You know MMD
I've gone through this with you before.
You seem to know a lot more about Catholicism that the Catholic Church knows.
You sound partial towards the Catholic church. I grew up in the Roman Catholic church. Most of my family is still Roman Catholic and I've had several discussions with Roman Catholics about what they believe and teach. I also quote what they teach directly from their sources.
Once again:
The catholic church believes WE ARE SAVED BY GRACE THROUGH FAITH.
Ephesians 2:8
What's interesting is when I received Christ through faith several years ago and I called my mother on the phone to tell her the good news. I actually quoted Ephesians 2:8,9 to her and said that we are saved by grace through faith, not work. She replied, "I know that" but as we discussed these two verses further, I could see that she poured a different meaning into what it means to be saved by grace through faith, not works, just like the RCC does. Don't be so naive. With Catholics, it's saved through faith "infused with works" (all the right works and those works become meritorious towards receiving salvation) just not saved by specific works of the law. The problem with their argument of saved by "these" works and just not "those" works is you cannot dissect good works from the MORAL aspect of the law.
James is saying that we are saved by FAITH, but that faith LEADS TO WORKS.
Faith, without works is DEAD. It is of NO VALUE. What good is having faith if I act just like everyone else and do nothing to help my fellow humans? Are we not the hands and feet of God? Or do we expect HIM to come down here and do everything for us?
*In James 2:14, we read of one who
says-claims (key word) he has faith but has
no works (to back up his claim). This is not genuine faith, but a
bare profession of faith. So when James asks, "Can
that faith save him?" He is saying nothing against genuine faith, but only against an
empty profession of faith/dead faith. So James
does not teach that we are saved "by" works. His concern is to
show the reality of the faith professed by the individual (James 2:18) and
demonstrate that the faith
claimed (James 2:14) by the individual is
genuine. Simple!
James is NOT talking about an empty profession of faith. He's talking about faith, as YOU understand it.
No, James is talking about a dead faith. James said
SAYS-CLAIMS to have faith (James 2:14)
not actually has faith.
You state that in James 2:14 the person SAYS = CLAIMS that he has faith.
So when YOU "say" you have faith, you are only claiming to have it?
So what is the correct expression to "say" that I have faith?
Things are becoming sillier and sillier.
James plainly said,
SAYS-CLAIMS to have faith but has
no works in James 2:14. We show our faith by our works (James 2:18). A phrase that James could have coined is, "the absence of evidence (of works) can be construed as evidence of absence" (of faith)
You speak of "rewards". What is the reward? Is it not heaven?
Mathew 25:34-46
In addition to receiving eternal life, believers will receive rewards and loss of rewards based on their works (1 Corinthians 3:13-15). Eternal life/salvation is a gift (Romans 6:23; Ephesians 2:8) and not a reward that we worked for and earned.
Jesus will come to judge all nations. He will put the sheep on His right and the goats on His left.
Mathew 25:33
The sheep are believers and the goats are unbelievers.
To those who did well, He will say to come because they are blessed by the Father and they will inherit the reward, which is heaven
Mathew 25:34
The NASB says inherit the kingdom.
And to those on His left, who did nothing for their brother and thusly also nothing for Jesus, He will tell them to go to eternal punishment.
Mathew 25:46
Descriptive of unbelievers.
We should not downplay works, since Jesus said many times that we are to work here on earth to promote His Kingdom.
John 14:15
John 14:21
John 15:14
"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments".
I don't down play works at all. John clearly explains in 1 John 2:3 - By this we
know that we have come to know Him, (demonstrative evidence)
if we keep His commandments. 4 The one who
says, (sound familiar? says he has faith)
"I have come to know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a
liar, and
the truth is not in him. BTY the Greek word for "keep" is "tereo" which means to guard, observe, watch over, properly maintain, keep intact. It does not mean sinless, perfect obedience to all of His commandments 100% of the time.
Matthew 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Titus 3:8 - This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
We are saved FOR good works, NOT BY good works (Ephesians 2:8-10).
We are exhorted throughout the entire N.T. to keep the commandments. Why give new Christians the idea that it is not necessary to do so? What advantage to the Kingdom of God?
I already explained this above.
So yes, these "fruits" are also the means to our salvation.
That's false and you are sounding more and more like a Catholic.
Romans 11:21-22
"For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will He spare you.
Behold then the kindness and severity of God, to those who fell, severity, but to you God's kindness,
IF YOU CONTINUE in His kindness, otherwise YOU ALSO will be CUT OFF."
NASB
The Jews were in the olive tree to begin with because they were the "natural branches" and not because they were all saved. Because of their unbelief and hard hearts God removed His gracious hand from them as a people overall and broke them off from His goodness (but only for a time after which they will be restored). We Gentiles have now been grafted into God's goodness and are the recipients of His blessings. Paul's warning is that we should not get arrogant because we might lose the goodness and blessings of God just like the Jews lost the goodness and blessings of God -- but this doesn't speak of losing salvation.
Catholics DO NOT believe in sinless perfection as you insinuate.
I never said that Catholics believe in sinless perfection. If they did, then confessing their sins to a priest would be a waste of time.
Also, sacraments do not save, they impart grace.
According to Catholics, the sacraments impart grace and save, which is completely false.
You may agree with this or not, but you should state what the RCC teaches, not what you believe it teaches.
I did state what the RCC teaches. I quoted their teachings directly from Roman Catholic sources and from other Roman Catholics.