Saved by faith alone?

I do not believe anyone can work their way to salvation. Your insistence that I believe otherwise is arrogant.

Works of obedience are not works of merit.
Works of obedience are out of a humble and submissive heart.

I don't know of anyone who believes this. In any case, that would also be a work.
I also don't know where you got "chosen few." I've never said it.

The Holy Spirit will deal with a person who knowingly sins to bring that person back. But being free moral agents, the choice is ours whether to yield to the prompting of the Holy Spirit or not.

Well since your mind is made up. You will see what you want to see. that part is quite clear.

I would warn you against replacing the work of God in baptism with the work of men and water in baptism.

Why did you even respond?
Did you even read what he wrote?

But he is,

James is fighting the thought that you can say you have faith and your a saved no matter what so you can live however you want. A term Jude calls licentiousness.

Thats why James appears to contradict paul. who said we are justified apart from works. because Paul was fighting a legalistic gospel of works..

How can the Spirit prompt if He has left?

Mark 16:16 needs a qualifier in order to be understood?
Come on man! Do you live your life like this?

Obedience is something you must do. That's a work. My salvation is wholly of God. There is no possible arrogance in that.

When do we not willfully sin? Making excuses is a very liberal ideal.

But still, even though you say that "works of obedience" are not required for Salvation, that they are required... but for what? Because it seems as though you are saying that they are required before we obtain Salvation.
Do you not see that this seems to be a distinction without a difference?

Do you not see that this seems to be a distinction without a difference?

Here is the difference.

When God commands something to be done I do not question His will. I simply obey.

If the Bible told me to bathe in banana pudding in order for my sins to be forgiven I would not question His command. I would simply bathe in banana pudding. I would not feel the need to cross reference this command with His other commands. I would just obey.
I would not feel that my bathing in banana pudding was earning the forgiveness of my sins, I would just accept and not question God about His reasoning even if I was confused by the command.

I understand the reasoning of faith alone regeneration theology followers but that is your reasoning. But the Bible gives the reason to be baptized and it is not a sign of the past tense of the remission of sins but the future tense of the remission of sins and the Gift of the Holy Spirit. This is the prima facie of the text.

The flow and form of God's word has always been obey and prosper.

I hope this helps.

Matthew 7:14 "For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

This is why I used the term "chosen few".

There will be few populating heaven compared to the population in hell.

Note: it states "those who find it" not those that God chooses.

There is no qualifier in Mark 16:16 hence the baptism is water. I am not adding to the verse.

There is no qualifier in Eph. 2:8 yet you insist on adding "alone".

Why?

You have no way of knowing there will be comparatively few in heaven. The gate is narrow in that there is only 1 way in...through Jesus. But all who call upon His name will be saved. The way is limited...only through Him. The offer of forgiveness in His name is universal.

So compared to those who are not chosen (like you) which has a larger count? Heaven or Hell?

"You have no way of knowing there will be comparatively few in heaven."

Are you really reading the verse?

Matthew 7:14 "For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few."

The Bible states their are few. Do you just like to argue?

He was speaking to a Jewish audience who thought the way to God was through the law.

How many Jewish followers did Jesus have at the time of His death? How many believers are there today?

The kingdom of God is like the mustard plant. It has the smallest of seeds but grows to be the largest bush. Thusly is the kingdom of God growing. The gate is still narrow in that Jesus alone is the way. But many find it today. There are more Christians today than at anytime in history. That number will only continue to grow.

Incidently, how many people have come into the world? That number isn't anywhere close to a number no man can number.

And yet, you sin everyday...

Paul states in Romans 7 about his flesh...

23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. Sin is in the flesh for a believer. Our inward man is in Christ.
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? Speaking in the present, Paul asks, who shall deliver me from my flesh? Get me out of this flesh!
25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin. One day, the Lord is going to deliver us from the body of this death at the resurrection. But for now, the struggle against the flesh is daily, and often times we find ourselves doing the opposite of what we know we should be doing. That's Romans 7. It's not Paul's former life under the law. And then he goes right into Romans 8 about walking after the flesh vs walking after the Spirit, as a believer.

“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from him, because we keep his commandments and do what pleases him. And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.”
‭‭1 John‬ ‭3‬:‭21‬-‭23‬ ‭ESV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/59/1jn.3.21-23.ESV

Belief is commanded. Belief is obedience.

numbers is old testament under completely different covenant, and all sin can be forgiven, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. john1:9, animal sacrifice isn't needed anymore.