Yep....reads right over the "and not by works" like it isn't even there.
Yup. But, one verse (taken way out of context) in James is the foundation for misguided doctrine. “Not by works” from the mouth of Christ — God the Son — is trumped by “ The Church.”
Funny, too—Luther gets the bad finger for all of this just because he blew the whistle on selling indulgences to rescue souls from a non-existent place. No where in scripture do I find ANY indication of Purgatory; yet, again, “The Church” trumps God’s Word again and claims—no, exclaims—it’s reality.
I also cannot find any indication that
we are to pray to ANYONE other than God. Yet, the saints, Mary, Joseph, and countless others apparently rate the same worship as God. The whole “adoration” thing doesn’t fly either.
For my soul’s sake, I will always go with God’s Word over man’s falleness.