Week 7 Questions–2nd Hour
OK, this was not going to be the question for this week, but after reading all the responses, I think it is a necessary progression.
Our good buddy James says that faith without works is dead. But Paul writes a letter to the church in Ephesus that seems to oppose this view–or does it?
Here is what Paul has to say…
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
So, what of it? Are Peter and James in disagreement on this issue? Is James saying that we need to do good works in order to reach Heaven? Is Paul saying that being saved has nothing to do with our works? What is going on here?
To get credit this week, you need to discuss what grace, faith and works have to do with one another and synthesize James and Paul or explain why they are contrdicting each other. Can the Word of God contradict itself???
I do not have a tie in question that relates grace and works to pollution or global warming, sorry.
Question #2
How much faster will Hydrogen gas diffuse throughout a room than Xenon gas?
20 comments Mr. Holt | Honors Chemistry (4th and 5th)
Where did you get your blog layout from? I’d like to get one like it for my blog.
Question 1
Well see they are both correct, if you look at it. See sometimes you do need to do good works of mercy in order to be forgiven of your sins. But then at the same time you don’t really need to because if you did not commit any serious sin then you may be forgiven at confession. Now on the part if the Word of God can not be contradicted, i really can not tell you that. To me you can not contradict God’s word because it is to sacred to do that.
Question 2
Hydrogen gas will diffuse faster because it has a lower weight then Xenon gas. So it means that it is easier to diffuse then all the rest
I don’t think that Paul and James are on opposite sides here…I think that they’re just finishing where the other left off.
James says that in order to be saved you must have:
1. Faith
2. Works
and Paul is saying that doing good things are good, but without Gods Grace, that wouldnt be all to get into Heaven.
About the Bible contradicting itself–that’s a little sticky.
I remember reading the Bible, and in Genisis I came to a particular passage that said “God created a Man and a Woman.” Then it talked about how Adam went around naming everything. Then out of nowhere, it said “Adam was lonley, so God Created a woman while he was sleeping from his rib. He called her Eve.” That looked like a huuuuuge gap to me. Why would the bible have two different occasions of a woman being created? The first one being when they are made together, and the second where she is made from a rib. Did something get cut out of the bible?
For some strange reason that day, a special on “Books of the Bible” came on the History channel, and it talked about there being another woman before Eve. It said that this woman, Lilith, wanted to be treated as an equal to Adam, and refused to subject herself to him, and eventually God punished her. Ten when Adam was lonley, God created Eve.
Now I don’t no if this is true, but I do know that the Bible has been through a bunch of editing over the years. So if the Bible contradicts itself, maybe that means that we’re focusing to hard on the little stuff, and not enough on the Big stuf, like Jesus dying for us.
Question 1.
No, I believe that they are each talking about something different. James is saying that faith alone will not save you, you need to do the works of your faith as well. And I believe that Paul is not saying you do not need to do work, he is simply putting that you are saved because of Gods doing and not your own. You don’t have any place to say that you are saved because of what you have done, it is what God has done for you, but to keep it up and go all the way to heaven you need to do works as well.
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Question #1
After reading the passage by Paul, I came to realize that Paul and James are in a disagreement on that issue. James is indeed saying that we need to go good works in order to reach heaven. Yes, Paul is saying that being saved has nothing to do with out works but gy the gift of God. What is going on is that Paul and James are agruing about getting into heaven and how to do so.
First off, Grace is a virtue that comes from God. Faith is belief and trust in and loyality to God. Work is an activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something. As you can see from the definition, they all are similar by all dealing with God.
James and Paul are contradicting each other for one reason. That one reason is because they both have a different view of how to make it into heaven. One believes by the work that you do, while the other one thinks its all up to God and it has nothing to do with how you act or what you do.
I do believe that the word of God can contradict its self. I say that it can because some people may take it or understand it different than how other people understand it.
If we are saved by grace through faith, that grace will result in good works. Stated another way, it is through faith that we access the power of grace to do what God requires of us. To me they are contradicting each other because everyone has different views on things. Yes it is possible for the word to be contradict on something since not everyone believe that you will be saved just y asking for Jesus in your hear, since some people believe that you need to do more then what it says to do. For example good deeds, help spread the word and so forth.
I do beleive that James and Paul are in a disagreement because james is saying that you need to do work on faith instead of just believing. Paul on the otherhand is sayin that you do not need to work for it, it’s given to you by God.
I do think that James is saying that we need to do good works in order to go to heaven. He has a point because you shouldnt go to heaven if you dont accomnplish anything or work on anything involving your faith.
You have to work on your faith by using grace. To do this you must become closer to God and you can do many things to become closer to him.
