You may have that opinion, but nowhere in the Bible does it say that.

What is clear is that nowhere did Jesus nor Paul or any other of the Apostles intend that all Christianity be explicitly contained in Scripture.

Making a statement and acting like it addresses any of the above is a pretty interesting strategy.

Just as "interesting" as the strategy of posting an article which does nothing to substantiate from Scripture its own claims of Scripture and sola scriptura.

Since the article you posted is so erroneous and thus irrelevant to the issue at hand I've began a thread taking apart Sproul's article point by point thanks for some help I received today.

Editorializing is no point.

You obviously have no point and are trying to manipulate and provoke a response to play the victim and feed your anti-Catholic prejudices.

God bless you and have a nice evening, Etcum.

Ec2 wrote:



"Whoever listens to you listens to me; whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects him who sent me." Luke 10:16.

The "builder" is part of, & indeed owns the building. If you really followed Jesus you would listen to His Catholic Church. You have replaced the builder & the foundation of the structure of your faith.

And Paul, who wrote most of the New Testament, said to run from anyone that preaches salvation through faith in Christ... plus works.

Listen and test the spirits is what Paul admonished. He also said dont listen to a different gospel than the one that was preached of salvation through faith in the work of Jesus to cleanse us of all unrighteousness ...and none of our works.
Paul listened... and tested Peter's spirit when he was teaching a different Gospel in which he incorporated works... and, in fact, confronted him to his face. Paul said that Peter and all that teach a different gospel, as they were doing until corrected,... was throwing people into confusion. Paul said dont ever listen to anyone, even an angel from heaven if they teach a different gospel... which is no gospel at all.
Paul said he was astonished at how quickly and easily Peter and others fell into the trap of adding works to faith in order to achieve the salvation that Jesus alone had purchased and freely given.

I listen to Paul, who was taught by Jesus:
Gal 1:6
6I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. 8But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse!

10Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

And this is The Gospel that Paul preached and I adhere to:
Gal 2:
19“For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

and Gal 3:11
"Now that no one is justified by the Law before God is evident; for, "The righteous man shall live by faith,"

Ephesians 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.

Walk, don't run.

I think that "bible'n'me" Protestants cannot fathom how works are meritorious because they think faith originates in them. So, it is ok to be saved by your own faith, but not by your own works. Whereas the holy Catholic Church has always taught that neither your own faith nor your own works are of any eternal value. The problem is squarely rooted in their definition of grace. They see it only as God's favor, and not as a supernatural help which enables us to both have that faith without which we cannot please Him, and to walk in the good works that He has prepared for us to do. And so we see how one error cascades into all sorts of major errors.

The point I was making above was that Paul preached Faith in Christ and his work of redemption as sufficient to receive the righteousness/ sonship of God... and that Paul curses anyone that preaches anything else. Judaisers, which Peter was a encouraging for a while... til Paul showed him his serious error, taught faith ... plus works.
and ...Thats exactly the opposite of what the Bible teaches.
Eph 2:
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Paul clarifies that Salvation is achieved by the free gift of God... not through works... He says that good works are something that God prepared for us to accomplish as a result of Salvation through God's grace to provide his free gift of faith.

Abraham was made a righteous son of God because he believed... plus nothing.
Paul clarifies further in Romans 4:

Then what should we say Abraham, our forefather, obtained by his own efforts? 2 For if Abraham came to be considered righteous by God because of legalistic observances, then he has something to boast about. But this is not how it is before God! 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham put his trust in God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness.”[a] 4 Now the account of someone who is working is credited not on the ground of grace but on the ground of what is owed him. 5 However, in the case of one who is not working but rather is trusting in him who makes ungodly people righteous, his trust is credited to him as righteousness.

God saves us by His grace.

What is grace?

2 Corinthians 12:9
Grace is God's sufficiency

How does grace save us?

Eph 2: 8
For it is by (God's) grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God--

how1
hou/Submit
adverb
1.
in what way or manner; by what means.
"how does it work?"
2.
used to ask about the condition or quality of something.

I am going for definition 1.

How does grace save us? Through faith, which is a gift of God? What is the source of the good works we were created to walk in? Ourselves? Grace? Are they also a gift from God?

Salvation is God's gracious response to humility (our acknowledgement that we are completely at God's mercy). Humility also being a gift from God...

"...if anyone makes the assistance of grace depend on the humility or obedience of man and does not agree that it is a gift of grace itself that we are obedient and humble, he contradicts the Apostle who says,"What have you that you did not receive?" (1 Cor. 4:7), and, "But by the grace of God I am what I am" (1 Cor. 15:10) ... Council of Orange, Canon 6

Abraham humbled himself and instead put his faith in God and it was counted to him as righteousness.

Jesus was full of grace (God's graciousness) John 1:14

Jesus Christ and all that he did/ does ...is God's free gift to those who respond in humble faith.

God's grace is his favorable response to humility.
Matthew 5:5 Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.

