Week 7 Questions–6th 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?
45 comments Mr. Holt | AP Chemistry (1st)
MR HOLT IS 4TH HOUR SUPPOSE TO COMMENT ON 6TH HOURS THING OR WHAT?
Mr. Holt please no more God questions !
I believe that Peter and James are not disagreeing or contradicting each other. Grace is a feeling that comes over you from God, it is God’s saving emotion that you feel. Faith is how you believe in God. And works are the deeds you perform to get you to Heaven. The Word of God cannot contradict itself. I believe these two are talking about completely different subjects. James is just talking in general, he is saying that if you have faith but do not do the deeds to get you to Heaven then you will simply not make it. Peter/Paul is telling us that even though you do not do the deeds to get you to Heaven you can ask for forgiveness. I believe Paul/Peter is referring more to what people can do on their death bed. On their death bed people can know they did wrong but ask for forgiveness and actually be sorry for their sins and be saved. Paul is telling us that you should not be happy for your non works doing, but you can be forgiven by God and given another chance, because God loves us all and will forgive us if we are truly sorry. Peter is saying the same thing as James, but Peter is just a litle bit more in detail. In the end you can pass onto Heaven without doing works if you are truly sorry, but just having faith in God with no works and no sorrow, will not get you very far with God.
Question 1
No, I don’t think that Paul was opposing James’ opinion. James is just saying that “faith without work is dead.” That is simply, in my opinion, saying that we will just be judged by our good works – not determining our afterlife, because grace automatically saves us. Because of grace, we are saved already. Paul is indeed saying that being saved has no relations to our good works.– “The point is, we cannot work our way to heaven, but because we have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, we will have good works – not to be saved, but because we are saved.”– http://www.preparingforeternity.com/grace.htm
We are going to get rewarded by our works. This does not do away with grace, we are still saved by grace, because it is not earned, it is a gift from God. Don’t think that not doing good work is okay – we still should do good works; but not for the wrong reasons to “boast.”
James and Paul are going together with eachother. I don’t think there is any contradicting here, but I’m sure some places in the bible have verses that contradict.
It seems that Paul and James are in a disagreement on this issue; however, I don’t believe it’s that big of a difference as some people may think. James emphasizes the point that faith definitely requires good works in order to reach Heaven. Paul gets more to the point that grace (God’s life in us) has saved us already. This is my argument…. We receive God’s grace from the moment our life begins. Since grace is God’s life in us, the presence of God should be shown through our faith. Faith requires believing in God and following the examples of our Savior. Our works are what reflect how well we follow those examples. Therefore, they all connect to one another. James and Paul kind of contradict each other in the fact that James describes how we have to work for our eternal happiness. However, both James and Paul show that we are saved and are able to achieve the greatest gift of all, which is going to Heaven. The Word of God can challenge itself, but it mainly gives the same message.
Question 1:
In the letter of Paul he is saying that God’s grace in us has saved us, not just the works on Earth. Since everyone has grace, no one can brag about their accomplishments. I do not think they disagree with each other, I just think they have different opinions and perspectives on the subject. I think James’ focus is on our work and Paul’s focus is on the grace of God. I don’t think they are opposing views and I support this because I found a good website online. I found that “Faith, grace, and good works are like a three legged stool. If any one is missing, the thing will not stand. The leg of grace cannot be had by itself; it comes through faith or never. And grace is not only a receptive approach to the Lord, but also the ongoing power of God to do the right thing. God’s grace in us, if we really have it through faith, will always result in good works. Minus the proof of good works–as James points out–our grace through faith is fundamentally flawed,” (http://www.acts17-11.com/grace_faith.html). So really, Paul and James are both correct in their views. I personally do not think they don’t contradict one another rather I believe they complete the whole thought that faith, grace, and good works will help on the path to Heaven. Like it says in the quote, we receive grace from our faith which results in good works. Grace is from the Lord to help us do the right thing. Since they all go together I don’t think neither Paul nor James is wrong. Both men believe in grace, faith, and good work because they go together hand-in-hand. I believe the Word of God can be deceiving sometimes, but it does not contradict and it is shown through the letter of Paul and James because neither of them have wrong statements, their statements go together and complete one another.
