[Stourme]

[MHGinTN] Asserting that it is irrelevant is precisely how the lies of Mormonism are inveigled...

Blah blah blah When in doubt attack the Mormons. Wow...that's a gospel you can believe in /s

James 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.

James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only When you can finally admit that we have to have works and faith together to be saved, we can continue the conversation.

But the continued misdirection is tiresome...

[MHGinTN]

The last part of Pauls passage to Timothy is 'from such turn away.' I will not agree to heretical assertion regardless of how badly you want me to in order to continue to enjoy your responses. Frankly, you are showing yourself 'not approved' (as in falling short of accuracy) and from such I should turn away, but you are not the only eyes receiving the Gospel of God's Grace through these posts. Compare and contrast is revealing not just the heresies in Mormonism but the Gospel of Grace!

Salvation comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. As someone reads the Truth in scriptures they can 'hear God's Spirit calling them to accept His Grace and be Born Again. When they accept, He is faithful and just to follow through with His promises, even if He has to wait you out for an entire lifetime, trying to turn you away from soemthing displeasing to His presence and into godliness He alone can Author.

Thanks for the opportunity to open the Scriptures and rightly divide them for you and for fellow readers. What I offer to you is generated through the agreement of scriptures, not by special interpretation as in cunningly devised fables such as Joseph Smith and co have offered to you/been teaching you for who knows how long.

[MHGinTN]

"James 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only "_Stourme

BTW, Stourme, there is a way to understand this passage in James as not contradictory to the rest of the scriptures. Would you like to read it? ... Here goes:

Recall the story of Abraham, told by God to take Isaac up on that mountain and sacrifice him on the altar as a burnt offering. Abraham, according to Paul's teaching, was justified by faith, by faithing, doing what he was told to do. And lest you poo poo Paul, remember, he was like a PhD in the rabbinical school of Gamaliel! Paul, or we should say Saul, was very knowledgebale in the scriptures, all the scriptures. When he tells you what was going on with Abraham, you ought to listen to his teaching because he had more than the book knowledge, Paul was guided by God's Holy Spirit within his human spirit, thus directing his soul, his mind, will, and emotions.

Now Abraham's actions, his deed of doing what he was commanded was the exercising of faith in this wise: Abraham had been Promised that through Isaac would his seed be called, that God would multiply Abraham's descendants to more than the visible stars in the clear night sky! so when God told Abraham to go sacrifice Isaac, Abraham exercised his faith that somehow unknown to Abraham God would fulfill His promise and if he had to even raise Isaac from the dead to fulfill the Promises!
Abraham showed with a simple act that he had this kind of faith when he told the two servants along for the trip that 'they' would return to them after the ritual was completed. As int he story of the little boy I offered up thread, faith came first, or simultaneous with doing as he was told. It was Abraham's faith which was counted for him righteousness, according to what Paul taught/what we find in Hebrews chapter eleven.

Now, let's compare that exercising of faith to that of David, who was also justified by faith. When Goliath was threatening the Israelites and they needed someone to fight that giant/monster, David stepped forward fully believing that God would deliver Goliath into David's hand that day. david went down to the rock bed and chose a few stones, and armed with his slingshot, he went out into the field of battle with a giant, heavily armed and armored against attack. David didn't come with heavy armor and sword and shield, just a slingshot, trusting/faithing that God would dleiver Goliath into his hands that day.

David trusting/faithing in God to fulfill His promises to Isarel was what justified David as he acted out his faith.

And here's a final simpel example of how faith and works work: when I enter the dining room to enjoy Thanksgiving meal, I have a chair which I go to and plop my rear upon. I have faith that the chair will do the taks it is designed to do, so I exercise my faith in chairism and sit down without even giving the act much thought!

Now for a thoroughly mixed metaphors which will be surprisingly informative: A Christian allows God's indwelling Spirit to do the 'chairism' to him, faithing (yes, its a verb) that Godliness will be God's doing not my striving, not having a form of chairism but denying the power thereof by not sitting down peacefully to a repast.

[T Minus Four]

When you can finally admit that we have to have works and faith together to be saved, we can continue the conversation.

Well, do you only talk to people who agree with you Stourme? Why are you here then? Go caucus something with Restornu.