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Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, Israel: Yahweh, our God, is one Yahweh.
James 2:19
You believe that God is one, you do right; also the demons believe and tremble.
What does it mean when the Bible says that God is one?
Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, Israel: Yahweh, our God, is one Yahweh.
James 2:19
You believe that God is one, you do right; also the demons believe and tremble.
What does it mean when the Bible says that God is one?
No, that is not what James meant. Good works are worthless. Faith alone helps. Grace is a gift that is not earned but given. Just read the context.The section of St James's epistle in question is talking about the necessity for faith to be accompanied by good works. The verse in question is illustrating how useless faith alone is, by pointing out that even the devils and demons believe in "the one God". So they can be said to have faith, even though they are completely evil!
Do you think that is the meaning? It's too simple. I think it has a deeper meaning.This reference to "the one God" is certainly a recurrent theme in the bible, because the distinctive feature of Judaism and, later, Christianity is monotheism, as opposed to the polytheism of the surrounding cultures of the time. That's all.
No, that is not what James meant. Good works are worthless. Faith alone helps. Grace is a gift that is not earned but given. Just read the context.
Do you think that is the meaning? It's too simple. I think it has a deeper meaning.
So sacrificing your own son is a good work?Was not our father Abraham considered righteous for what he did when he offered his son Isaac on the altar?
The New English Translation has plenty of good footnotes about ways that the text can be translated. In the case of the Deuteronomy verse:Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, Israel: Yahweh, our God, is one Yahweh.
James 2:19
You believe that God is one, you do right; also the demons believe and tremble.
What does it mean when the Bible says that God is one?
Deuteronomy 6:4 tn Heb “the Lord, our God, the Lord, one.”
(1) One option is to translate: “The Lord is our God, the Lord alone” (cf. NAB, NRSV, NLT). This would be an affirmation that the Lord was the sole object of their devotion. This interpretation finds support from the appeals to loyalty that follow (vv. 5, 14).
(2) Another option is to translate: “The Lord is our God, the Lord is unique.” In this case the text would be affirming the people’s allegiance to the Lord, as well as the Lord’s superiority to all other gods. It would also imply that he is the only one worthy of their worship. Support for this view comes from parallel texts such as Deut 7:9 and 10:17, as well as the use of “one” in Song 6:8-9, where the starstruck lover declares that his beloved is unique (literally, “one,” that is, “one of a kind”) when compared to all other women.
The concluding summary of this section is: "As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."So sacrificing your own son is a good work?
James lists the works he is referring to. Among other things, he also mentions the work of Abraham where he sacrificed his son and calls this act a work of faith. You do not understand what James means by works. He does not mean "good works" but works of faith. Any man would say that the work of Abraham was evil and bad, but this was a work of faith because God commanded him to sacrifice his sin, and Abraham showed faithfulness and really wanted to do this."As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead."
And you think that means good works are worthless.
Sounds like you're more moral than the Bible.James lists the works he is referring to. Among other things, he also mentions the work of Abraham where he sacrificed his son and calls this act a work of faith. You do not understand what James means by works. He does not mean "good works" but works of faith. Any man would say that the work of Abraham was evil and bad, but this was a work of faith because God commanded him to sacrifice his sin, and Abraham showed faithfulness and really wanted to do this.
This has nothing to do with "good works".
Abraham's work in killing his own son justified him because he wanted to do it out of loyalty to God.Sounds like you're more moral than the Bible.
This fact doesn't mean that the passage @exchemist quoted didn't assume that Abraham's actions were righteous.
The passage says, explicitly, that faith without deeds is dead. It gives several illustrations of the point, one to do with clothing and feeding those without and one involving a prostitute helping someone, as well as the one you mention.James lists the works he is referring to. Among other things, he also mentions the work of Abraham where he sacrificed his son and calls this act a work of faith. You do not understand what James means by works. He does not mean "good works" but works of faith. Any man would say that the work of Abraham was evil and bad, but this was a work of faith because God commanded him to sacrifice his sin, and Abraham showed faithfulness and really wanted to do this.
This has nothing to do with "good works".
I agree that killing - or attempting to kill - one's own child is an evil act.Abraham's work in killing his own son justified him because he wanted to do it out of loyalty to God.
But to call this a good work is absolutely wrong. It is a work of faith.
Rahab the prostitute lied to her own people and sent them to their death. If this is also a good work for you, then I cannot help you any further.The passage says, explicitly, that faith without deeds is dead. It gives several illustrations of the point, one to do with clothing and feeding those without and one involving a prostitute helping someone, as well as the one you mention.
What? You found hypocrisy in the Bible? Colour me not surprised at all.By the way, wanting to kill your own son is against the law of Moses where it is written: "You shall not kill" What Abraham wanted to do even breaks the Torah.
This is all rather funny. By quoting St James, he has walked slap-bang into the difficulties with the sola fide doctrine that extreme Protestants get so agitated in defending. And now he is trying to say that black is white.Sounds like you're more moral than the Bible.
This fact doesn't mean that the passage @exchemist quoted didn't assume that Abraham's actions were righteous.
As I said, this act justified Abraham because he remained faithful to God.I agree that killing - or attempting to kill - one's own child is an evil act.
But interpreting the intended meaning of that passage isn't about what you or I think; it's about what the author thought. He explicitly calls it "righteous."