Faith & Works - the dividing Christian argument

I think that all Christians believe that you are saved by God's Grace, but does it end there?   Well let's look at the Bible...

Epistle of St Paul to the Ephesians, Chapter 2

8 For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God;  

9 Not of works, that no man may glory.

This seems to clearly state that works are not needed, but let's read on.

10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus in good works, which God hath prepared that we should walk in them.

Now that we read verse 10 with 8 and 9 we see that we are saved by Grace, but we need to cooperate with grace with action - our workmanship.

Your faith is your work - you must be active in accepting God's Grace in order that we should walk "in them".  We must walk with good works - we must do something, we cannot sit back idle.

Gospel According to St Matthew Chapter 7   21 Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven: but he that doth the will of my Father who is in heaven, he shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. We see here that we must take action and do the will of our Father.   This is action, works... Christ's next teaching is longer and just as certain about doing good works (and without good works you are damned)... Gospel According to St Matthew, Chapter 25   31 And when the Son of man shall come in his majesty, and all the angels with him, then shall he sit upon the seat of his majesty.  32 And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:  33 And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.  34 Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  35 For I was hungry, and you gave me to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me to drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in:  36 Naked, and you covered me: sick, and you visited me: I was in prison, and you came to me.  37 Then shall the just answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, and fed thee; thirsty, and gave thee drink?  38 And when did we see thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and covered thee?  39 Or when did we see thee sick or in prison, and came to thee?  40 And the king answering, shall say to them: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it to one of these my least brethren, you did it to me.  41 Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.  42 For I was hungry, and you gave me not to eat: I was thirsty, and you gave me not to drink.  43 I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you covered me not: sick and in prison, and you did not visit me.  44 Then they also shall answer him, saying: Lord, when did we see thee hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to thee?  45 Then he shall answer them, saying: Amen I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me.  46 And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting. I would not want to feel saved and lulled into inaction (and to some sinful action) and lay upon the thought that nothing can take me from Christs hand because I professed faith at some time prior... More to consider: 2nd Epistle of St Paul to the Corinthians, Chapter 5 6 Therefore having always confidence, knowing that, while we are in the body, we are absent from the Lord.  7 (For we walk by faith, and not by sight.)  8 But we are confident, and have a good will to be absent rather from the body, and to be present with the Lord.  9 And therefore we labour, whether absent or present, to please him.  10 For we must all be manifested before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the proper things of the body, according as he hath done, whether it be good or evil. [10] "The proper things of the body": In the particular judgment, immediately after death, the soul is rewarded or punished according to what it has done in the body.