Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”
It takes a lot of work to believe :
“‘Not everyone who says to me, “Lord, Lord,” shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven’” (Matt. 7:21).
“‘Why do you call me “Lord, Lord,” and not do what I tell you?’” (Luke 6:46).
“For he will render every man according to his works . . .” (Rom. 2:6-8).
“For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified” (Rom. 2:13).
“For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful prospect of judgments . . . (Heb. 10:26-27).
“What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?” (Jas. 2:14).
“So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead” (Jas. 2:17).
“But some one will say, ‘You have faith and I have works.’ Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith. . . .Do you want to be shown, you foolish fellow, that faith apart from works is barren? (Jas. 2:18-20).
“You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas. 2:24).
You cited, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone” (Jas. 2:24).
You cite that passage yet do not comprehend "YOU SEE". James is speaking to and of the way men can see if the faith a man professes is indeed the faith of God's Life in them. But the catholic religion takes that passage and twists it to Nicolaitanize the confused adherents to that religion. And you just follow right along, ignorant of the Word of God. But don't think you are a special religion. Mormons do it too, and probably half of the Prtoestant denominations out of the 35,000.
No it doesn't. It's simple faith.
Abraham believed God and it was credited to him as righteousness, BEFORE he did any works.
It doesn't tell us that the righteousness was credited to him after he did works.
How many Catholic scholars voted AGAINST including James in the bible?