Quote Originally Posted by Saxon View Post
Not of works.
Hi Saxon.

Again--where do you see anyone making the argument salvation is by works? Salvation comes by God's grace--and the Biblical record testifies that God's grace unto life goes to them that obey Him:

Hebrews 5:9---King James Version (KJV)
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;

That is the reality you have not addressed--nor the faith alone seem willing to address. One has to have a way of collating the scriptures--instead of pitting them against one another.

The LDS collate the scriptures of faith and works in this fashion--all acts of obedience to Jesus Christ are integral components to faith in Christ. The faith alone separate the two and place them in separate piles. IOW--a salvation through a faith without works.

They have no way of harmonizing the works scriptures with the faith scriptures--they just pit them against one another--quoting Ephesians2:8 whenever any scriptures are quoted that have God giving His salvational grace to them that obey Him.

Saxon--you can't make your point through that form of exegesis--and render the Bible a very unreliable source of truth in doing so.

IOW--pitting the scriptures against themselves does nothing but show you have no argument that harmonizes the Biblical record.

The LDS use this exegesis in harmonizing the scriptures--whenever you find the term "faith" in the scriptures--all obedience to Christ is an integral component to that term.

For example--whenever the scriptures command repentance and water baptism for God's salvational grace of the remission of sins--then repentance and water baptism is considered integral components to faith in Christ.

We do the same in language usage in our own vernacular, IE--

Term: Car ----- Integral components: engine, transmission, wheels, doors, windows, etc.

Term: House ---- Integral components: foundation, roof, walls, windows, floors, etc.

Term: faith ---- Integral components: belief, obedience to Christ, trust, endurance, repentance, water baptism, etc.

That harmonizes the Biblical record instead of pitting it against itself. And you will have to find a way to harmonize it--or it will remain a record and testimony you pit against it's own self.

Matthew 4:4--King James Version (KJV)
4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.