[wideawake]

Are you saying that living a godly life is the path to salvation?

Salvation is a free gift of Jesus Christ to the persons whom He chooses to save.

The people to whom He has given the grace of understanding have a obligation to Him to live in a godly way.

They do this not because they thereby merit salvation but they do it out of love and gratitude for His self-sacrifice.

[Warren_Piece]

You are the theologian, not me, but "obligation" seems to be a really strong word. It implies Jesus wants us to pay him back for the gift he gave us. I look at it this way (tell me if you think I'm wrong):

Once the gift of salvation is received, the Holy Spirit enters, beginning the process of sanctification. The recipient, because of the Holy Spirit, wants nothing more than to worship Jesus with all his heart. He wishes to use his time, talents, money, his very soul, and offer them as Gifts to the One he adores. He does not do this out of obligation, but out of great, overflowing joy. This is where Christian "works" come from.

The passages from James about faith without works being dead seem (to me) to be saying, "If you aren't so overflowing with joy over what Jesus has done for you that you have no interest in pleasing Him, perhaps you ought to revisit whether you know Him at all.

This is a lay person's interpretation. Thoughts?