#1
Grace is God’s life in us through which it is possible to receive things such as faith. Faith is a strong belief and trust in God. Grace allows us to have faith which makes us want to do good works so that we can do what God wants and also be able to live eternal life in heaven with him.
I do not think that James and Paul are contradicting each other because I think that Paul is saying that God gave us grace which allows us to have faith, therefore, it is the grace that saves us. I do not think he is talking about how faith will save us, like James, but how grace will save us. That is what I think the passage is saying, so I do not think that the two contradict themselves, they are just somewhat talking about different things (but I’m not sure).
I also think that it is possible for the Word of God to contradict itself because the people who wrote it are all different, and they may have different opinions and outlooks.
Question #1:
Personally, I think they all tie in together. I believe Paul is trying to say that a strong faith is achieved as a result of good works, even though he does not mention works. Once we establish this strong faith with God, we can receive his grace through good works and love. In a way it seems like they are contradicting eachother, but they really aren’t. Both James and Paul have correct views, but I think Paul is showing it from a wider view, probably including works into faith.
Question 1:
I don’t think that James and Paul are contradicting each other. James says that faith without good works means nothing. According to him, faith alone cannot save you. Although Paul says that being saved is a gift from God, this doesn’t mean that good works are not required. Paul means that one person’s good deeds do not mean more than another person’s good deeds. People get into competition over small things, and God doesn’t want good deeds to be one of them. He says that God does not only look at good deeds because he does not want anyone to boast over his or her good deeds. No one can save themselves, no matter how many good deeds they have done. They need faith along with good deeds because God saves, you cannot save yourself. If God approves of your good deeds and faith, He will give you His grace and accept you into Heaven.
For example, there is someone who is very good at soccer. He or she is the star of the soccer team, and their team wins the state championship. Because of all their accomplishments, they get a big head about it. They do not think about the coaches or their parents or others who have helped them become as good as they are. Paul’s message says that God does not want someone who has performed many good deeds to get a big head about it like the soccer player does. They must remember that God saves, you cannot save yourself. This is why he points out that faith is what saves you.
I do not think that the Word of God can contradict itself. Things change, so God may need to elaborate more on previous messages or make slight modifications to what He has said. I think this is what happened in the case of James and Paul. God wanted people to do good works until they thought less about faith and more about good works. Therefore He needed to make slight changes to His words to James.
It is through faith and good works that give us grace to get to heaven. James says that if we want to get to heaven, we need to do good works. Paul says that it is not works because people will boast about doing good works to get to heaven. He says that by grace and faith, we are saved. God saves everyone because everyone is good until they are bad. I think that all they are saying is that God will save everyone who is good and who has faith, good works help but that is not neccesarily needed. I do not think that the Word Of God is contradicting itself, it is just backing itself up with different views.
Question #1
I think Paul and James would be in a partial disagreement on this issue, but I think they could agree on it eventually if they talked it over. Paul says that grace is what gives us the ability to have faith and through this we will gain eternal life. James, however, says that faith alone can not gain us eternal life. Clearly, these do not agree.
James is saying that our works are what gets us to heaven, but Paul believes grace gets us to heaven. Grace is God’s gift of life in us. This is what allows us to have faith, so they are connected. However, I think that in order to have our grace be powerful enough to gain us eternal life, we need to do good works in our lives. I think this is what James view would be. Paul I think would probably come around to this idea too. Their are many other examples of the Word of God contradicting itself, which is fine. It gives us a decision to make in our lives and gives the priests something to preach about. However, I think Paul might change his mind if he talked to James about it. He would probably realize you need good works to add power to your grace in order to get eternal life.
