700,
I think you are grossly confused and have been mislead to carry such distain,prejudice, and arrogance against your brethern.
Satan's children are not my brethern
You need prayer and redirection.
My direction can't come from a better place, and you?
Man is saved not by his "doings"; but by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Salvation is given by the "divine grace of God". The Lord perished on the cross died and resurrected so that mankind could reunite with the Loving and all merciful God.
You better study
Do you know the purpose? Jesus came to unite men; not to divide; or pick and choose. There is no deed, if you spent your entire existence worshiping God 24/7 that would propell you to everlasting life outside the death and resurrection of the Christ. It is only by the merciful Christ that has forgiven all men of their transgressions that all are saved.
Nothing you do, say, or think will change that for mankind. Those of us who are sinners are saved by the blood of Christ have been given that faith from the divine holy spirit that is upon the earth. It is through the good works of man, that God can manifest himself. And that goodness and knowing the truth by faith that unites mankind and prevails.
You better study even more
You can quote all the scriptures to your heart's content, but it won't move you up that ladder any faster, or above anyone else or give you some special "right of passage"...whether gay, divorced, murderer,adulterer, saint, priest, infant, Pope, Osama, thief, indian chief, Mark Foley, sex offender, George W. Bush, Clinton, Bill Gates, Oprah, Nelson Mandela..etc..your on that same step, brother.
You're smart but blind, like many
"Works" Means Obedience
Humans can only be saved by the grace of God, through the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ. There is nothing that we can ever possibly do to save ourselves. We don't have the power to do it, and no amount of "law keeping," or "righteous acts," or "Levitical rituals," or "works" can possibly make God owe it to us. We can't earn salvation. But does that mean that nothing is required of Christians? Can we just sit back and have faith alone and be saved? What does your Bible plainly say about it? What does your Bible plainly warn about it?
"So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead." (James 2:17 RSV)
To A Christian, "Works" Means Obedience To God
From a Christian perspective, "works" means obedience to God - and why would anyone, but Satan, oppose truly obeying God?
Doing good works, obeying God, cannot of itself get anyone saved, but it determines very much who will be saved, and when. Salvation will only be freely given to those who repent and obey God. There will be no more Satans.
Christ's Works As Proof Of The Messiah
"for the works which The Father has granted Me to accomplish, these very works which I am doing, bear Me witness that The Father has sent Me." (John 5:36 RSV)
"Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves. "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I go to the Father." (John 14:10-12 RSV)
Christian Works As Proof Of A Christian
"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing." (John 15:5 RSV)
"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father Who is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16 RSV)
"Now there was at Joppa a disciple named Tabitha, which means Dorcas. She was full of good works and acts of charity." (Acts 9:36 RSV)
"The signs of a true apostle were performed among you in all patience, with signs and wonders and mighty works." (2 Corinthians 12:12 RSV)
"Who is wise and understanding among you? By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom." (James 3:13 RSV)
Faith Alone Is Not Enough
"For He will render to every man according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, He will give eternal life; but for those who are factious and do not obey the truth, but obey wickedness, there will be wrath and fury." (Romans 2:6-8 RSV)
"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. For if we sin deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins , but a fearful prospect of judgment, and a fury of fire which will consume the adversaries." (Hebrews 10:23-27 RSV)
"My Works Will Show You My Faith"
"What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him?"
"If a brother or sister is ill-clad and in lack of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what does it profit? So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead."
"But some one will say, "You have faith and I have works." Show me your faith apart from your works, and I by my works will show you my faith."
"You believe that God is one; you do well. Even the demons believe - and shudder."
"Do you want to be shown, you shallow man, that faith apart from works is barren? Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he offered his son Isaac upon the altar? You see that faith was active along with his works, and faith was completed by works, and the scripture was fulfilled which says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness"; and he was called the friend of God.
"You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone."
"And in the same way was not also Rahab the harlot justified by works when she received the messengers and sent them out another way? For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so faith apart from works is dead." (James 2:14-26 RSV)
