Faith and Works

It seems to me that much of the confusion about salvation is muddled by a misunderstanding of the words of St. Paul. We can see in the Bible that whenever St. Paul is talking about how salvation is by faith and that works cannot save, what he is referring to is not the moral law, but rather the law of Moses. One verse in particular makes this totally clear:

Galatians 2 said:

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he ate with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And with him the rest of the Jews acted insincerely, so that even Barnabas was carried away by their insincerity. 14 But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you compel the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15 We ourselves, who are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners, 16 yet who know that a man is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ, and not by works of the law, because by works of the law shall no one be justified.17 But if, in our endeavor to be justified in Christ, we ourselves were found to be sinners, is Christ then an agent of sin? Certainly not! 18 But if I build up again those things which I tore down, then I prove myself a transgressor. 19 For I through the law died to the law, that I might live to God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose.

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Notice what is happening here. St. Peter is eating with Gentiles, and then when the Jews come he leaves. Were the Gentiles sinning? Clearly not, they are just eating. So why does St. Peter go away? Because when the Jews come by he then feels the need to live by the Mosaic law. Ah, this is the point. The problem is not with the moral law, but with the Mosaic law. Justification is not through following the Mosaic law, and this is the emphasis of St. Paul constantly through scripture. And once we realize this, then we can reconcile the words of St. James without any contradiction:

James 2 said:

18 But some one will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. 19 You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe—and shudder.20 Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? 21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? 22 You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, 23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says, “Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness”; and he was called the friend of God. 24 You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. 25 And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way?26 For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead.

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Notice here how St. James is also completely insistent on the necessity of faith for salvation. But notice when talking about works that he is also saying something very different. St. James is not talking about the law. The law was not around yet in the days of Abraham. So how was Abraham saved? He had faith, and he showed his faith through his works, but not works of the Mosaic law, rather works of the moral law. Now the separation is clear, and now we can understand the attitude of this supposedly lax St. Paul who was completely insistent on faith who was also able to say:

1 Corinthians 6 said:

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor robbers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

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Lest you still doubt that this separation between works and the law is real, let's go to that most famous of defenses for sola fide, Romans 3:

Romans 3 said:

For we hold that a man is justified by faith apart from works of law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also

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And look at what immediately follows. St. Paul talks about how God is the God of Jew and Gentile. Why does this matter? Because the law was given only to the Jews, but Christ came to save all. So then, once again, he is referring to the Mosaic law, not moral law. Thus, faith and works are necessary for salvation.

And to quench any doubt, let's look to Romans where St. Paul talks about the salvation of Abraham:

Romans 4 said:

9 Is this blessing pronounced only upon the circumcised, or also upon the uncircumcised? We say that faith was reckoned to Abraham as righteousness.10 How then was it reckoned to him? Was it before or after he had been circumcised? It was not after, but before he was circumcised.

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Once again, look at the context! He is not talking about the moral law, but in this case circumcision. St. Paul is not talking about the moral law. We are all bound by the moral law. What St. Paul is saying is that Abraham was righteous by his faith and not by his circumcision. The circumcised are the Jews, and so once again the point is that salvation cannot come about by following the Mosaic law, but rather than salvation is for us all and cannot be found in the Mosaic law. Our salvation is found through faith in Christ, through whom we performs the works of the moral law, upon which we are all bound.

In faith, as in anything, actions speak louder than words. Your faith saves you, but you can't go around raping and killing and say "but I believe in Jesus, so it's cool..." Your faith is shown by your actions.

From a quick glance at what phattonez is saying I think he's making a good observation. To those interested, here is how the LDS view the Mosaic law: https://www.lds.org/manual/old-test...-the-mosaic-law-a-preparatory-gospel?lang=eng

phattonez said:

It seems to me that much of the confusion about salvation is muddled by a misunderstanding of the words of St. Paul. We can see in the Bible that whenever St. Paul is talking about how salvation is by faith and that works cannot save, what he is referring to is not the moral law, but rather the law of Moses. One verse in particular makes this totally clear:

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Absolutely right, strict Calvinists, who say Things like "sola fide" and "sola gracia" and really take it to the Extreme end up just playing semantics.

They say Things like "ONLY faith in Jesus saves you and ONLY through Gods Grace"

Ok ... does that mean if a rapist and murderer and extortioner will be saved if they have faith in Jesus? Or should they not follow the Christian ethical principles?

"Well, if they truely have faith then the works will come."

