Rekna,
Obviously I have read the new testament, so I take your comment rather as an insult.
That aside, SM thoughtfully provided the scripture I was paraphrasing and I stand by it. Your Bible's interpretation aside, I really don't disagree with you when you say that trust/faith in God is what gets salvation, but I can't disagree more when you say that good works are "not necessary".
Still, let me rephrase in an attempt to come to an understanding.
Quote:
Matthew 25:31-46
31 "When the Son of man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, 33 and he will place the sheep at his right hand, but the goats at the left. 34 Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37 Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink? 38 And when did we see thee a stranger and welcome thee, or naked and clothe thee? 39 And when did we see thee sick or in prison and visit thee?' 40 And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.' 41 Then he will say to those at his left hand, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44 Then they also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to thee?' 45 Then he will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.' 46 And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
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In otherwords, a faith that does not result in doing good works is not a faith at all, it is meerly empty words, "Lord, Lord!"
That is not to say that works are the key or the reason for God's grace. We are in complete agreement that God's love and grace are freely given gifts that we only need accept even as we cannot earn them.
Yet I believe in a way they
are are requirement, even as it is written in James.
In a funny way, it's all very Tao