Grace would be efficacious signs of grace, instituted by Christ and entrusted to the Church. God gives us grace when we are born ,but it is up to us to actually enable that grace through faith. I believe Paul is addressing grace, not faith, when he says “it is not your doing; it is the gift of God.” Paul’s statement doesn’t contradict James because accepting that grace takes actions as well. Paul is stating that grace isn’t obtained through actions so one shouldn’t boast. This also pertains to James’s statement because he also says one shouldn’t boast. One needs to apply action to obtain faith because faith isn’t the same as grace. Grace is already given to us while faith is something we need to work on to be closer to God.
We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Jesus, but we must show our faith through good works. Paul is not saying that works are not important. He is just emphasizing the importance of faith because you can’t do works without faith. Likewise, James says faith is dead without works. You have to have both faith and good works. They are both essential for salvation.
Question #1
Grace, faith and works all tie into each other in a way. Faith, in this case, is a person’s belief in God. Works is the good things done expressing that person’s faith. And grace is the what those works are done through and what God will shine upon that person. In short, works are done through the grace of God to express faith.
Paul is saying that God gives grace to those with faith, and that is not a result of works. James is saying that a person’s faith is not worth anything unless he/she does not do works to back it up. These two views are sort of contridicting each other, but not really. Paul never says that works are not needed, he simply says they are not what gains the grace in the first place.
by respeonding to the previious queastions on the blog thing i know that james and paul cant both be right on this issue. with that grace is the the thing that god gives us because he is the nicest guy ever and he loves us. works are the things that you do in life to pay back god for him being soo good to you and you not so good to him. faith is the trust that you have in your individual self that there is a god that exists and allows all of htis to happen. i think that paul left out an important part in his idea. he never says that simply faith alone will save you but he might have meant that you have to put the two together and that will be what saves you.
No, the word of God cannot contradict itself. Even if someone argued that James and Paul are contradicting each other. The reason for this is because they are not. They are on completely different subjects. James is talking about how a person cannot get to heaven on faith alone. However, Paul is talking about Grace which is a gift form God. Paul also says that the gift of grace comes from faith in God. Also, grace is what helps or leads us to do good actions, which is what James is talking about. But, grace does not make us do good actions it just helps. Basically, Faith gives us grace and grace helps us to do good deeds, but we cannot get into heaven without doing good deed, but we cannot get into heaven if all we have is faith and grace.
Question #1
Paul and James are in disagreement on this issue. James believes that nobody truly has faith or follows God unless they perform selfless and good acts. However, Paul believes that the grace that God gave to us freely is enough to have and show your faith.
According to James, faith is dead without good works. Jesus wanted people to live holy lives and love one another. The true followers of Christ follow Jesus and they perform the works and actions that he asks of us. So James believes that you are truly faithful if you follow Christ’s teachings, by performing good works. Therefore, James says that you need to do good works to reach Heaven. (I personally agree with James’ opinion).
Paul has a totally opposite viewpoint on this issue. Paul believes that since God has already given us grace, we will reach Heaven. Grace is a supernatural gift of God’s undeserved help and love that we have been given. Through this, Paul thinks that God’s grace has given us salvation for Heaven, so the works that we do or do not perform are unnecessary in the very end. God will save us in the end, we do not need to do anything to try and help him out. Paul also thinks that works are unnecessary in faith and Heaven because performing these works gives people pride. Pride for oneself over others is considered a sin in the Catholic Church, so Paul also has the belief that people perform good works in the hopes of gaining salvation as well as having pride for themselves.
Faith is holding onto the belief of God and having love for Him. Grace allows God to be with us at all times, and He can, thus help us in our time of need. Works are the loving and unselfish acts that we perform for others, which proves our faith and love for God. So grace, faith and works each go together. James and Paul have totally opposite views over faith, but they both make good points. James makes sense, showing that love for our neighbors and helping the world become a better place is needed to get to Heaven. Paul makes sense in that he shows how performing good works can be unnecessary at times because some people ruin it by boasting about their actions and having pride. Due to this, the Word of God can contradict itself at times (but it always points to the direction of loving one another and helping others out). On one hand, performing good works is a good thing, but bad intentions can destroy this goodness.