At that point the distincion is meaningless ... it's like saying ONLY through brain function does one live ... Yeah but what about the heart ... Yeah but if the brain is functioning the heart will to ... it honestly might as well be vice versa and would not make any difference.

If you want to say only faith saves, but works come With faith ... fine ... if you want to say only works AND faith ... fine ... ultimately what's the difference?

Of coarse People who say works and faith arn't saying the works save you, they are saying the works are evidence of one having faith.

All of this nonsense comes from Christians putting more weight on Creeds and debates during the reformation rather than the actual New testament 1rst Century context.

Craig Evans has a really good book about the difference between "works" as in ritualistic Law ... and "works" as in moral principles, which existed in Christianity, as well as 2rst Century Judaism (working from the dead sea scrolls).

RGacky3 said:

Absolutely right, strict Calvinists, who say Things like "sola fide" and "sola gracia" and really take it to the Extreme end up just playing semantics.

They say Things like "ONLY faith in Jesus saves you and ONLY through Gods Grace"

Ok ... does that mean if a rapist and murderer and extortioner will be saved if they have faith in Jesus? Or should they not follow the Christian ethical principles?

"Well, if they truely have faith then the works will come."

At that point the distincion is meaningless ... it's like saying ONLY through brain function does one live ... Yeah but what about the heart ... Yeah but if the brain is functioning the heart will to ... it honestly might as well be vice versa and would not make any difference.

If you want to say only faith saves, but works come With faith ... fine ... if you want to say only works AND faith ... fine ... ultimately what's the difference?

Of coarse People who say works and faith arn't saying the works save you, they are saying the works are evidence of one having faith.

All of this nonsense comes from Christians putting more weight on Creeds and debates during the reformation rather than the actual New testament 1rst Century context.

Craig Evans has a really good book about the difference between "works" as in ritualistic Law ... and "works" as in moral principles, which existed in Christianity, as well as 2rst Century Judaism (working from the dead sea scrolls).

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It's an important difference, as it is a dogma of the faith that it is possible for one with true faith to fall from a state of grace.

Paleocon said:

It's an important difference, as it is a dogma of the faith that it is possible for one with true faith to fall from a state of grace.

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Once saved always saved is even more ridiculous. If once saved always saved was true, then what is the entire letter to the Galatians about?

phattonez said:

Once saved always saved is even more ridiculous. If once saved always saved was true, then what is the entire letter to the Galatians about?

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Perhaps the author was babbling incoherently. Protestants seem to think the biblical authors did that a lot.

John 3:16.



Salvation is by grace. Works are an evidence of grace.

rocket88 said:

In faith, as in anything, actions speak louder than words. Your faith saves you, but you can't go around raping and killing and say "but I believe in Jesus, so it's cool..." Your faith is shown by your actions.

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Yes actions prove it all--When Jesus taught--ones proof of love for him was by listening to him--I believe that means--learning every truth and applying every truth daily( action)--no matter what.
Like todays world doesn't bother--Jesus taught--Love your enemy--return evil for evil to no one.--vengeance is mine said the Lord. instead even those claiming to be servants of Jesus all have--pre-meditated vengeance thought out per-se. Not many are being taught Jesus' real truths.

phattonez said:

Once saved always saved is even more ridiculous. If once saved always saved was true, then what is the entire letter to the Galatians about?

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teachers of darkness teach--once saved always saved---RUN AWAY.

Here's the lowdown on salvation, faith, and works:

One might sweat out an entire lifetime trying to keep only one of God’s laws, much less all of them. No, keeping the law was not the way to justification.

The law has four main purposes:

1. It shows us the moral character of God
2. It serves as a tutor to lead us to Christ, by defining what sin is.
3. It is a guide for Christian living.
4. Knowing the law can keep us from suffering the adverse consequences of sin.

Initial saving faith is the precursor to works. Abraham was not saved (justified righteous) by performing works, he was performing works of A Godly nature because he first was saved and regenerated by faith. Works of a Godly nature are the result of our regeneration and salvation, not the cause of it. Faith by grace is the antecedent of works. It chronologically occurs first. Once the Holy Spirit indwells a believer at the point of salvation, He starts the process of Progressive Sanctification, and one of the effects of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-7) is that of causing, or compelling a person, by a change of heart and mind and with the believer’s cooperation, to perform works of a Godly nature. James’ argument addresses that time period of a person’s life, following true salvation and regeneration, when good works are supposed to be in evidence. He is saying, “Now that you claim to be saved, we should be seeing some good works out of you. However, if these good works are not apparent, then your initial faith was probably not genuine, and you were never, either in the eyes of God, nor in the eyes of man, justified righteous.”

