Does Faith Save Without Works ?

An anti-Mormon sectarian on a theology debate on alt.religion.christianity posted:

> Rescuing those ensnared in the lie of Mormonism and it's works-based
> theology:
> (Ephesians 2:8-9) "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and
> that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest
> anyone should boast."

My response:

You are wresting the scriptures from their true meaning. When Paul wrote that we are saved through faith and not of works, he was referring to the atonement of Christ as a necessary means of being saved and not just believing to yourself well I donate to charities and do good deeds so I'm a good person so I don't need Jesus. But just acknowledging Jesus' sacrifice is not enough to save yourself as Billy Graham would have you believe. Once having faith, you need to act according to your faith. You need to be baptized and live a life worth someone who is a true servant of God. After Paul had his first vision when he saw Jesus on the road to Damascus, he was instructed to be baptized by Ananias, a legal administrator (Acts 9:1-8). What would happen if someone confessed he believed in Jesus but then murdered someone ? And then the innocent guy goes to hell because he never believed in Jesus. Is THAT what you believe in ? Amazing. There are different levels of heaven, different bodies of resurrection determined by how we live in this probationary period. Joseph Smith restored this glorious principle of the Gospel.


2 In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.

(John 14:2)

39 All flesh [is] not the same flesh: but [there is] one [kind of] flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, [and] another of birds.
40 [There are] also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial [is] one, and the [glory] of the terrestrial [is] another.
41 [There is] one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for [one] star differeth from [another] star in glory.
42 So also [is] the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption:

(1 Cor 15:39-42)




18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.

(James 2:18-24)

16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.
(Mark 16:16)

5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water, and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
( John 3:5)

37 Now when they heard [this], they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men [and] brethren, what shall we do?
38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
(Acts 2:37-38)


"True Faith" by Orson Pratt (original Mormon Apostle)