As Ned Flanders once said, “I’ve done everything the Bible says, even the stuff that contradicts the other stuff!”
Question 1
James and Paul do not oppose each other, but they speak in two different ways. Paul is also saying that faith without work does not exist, but he says it with more detail. Paul says that God has given us the grace to be saved through faith, not work alone. Grace is the gift God has given us. God wanted our focus on faith, not doing good deeds, so God’s grace has saved us. Our focus on faith will inspire us to do good deeds. So God wants us to have faith over everything, and with our faith we will be granted grace, and with faith we will be inspired to do works. James and Paul do not contradict each other, because they both agree that faith and work are needed, but Paul explains in detail of what he means. The Word of God can contradict itself, because of all the different writers, but very often after looking into detail the Bible does not contradict itself, because there is deeper meaning.
I guess what those two said are a bit contradictory.
Grace is doing unmerited favors and receiving grace increases a person’s feelings of perfection of the relationship between the person and God.
Faith is the act of trusting God and all that he does and says. By remaining faithful to God strengthens your relationship with God.
Works are doing God’s will on Earth and living his Word.
By doing Good Works, you receive grace, which increases your faith in God. Even though Paul and James contradict each other, isn’t just doing what is right good enough anyway?
Grace, faith and works are all similar to me. Grace is the purity and strength that we have with God. Faith is our belief in God. Works are what we do to strengthen our relationship with God. They are all similar because they connect with each other. Grace is the strength we have with God and we need to do works to have a stronger relationship with him. Faith is what the relationship is. If we have no faith then there would be no strength with God at all, but with the faith we are able to do works and have grace. That is how they all tie together.
Now James and Paul I do not really think are in a disagreement. They are both actually saying the same thing I think. James says that you have to do good deeds and have faith. Paul says that you only need faith but he does not really mean that. To have faith with God you have to perform good deeds because God wants us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps. So in order to have faith with God you have to be performing good deeds.
The Word of God does not contradict itself. The word of God is connected because in order to have grace faith or do works you have to have the others too.
As stated at Dictionary.com, the Christian theology definition of faith is the trust in God and in His promises as made through Christ and the Scriptures by which humans are justified or saved. Grace is the freely given, unmerited favor and love of God and the influence or spirit of God operating in humans to regenerate or strengthen them. Works are righteous deeds.
All three of these terms are tied together. With faith, we can trust and believe in God that by living out the faith through His works, we may receieve grace, and ultimately, eternal life with Him in Heaven. Therefore, one leads to another, eventually leading to eternal happiness.
Personally, I don’t think that they are contradicting eachother. Actually I think that Paul is helping make James’ statement clearer. James stated that faith without works is dead. While that is true, you still have to put your whole heart into your works for it to even matter. You have to prove your faith not just by what you say, but also by what you do. Once you do so, you will be given grace by God and that is what will save you. Paul is simply stating that just because you do good deeds, it doesn’t mean that you are automatically accepted into heaven. If and when one gets to heaven, it’s not because they lived a life of good works, but because God welcomed him or her into His Kingdom.
Everything we have on this earth we were given by God. Paul wanted to make it clear to all that God has dominion over all, and just because you do good works and you get to heaven, its not just because of your works, but because of God’s grace. Yes, God wants us to do good deeds for others and treat everyone as we want to be treated, but that doesn’t mean we have a gold ticket to heaven.
Yes, good works with good intentions give you the grace of God which, in turn, brings you closer to God. But, ultimately, it is in God’s power, and His alone, that you enter into His kingdom.
Question #1:
I do not think that Paul and James are in disagreement over this issue. James has said that word without deed is useless. I happen to think that Paul would agree with this statement. Paul is talking about having faith, he says nothing about not doing good deeds. Paul on the other hand is saying that faith is a gift from God. We do not have to work for faith, it is given to us. This does not mean that we are automatically saved though. We have to work for that. We have to do good deeds and live a good life for God.
