I believe that as well. And how is this faith manifested? How does God measure faith? For that matter how does God measure sin? Is that not what the purpose of the Law is? The Law does not save but it points out sin. James 2:17 "Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works." James shows the relationship between faith and works, yet people don't want to do works.
Romans 3:31 "Do we then make void the Law through faith? God forbid, yea, we establish the Law." How many here think the Law is void because they have faith?
Those who believe that Faith in Christ is all required for Salvation follow St Paul as that is his major theme in all his writings.
Yet those who believe in WORKS for salvation all rush to one verse in James to claim the same. James required circumcision, Temple sacrifices and following the OT Laws. All of them.
Ephesians 2, St Paul clearly states that: KJ 21:
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath beforehand ordained, that we should walk in them.” and this comes AFTER Salvation.
Why take St Paul’s word over St James?
In ACTS 15: 1And certain men which came down from Judaea taught the brethren, and said, Except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. 2When therefore Paul and Barnabas had no small dissension and disputation with them, they determined that Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them, should go up to Jerusalem unto the apostles and elders about this question.
Galatians: The Council at Jerusalem
…8For the One who was at work in Peter’s apostleship to the circumcised was also at work in my apostleship to the Gentiles. 9And recognizing the grace that I had been given, James, Cephas, and John— those reputed to be pillars— gave me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship, so that we should go to the Gentiles, and they to the circumcised.
Then: Paul’s last journey to Jerusalem: 17 When we arrived, the brothers and sisters in Jerusalem welcomed us warmly.
18 The next day Paul went with us to meet with James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church were present. 19 After greeting them, Paul gave a detailed account of the things God had accomplished among the Gentiles through his ministry.
20 After hearing this, they praised God. And then they said, “You know, dear brother, how many thousands of Jews have also believed, and they all follow the law of Moses very seriously. 21 But the Jewish believers here in Jerusalem have been told that you are teaching all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn their backs on the laws of Moses. They’ve heard that you teach them not to circumcise their children or follow other Jewish customs. 22 What should we do? They will certainly hear that you have come.
23 “Here’s what we want you to do. We have four men here who have completed their vow. 24 Go with them to the Temple and join them in the purification ceremony, paying for them to have their heads ritually shaved. Then everyone will know that the rumors are all false and that you yourself observe the Jewish laws.
25 “As for the Gentile believers, they should do what we already told them in a letter: They should abstain from eating food offered to idols, from consuming blood or the meat of strangled animals, and from sexual immorality.”
So, whom do we Gentile Christians follow? The Apostle to the Gentiles or the Apostles to the Jews who still circumcised and offered sacrifices in the Temple?
Galatians 2: read all of it. More than what I have posted.
Paul Confronts Peter
11 But when Peter came to Antioch, I had to oppose him to his face, for what he did was very wrong. 12 When he first arrived, he ate with the Gentile believers, who were not circumcised. But afterward, when some friends of James came, Peter wouldn’t eat with the Gentiles anymore. He was afraid of criticism from these people who insisted on the necessity of circumcision. 13 As a result, other Jewish believers followed Peter’s hypocrisy, and even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.
14 When I saw that they were not following the truth of the gospel message, I said to Peter in front of all the others, “Since you, a Jew by birth, have discarded the Jewish laws and are living like a Gentile, why are you now trying to make these Gentiles follow the Jewish traditions?
15 “You and I are Jews by birth, not ‘sinners’ like the Gentiles. 16 Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.”[d]