Another way to illustrate this is to consider the thief on the cross next to Jesus – the one who stated, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Then Jesus responded by saying, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43). It was at this particular moment that the repentant thief received his salvation, and was justified righteous in the eyes of God. This particular moment would also coincide with Genesis 15:6, when Abraham believed God and it was credited (imputed to his account) as righteousness, and would also coincide with what Paul stated in Ephesians 2:8-9. Note that there is no evidence that the thief had performed any good works in his life. To the contrary, his works were more of a criminal nature than a Godly nature. That was the very reason he was being crucified. Even as he initially hung from his cross, he heaped insults on the Lord (Mark 15:32). But then the sky darkened, his pain and suffering magnified, and the words Jesus spoke on the cross hit their appointed target, and the thief had a change of heart and believed on the Lord. At that point, the thief received his salvation and justification.

Now, if by some means the thief could have come down from the cross, prior to death, and continued on with his life, then eventually his saving faith would have produced good works (corresponding to Abraham in Genesis 22 and James chapter 2). There is a progression whereby salvation leads to good works. In the eyes of God, Abraham was genuinely justified righteous in Genesis 15:6. Because his faith was genuine, it produced his works in Genesis 22, whereby he was seen as being justified righteous in the eyes of men. James and Paul, though they approach the issue of justification from two different points in time and two different perspectives (the perspective of God and the perspective of man), nevertheless are in total agreement with each other.

Justification by Faith – How believers are declared righteous by God « The Righter Report

The relationship between faith, works, rewards, and salvation:

I Corinthians 3:11-15:

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

The Full Life Study Bible provides these remarks on the above passage:

"HE WILL SUFFER LOSS: There is a future judgment for believers (I John 4:17) as to the degree of their faithfulness to God and the grace given to them during this life on earth (v.10; 4:2-5; 2 Cor.5:10). In that judgment there is the possibility that a believer, although receiving salvation, may experience great loss (Greek zemloo, meaning 'to suffer loss or damage'). The careless believer is in danger of suffering loss or damage in the following ways: (1) a feeling of shame at Christ's coming (2 Ti. 2:15; 1 John 2:28); (2) loss of his or her life's work for God (vv. 12-15); (3) loss of glory and honor before God (cf. Romans 2:7); (4) loss of opportunity for service and authority in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (5) a low position in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (6) loss of rewards (cf. v. 14-15); and (7) repayment for the wrong done to others (Col. 3:24-25).

AS ONE ESCAPING THROUGH THE FLAMES: 'Escaping through the flames' is probably an expression meaning 'barely saved.' God will evaluate the quality of life, influence, teaching, and work in the church of each person. If his work is judged unworthy, he will lose his (heavenly) reward, yet he himself will be saved." ( Full Life 1755-56)

Godly works do not result in justification, but are directed towards the edification of God, and the welfare and salvation of others, and eventually result in some type of heavenly rewards. For those who may have been saved just prior to death (the thief on the cross), there may not be any works to reward, yet their salvation is yet assured. It is my contention that once a person is regenerated, eventually, if they live long enough, there should be some sort of Godly works in their life (James chapter 2).

Logicman said:

Here's the lowdown on salvation, faith, and works:

One might sweat out an entire lifetime trying to keep only one of God’s laws, much less all of them. No, keeping the law was not the way to justification.

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Two verses in response.

Romans 3:23: All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Matthew 5:48: You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

So yes, all of us have sinned, and none of us can merit eternal salvation by our works alone. Of course not. Through grace, however, we are perfected, and only through perfection are we able to see God and attain the beatific vision. Just answer this: can anything unclean enter God's presence? If you're unsure, look to the Apocalypse:

Revelation 21:27: But nothing unclean shall enter it, nor any one who practices abomination or falsehood, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.

The law has four main purposes:

1. It shows us the moral character of God
2. It serves as a tutor to lead us to Christ, by defining what sin is.
3. It is a guide for Christian living.
4. Knowing the law can keep us from suffering the adverse consequences of sin.

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I have to contest number 4. Knowledge of the law is not enough. We must act in accordance with it, for "the wages of sin are death", and thus if we sin we merit death. Mere knowledge is not enough from suffering the adverse consequences.