Grace is the means by which humans on earth are granted salvation through God. We have been given a chance at salvation through our faith. Our faith has been given to us by God. In order to go to heaven though, we must work and do good deeds for others in the world. After reading both of the bible passages, I do not think that James and Paul are contradicting each other. James says that we must work towards heaven, and Paul adds that we also need faith in order to go to heaven.
I think the both of them are similar in a way. James is saying that if we don’t work at it and use your faith it will be dead. Paul is saying that through the grace of God, we are saved by our faith, and just because your doing works doesn’t mean that you have true faith in God. I think that both of them are trying to show this and say that you have to do your works with true faith in God and you will be able to get to heaven. Faith, grace, and work all deal with one another. God gave us his grace and to show that we believe in him and show our gratitude we have faith. Work connects to this because we have to work at our faith to make it deeper with God and we have to spread our faith to others. I think that James and Paul are trying to say the same thing but in different words, views.
Question 1
Grace, faith, and works are related with one another because to be able to have grace and faith you need to have the works. You have to be able to do the works like actually praying and showing you love God. By going to church and being Christ like, you show that you have faith in God. Having faith in God shows that you truly believe in him, and it shows that you have great faith in him. Having the works helps you have the faith and by having faith it helps you receive the grace. The grace fits in with all of this because God gives you grace to help you have faith in Him and to help you pray and worship Him. Without the works or faith, grace would not be abled to be received.
Paul and James contradict each other because Paul is saying that you are not anbe to get faith or grace through works. He says that we get faith because of the grace that God gives us and the only way we can receive faith in through God. Doing works does not help us receive faith because of we just do it, it does not mean we actually mean it in believing in God. James is saying that we cannot have faith if we do not express it through works. He says that we have to pray and preach the good news in able to have faith in God and it cannot just be given to us. James says that with out expressing our faith in God, we cannot obtain the faith in Him. They both contradict each other because one is saying that we have to work to be able to have faith and the other is saying that we receive faith and we do not get it by actually doing the work; faith is given to us by God.
Question 1
Peter and James are disagreeing in this issue. James says that you have to have faith in your works or it isn’t real and doesn’t count. Peter says that no mater what faith will save you and that it is God is controls it and not the works. Grace is God’s unmerited favor. It is kindness from God we don’t deserve. There is nothing we have done, nor can we ever do to earn this favor. It is a gift from God. Faith is firm belief in something for which there may be no tangible proof. In order to have faith you must have grace. The works is what we do in order to have faith and Grace. Paul says we don’t have to have works in order to have faith, but James says we do. James is saying we need to do good works in order to reach heaven. If we don’t then we won’t end with God because we didn’t fulfill our duty here on earth. Being saved is up to God. Yes doing our works would help, but it is God’s choice where we go after death, not the works. James and Paul both have different views on things. They may believe how God will save them differently or how they take their religion differently. They contradict each other to get right answers and to see what is true and isn’t true. They want to figure out God so they have to think out things differently. The Word of God can not contradict its self because it is the word from God. God wrote it and that is what he says. It can not go against its self.
Grace, faith, and works have a lot to do with eachother. Grace is God’s gift of life in us and is needed to have Faith. In order to keep up with our faith, we need the works. We need to use all three to have a good relationship with God.
James says that faith without works is dead, but Peter says that through grace you are saved. These two kind of contridict eachother. However, I do not feel that they are contridicting eachother, or the word of God can be contridicted. I think that if you look at both then they fit together and make sense. James says that faith without works is dead, and if you do not do anything for your faith, then there really isn’t anything there. Yet, Peter says that just with grace you are saved. Grace and works are both needed to have faith. I think that they are not contridicting eachother, but saying we need both.
