"For it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do." - Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi 25:23
As Latter-day Saints, we believe that both faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the Savior of the world and works are needed to be saved. (Ephesians 5:5)
Some say that it is by faith that we are saved. Since the real, saving faith that the Savior requires of men naturally leads to good works and a willingness to obey God's commandments, that statement could be viewed as correct. So, possessing that kind of faith causes one to have works as well. Ultimately, the combination of faith and works is what saves the soul. Both components are essential. Let us define each.
Faith
"Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true." - Book of Mormon, Alma 32:21
Faith is to believe in Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Unless a man believes this, he cannot be saved. It is through the Atonement (His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His resurrection) that our salvation is made possible. Christ paid the price for our sins, which is why we can be forgiven and not have to suffer as He did, if we repent. But if we will not repent, then we must suffer even as He did. (D&C 19: 16-19)
Works
"Faith without works is dead, being alone." - James 2: 17-18
I personally do not believe that God would issue commandments and not expect His followers to obey them. They are not suggestions: they are commandments. We must earnestly seek to obey him, therefore. James 4: 17 tells us "Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is a sin. Also, we shall be judged according to what we do. Matthew 16:27 reads, "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works." Without the Atonement, we could not be saved. Without Christ's role in our salvation, we could not be saved.
God is intelligent, in fact omniscient, and He knows what's best for His children. God gives us commandments to help us work toward perfection so that someday we may become like Him. Christ said, "Come follow me" and "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5: 48) I don't think these were hollow suggestions. They were instructions to place the believer on the path to happiness, perfection, and a life with God.
Some would still say that it is not necessary to obey God's commands. James 2: 14-26 is, in my opinion, the best passage to justify the Latter-day Saint concept of faith plus works.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
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I found a Wonderful site on Isaiah!
http://www.isaiahexplained.com/
The site has free lessons on every chapter.
Very well done and in the author’s own voice.
Every Isaiah Chapter has the Analytical Commentary of Isaiah. Enjoy this personable verse-by-verse commentary of Isaiah by well-known Hebrew scholar Avraham Gileadi.
“Dr. Gileadi is the only LDS scholar I know of who is thoroughly competent to teach the words of Isaiah”—Professor Hugh Nibley, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. (1. 6. 2003)
“It is my testimony that this man has been brought forward and trained at this time to help those inside the Church into Isaiah, and those outside the Church, Jew and Gentile, through Isaiah into the Church” —Arthur Henry King, author, former BYU professor and London
Temple President.
“Dr. Gileadi has achieved a major breakthrough in the investigation of a book of such complexity and importance as the Book of Isaiah”—Professor David Noel Freedman, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
“Dr. Gileadi’s work will render obsolete almost all the speculations of Isaiah scholars over the last one hundred years . . . enabling scholarship to proceed along an entirely new line . . . opening new avenues of approach for others to follow”—Professor Roland K. Harrison, Wycliffe College, Toronto, Canada.
“Only one who is truly at home not only with the Hebrew but with the ancient manner of biblical thought could have produced such an insightful and ground-breaking book”—Professor S. Douglas Waterhouse, Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan.
“Avraham Gileadi’s unsealing of the Book of Isaiah will forever change people’s
understanding of Judeo-Christian religion, lifting it to heights hitherto known only to prophets and saints”—Arie Noot, corporate executive, Edmond, Oklahoma.
“Isaiah Decoded is a huge breakthrough for the seeker of truth—Jew, Christian, Moslem, and agnostic. From an ancient writing, Gileadi has brought to light eternal truths about the nature of God and our relationship to him that have lain buried for centuries in the dust of time”—Guy Wins, fifth-generation Jewish diamond dealer from Antwerp, Belgium.
“Gileadi is the only scholar I know who has been able to express the Jewish expectation of the Messiah in relation to the life and mission of Jesus of Nazareth”—Daniel Rona, Israeli tour guide, Jerusalem, Israel.
“Dr. Gileadi has clearly demonstrated his mastery of the Book of Isaiah and of the scholarly literature dealing with it”—Professor Ronald Youngblood, Bethel Theological Seminary, San Diego, California.
“Avraham Gileadi’s books and tapes take the casual observer of Isaiah’s words and transform him into an enlightened and lifelong student of the Word of God”—Allan and Nancy Pratt, LDS mission president, Toulouse, France.
“Dr. Gileadi has awakened a whole new depth of my understanding of Isaiah’s prophetic message. His books and tapes illuminate the urgent relevance of Isaiah’s writings to our own day”—Becky Douglas, supervisor and sponsor of three orphanages in India, Atlanta, Georgia.
“Dr. Gileadi’s translation [of the Book of Isaiah] is clear and smooth, allowing the reader to appreciate the power and beauty of Isaiah as conveyed in the Hebrew original”—Professor Herbert M. Wolf, Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois.
“Gileadi has uncovered an amazing message written in a divine code by the prophet–poet Isaiah. This will give comfort, hope, and joy to masses of people as they cope with the perplexing events now unfolding before their eyes”—Fenton Tobler, thirty years elementary school principle, Las Vegas, Nevada.
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