Initial saving faith is the precursor to works. Abraham was not saved (justified righteous) by performing works, he was performing works of A Godly nature because he first was saved and regenerated by faith. Works of a Godly nature are the result of our regeneration and salvation, not the cause of it. Faith by grace is the antecedent of works. It chronologically occurs first. Once the Holy Spirit indwells a believer at the point of salvation, He starts the process of Progressive Sanctification, and one of the effects of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5-7) is that of causing, or compelling a person, by a change of heart and mind and with the believer’s cooperation, to perform works of a Godly nature. James’ argument addresses that time period of a person’s life, following true salvation and regeneration, when good works are supposed to be in evidence. He is saying, “Now that you claim to be saved, we should be seeing some good works out of you. However, if these good works are not apparent, then your initial faith was probably not genuine, and you were never, either in the eyes of God, nor in the eyes of man, justified righteous.”

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James 2:17: So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

It's not that the initial faith was ungenuine. No, instead St. James is saying that without works it is dead. Only what is real can die. St. James is not doubting the faith, he is saying that the faith itself is dead, it is worthless. Remember, "even the demons believe - and shudder".

Another way to illustrate this is to consider the thief on the cross next to Jesus – the one who stated, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Then Jesus responded by saying, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:42-43). It was at this particular moment that the repentant thief received his salvation, and was justified righteous in the eyes of God.

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Don't be so hasty. The Greek original did not have punctuations, so it's unclear whether Jesus says something like "today I tell you" or "today you will be in paradise". Once you consider Purgatory, that's a huge difference.

This particular moment would also coincide with Genesis 15:6, when Abraham believed God and it was credited (imputed to his account) as righteousness, and would also coincide with what Paul stated in Ephesians 2:8-9. Note that there is no evidence that the thief had performed any good works in his life. To the contrary, his works were more of a criminal nature than a Godly nature. That was the very reason he was being crucified. Even as he initially hung from his cross, he heaped insults on the Lord (Mark 15:32). But then the sky darkened, his pain and suffering magnified, and the words Jesus spoke on the cross hit their appointed target, and the thief had a change of heart and believed on the Lord. At that point, the thief received his salvation and justification.

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Dismas (the thief) did actually produce works by reprimanding the other crucified man. There are other complications that you must consider that you can read about here:
The Catholic Message Board • View topic - Salvation by faith alone

Logicman said:

Now, if by some means the thief could have come down from the cross, prior to death, and continued on with his life, then eventually his saving faith would have produced good works (corresponding to Abraham in Genesis 22 and James chapter 2). There is a progression whereby salvation leads to good works. In the eyes of God, Abraham was genuinely justified righteous in Genesis 15:6. Because his faith was genuine, it produced his works in Genesis 22, whereby he was seen as being justified righteous in the eyes of men. James and Paul, though they approach the issue of justification from two different points in time and two different perspectives (the perspective of God and the perspective of man), nevertheless are in total agreement with each other.

Justification by Faith – How believers are declared righteous by God « The Righter Report

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James says exactly the opposite: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?"

Logicman said:

The relationship between faith, works, rewards, and salvation:

I Corinthians 3:11-15:

"For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames."

Click to expand...

This is the classic verse to point to for evidence of Purgatory, by the way.

The Full Life Study Bible provides these remarks on the above passage:

"HE WILL SUFFER LOSS: There is a future judgment for believers (I John 4:17) as to the degree of their faithfulness to God and the grace given to them during this life on earth (v.10; 4:2-5; 2 Cor.5:10). In that judgment there is the possibility that a believer, although receiving salvation, may experience great loss (Greek zemloo, meaning 'to suffer loss or damage'). The careless believer is in danger of suffering loss or damage in the following ways: (1) a feeling of shame at Christ's coming (2 Ti. 2:15; 1 John 2:28); (2) loss of his or her life's work for God (vv. 12-15); (3) loss of glory and honor before God (cf. Romans 2:7); (4) loss of opportunity for service and authority in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (5) a low position in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (6) loss of rewards (cf. v. 14-15); and (7) repayment for the wrong done to others (Col. 3:24-25).

AS ONE ESCAPING THROUGH THE FLAMES: 'Escaping through the flames' is probably an expression meaning 'barely saved.' God will evaluate the quality of life, influence, teaching, and work in the church of each person. If his work is judged unworthy, he will lose his (heavenly) reward, yet he himself will be saved." ( Full Life 1755-56)

Godly works do not result in justification, but are directed towards the edification of God, and the welfare and salvation of others, and eventually result in some type of heavenly rewards. For those who may have been saved just prior to death (the thief on the cross), there may not be any works to reward, yet their salvation is yet assured. It is my contention that once a person is regenerated, eventually, if they live long enough, there should be some sort of Godly works in their life (James chapter 2).

