by Jeffrey W. Hamilton<\/p>\n\t
Text: Proverbs 30:2-9<\/p>\n
<\/p>\nI. The denominational world has long debated the relationship of faith, works, and grace in\nman’s salvation.\n A. Some argue that salvation is by faith alone while others argue the necessity of\nworks. Some turn their attention to grace and argue that grace alone saves men.\n B. The problem has always been that various adherents have focused on a limited set\nof passages\n
1. For example, most Protestant denominations focus on<\/p>\n
a. Ephesians 2:8-9<\/p>\n
b. Romans 3:22-24<\/p>\n
c. Romans 4:2-5<\/p>\n
2. But they will avoid passages such as James 2:14-26<\/p>\n a. Martin Luther went so far as to express doubt as to James\nauthenticity because of what James 2 contained.\n
3. Yet those who oppose the faith alone view often will focus on James 2:14-26 and ignore the “problem” texts such as Romans 4:5<\/p>\n C. The issue can be understood if we simply dump the baggage of the past several\ncenturies and concentrate on what is actually stated.\nII. There is a science of understanding the meaning of what someone writes called\nhermeneutics. \n A. One basic principle is a general assumption that every author’s writings are in\nharmony, unless it is clearly established otherwise.\n 1. Authors write to be understood, hence we would expect consistency in\ntheir individual messages. \n 2. We would expect a theme or purpose behind the writing with points\nsupporting the theme.\n B. In Principles of Interpretation<\/i>, by Clinton Lockhart: “One of two contradictory\nstatements must be false, unless corresponding terms have different meanings or\napplications.”\n
C. In biblical hermeneutics this general principle becomes an absolute law.<\/p>\n 1. Since God is the expressed author of the Bible and God is all-knowing and\nall-powerful, then there is no contradiction in work of God.\n 2. When we run into an apparent contradiction in the Bible, we need to\nexamine the context of the statements to see if there are terms being used\nin different senses of meaning or application.\n
D. This principle was used by Jesus in his temptation – Matthew 4:6-7<\/p>\n
1. Satan quoted Psalm 91:11-12 where God promises protection<\/p>\n
2. Jesus countered with Deuteronomy 6:16 by stating “Again it is written.” <\/p>\n 3. By pointing out an additional verse that appears to contradict the\ninterpretation given to another verse, Jesus is pointing out that an error\nwas made.\n
4. Psalm 91:11-12 must be in harmony with Deuteronomy 6:16 since the all-knowing God wrote both passages.<\/p>\n
III. Application<\/p>\n
A. How many angels? <\/p>\n
1. Matthew 28:1-3 mentions one<\/p>\n
2. Luke 24:1-4 mentions two<\/p>\n
3. Sceptics are quick to pounce, declaring a contradiction<\/p>\n 4. Suppose I related an event that happened in a meeting and mentioned that\nbrother X said something important. Would it be reasonable to conclude\nthat only I and brother X met? Of course not!\n 5. If Matthew mentions the appearance of an angel and what that angel said,\ndoes that preclude any additional angels being presence? For the same\nreason as before, it does not.\n 6. Why the difference in details? There is difference in the purpose of the two\nbooks\n
B. How are we saved?<\/p>\n 1. When Romans 4:5 held up against James 2:24, a contradiction does not\nexist\n
a. To claim so is to claim that the text is not inspired.<\/p>\n b. Instead, we need to examine the context of the two passages to see\nhow the terms are being used.\n c. In particular we need to know if they are being used with a different\nsense of meaning or application.\n
2. There are several terms being used:<\/p>\n
a. Faith, works, and justification<\/p>\n
b. Are there multiple faiths?<\/p>\n (1) Most realize that the faith exhibited by demons (James 2:19)\nis not the faith talked about in Hebrews 11:6, though they\nare worded similarly.\n (2) James’ point is that the faith of demons is missing an\nessential element.\n
c. Are there multiple works?<\/p>\n
(1) There are works of God – John 6:28-29; 9:3-4<\/p>\n
(2) There are works of the devil – I John 3:8<\/p>\n
(3) There are works of man’s hands – Acts 7:41<\/p>\n (4) There are works of the Law – Romans 3:20, 27-28;\nGalatians 2:16\n
(5) There are good works – Ephesians 2:10; I Timothy 2:9-10<\/p>\n
(6) There are dead works – Hebrews 6:1<\/p>\n 3. Just these two terms shows that we cannot make blanket statements about\nfaith or works without defining the kind of faith or the kind of works with\nwhich we are dealing.\n C. When baptism is mentioned as saving, as in I Peter 3:21, many object and hold up\nJohn 3:16\n 1. The line of argument is in error. All they are claiming is that “my favorite\nverse is better than your favorite verse.”\n
2. The reality is that all verses in the Bible come from God. <\/p>\n 3. As Jesus pointed out to Satan, you cannot use a select set of verses against\nthe rest of what the Bible teaches.\n 4. Unfortunately, the denominational world does not look to harmonize the\nScriptures, instead they search high and low for ways to dismiss the verses\nthat do not agree with their preconceived notions.\nIV. In order to understand any writing, including God’s Holy Word, we must be willing to\nseek the harmony of what is stated.\n A. We cannot pull a passage out of its context because the context defines how the\nwords are being used\n B. We cannot pit one passage against another without denying the inspiration of the\nScriptures.\n
C. As David said – Psalm 119:160<\/p>\n
