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You do not have to do good works in order to come to God and be justified.
My question to you. What do you do with ... See how a person is justified by works and not by faith alone. James 2:24.

I see that this is really a game of semantics then, too. When I hear someone say "you do not have to do good works to come to God and be justified." I think I hear that you believe a person is then not justified by works. What I know you mean is that we are justified by grace but are "sanctified" by our works. You see two distinct points, is this correct?

If you truly believed, as Scripture clearly says, that we are sanctified (made holy) and justified, wholly by grace through faith - apart from our works, before God - then you would have no problem whatsoever with the concept of faith alone.

If you re-read the entire book of James, you will understand that God is not contradicting himself - you miss the context by taking a verse out and letting it alone explain such an important doctrine as salvation by grace through faith.

Here's my point, if you believe you are saved by faith plus something else you do - regardless of what that something else is - then you are NOT placing your trust in Jesus Christ as your savior. You are, in truth, relying on your own merit to earn you eternal life. Until you can discern that distinction, you will never understand what grace truly is. And without that understanding, you will never have the assurance of your salvation that our Heavenly Father desire for us in the here and now. I pray you do.

I see that this is really a game of semantics then, too.

On the contrary. The expression "faith alone" only appears once in the Bible-in James 2:24-where it is rejected. James views intellectual assent as good thing ("you do well," v. 19a), but not as a thing that will save us by itself (vv. 14, 17, 20, 24, 26).

if you believe you are saved by faith plus something else you do - regardless of what that something else is - then you are NOT placing your trust in Jesus Christ as your savior.

Note that you no longer are reading any scripture. You are not because the scripture does not support this false dichotomy. You are instead following a teaching of men -- a logic that is appealing to you, but not the message communicated in the Gospel, which never separates works from faith:

8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God; 9 Not of works, that no man may glory. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them. (Eph. 2)