The first reason is the importance of the subject. “Faith and works” addresses the vital matter of how God accepts people. To be wrong on this matter is to be unprepared for eternity. Notice how emphatically Paul speaks about this subject.
Look: I, Paul, say to you that if you accept circumcision, Christ will be of no advantage to you. I testify again to every man who accepts circumcision that he is obligated to keep the whole law. You are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law; you have fallen away from grace (Galatians 5:2-4).
Matters of spiritual life and death stir up emotions—especially when one’s standing with God is called into question. Unfortunately, many people would rather follow their feelings than listen to God’s word (2 Timothy 4:3-4). In this course, we want to hear more of the Master’s voice and less of our own.
A second reason is that people tend to define words as they please. Yes, we are saved by “faith,” but what does that mean? Is faith mental agreement to certain facts? Does it include repentance? Does it include obedience? Needless confusion arises when people use the same words but mean very different things by them. In this course, we seek the Bible’s definitions for its key terms.