You quote these two scriptures because to you they contradict each other, but they don’t.
Paul said we are saved by faith alone not that of works.
Romans 3:28 Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the law.
James 2:17-18 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Paul is talking about eternal salvation that is by faith alone, and James in talking about Godly works that all believers should have, since that’s the only way others can identify us as believers.
Some cannot seem to differentiate the difference between salvation by faith, and the Godly works the Holy Spirit will lead us to do in our Christian life.
They read the Gospels and the Epistles, and came up with what they believed was the proper teaching. Was their interpretation guided by the Holy Spirit?
That’s certainly a loaded question. Your saying that the Holy Spirit guided them, and if I disagree, and if I’m wrong, I’m taking credit away from God and either saying that it was the work of man, or of Satan, so I’ll stay away from that one.
Because honestly, thats how the "original" Catholics came up with this stuff. They didn't just invent salvation by faith and works for the fun of it, or because they were unholy people bent on deforming scripture.
Tell me something, when your Church fathers read Matthew 23:9 And call no man your father upon the earth: for one is your Father, which is in heaven.
What reason did they use to go ahead and allow the people to call the priest father?
Wouldn’t you have thought someone would have stood up in the back and yelled, But the Bible says were not to call any spiritual man our father?
I would have loved to been there when the decision was made to ignore the scripture. Lol
Can you give me a scenario of how that could have happened under the watchful eye of the Holy Spirit?