They didn’t have relationship with Him. Works or even fruit won’t save one.
I never thought they did. You haven’t understood me.
I had to comment coz it seems like I also misunderstood you. If I misunderstood you, then I probably misunderstood "not by works".
Maybe they are not advocating evil, they are just saying that at the end of the day works are not sufficient to save us.
The thing is I didn't hear anyone say that Works do not save us but we should not take advantage of the grace of God and deliberately indulge in evil. They emphasize faith and seem to devalue the importance of fruits or works in the life of the Christian.
I got the impression that they didn't want anything to do with works or fruits.
I believe works or the fruits of the Spirit are as important as our faith in God.