[[Takes a lot more than that.]]
How much more? 10% more self-effort? 20% more ‘faith’? 100% more commitment before God deems you worthy enough to accept as His child? (in other words a vow to become perfectly sinless- to turn from all sin before Christ will accept you as His own?)
When you give a gift- do you demand the person vow something first before they receive the gift? Then it’s no longer a gift- it’s an earned reward-
Repentance is a change of mind about Who Christ is and What He came to accomplish- that’s it-
The verses in James you mention are only about losing rewards- not salvation- James isn’t talking about either losing salvation or working up their salvation by doing works in order to be seen as ‘truly saved’- He is simply talking about their faith atrophying- becoming useless-
IF James was advocating that we must work for our salvation- or maintain our salvation or else lose it, or work in order to prove we were ‘truly saved’ in the first place- then it is in direct conflict with Paul’s teachings- ant it directly contradicts the passages where Paul speaks to his BROTHERS and SISTERS who were living in carnal sin
“RESPONSE: The Bible repeatedly refers to salvation as being by grace through faith—apart from works. Paul writes, “We maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law” (Rom. 3:28). He writes to the Galatians, “I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness comes through the Law, then Christ died needlessly” (Gal. 2:21). Elsewhere he writes, “By grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast” (Eph. 2:8-9).”
“Second, James is writing about justification before MEN—not before GOD. James writes, “You see that faith was working with his works…” (Jas. 2:22), and later writes, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas. 2:24). James is emphasizing how believers can recognize someone’s faith (“You see…”). While God knows the heart (1 Chron. 28:9; Ps. 44:21; Jer. 17:9-10; Heb. 4:13), we can’t always see if someone has faith. One of the best ways to ascertain someone’s faith is to look at their deeds, as the rest of the NT authors affirm (Titus 1:16; 3 Jn. 10). Of course, good deeds do not cause someone to be a true believer, but they can show if someone is a true believer.”
Depends on how much evil you’re addicted to and need to turn away from. You can’t earn the grace that eliminates the penalty for those evil works (because only your death can pay that penalty, i.e. until Christ’s innocent death occurred and that can pay the penalty on behalf of all mankind), but turning to the good works and eschewing the evil shows that you even have faith to begin with. The grace can only be given through that faith as Ephesians 2:8 points out.
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.No use in believing that Jesus is the Christ by itself if Satan and his hordes also do, i.e. if it does not change your life. Matthew 25:41 is clear on what the fate of those fallen angels is.