14.--When the Apostles were commanded to go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature, they were informed that he who believed the Gospel, and was baptized, should be saved, and he who believed not should be damned. To believe the Gospel, as the Apostles preached it, was not sufficient, but Jesus added the condition of baptism, clearly showing that their faith must be manifested by the works, otherwise it would be of no benefit to them. Jesus very well understood that the works necessary to salvation never would be performed without faith, which always precedes them; and, as this faith was in their power to obtain through the evidence offered by the preaching of his Apostles, he determined to damn every creature in all the world that would not believe the message they taught.
15.--There are some who believe that faith alone, unaccompanied by works, is sufficient for justification, sanctification, and salvation. But what would it benefit a hungry man, in a field, who believes that in the house there is a table spread for him with an abundance of food, if he make no exertion to approach the house and obtain the blessing? What profit would it be to a rich man who has faith in the words of Jesus, concerning the feeding of the hungry and the clothing of the naked, unless he have works [75] corresponding to that faith? What blessing would be obtained by believing the words which Christ has spoken, unless we do them? It is not the person who merely believes in the sayings of Christ, that is justified, but it is he who shows his faith by obeying them. When Jesus speaks of believers, he has reference, most generally, to those whose faith has been sufficiently strong to lead them to obedience. It is to this kind of believers that He refers in the following passages: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my words, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life." "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." "He that believeth on him is not condemned."
16.--Jesus here refers to a class of believers who should fully prove their faith by their obedience. Such, and such alone, should be freed from condemnation--should pass from death unto life--should become the children of God by having a faith that would lead them to obey. All other believers are without justification--without hope--without everlasting life, and will be damned, the same as unbelievers, because they profess to believe on the words of the Son of God, but will not obey them.
17.--Jesus says, "If a man love me he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings." As a man's love is manifested by his works, so is his faith.
18.--John says that, "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ, is born of God." It is evident, from the whole Epistle in which these words are contained, that none were to be considered as really believing that Jesus was the Christ, only those who manifested it by keeping his commandments; for he further says, "Hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know that we are in him." And again, he says, "Every one that doeth righteousness is born of him." "Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God." "He that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him." "Every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." "He that loveth not, knoweth not God; for [76] God is love." "He that dwelleth in love, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because, as he is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear; because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love. We love him, because he first loved us." "This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments; and his commandments are not grievous."
19.--From all these passages it is easy to perceive that salvation depends upon our loving God; and that loving God is the keeping of His commandments; and the keeping of His commandments is the only sure evidence of our really believing that Jesus is the Christ. Let no persons, therefore, flatter or deceive themselves with the idea that they believe from their heart, that Jesus is the Christ, or that they are born of God, or that they have passed from death unto life, or that they love God, unless they are certain that they have kept His commandments and sayings. Millions are deceiving themselves with a false faith and with a false hope -- deluding themselves with the notion that they are born of God, when they have not attended even to the first commandments in relation to their adoption. All such will meet with a bitter disappointment.
20.--The first effect of true faith is a sincere, true, and thorough repentance of all sins; the second effect is an immersion in water, for the remission of sins; the third is the reception of the ordinance of the laying on of the hands for the baptism of the Holy Ghost: these are the first commandments in the Gospel. No man has a saving faith without attending to these three requirements. No person can be a believer in Christ, in the scriptural sense of that term, without complying, in the strictest manner, with these commandments; without receiving these, it will be in vain for him to pray for a forgiveness of sins, or for the baptism of the Spirit, or for salvation: and if he flatters himself that he loves God, or that he can obtain eternal life without obeying these first commandments, he is woefully deceived. Indeed these are the introductory principles, and the only principles by which men and women can be born into the kingdom of Christ, and become his sons and daughters. After attending to these, there are other commandments for them to obey; but if they undertake to obey the others first, they will find their endeavors unacceptable in the sight of God. For instance, God requires His sons and daugh-[77]ters to keep the Sabbath day holy; but no man can keep the Sabbath holy until he has attended to the first three commandments of the Gospel, after which he can keep the Sabbath according to the mind of God, but not before. There are many commandments which none but those who are born of God can keep. And for a man to undertake to keep them before attending to the first three, would be like a child's undertaking to read before it had learned the alphabet.
21.--A faith, then, that brings remission of sins or justification to the sinner, is that which is connected with repentance and baptism. Faith alone will not justify; faith and baptism alone will not justify; but faith, repentance, and baptism will justify and bring remission of sins through the blood of Christ. What does Paul mean when he says, "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ?" He means that faith is the starting point -- the foundation and cause of our repentance and baptism which bring remission or justification; and being the cause which leads to those results, it is not improper to impute justification to faith. What does that Scripture mean which says, "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation?" It means that real faith in the heart is that which leads to obedience; for a man who does not obey, only has a degree of faith, and not living faith in the heart, which in all cases will lead to repentance, confession, baptism, laying on of hands, &c. All will admit that to believe with the heart leads to and includes repentance. Why not also admit that it includes every other commandment of the Gospel? Because believing with the heart in the resurrection of Christ is the moving cause of obedience which brings salvation, it well may be said that salvation is the result of faith.
30.--The only way to receive additional faith and light is to practise according to the light which we have: and if we do this, we have the promise of God that the same shall grow brighter and brighter until the perfect day. Every word of God is light and truth. He that saith, that he is in the light, but obeyeth not the words of truth, is deceiving himself, and is in darkness; for none are the children of faith except such as walk in the light, and obey its laws. How many millions in Christendom profess to be Christians, and say that they are in the light and have been born of God, and yet they have never obeyed even the first principles of the light; they have never repented properly and been immersed in water for the remission of sins by the ministration of one whom God has authorized; and yet they pretend that God for Christ's sake has forgiven their sins. How blindly deceived! and how vain their faith and hope of salvation! God has not forgiven their sins; neither will He forgive them, until they obey the message of the Gospel according to the precise order which He has revealed. Faith is the gift of God, and is one of the means of salvation; but none can have this gift except in the way that God has ordained: and all who pretend to have faith and obey not that form of doctrine which God has revealed will find that their faith is of no effect, and that they will be damned with unbelievers: for God will not confer saving gifts upon the disobedient.