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I notice that it goes straight to "as one escaping through the flames" while totally ignoring "he will suffer loss". Tell me, is there loss in Heaven? Can anyone in Hell be saved?

phattonez said:

James 2:17: So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.

It's not that the initial faith was ungenuine. No, instead St. James is saying that without works it is dead. Only what is real can die. St. James is not doubting the faith, he is saying that the faith itself is dead, it is worthless. Remember, "even the demons believe - and shudder".

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No one can be saved on their deathbed? They have to have some works?

phattonez said:

James says exactly the opposite: "Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?"

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Sorry, Abraham was ALREADY DECLARED RIGHTEOUS 7 chapters earlier in Genesis 15:6.

phattonez said:

This is the classic verse to point to for evidence of Purgatory, by the way.

I notice that it goes straight to "as one escaping through the flames" while totally ignoring "he will suffer loss". Tell me, is there loss in Heaven? Can anyone in Hell be saved?

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There's loss of rewards in heaven. That's suffering loss.

There is a future judgment for believers (I John 4:17) as to the degree of their faithfulness to God and the grace given to them during this life on earth (v.10; 4:2-5; 2 Cor.5:10). In that judgment there is the possibility that a believer, although receiving salvation, may experience great loss (Greek zemloo, meaning 'to suffer loss or damage'). The careless believer is in danger of suffering loss or damage in the following ways: (1) a feeling of shame at Christ's coming (2 Ti. 2:15; 1 John 2:28); (2) loss of his or her life's work for God (vv. 12-15); (3) loss of glory and honor before God (cf. Romans 2:7); (4) loss of opportunity for service and authority in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (5) a low position in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (6) loss of rewards (cf. v. 14-15); and (7) repayment for the wrong done to others (Col. 3:24-25).

Paleocon said:

It's an important difference, as it is a dogma of the faith that it is possible for one with true faith to fall from a state of grace.

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Yeah ... so ... the point is for a Calvinist, the difference is only semantic.

Logicman said:

Sorry, Abraham was ALREADY DECLARED RIGHTEOUS 7 chapters earlier in Genesis 15:6.

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So the solution is to ignore the words of St. James that both faith and works were necessary?

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?"

How do you respond to that?

Logicman said:

There's loss of rewards in heaven. That's suffering loss.

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Then there is pain in Heaven? This is Paradise? Revelation disagrees with you: "he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.”

There is a future judgment for believers (I John 4:17) as to the degree of their faithfulness to God and the grace given to them during this life on earth (v.10; 4:2-5; 2 Cor.5:10). In that judgment there is the possibility that a believer, although receiving salvation, may experience great loss (Greek zemloo, meaning 'to suffer loss or damage'). The careless believer is in danger of suffering loss or damage in the following ways: (1) a feeling of shame at Christ's coming (2 Ti. 2:15; 1 John 2:28); (2) loss of his or her life's work for God (vv. 12-15); (3) loss of glory and honor before God (cf. Romans 2:7); (4) loss of opportunity for service and authority in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (5) a low position in heaven (Mt. 25:14-30); (6) loss of rewards (cf. v. 14-15); and (7) repayment for the wrong done to others (Col. 3:24-25).

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And none of that can happen in Heaven, because there is no mourning or pain or tears in Heaven.

Logicman said:

No one can be saved on their deathbed? They have to have some works?

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They can be saved, yes, but will also likely have to spend some time in Purgatory.

Catholic Answers said:

Why would anyone go to purgatory? To be cleansed, for "nothing unclean shall enter [heaven]" (Rev. 21:27). Anyone who has not been completely freed of sin and its effects is, to some extent, "unclean." Through repentance he may have gained the grace needed to be worthy of heaven, which is to say, he has been forgiven and his soul is spiritually alive. But that’s not sufficient for gaining entrance into heaven. He needs to be cleansed completely.

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It is likely that most of us will have to go through Purgatory, some for a longer time than others. We need to be perfect before we can attain the beatific vision, and probably very few of us are perfect when we die.

phattonez said:

So the solution is to ignore the words of St. James that both faith and works were necessary?

"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar?"

How do you respond to that?

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I've already dealt with that in my prior posts.