D. Or as Paul stated – II Timothy 3:16-17<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Proverbs 30:2-9 I. The denominational world has long debated the relationship of faith, works, and grace in man’s salvation. A. Some argue that salvation is by faith alone while others argue the necessity of works. Some turn their attention to grace and argue that grace alone saves men. B. The problem has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[568,219,49,529,47,964,55],"class_list":["post-62686","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sermon","tag-accuracy-of-the-bible","tag-bible","tag-faith","tag-hermeneutics","tag-salvation","tag-understanding-the-bible","tag-works"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":39225,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/faith-only\/","url_meta":{"origin":62686,"position":0},"title":"Faith Only","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 31, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"by Mark Russell published in\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 5, No. 7, July 2005 Even Martin Luther didn't deny baptism as an expression of faith and as necessary to salvation. There were five Latin phrases, known as the \"Five Solas\" that became the mantra of the Protestant Reformation. These five ideas developed\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2006\/10\/luther.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":63421,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/salvation-by-grace-through-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":62686,"position":1},"title":"Salvation by Grace Through Faith","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 17, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Ephesians 2:1-10 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When we read Ephesians 2:8-10, there are four important words which stand out: grace, saved, faith, and works. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The gift mentioned in verse 8 is the gift of salvation given to us by God\u2019s grace. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Grace is an unmerited favor. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0a.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Sermon"","block_context":{"text":"Sermon","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/sermon\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":19527,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/arent-there-passages-that-say-we-are-saved-by-faith\/","url_meta":{"origin":62686,"position":2},"title":"Aren’t there passages that say we are saved by faith?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 21, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: You say\u00a0that \"You will never find where the Bible says that baptism is a symbol, or that one is saved at the point of faith.\" What about Luke 7:50? Jesus said to the woman, \"Your faith has saved you; go in peace.\" Ephesians 2:8\u00a0\"For it is by\u00a0grace you have\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":618,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/doesnt-romans-51-teach-we-are-saved-by-faith-alone\/","url_meta":{"origin":62686,"position":3},"title":"Doesn’t Romans 5:1 teach we are saved by faith alone?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"October 11, 2003","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Doesn't\u00a0Romans 5:1\u00a0teach that we are saved by faith alone? Answer: Romans 5:1\u00a0says, \"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.\" This proves that justification requires faith, but your stated goal was to prove that justification was by faith\u00a0alone. There is no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":5153,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-it-too-simple-to-say-we-are-to-believe-and-we-will-be-saved-by-gods-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":62686,"position":4},"title":"Is it too simple to say we are to believe and we will be saved by God’s grace?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 4, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I'm concerned that purgatory does not exist in the Bible. I believe that imaginary doctrine can be changed, as has the belief of Limbo, with innocent newborn babies, who have died prior to baptism, no longer going to Limbo. I always thought that God has told us to believe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":38682,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-redemption-in-christ-an-examination-of-romans-319-521\/","url_meta":{"origin":62686,"position":5},"title":"The Redemption in Christ: An Examination of Romans 3:19-5:21","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 29, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"by Sean P. Cavender Paul indicted all people, both Jew and Gentile, as guilty of sin before God (Romans 3:19). It is due to man's ungodliness that the wrath of God is revealed, and He will judge all sin as worthy of death (Romans 1:18,32). The reality of sin is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62686","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62686"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62686\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62686"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62686"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62686"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}