So they say you have faith...

[Brother Adam]

With the work I'm doing over break I've been doing a lot of research into soteriology, especially with the doctrines on faith, grace, works, merit, predestination, and most especially justification. It's gotten to the point that I find "Faith Alone" so odd, its hard to believe any serious scholar can actually 'believe in it'. When we 'have faith', what exactly does that mean to you? Does not faith necessitate by its very nature, work? When we have faith in Christ, does it not necessitate faith in all of His teachings, His life, and His work?

Just pondering out loud.

[Theoketos]

Keep in mind that many consider the imputation of faith the means to avoid it being a work.

[Brother Adam]

[quote name='Theoketos' date='Dec 19 2005, 12:02 PM']Keep in mind that many consider the imputation of faith the means to avoid it being a work.
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Yeah, there is all sorts of wierd things that Reformers attempt. I've read and catalogued about 2 dozen distinct views so far.

[scardella]

Faith is a lot harder to pin down from an experiential standpoint. You cannot point to it like a sacrament. So, it is elusive, perhaps intentionally so from those who are sola fide. However, the sword cuts both ways... it's easy to trick yourself about it, justify yourself, rationalize, but it's also easy to be scrupulous about it. Just adding to the pot.

"Faith without works is dead." - James (somewhere in there).

"Faith without works is like a song you can't sing,
It's about as useless as a screen door on a submarine" - Rich Mullins

[Laudate_Dominum]

[quote name='Brother Adam' date='Dec 19 2005, 09:56 AM']With the work I'm doing over break I've been doing a lot of research into soteriology, especially with the doctrines on faith, grace, works, merit, predestination, and most especially justification. It's gotten to the point that I find "Faith Alone" so odd, its hard to believe any serious scholar can actually 'believe in it'. When we 'have faith', what exactly does that mean to you? Does not faith necessitate by its very nature, work? When we have faith in Christ, does it not necessitate faith in all of His teachings, His life, and His work?

Just pondering out loud.
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If "faith alone" meant I didn't have to go to work anymore, I'd be all about it.

*day dreaming*

[photosynthesis]

a prayer of faith is a work.

[Brother Adam]

[quote name='photosynthesis' date='Dec 20 2005, 11:51 AM']a prayer of faith is a work.
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which is why there are schools of thought that assert the prayer did not save you but is proof of the irresistable grace of God that he thrust in you and thus saved you. The irresistable grace/ double predestination Calvinism denies the freedom of man.

[lifescanticle]

this is a tough topic for me as i have come to realize that i do not truely understand faith on a personal level. i can conceptualize that faith is an acceptance in something that i can not explain by using my powers of reasoning yet i think this is a superficial understanding. do i have faith when i believe the presence of Jesus in the Eucharist? Is there more to it than this, i think so, yet it eludes me.