true faith necessarily produces works. So if you do not have works, you do not have true faith. However, that is not to say that the works are somehow saving you, or contributing to your salvation in anyway. It is still the true faith that saves you. Immediately prior in vs 23 James says "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness." Righteousness is a legal term that means that one is not under any conviction. So Abraham was not under any conviction, because of his faith. I could continue on and address every point, however I would run out of space. Needless to say, each of these passages shows the same pattern. My opponent claims that a product of faith (Confession, Repentance, Love, etc) are a requirement of salvation. However, they are not, they are simply products and proof of the faith that saves. Without them, you cannot be saved... however not because they are required for salvation... rather a person who does not exhibit them does not have faith... it is still the faith that saves. My opponent then launches into a litany of examples of people who were supposedly only saved/rewarded after obedience. However, in each case... faith precedes obedience. Noah built the ark because he had faith that God was genuine. Abraham went out because he believed God would be faithful to his promise. The walls of Jericho fell because the Israelites had faith that God would fight for them if they were faithful. The closing line of my opponent's argument sums it up well. "Saving faith is faith that OBEYS. If your faith says that obedience is not necessary or that God will "save your soul" before you obey, then you have a faith that WILL NOT SAVE" I would only like to offer a few corrections and clarification. "Saving faith is faith that OBEYS." I couldn't agree more... however, even if it is a faith that obeys... it is still faith that saves you. If your faith says that obedience is not necessary..." My opponent again misunderstands the nature of "Sola Fide" salvation. Obedience is "necessary" in that it is a necessary product of salvation and faith. If you are not obedient, you do not have faith. However, it is the obedient FAITH that saves you, not the obedience. Thank you all for reading. God bless.