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St Francis of Assisi, I do believe that Jesus Christ is God, but that is not enough to save my soul, despite what the pontificators of "Sola Fide" maintain. Simon Magus believed for awhile and he became the greatest apostate of all time. He was also baptized and that didn't convert his soul. So much for "Sola Fide" and that guarantee of salvation promised by the sacrament of Baptism, right?There is a whole lot of theology out there that following the trail of this one man has exposed as lacking foundation. I have done this exercise here not for my sake but for yours and others.

There is one thing throughout human history that has saved people without fail and that is the Word of God. Those who had it, believed it, and acted on it are all in a better place now. And if one doesn't have the Word of God, then he doesn't have Jesus Christ either -- period.

Unless one is born again of the Word of God by the God who gave His Word and keeps His Word, he can do all the praying, mouthing religious slogans, and churchgoing he wants, and it will all be vain and futile. They can confess till their tongue falls out and mouth all those bible verses until they choke on them. The Holy Spirit inspired those words of the Scriptures and he will not indwell the heart of anyone who takes them lightly or mocks them or allegorizes them away or interprets them away or changes their meaning when it suits them.

Jesus said that "heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away". His words will live forever. They have eternal life in them. And any heart with those words of his in them will also live forever and have eternal life. The question is: How does one get those words into their heart so that they will live forever. The answer is to value them above all else, above the words of anyone else, above the words of the magisterium, the Holy Father, yes, and even those of St. Francis of Assisi.

guarantee of salvation promised by the sacrament of Baptism, right?

Who promises that? Not the Roman Catholic Church, any more than we say Popes can't err.

If you're really interested in persuading us, perhaps it would help if you learned what we believe. Every time you make some claim about us that isn't true, you forfeit your claim to be taken seriously.

BRAVO!

Jesus Christ is the Word of God. Everything He said;to whom He said it;what He said to whom;where He said it;why He said it to whomsoever He said it; all need to be looked at very carefully.

People who limit the Word of God to what they believe Jesus said when they read and interpret their translation of the Bible miss a whole lot.

""There is one thing throughout human history that has saved people without fail and that is the Word of God. Those who had it, believed it, and acted on it are all in a better place now. And if one doesn't have the Word of God, then he doesn't have Jesus Christ either -- period.""

How were people saved before the Bible?

Love is what saves Dear brother/sister!Unconditional Love and denying oneself to the will of God.

Here is an old post from my dear friend Jo kus that explains things beautifully.

"I believe that all the good deeds that I do are not my own, but are inspired by God working within me to do His will. Nothing that I have is my own, thus, I cannot be accused of works salvation. All that I have from Christ is a gift. My faith AND my good deeds. I love others and Christ not because I am trying to get God to owe me a wage, but because my will is coming into line with God's will. I do not believe that man is saved by HIS OWN goodness, but by God moving within us the desire to be pleasing to God. Our inner motivations are ultimately what is important on whether an action is meritorious or not. If I obey the Decalogue because I expect a payment, or obligate God to grant salvation, or other egotistical manners, I am working and it is worthless in making me righteous in God's eyes. However, if I am humble, and obey the SAME commandments with the inner motivation of love (placed there by God), this same exact deed IS PLEASING TO GOD! I am becoming more like Christ. I am being transformed by the Holy Spirit gradually. Thus, the same action can be worthless OR can be of the highest worth.
Christ died on the Cross to enable me to even have the opportunity to enter heaven. By His action, I have been redeemed (but not saved). I have been bought back at an expensive price. The Paschal Mystery is central to our faith. Without it, we CANNOT see God. But now that sin has been defeated, man has been given a chance to be transformed into the image and likeness that God originally created in Adam - even better. Now, because of Christ, I can love for another's sake, rather than for my own selfish gain. Now, I can have hope that I will come into perfect union with Him. Now, I can have faith which enables me to accept ALL of the teachings revealed by the Son of God.
Christ's death on the cross is not the end of His work. He continues to work through the Church. When a man is baptized, CHRIST comes to that man with His Spirit - WORKING to transform that man, giving Him the graces of faith, hope and love, the life of the Blessed Trinity in a first installment. THIS ALONE proves that Christ's work is not completed. For otherwise, there is no need for Baptism. If Christ's work is done with the Cross, then ALL men are saved, no matter what they do or if they love. This, my brother, is not the Gospel taught in our Scriptures"

Joe, I hope you don,t mind me using this?