~”Have faith in what...”~
In Christ and His atonement. I thought that went without saying. I forgot that you would be looking for ways to nitpick. My apologies.
~”Oh really?”~
Yes. Do you find joy in serving others? In striving to become a better person? Perhaps not, since works are not required in your framework of beliefs. But I certainly do.
In fact, just a couple of days ago, I went with the missionaries to the home of a young man. He’s Catholic by heritage, but is searching for something more. It was a great joy to express to him my love for the Savior and to help teach him of God’s love for him. I’m very pleased that I had the opportunity.
This evening, another member of my ward (a former Methodist, by the way) dropped by with his pickup to retrieve an extra bed that I had. He was transporting it for a young woman in our ward who has just struck out on her own with very little means and was sleeping on the floor. I found happiness and joy in the ability that I had to help her in this way. Tonight, she will be more comfortable.
My religion teaches me to take advantage of such opportunities. It’s a constant source of joy; and I can feel my relationship with Christ strengthen as I take advantage of them, as well as when I strive to become more honest, more charitable, and more honorable. These things are called “works.” Indeed, I have far, far to go before I am a perfect person; but as long as I am moving forward steadfastly on the path, then the Grace of Christ is sufficient for me. He does not expect perfection. Just our faith, love, and efforts to be obedient.
You, of course, are freed from the shackles of service and goodwill. You don’t need them. God bless you.
As for your tired disparagement of Joseph Smith, I reject it out of hand. Joseph was a prophet of God. He was God’s instrument in the restoration of Christ’s own Church to the earth. Satan, naturally, is displeased, and strives in the hearts of many to tear down the work of Christ. He does so through lies and half-truths, such as those you have listed. It doesn’t matter; Christ’s Church will go forth, unashamed, bold, and ultimately triumphant over evil. God has spoken it.
In the meantime, I would suggest you join the fight of Mormonism against the forces of evil; but I understand that you are reticent to do so. Those would be works, and for you, works are not necessary.
"You, of course, are freed from the shackles of service and goodwill. You don’t need them. ... I would suggest you join the fight of Mormonism against the forces of evil; but I understand that you are reticent to do so. Those would be works, and for you, works are not necessary." tantiboh
First and foremost, why would you make such a specious assertion?... Because you are confused regarding 'works of righteousness'. Freed from good works? Hardly! And good works are not some form of shackles, especially since doing for others brings such a sense of joy at being useful for the benefit of others! [It is one of the evidences of His Spirit indwelling because it is an outward manifestation of what He taught, that the first shall be last, to be head of be servant to, etc.] But you're right, I don't need them to be worthy of His Grace because I could never be worthy of such a gift ... you see, 'being worthy' is another way, the Mormon way of saying 'earn' without using the specific word. Yet for the past thirty years such works have 'squeezed out' to the glory of His presence, not my worthiness.
Had the thief on the cross lived longer I have zero doubt that his life would have evidenced many 'works', wrought not by the old man dead spirit energy which directed his life prior to trusting Jesus, but wrought by the indwelling presence of God's Spirit within his once dead human spirit. That is what the New testament teaching for 'works of righteousness which he has ordained for us to walk in' means. In that sense, James nailed it: if you claim to have The Spirit in your human spirit, but you have no works wrought by His presence, your claim is dead.
[Here's an aside: If a Christian or a seeker of the Lord has ever been with a 'set-apart-one' (a saint in Paul's teaching) who has suffered a tremendous loss, such as the death of a child, a glow of spiritual origin is discernable. It's not like shining a flashlight on their face or down on the top of their head, but it is a spiritual glow. The Christian's spirit discerns the out-shining of Peace that passeth all understanding, as that Saint went through the suffering without losing a grasp of God's love for him or her during that loss. That glow of His presence within is noticeable to those born again because there is a spiritual 'resonance' which happens in the presence of one being sustained by His Peace within. That resonance at a spiritual level is the result of His Presence within the sufferer AND the flow of love from the observant Christian toward the sufferer!]
The fundamental problem with Mormon explanation attached to James's passage regarding works and faith is that Mormons see a striving to become worthy of the gift of Grace in Christ Jesus, and you evidence this with your citation of the 'good works' which you do ... daily one would presume else you would not feel worthy.
If the exercise were to compare works in order to find credulity for a belief system, the works of Buddhists and Baha'is are equal to or greater than the works of Mormons. These works are not evidence of the indwelling Spirit of God but they can be painted as being such and are by the post modernists who wish to obfuscate the real lesson in the tension between James and Paul. James said show me your 'faithe' by your works else you are not exercising faithe in Jesus because His life is not coming out through you. Oh, to be sure, you can imitate that evidence, as Jesus taught with the story of the good Samaritan. And that story too is misused by post modernists, to try and show that even the rejected are acceptable to God if they do good things. The story was given to illustrate that the state of the world was 'lostness' and that even the Samaritan could appear better than the Rabbi, if measurement is solely done on the 'works of goodness'.
The Bible teaches clearly that God puts His LIFE in the regenerate man/woman/girl/boy, as the earnest of the fuller inheritance to come as illustrated by and through the resurrection of Jesus, the first fruits of a new and radical LIFE of physicality AND soulishness that cannot be corrupted. Jesus taught that some will come to Him in the where/when and claim they too are righteous because of the marvelous works they have done (even healings, and demons cast out in His name, etc). Because they have not the Son in their human spirit, He says to them 'depart from me, I never knew you.' Such folks would have lived their earthly lives believing they had a right to His righteousness 'after all that they had done.' But just as the natural body derives its energy for life from the processes begun at the 'big bang', the spiritual derives its energy from the Son who dwells within and cannot be manufacture by 'all that you can do.'