That is precisely what James is addressing, actually. James is written to believers,
already saved, who were not living that faith out in the sight of other people. Scripture is clear, we are justified to God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by our works.
We can, but we've been over this, and we obviously do not agree on the actual context and intent of James.
Absurd. I don't have a problem with James at all. James does not teach a works based salvation. There is no contradiction.
And what would that sin that leads to death be, do you think? The willful sin of rejecting Christ, our only hope of salvation, perhaps? Or was Paul writing of physical death here? We need to understand the proper context after all, not all "death" referred to in Scripture is eternal in nature.
I trust Scripture. Even when I am "faithless" (that is, I fail and do not live up to God's righteous standards) He abides faithful and cannot deny Himself. I am sealed by the Holy Spirit until the day of redemption, and He that began this good work in me,
He will bring it to completion.
I trust Him, I rest in Him.
The wages of sin is death.
All sin.
I am aware of Catholic Answers and what the Catholic Church teaches on this subject, thank you.
But yes, he who offends in one, offends in all. Also, as Jesus said, hate is a murder and lust is as adultery.
Yes, exactly. This is why
all sin is mortal.
This is why the only hope we have is in the only One who
has perfectly obeyed God's Law and met His righteous standards.
What does it mean to "continue in faith"? Faith is not self-effort.
I've addressed what the "willful sin" is already, according to Scripture.
Again, what is meant by "trampling the Son of God underfoot"? Or "profaning the blood of the covenant"?
And when you have even one envious thought, even one lazy moment, even one second where you give into worry or despair, even one instance where you put just one small thing above God, if you tell even one lie, if you get angry with someone unjustly even once, or say even one unkind thing, you are equally guilty. That is how serious sin is, that is how deep sin goes, and that is how high God's righteous and holy standard is.
So, who then can be saved? Where is our hope? In ourselves and our "making Him Lord of our lives? In our righteous acts of obedience and submission? No. In Christ alone, the only One who has lived a sinless, blameless life, entirely. The only Way to be saved.
"
Only the sin of rejecting Christ"?
It seems you don't believe that rejecting Christ is all that serious, as though there are more serious sins than that.
Scripture is clear, there is no other sacrifice for sin. If anyone considers the blood of Christ an "unclean thing" and insufficient to cleanse us from sin, than that person remains in their sin and they surely will not be saved.
I would say there is absolutely no more serious sin than that. To reject the only Way, the only Truth, the only Life, Jesus Christ.
Jesus offered Himself for all sin. The Old Testament sacrificial system was a "type and shadow", pointing to Christ.
Paul was absolutely clear about the sin in his flesh in Romans 7. And the point is, you do not need to actually kill someone physically to commit murder in the eyes of God. Jesus is clear, hatred is as murder. Nor do you need to actually have sex with someone outside of marriage, to commit adultery, as Jesus said, lust is as adultery. So who then can claim they are blameless of these sins before God? Apart from Christ,
no one. Sin is deadly serious indeed.
What it says is that only those who do "the will of the Father" will enter the kingdom of heaven. So, what does Jesus say the "will of the Father is?"