Picked up to read recently a book by John MacArthur with the above title. Here are excerpts:
- that there is no justification without regeneration. Jesus said, "You must be born again." (John 3:7)
- that faith without works is a dead faith, that that no one will ever be saved by a dead faith. James said, "Faith without deeds is useless." (James 2:20*)
- that the mark of true justification is a perseverance in righteousness---to the very end. Jesus told His disciples, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." (Matt.10:22)
- that faith in a Jesus who is Savior but not Lord is faith in a Jesus of one's own devising. The Jesus who saves is the Lord -- there is no other -- and it was He who said, "Why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46)
- that if one wants to serve Christ, "he must deny himself, take up his cross daily and follow me (Him)." (Luke 9:23)
- that "without holiness, no one will see the Lord." (Heb 12:14)
*NOTE: One of the books Martin Luther wanted to exclude from canon was the Book of James. He detested this letter (Book of James) and called it "the epistle of straw," failing to recognize that James' teaching on works complemented-not contradicted-Paul's teaching on faith. While Pauline teachings concentrate on our justification with God, James' teachings concentrate on the works that exemplify that justification. James was writing to Jews to encourage them to continue growing in this new Christian faith. James emphasizes that good actions will naturally flow from those who are filled with the Spirit and questions whether someone may or may not have a saving faith if the fruits of the Spirit cannot be seen, much as Paul describes in Galatians 5:22-23.