Saved by faith alone; how do you know your faith is saving faith?

[Guojing]

I love this! Notice that the Apostle refers to "loving the brothers." This is a reference specifically to loving brothers and sisters in the faith. I think "brothers" is a term referring to both genders, and not just males, just as "Man" in creation was a neutral, genderless term.

Actually Jews always address fellow Jews as brethren.

So John was referring to Jews loving their fellow Jews, in line with Galatians 2:9.

 

[Valletta]

There was nothing lazy about my research in post #37 and post #44.

Realize that the Catholic Catechism is there to provide as clear a picture of the Catholic faith as possible. The topic of justification and faith and works has been much debated since the reformation, and there are all kinds of different Protestant views and different definitions of what justification means. This makes discussions difficult.

 

[ozso]

How do you tell the difference between the Holy Spirit's witness and one that your own heart creates?

How do you? What's your take on it?

 

[Hazelelponi]

Everyone can see love's works; can everyone see the Holy Spirit's witness without love to show that he is there?

1 John 5:2-3 "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome."



To recap, we know we are saved by the witness of the Holy Spirit which testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God.

And we know we have passed from death to life when we love the brethren.

And we know we love the brethren when we love God and keep His commandments.

Deuteronomy 6:4-6 "Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one. You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart."

Also read Jeremiah 31:31-34

Take heart, our faith rests in Christ alone, not our working, but the working is there because of the love.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

How do you? What's your take on it?

I do not rely on my heart's witness, the holy scriptures and the Catholic Church warn against that.

 

[ozso]

I do not rely on my heart's witness, the holy scriptures and the Catholic Church warn against that.

But how do you tell the difference between your heart's witness and the Holy Spirit's witness?

 

[Clare73]

Tell me what you think, what a video of Benny Hinn's meetings and listen to his teaching and say if it is from God and the product of the Holy Spirit in him.

I don't have to watch it to know that if he is in disagreement with NT teaching, it is not of the Holy Spirit.

That is the first checkpoint.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

But how do you tell the difference between your heart's witness and the Holy Spirit's witness?

I can rely on the message of the gospel, the promises of the Lord, and the sacrament of baptism.

 

[Clare73]

But how do you tell the difference between your heart's witness and the Holy Spirit's witness?

That mighty change of heart and mind (repentance) which is saving faith.

That craving of the spiritual milk of the word of God, as an infant craves milk.

 

[SavedByGrace3]

Some Christians tell me, as a Catholic, that I am not saved because I allegedly believe that I am saved by faith plus works. They are, of course, wrong since I believe no such thing. Nevertheless, I got to wondering if they say ,"we are saved by faith [alone] apart from works", then how do they know that the kind of faith that they have is genuine 24 caret saving faith?

Faith works through love. If you have faith, it will manifest because of its co-fruit love. The two go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other. If you find love is working in your life, that is pretty good evidence. The Greek word for "work" here is "energeo" from which we get "energy" and "energized." I like to think that faith is energized by love.

Galatians 5:6 KJV
6 For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

 

[eleos1954]

The "some" are those whose faith is not genuine, not of the Holy Spirit, and they are not sealed by him.

What constitutes "genuine faith"?

 

[Clare73]

What constitutes "genuine faith"?

It is from the Holy Spirit.

 

[Xeno.of.athens]

It is from the Holy Spirit.

How do you tell if it is from yourself, a buddy, or the Holy Spirit?

 

[eleos1954]

It is from the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit can be grieved and removed ... that don't mean a person didn't have faith.

Faith is believing all of God's promises.

Receiving the Holy Spirit helps us to change our lives to be more Christ like ... but it is to be a cooperative relationship and can be dismissed or ignored at times or completely dismissed and ignored.

If we are progressing overall then we know the Holy Spirit is working within us. Our lives should be trending away from sin not towards it.

Sanctification is from the Lord and is His ongoing of changing our lives over the course of our lives, with our permission/cooperation.

 

[Clare73]

How do you tell if it is from yourself, a buddy, or the Holy Spirit?

You measure the revelation against the word of God written.

 

[fhansen]

Some Christians tell me, as a Catholic, that I am not saved because I allegedly believe that I am saved by faith plus works. They are, of course, wrong since I believe no such thing. Nevertheless, I got to wondering if they say ,"we are saved by faith [alone] apart from works", then how do they know that the kind of faith that they have is genuine 24 caret saving faith?

Well, you know in heaven, of course, when He tells you so!

 

[Clare73]

The Holy Spirit can be grieved and removed ... that don't mean a person didn't have faith.

Faith is believing all of God's promises.

Saving faith is believing in the person (Jn 3:18) and work of Jesus Christ for the remission of one's sin (Eph 2:8-9).

Orthodox Jews who deny Christ believe in "all of God's promises" except Jesus Christ who is the promise (Ge 15:5, seed, Jesus Christ, Gal 3:16).

OT Jews were saved by believing in the promise (Ge 15:5, seed, Jesus Christ, Gal 3:16)
Orthodox Jews are not saved by simply believing God's promises.
They must now believe in the one who is the fulfillment of the promise (Ge 15:5); i.e., Jesus Christ (Gal 3:16).

Receiving the Holy Spirit helps us to change our lives to be more Christ like ... but it is to be a cooperative relationship and can be dismissed or ignored at times or completely dismissed and ignored.

The Holy Spirit is received in one's sovereign (Jn 3:6-8, as unaccountabe as the wind) rebirth (Jn 3:3-5) by the Holy Spirit into eternal life.

If we are progressing overall then we know the Holy Spirit is working within us. Our lives should be trending away from sin not towards it.

Sanctification is from the Lord and is His ongoing of changing our lives over the course of our lives, with our permission/cooperation.