Right Behavior Inherits Eternal Life

My question is: What is "faith"?Is it a vague belief that Jesus was the Son of God and that He died for our sins? Or is it a commitment to the message He brought?As I see it, anybody who truly has faith in the message will live ethically and will do "good works". Anybody who professes a "belief" but doesn't walk the walk does not have true faith.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

That's exactly the kind of empty statement that I'm talking about.I can demonstrate that my car's brakes work by taking you for a ride. I can demonstrate that the sun will rise tomorrow by sitting up all night with you.There is no similar way to demonstrate that Jesus is the Son of God. Regardless of how real it may be to you, to anybody "observing" you, that belief is meaningless. With apologies to Marshall MacCluhan, the medium is the message. It is how we demonstrate the belief that counts, not how loudly or confidently we profess it. On the contrary, we don't judge the message by the messenger. We judge the messenger by the message. If Jesus had said, "This is the greatest commandment - Thou shalt eat thy children," nobody would have given Him a second glance. It is only because He brought a message that "made sense" that He can be taken seriously.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

Of course. That's what we all do.Presumably, you have heard of other religions? Other beliefs? Other methods of salvation? Yet you "judged" that the God of the Bible and Christianity was the "correct" one.Now, did you choose Christianity because some evangelist thumped his Bible and said, "I BE-LIEV-AH!"? Or because you saw the fruits of belief in practising Christians?

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

Another empty statement. Anybody can say that about any "belief". A belief is only real if you live it.Ever hear of the concept of being a Christian witness? You can say what you like, but if people see you selling crack to schoolchildren or beating up gays or stepping over the tramp sleeping on your doorstep... they know what you really are.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

Jesus said:

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Mat 25:40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

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If you step over a tramp in the doorway, you are stepping over Jesus in the doorway. Does that not suggest that your belief in Him is less than sincere?

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

I'm talking about the profession of a belief. If you claim to believe, but there is no outward manifestation of that belief in the Real World, why should anybody believe you are sincere? So, how do you decide in the Real World who is your brother? On the No-tramp-is-my-brother Principle? Or on a tramp-by-tramp basis? Are you going to let the tramp starve to death while you're figuring out whether or not he's your brother?

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Luk 10:33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him,
Luk 10:34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.
Luk 10:35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
Luk 10:36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbor unto him that fell among the thieves?

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Did the Samaritan check for ID before he decided to help? No. He assumed that the man was his brother.When Jesus says to you:

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Mat 25:45 ... Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.
Mat 25:46 And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

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is your best defense going to be, "But, but, but... I didn't think they were my brothers"?

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

Hmm... deja vu. As I have said elsewhere, the "message of salvation" is still individually interpreted by each of us. We have no choice but to "choose our own method of righteousness". Because the behaviour of many professing "Christians" indicates that:

1. Their belief is not genuine, or
2. Their interpretation of the "message" is incorrect.
   

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

That isn't "raising the bar". That's explaining where the bar always was.Jesus wasn't saying that lust has become adultery, that anger has become murder. He wasn't saying that He changed the definitions to put you in peril so that He could save you.He was saying that you can't duck under the bar and claim salvation just because you made it to the other side. He was saying that you have to make the effort to get over the bar.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

Interesting terminology, coming from you. I thought you were pushing the idea that Christianity is a light switch that, once flipped to the "on" position, can never be turned off.Now you seem to be talking about "degrees" of Christianity. To expand on jar's question: How do you recognize a Christian, and how do you tell the difference between an "apprentice Christian" and a "master craftsman Christian"?(By the way, I would hardly think of Paul as a "master craftsman Christian". He was more like the guy who goes to Home Depot to buy a hammer - and asks for the instruction book. )

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

Conversely, if the result does not occur, we know that the if condition was not met - i.e. if a person's behaviour is not right, we know that the person does not really love Jesus.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

Never mind "citizenship". You used the terms "apprentice" and "master". How does that not imply different "levels" of Christian?In real life, a master craftsman can be recognized by the work he does - by deeds. An apprentice can be recognized by the lesser "quality" or sophistication of his work/deeds.Why do you consistently fail to understand your own analogies?

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

I don't know what you're getting at. I didn't use the word "will", so I don't see why I should have to explain it. You said: How about you explain why the timeline is indefinite? How long does it take before a Christian begins obeying Jesus' commands? A day? A week? Can we reasonably expect to see it in our lifetime?

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

We are all well aware of your infatuation with the epistle to the Romans. It's a different topic, but some would say Romans is a cobbled-together mess, full of contradictions - not even the work of a competent amateur.And if we're taking the apprentice/master analogy to its logical conclusion (why don't you ever do that?), then you - the apprentice - ought to be on your way to equalling or surpassing the work of the master - Paul. When can we expect to see your epistle to the Canucks?

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

But you're not "refuting", you're only denying. I'm not saying that someone is not a Christian if it doesn't show. I'm saying we have no way of knowing who is a Christian unless it shows. We can't tell by what they profess. We can only tell by what they do.

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Mat 12:33 Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

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Luk 6:43 For a good tree bringeth not forth corrupt fruit; neither doth a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.
Luk 6:44 For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes.

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And nothing is said about timing. Jesus didn't say, "If a tree brings forth corrupt fruit, just wait a few years and the fruit will be good". He said:

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Mat 7:19 Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Mat 7:20 Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.

"The Spirit" is not a member of this forum. From a member of the forum - and a professing Christian - i would expect a non-frivolous answer. No.

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People who think they have all the answers usually don't understand the questions.