So you define faith "as" works of faith? So faith is not established according to you UNTIL it produces works? You said it yourself. No works of faith, no faith, no salvation. You clearly teach salvation by faith AND works.
Yes.
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
Faith is the substance and the evidence. It is not faith + substance and evidence. The substance and evidence of faith is works of faith. Itis not faith + works of faith.
The carnal mind only see and acknowledges works of faith as physical, and not as spiritual where it begins.
The first works of faith are spiritual in the ongoing warfare against tempting thoughts of the mind, in order to purify and keep pure the heart from lusting after the flesh.
I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
It impossible to have the faith of Jesus and not be doing the spiritual work of Christ within ourselves first.
I have already told you this twice, without response.
We ARE saved by faith - as long as you properly define "Faith".Faith is NOT simply "believing". Faith INCLUDES: Being baptized, eating His body and drinking His blood/partaking the Lord's Supper during Mass, works of mercy and charity, obeying his commandments, doing the will of the Father etc..
His argument about faith being defined as and INCLUDES these works above is just sugar coated double talk and equates to salvation through faith (his version of faith) + works.
True. Without our work of faith to spiritually cleanse ourselves first, then no amount of works, as by law or religious demand can justify us. The Pharisee was not justified, because his cup and platter was still unclean within.
It's not faith + works, but faith with works. It is the same for the trinity: it's not the Father + the Son, but the Father with the Son. Neither the Father is without the Son, nor the Son without the Father, and so it is with faith and works, neither is without the other.
Man can have his own faith without works by His own imagination, but not have the faith of Jesus without the first works of Christ we do within us.
For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus is not warning us to be better at the works of the law outwardly, but to exceed the outward righteousness of the Pharisee by cleansing within our spirit first:
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
OSAS faith alone is vain imagination only, and is not justified, because they neither clean within nor without the cup and platter. They are not as righteous as the Pharisee.
We are made more righteous than the Pharisee by our faithful work in Christ, to cleanse within first and always, even as He is pure in spirit, that we may cleanse our hands and lives of all works of the flesh.
Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.
Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.
I have also spoken of these things before to you, without response.