Jesus life demonstrated God's grace (kindness, unmerited favor) ... Jesus responded with kindness and God's favor to those who responded to him in humility.

James 4:6-10...
But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:
“God opposes the proud
but shows favor to the humble.
...and...
Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord and he will lift you up (give you more grace)

Good works are not the means of salvation (lest any man should boast Eph 2:9) ... they are part of the result of salvation.

Ec2 wrote:



Paul is talking about works of law not works done under the system of grace. As Pax pointed out Paul said:

"For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." Ephesians 2:10.

Perhaps Etcum, you can take a crack at the question I asked in the "Justification in James 2" thread:

If we are saved by faith alone why is it that our reward of eternal life is contingent upon our good works?

Matthew 25:31-46
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Final Judgment

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,[a] you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

If we are saved by faith alone why are we judged according to our works? why are we judged at all? Why is our entering eternal life contingent upon our good works?


Galatians 6, 7-8:

7 Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. 8 For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life. 9 And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up. 10 So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone, and especially to those who are of the household of faith.

"sowing to the spirit" is a work, doing good is a "work" & as the verse says we will reap eternal life by doing good works.

so again, if we are saved by faith alone why is our "reaping eternal life" contingent upon our good works?

2 Corinthians 5,10:

"For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil."

Once again why are we judged at all if we are already saved by faith alone? Why are we judged according to what we have done?

Revelation 20:12
English Standard Version (ESV)
12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done.

Ec2 wrote:



Emphasis mine.

Ec2 your interpretation here is skewed by your false gospel of faith alone which forces you to understand salvation as being a one time event occurring when one comes to faith in Christ & to see justification & sanctification as being two separate processes.

This gift of God is not “earned by works of our own doing” but rather is received “through faith”. However, notice that salvation has a purpose in this life. We are “created in Christ Jesus for good works…that we should walk in them.” Paul is opposed to certain persons trying to earn salvation through works without faith, but he finds no tension between faith and good works once faith has been established in the Christian. In fact, Paul expects that good works will necessarily grow up as the fruits of faith. Remember that Saint Paul, like the Catholic Church, finds salvation through “faith working through love” and not through “faith alone”.

it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will & to work for his good pleasure" ( Phil 2:13)

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
(Philippians 1:6)

Faith also is a result of salvation. God wills your salvation. Therefore He gives you both the grace and the interior enlightenment to carry out His will: to believe and to act for the good. Without Him we can do nothing to effect salvation.

So, what is grace? Is it just His favor? Or is it a heavenly aid to our salvation?

The clear instruction in Scripture is where I get facts.

Philippians 1:6 points to God's good work, not ours.

Paul, as I indicated above, clearly stated that salvation through works is no gospel at all and anyone that teaches that concept is anathema.

Jesus said clearly/ simply "A good tree cannot bear bad fruit."
Matt 7:18 , Luke 6:43

Adam was in perfect relationship and righteous in God's sight before he sinned... He didnt do a thing to achieve that status. God simply created him in that state of being.
... and all that he did was good. He did not have to "do good works" to win/ gain/ receive God's salvation. ... and there was absolutely nothing he could do that would fix the relationship once he had chosen to break it.
Good works that God gives us to accomplish build relationship with and glorify God... they do not produce salvation.

According to Paul, Abraham had a righteous relationship by faith. He didnt have to do anything to achieve that relationship... and didnt have to do anything to keep it.

So did Paul...
I have died, but Christ lives in me. And I now live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave his life for me. Galatians 2:20

Paul did not have to do anything to be a son of God... righteousness, through his profession of faith in Christ, made him a son.

Paul makes the distinction very clear.
Abraham was justified and righteous in God's eyes by faith... not by anything else that he ever did.

Faith produced righteousness and therefore "all things (that Abraham did) worked together for good".

Psalm 1 says the same thing. A righteous person ... by his nature produces righteous fruit.

Jeremiah tried to stop from doing good and ... and he was miserable...
But if I say, "I will not mention his word or speak anymore in his name," his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.

Paul said the same...
For when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, since I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!

Jonah was compelled to do good as well ... though he resisted with all his strength.

Samson was a perfect example of the words of Scripture ... "To him who is able (Christ in me) to keep us from falling and present us unstained at his glorious throne... "

If God declares a man righteous he cannot be anything else.

Good works are the result of Salvation not the cause. Good works cant reconcile us to God. Once banishment from God, through Adam, is removed through faith then the new creation produces good fruit.


One of the most dramatic examples/ illustrations is the transformation of this man from a raving maniac to a devoted son of God and powerful evangelist in a matter of moments...
The man from Gadera, after he was made clean, was drawn like a magnet to Jesus and gladly did good... Just as Jesus declared ...Out of the abundance of the heart ...the mouth speaks...
"The man from whom the demons had gone begged that he might be with Him; but He sent him away, saying, "Return to your home, and declare how much God has done for you." And he went away, proclaiming throughout the whole city how much Jesus had done for him." Matt 8:28...

This discussion ought to be moved into a different thread.