[Hank Kerchief]

You quoted me paritally thus: "...The use of the work "act" with regard to any mental or intellectual process, such as choosing, is purely metaphorical. .. The Bible clearly distinguishes between "works" which are always overt physical actions, and faith, choice, and the heart, etc. which are all mental or intellectual processes. You have simply confused metaphors with the material entitieis they are based on."

Then you said, "So I guess God was wrong when he equated the lust of a married man for a woman not his wife as 'the actual act of adultry'"?

But Jesus was very careful not to make the confusion you accuse him of. He does not say that looking upon a woman to lust after her is the equivalent of committing adultery (that is, actually having sex), but of being guilty of it in his heart (a mental or intellectual condition). Here's the quote:

Mat. 5:28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

But all this does not matter, since the question is, does the Bible ever call anything a work, in the sense of "good works" done to earn salvation except, actual physical works or actions? The answer is, it does not.

Hank

[Matchett-PI]

"But Jesus ... does not say that looking upon a woman to lust after her is the equivalent of committing adultery (that is, actually having sex), but of being guilty of it in his heart (a mental or intellectual condition). Here's the quote: Mat. 5:28 "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

So the act of choosing to hate one's fellow man and God will be no biggie in the day when God says he will JUDGE the secrets of men's hearts?[Romans 2:16; Matt.5:21]