And is that James speaking or quoting?
What do you think is the difference? James was the brother of Jesus. Do you think he didn't know what Jesus taught and meant in his teachings?
Easy believerism isn't scripture.
Hold faith, do nothing else. No good deeds, nothing.
There's a celebrity sperm donor who made news on the front page of my MSN homepage, which I changed to a different site after that appeared as a story today. He got his girlfriend pregnant and then they broke up. Oh, but he was there through the pregnancy.
How nice.
They picture this guy in the article, he's a rapper. Never heard of him but so what.
There he is looking into the camera while wearing a diamond necklace bearing a diamond encrusted cross.
He simply believes. Meanwhile, he has a child, just one?, out of wedlock. Oh, but he is wearing a cross so he must believe. But what of his deeds and what do those say of him?
If good deeds had not a thing to do with salvation, and to be clear again, that does not mean we work to gain salvation or keep it, there wouldn't be one mention of works, good deeds, as pertains to our salvation in God's words about salvation.
But there are.
Look, I don't intend nor expect to change the mind of the easy believer who objects to the idea of God setting good deeds before us so as to serve his kingdom. Those folk arrive at that idea for whatever reason and they'll answer to God in the end.
My point is to not let that idea go unaddressed when it is not scripture. That's the point.
I've seen some people who claim to be Christian whose behavior and language makes them appear as if they'd dedicated to winning top prize in the ahole of the year contest. Hateful, condescending, mocking, vulgar behavior and language.
And not surprisingly when engaging them in a discussion they say the same thing many we've encountered here do. Works has nothing to do with salvation. Good deeds has nothing to do whatever with our salvation.
They're wrong. And their behavior proves they believe what they say, and yet, they're wrong. Always have been always shall be.
Just as is Lordship Salvation teaching. Always has been wrong, always shall be wrong.
God picked who he'd save before he created the world....Consider Genesis through to the new testament.
What a load of bunk! But people live and die believing Lordship Salvation teaching is of the Lord. And of course, of course! They believe they were one of those God picked to save.
And then they are aghast when the converse is pointed out. That would mean God determined whom he'd send to damnation, hell, before he created anything at all.
Which blows "
whosoever believeth in him", in John 3:16 out of the Bible. Has to, to be true. But it isn't true.
Just as all those scriptures that refer to good deeds, even in Revelation, prove those who teach good deeds have not a thing, nothing, to do with , are not part of, or related to, our salvation, prove easy believerism is wrong and unbiblical.
But to each their own.
You can lead a horse to water but you can't make them drink the living water.