I am all for Rebecca’s answer! I completely agree with her. The way she incorporates Grace, Faith, and Works is extremely clear to me. I agree that those are related in the same way that she describes them. Couldn’t do it better myself!
I agree with Alex’s answer. Her arguements match mine on how James’ and Paul’s statements fit togther to make sense. I agree how the 2 messages combined fill the definition of grace, works, and faith and how they all are needed to be closer to God.
I agree with Amanda because I also believe that James and Paul were not totally disagreeing. I also agree that we must do good works, but they only count if done for the right reasons. Also, i believe that grace is the gift from God that saves us.
I agree with Samantha. She says that Paul and James are not in disagreement over the issue and that faith and works are both important to go to heaven. Her explanation makes sense.
Although Amanda gave a good answer, I disagree with her slightly. She says that because of grace we are automatically saved. I do not think that this is true. If someone is catholic and receives the sacraments, they receive God’s grace. Yet, if they go around killing people and disobeying the commandments they may go to Heaven, however, I don’t think they would automatically be saved.
I completely agree with Raeanna. We have many of the same ideas. We both agree that only God has the ability to save us, and even though good works are our obligation as Christians, they are not what actually gets us into the Kingdom of God. Also, I like her metaphor about the soccer player.
I agree with Tiffany this week. She and I seem to have kind of the same idea on the topic that was given. We both said that both faith and works are needed in order to get to heaven. We need faith in order to do good works, and at the same time, faith without work is dead.
I agree with Andy Zagar. I also think that they are trying to say the same thing. I think that grace, work, and faith are all tied together. Therefore you can assume that Paul meant that in order to thank God for the grace he gave us that we have to perform good works and have a deep faith with God. We should work at our faith and try to make it stronger and share it with others.
I agree with Joshua Dwight Johnson because he talked about how faith is related to and expressed through grace and works. Dwight also said that James and Paul kind of contradicted each other but they were not completely different. He made a good point about how Paul believed that works aren’t totally useless, they just don’t get one into heaven (Paul is crazy).
I agree with Taylor, because she says that James and Paul are not contradicting each other. She believes that James and Paul are talking about two slightly different things. Also I agree that it is possible for the Word of God to contradict itself because there are so many different writers, and opinions.
I agree with Alex’s answer completely. She explains how faith, works, and grace connect with eachother and how Peter and James are not contradicting eachother. I too, think that and agree that we have to have grace and works in order to have faith/
I agree with Gary. He says that we have to have faith and works in order to have grace. I believe that exactly. Gary explains how Peter and James have different sayings well. I think that God will save anyone who has faith and grace and the works and that it what Gary believes too.
I completely agree with Alex. She makes very good points about grace, faith and works. It is clear to me that grace and works are both needed to have faith. The readings are not contradicting each other, but are stating what we need.
I completely agree with Rebecca. We both have the same ideas about how James and Paul seem like they are in total disagreement but the really are not. I also like the way that she connects grace faith and works; it makes a lot of sense to me. It is a little bit different then mine but I like how she explained it better.
I agree with Tiffany. I agree with how she says that Paul and James do not counterdict each other, and how she says that both are essential to our salvation and not that one is more important than the other.
I agree with Gabe because he says that grace is given to us by God, but faith is used to actually show our gratitude. The two aspects have to be linked together to follow God’s words. Neither Paul or James is saying that you only need works or faith. Works are the end result of grace and faith.
I agree with Gary Nielson or Neilson…however you spell it. He says works and faith allow you to achieve grace. That is a very true statement that i agree with.
I agree with Gary. He says that they are saying we need works and faith to receive grace. That is very true.
I agree with Kaitlyn because she said a lot of the same things that I thought. She said that works need faith, and faith is given by God. She says that to have faith and grace, you need the works as well.
I completely agree with Ryan Stone. He basically says the same things that I said. He thinks that James and Paul contradicted each other just like I do. Also, he more agrees with James, which I do as well. Finally, I like how he tied in the Simpsons to his answer, and how this quote proved his point. Ryan gave a good answer.