Do you think Faith and Works are the same thing?

I agree and i'm pleasantly surprised you think so too.

Faith and works are separate. However, to have true faith, works need to back up that faith. Ever hear of the idiom, "actions speak louder than words"?

Would you feel loved if your spouse didn't look up when you came into the room to talk to you, and just sat there playing a video game and occasionally said, "um huh" to each of your questions. With no eye contact or without any attentattentivenessu, your spouse would be showing disinterest or not being too geneiugenuinen though the spouse was SAYING things, it would be intereinterpretedss than authentic.

Likewise with God. We can SAY we have faith, but we have to be doers of the word too. There are so many scriptscripturalges in the Bible that point this out, including on in Revelations that specifically says we will be judged according to our works.

I call faith without works 'cheap salvation'. It demeans practically all teachings in the Bible, and it mocks the life and mission of Christ.

So many people have been drawn into this feel good theology, it's really quite sad.

Of course works do not save us, that is illogical. I like the analogy of a mother who buys her son piano lessons. Does the son actually pay back the mother for practice and effort? No. Does the mother even expect payment in return? No. The mother does however expect the son to utilize this great gift, not by hiding his talents in the ground... but by using them!

It simply makes no logical sense to assume 'mere belief' is all that is necessary for salvation. Ironically all of Christianity teachs this but they can't quite seem to 'say it'.

Good faith, begets good works. Good works begets good faith. Then this cycle is repeated over and over and over again.

There is a symbiotic relationship between good faith leading to good works, and good works leading to good faith. This is the way of progress, and it is an upward spiral to Heaven above...

and it is the way to higher and higher levels of consciousness. The highest consciousness is the Christ-Consciousness. And that is the greatest aspiration of any true Christian. And that is the greatest aspiration of any sincere Latter Day Saint.

The way back to Jesus Christ is by listening to what Jesus Christ says, and then doing that, and then doing that more and more and more.

The journey to Jesus is the most important journey a person will ever make.

The highest level of the highest level of consciousness can only be obtained by being married in a Temple of Jesus Christ.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CajagruS0h8&feature...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1__QWbHkLoI

http://mormon.org/ Chat.

God bless.

even for the LDS it is possible to have faith w/o works....

1) our individual sins are forgiven as a result of God's grace.

2) salvation (from death and hell + immortality in the presence of God) is graciously and unconditionally granted to all but sons of perdition

3) an individual's continued growth into God's likeness (sanctification) and exaltation are the synergistic outcome of divine grace and our striving. even "unregenerate" receive a degree of glory passing all earthly understanding for having chosen to come to earth and for deciding not to deny the Holy Spirit.

so to the LDS faith/grace and human agency/actions/works are actually inseparable. scripture does not teach that salvation comes by faith alone....but with dependence on an individual's obedience to the commandments. some scripture - from paul's letters - when taken alone could seem to be teaching that our works do not matter in our salvation.

HOWEVER, these passages are badly misunderstood....and the clarification of other ancient apostles (james and even paul himself) contradict a faith only interpretation. AND most importantly, the Saviour is clear that works are critical to determining who will be able to enter his kingdom and who will not.

" We believe that Faith is such a powerful motivator that good works naturally accompany it."

I've known many people where faith never extended to doing good deeds.

Anyone can have faith, it's "walking the talk" that seems to be lacking in many individuals.

I think works are the evidence of faith. If you haveone, the other follows.

James 2

18 Nevertheless, a certain one will say: “You have faith, and I have works. Show me your faith apart from the works, and I shall show you my faith by my works.” 19 You believe there is one God, do you? You are doing quite well. And yet the demons believe and shudder. 20 But do you care to know, O empty man, that faith apart from works is inactive? 21 Was not Abraham our father declared righteous by works after he had offered up Isaac his son upon the altar? 22 You behold that [his] faith worked along with his works and by [his] works [his] faith was perfected, 23 and the scripture was fulfilled which says: “Abraham put faith in Jehovah, and it was counted to him as righteousness,” and he came to be called “Jehovah’s friend.”

24 YOU see that a man is to be declared righteous by works, and not by faith alone. 25 In the same manner was not also Ra´hab the harlot declared righteous by works, after she had received the messengers hospitably and sent them out by another way? 26 Indeed, as the body without spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.

like phrog said - not the same thing but so intertwined as to be inseparable, and scripture makes it clear BOTH are required.

Hello,

You need both according to Christ, Part of faith in Him is doing good works:

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”

So what do you think? Does He say what I just told you or is He making the biggest error a liar and charlatan can do which is to change His story? What do you say then?

Cheers,

Michael Kelly

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