Is obeying Jesus a part of the faith?
I believe it's part of the Christian faith in the New Testament apostolic body of doctrines, yet faith in Christ unto salvation is belief, trust, reliance in Jesus Christ for salvation and obedience which "follows" and is produced "out of" faith (fruit of faith) is "works" and we are saved through faith, not works (Romans 4:5-6; Ephesians 2:8,9; Titus 3:5; 2 Timothy 1:9). You basically teach that faith "is" obedience/works.
Is Jesus warning us of the condemnation of sin in Matthew 5:28-30 a part of the faith?
I would say it is.
Romans 3:23 -
All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but
the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. *NEVER lose sight of that!
So you are saying faith "is" never looking at a woman lustfully and if one has ever looked at a woman with lust is in heart, he does not have faith and won't be saved? How many people can honestly say they have NEVER had a lustful thought? Thank God for the blood of Christ or else NOBODY would be saved! You might as well just say faith "is" never sinning at all and faith "is" works, because that is basically what you are teaching -- "performance based works salvation."
My problem with the Belief Alone-ism camp is that all of them have told me that the words of Jesus in Matthew 5:28-30, Matthew 6:15, Matthew 12:37, Matthew 25:31-46 do not apply.
You seem to be using the words of Jesus here to teach salvation by works and/or sinless perfection. Often we see Jesus' teachings in the 4 gospel accounts in rebuke to the Pharisees and scribes, calling them out on their hypocrisy. You should not read sinless perfection and works salvation into His teachings.
But that does not make any sense because why would Jesus give us new teachings just so that they could quickly be undone after the cross? It makes no sense.
What makes no sense is Jesus going to the cross to save sinless people.
But even Paul and his followers after the cross warned about how sin can destroy our souls. Paul says that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God and he lists various sins as an example (See: Galatians 5:19-21).
Take note that Paul said the
unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God. Those who
practice such things (list of sins in Galatians 5:19-21) will not inherit the kingdom of God. In 1 John 3:9, we read -
No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
So if no works are required as a part of salvation, then one does not have to lift a finger for God. They can go back to their old life and eat the vomit again.
When all else fails play the straw man card.
You obviously need to read the Parable of the Talents again. Matthew 25:21 makes it clear that the one who was faithful over a few things was told to enter the joy of their Lord, and the other who was unprofitable was cast into outer darkness (Matthew 25:30).
I have read the Parable of the Talents numerous times and those who teach salvation by works and eternal IN-security commonly cite this parable as an alleged proof text for their doctrine.
The talents represent monetary value and are distibuted according to ability (Matthew 25:15). The requirement is to invest in Christ.
The first two servants deposited their talents with the bankers (verse 27)
but the third servant buried his talent in the ground (verse 25). The third servant had been given a talent according to his ability and the opportunity to believe and bear fruit in accordance, but chose to reject it.
The fact that the latter man in this parable is called "wicked" and "lazy" and an "unprofitable" servant (Matthew 25:26-30) who is "cast out into outer darkness,"
certainly indicates that he was not a true disciple of the master. The idea of this illustrative parable is that all true believers will produce fruit in varying degress. All genuine believers are fruitful, but not all are equally fruitful (Matthew 13:23).
Those who produce no results at all were not truly converted.
This man's characterization of the master maligns him as "reaping and gathering what he had no right to claim as his own." This wicked so-called servant does not represent a genuine believer. He obviously had no true knowledge of the master.
Two of these servants were children of God, but not the third. Children of God are not cast out into outer darkness. The fact that this man is called a "servant" does not necessarily mean that he was saved.
*The children of Israel were called "servants" but they were not all saved.*
Leviticus 25:55 - For the
children of Israel are servants to Me; they are
My servants whom I brought out of the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.
Isaiah 43:10 - “You are My witnesses,” says the Lord, And
My servant whom I have chosen..