Question #1-
James 2: 15-17 says that faith without works is dead, and Ephesians (aka Ephesus) 2:8-9 says that “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and and this is not from you; it is the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast.” Naturally, you would think that these two statements are contradictory, but indeed they are not.
If you read on in Ephesians, and read verse ten, you will discover this statement: “For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them.
This means that by grace we are given faith, and by having faith God works in us to do all of the good things He has planned for us.
Ephesians 2:8-10 and James 2: 15-17 go hand in hand with each other and both say that by having true (keyword: true) faith, God will do good works through us, and we will be saved.
Have a wonderful second hour as we waste the day away taking the ACT/MME/Whatever…ehh.
To Boukamp,
How do you see that they are in disagreement? Paul never says that not doing work is what saved you, he is just saying that God is the one that saved you, and you don’t have the right to say that your works did. I do agree with you though that we do need to do good works to get into heaven.
I do believe that there is a disagreement between the topic. I think that they both have different views towards there faith. What James is saying that if we do not work towards our faith, then we are not going right to heaven. You have to work for what you believe in. What Paul is saying is that everyone has a gift from God. You do not have to prove to him that you are a believer. He already knows. I think that Paul just wants everyone to live there life to the fullest, and not doing so much work to go to Heaven. He already thinks that he has a straight through ticket there. Both of these boys have different views towards there faith. One may believe that you have to work for it, and the other thinks that you can just lay back and watch.
For James you have to use all three of the words. Faith for James is that you truly have to beleive in your faith. You have to stay close towards it.Grace will get you by, to go to Heaven. Work for James is putting allof your affort for what you believe in. Paul already thinks and knows that he has Grace towards God. He feels that is already receive a gift from God. That would be his grace for Heaven. Work for Paul, he thinks that you do not have to work, to get into Heaven. I think that Paul feels that if he believes in God, then he has his faith. I think that he does not have to take it further then not believing in God. I do not believe that the word of God is contradicting itself. It’s what you want to believe in it.
sorry that i’m late!!
I disagree with Will because I do believe that either way if you did any sins in your lifetime, and you went to confession. It does not matter that you confess your sins. You made a promise to God, that your faith will be strong. I feel that everyone and even me breaks that promise and weakens our relationship with God.
OK, First off the wordof God does not contradict itself, it’s just either one person being wrong or in someway, somehow they are both connected. and they ARE both right. PUT TOGETHER THEY ARE at least. you are saved by the grace of God and by doing good works. I mean if someone WILL be saved by the grace of God AREN’T they doing good works. our faith is pressured on only grace at times but I say we should have God’s grace AND do good works. but if you are doing good works, like a LOT then that would be God’s grace. They may not know it if they don’t believe in God or something but God’s still there. that’s MY opinion though. If some one doesn’t believe in God I don’t really know what there opinion would be.
I have to dissagree with Kevin because the word of God cannot conradict itself. People interpret things based on what happens in their personal lives.
For instance, the story of Jesus feeding 5,000, there is a part when Jesus first tells everyone to sit.
Now, one preacher told me that the reason why Jesus told everyone to sit, so that they could quiet themselves before God. then I heard the same story, and another guy said it was because of crowd control.
So both preachers were probably right, but they just filled in where the other left off like Paul and James.
I agree with what Smashly is saying for what she says right here:
I don’t think that Paul and James are on opposite sides here…I think that they’re just finishing where the other left off.
James says that in order to be saved you must have:
1. Faith
2. Works
and Paul is saying that doing good things are good, but without Gods Grace, that wouldnt be all to get into Heaven.
I agree with what she said right here.
I agree with PART of wills but another part I don’t. Yes you should be forgiven by doing good works but if a mass murderer has killed people for almost all his adult maybe teen life is he NOT allowed to be forgiven by God. If someone commits a serious sin and doesn’t do good works he should be able to be forgiven.
I agree with Hacker in that
“You don’t have any place to say that you are saved because of what you have done, it is what God has done for you, but to keep it up and go all the way to heaven you need to do works as well.”
We cannot seriously and honestly say that we are able to save ourselves. Only God can determine whether we go to heaven or not, but by doing good deeds, like He asks of us, I think we get closer and closer to achieving eternal life.
Continuation to my response to Hacker’s answer-
It is not just us doing the good deeds, it is God doing them through us, so God is saving us by using us as his instruments.
I would have to agree with Ashley. I agree with her because after reading the passages again, they both do talk about faith and work. She was right to say that one is ending what they are saying, while the other one is adding more to it. So i would have to agree with Ashley, and change my mind of how i felt before about this question
I disagree with Kevin because i do not feel that one of them is ending and the other is picking up from where he left off and talking more about the same thing. I think that they both have two different ideas.