Paul clearly said saved through faith, not works in Ephesians 2:8,9. It doesn't get any clearer than that. Who said Paul was warning believers in Galatians 5 and 1 Corinthians 6 that their sins can result in them not inheriting the kingdom of God? In 1 Corinthians 6:9, we read - Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? The unrighteousness are not believers. Paul goes on to give a list of sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10 and in Galatians 5:19-21 and in verse 21, Paul goes on to say that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.
In 1 John 3:9, we read - No one who is born of God practices sin..
1 Corinthians 6:11, Paul goes on to say - And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Here we have a CONTRAST between the unrighteous and the righteous and it's not hard to find the unrighteous (who may even look like the righteous) mixed in with the righteous, hence the warning.
Alright Mailman,
Not picking on you...just taking the opportunity to clear up a few misconceptions.
I guess I have to start from the beginning.
What does the word saved mean? A very simple concept / slogan for the ministry.
If you notice Christ does not talk a lot about salvation during His ministry. Because the completeness of salvation was not possible until His sacrificial death.
But people were saved during Christ's ministry. They were saved from hell. Saved is not a ticket to heaven. Saved is not the completeness of salvation. Saved does not mean, have a seat and wait for your reward.
Some people do not consider the importance of the bread and wine ritual. But Christ said that if you do not do it, you will have no life in you and He will not raise you in the end. What would it be like to be saved and have no life in you and not be raised from the grave?
Again, some people do not consider the importance of baptism. Baptism for the remission of sins. Do you know what remission means? Born again, your past sins forgiven and you come out of the water a new person, the old person dead to God. From then on your sins are between you and Christ in the context of being a member of the family of God and your sins are similar to when your son transgress against you. Your son robs a bank and he is going to prison. When he take a 20 from you it is between you and him.
Talents what are they?....the Greek word for works and deeds are the same thing....you have to be careful how they translated them. With a lot of people that believe in the don't doers concept of religion, "I am righteous by what I don't do" all they have to do is sit in a closet and not sin and then just wait to go to heaven. When Christ comes back you might be told He never knew you.
The person that sits in a closet is like the guy that buried his talent. What is it gnashing of teeth. You might want to look at the parable of the Sheep and the Goats and the Good Samaritan, if, if your interested in knowing how Christ looks at the importance of Good Deeds and you might look and see if He thinks it is important to be baptized and partake of the bread and wine ritual. Saved by faith...definitely! But does your Christian walk with Christ end there? Do your rewards end there? Does your duty to Christ and other Christians end there?
Paul and James were not arguing over salvation. James was pointing out that, what service to Christ is salvation if the good boy sit like a bump on log waiting his reward, while others starve and are naked and with no shelter. He has buried his talent and is of no service to Christ. Where do you end up? Well for the most part hell is not a possible destination for those that believe. Christians in hell? God gave His only begotten Son for a plan that would only be marginally successful? Not likely!
And you cannot shatter faith, or saved, or grace, only Satan would hope for such a thing! Salvation is more solid than any rock, the rest is your walk with Christ. Set your course on a life of loving others and doing Good Deeds and you will have Christ by your side smiling. The son that takes up the trade of the father has a closer relationship with his father.