Originally posted by @rajk999
Every time a post like yours is made Christians feel threatened. The James passage, that religion is not pure unless there is charitable works and keeping away from worldliness, does not conform to their doctrine that faith alone leads to eternal life.

This passage and many like it confirm the truth of eternal life in the Kingdom of God for the Christian ...[text shortened]... card, Whodey is going to claim that nothing else is required, not even living in righteousness.

Why then was the cross necessary?

Why not just tell people to do good works?

Originally posted by @whodey
Why then was the cross necessary?

Why not just tell people to do good works?

I take that you didn't have a point after all then?

Originally posted by @whodey
Why then was the cross necessary?

Why not just tell people to do good works?

I have answered this many times and you ignored the answer. So let me turn the question around and ask you [which I already did but you refused to answer], Is it your position that Jesus died so that you do not have to do any good works?

Originally posted by @rajk999
Every time a post like yours is made Christians feel threatened. The James passage, that religion is not pure unless there is charitable works and keeping away from worldliness, does not conform to their doctrine that faith alone leads to eternal life.

This passage and many like it confirm the truth of eternal life in the Kingdom of God for the Christian ...[text shortened]... card, Whodey is going to claim that nothing else is required, not even living in righteousness.

Your point here is not the point I'm making. I believe the two Christian philosophies exist in parallel; faith is the access to eternal life, and works is the enjoyment of it.

Jesus said
Matthew 26:11 New International Version (NIV)The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

The point being possibly what whodey was driving at (in a hopeless way), that HE (Jesus) is our very great reward. The problem with polarising these truths is that we miss out on both. We cannot earn our salvation but we MUST earn reward in heaven.

I'm getting woolly now so I'll stop.

Originally posted by @divegeester
Your point here is not the point I'm making. I believe the two Christian philosophies exist in parallel; faith is the access to eternal life, and works is the enjoyment of it.

Jesus said
Matthew 26:11 New International Version (NIV)The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

The point being possibly what whodey was d ...[text shortened]... ot earn our salvation but we MUST earn reward in heaven.

I'm getting woolly now so I'll stop.

If what you say is true then the book of James is pointless and so is much of Paul who said that eternal life is only for those who live righteously .. not to mention all the times Jesus said it.

Originally posted by @rajk999
If what you say is true then the book of James is pointless and so is much of Paul who said that eternal life is only for those who live righteously .. not to mention all the times Jesus said it.

Yeah, I'm not buying that mate.

Originally posted by @divegeester
Yeah, I'm not buying that mate.

Ok 🙂

Originally posted by @divegeester
Your point here is not the point I'm making. I believe the two Christian philosophies exist in parallel; faith is the access to eternal life, and works is the enjoyment of it.

Jesus said
Matthew 26:11 New International Version (NIV)The poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me.

The point being possibly what whodey was d ...[text shortened]... ot earn our salvation but we MUST earn reward in heaven.

I'm getting woolly now so I'll stop.

That is pretty close.

The cross is at the heart of our faith. Our faith is in what was accomplished on that cross.

Without the cross and Jesus rising from the dead, the Christian faith is all vanity, as Paul stated.

Now to then say that good works mean nothing is absurd. Christ saves us through faith so that we are transformed to do good works.

The works, though, are not what save us. If it were, the cross is vanity.

Originally posted by @whodey
That is pretty close.

The cross is at the heart of our faith. Our faith is in what was accomplished on that cross.

Without the cross and Jesus rising from the dead, the Christian faith is all vanity, as Paul stated.

Now to then say that good works mean nothing is absurd. Christ saves us through faith so that we are transformed to do good works.

The works, though, are not what save us. If it were, the cross is vanity.

The teachings of Jesus Christ should be at the heart of your faith. Nowhere would you find Jesus speaking of the cross or what was accomplished. So thats the first flaw in your religion.

Next you have half a gospel. You are saved by Christ but you cannot enter the kingdom of God and get eternal life unless you do good works and live righteously. Both are necessary. This is clearly explained by Paul. Saved yes, eternal life only when you live righteously. Thats flaw #2.

Next comes the big lie, that all Christians are transformed to do good works. If the world had 2 billion Christian people doing good works and living righteously the world would be a paradise.

Your church doctrine is false

Originally posted by @rajk999
The teachings of Jesus Christ should be at the heart of your faith. Nowhere would you find Jesus speaking of the cross or what was accomplished. So thats the first flaw in your religion.

Next you have half a gospel. You are saved by Christ but you cannot enter the kingdom of God and get eternal life unless you do good works and live righteously. Both a ...[text shortened]... od works and living righteously the world would be a paradise.

Your church doctrine is false

Ok, how many good works till you are saved?

Originally posted by @whodey
That is pretty close.

The cross is at the heart of our faith. Our faith is in what was accomplished on that cross.

Without the cross and Jesus rising from the dead, the Christian faith is all vanity, as Paul stated.

Now to then say that good works mean nothing is absurd. Christ saves us through faith so that we are transformed to do good works.

The works, though, are not what save us. If it were, the cross is vanity.

If you had actually read my OP you would have seen that I said that this is not about salvation. This is about true religion. True religion starts with James in the OP. Perhaps you don’t like that scripture.

Originally posted by @whodey
Ok, how many good works till you are saved?

The OP is not about salvation, try to get outside of your favourite churchy space old chap.

Originally posted by @whodey
Ok, how many good works till you are saved?

If your heart was truly transformed by the Holy Spirit you would not be asking these dumb questions over and over. In any event James answers your question. Read the opening post.

Originally posted by @rajk999
The teachings of Jesus Christ should be at the heart of your faith. Nowhere would you find Jesus speaking of the cross or what was accomplished. So thats the first flaw in your religion.

Next you have half a gospel. You are saved by Christ but you cannot enter the kingdom of God and get eternal life unless you do good works and live righteously. Both a ...[text shortened]... od works and living righteously the world would be a paradise.

Your church doctrine is false

You assume that everyone who claims the name of Jesus actually is living for the Lord?

Originally posted by @kellyjay
You assume that everyone who claims the name of Jesus actually is living for the Lord?

That is the doctrine preached by your Christian buddies