Faith is active and visible, not something that just occures "in your heart".

1. Ahh, the trunk of the tree may require a massive wind to bend, but the branches and leaves move under even the lightest breath of wind. Not necessarily. In the winter most of the trees do not have leaves to be moved. 2. Can the dead build a house? Can the dead do anything at all? NO!! The dead cannot cause anything to happen. Thus "dead faith" is worthless and ineffectual at doing anything. Dead faith is not faith at all, and cannot save anyone or anything. If dead faith is not faith at all then why is it called dead "FAITH"? Dead faith can apply to some aspects and not to others. In the book of James the context is with regards to blessings. It is stated explicitly and I challenge you to show me explicitly where it says faith cannot save you. The inference is based on what is explicitly stated and not the other way around. Your inference draws a conclusion that is nowhere explicitly stated and contradicts that which was explicitly stated. Mine is based on James 1:25 as already pointed out. 3. You Say: 1 Peter 1:9 says that salvation of your soul is the "end of your faith". This presumes that this is a living faith. If this faith were dead, then the end would not be salvation. It would be death. No, it says the salvation of your soul is the END OF YOUR FAITH. It does not address the question whether the faith is alive or not because it can ONLY apply to someone who believes already. It is addressed to someone who already has a "living" (to use your expression) faith because it refers to someone who IS saved. If it was not only faith then saying "the END" would be a contradiction. The end of faith excludes anything else. It does not presume anything like you say because, as I said before, it refers to someone who is saved already. The faith that is referred too in the verse is the correct faith required to be saved. I believe it is only you who are presuming. 4. The answer to the question is obviously, NO. His question tells us the correct answer. The answer is not as obvious as you state or else we would not have this debate. I already addressed this point before and above regarding the context of James. 5. 2 Timothy 1:9 says we were saved according to His purpose and grace. We did not "earn" our salvation by our works. But we did earn Hell by our works. I agree but that is why there is grace. When you believe you do not get what you deserve although your works call for it. That is why faith saves you. 6. Mute people are still able to "speak" through sign language, the lame are still able to move with the help of friends, etc. Nothing prevents people who need God's salvation from doing the things He requires of us if they are willing. Mute people cannot confess in the way it is referred to in the passages you quote. Can I write my confession on paper? Is that the same as speaking? SIGN language after all leans more to writing so it should be acceptable right? And with that we end up with a different type of "confession" altogether. It also does not say anywhere in the Bible that God does not have a wife. I prefer a literal translation because if we go down this road we can believe anything we want. The lame and disabled cannot do the works a "normal" person can do. They will be saved obviously lacking a testimony of good works they performed the same way a "normal" person can do good works. Do you believe the absolute correct mode of baptism is necessary to save you? How can a lame person comply with that? Going in and out of the water by him/her self? That is the only way we read about how it was done in the Bible. 7. While not part of this debate, I will answer this question, because I believe it is relevant to understanding. The point was that even now all people do not get saved by faith or calling on the name of God. You said it was the ONLY way because you said "WHITHOUT (my emphasis) confessing that Jesus is the Son of God we will not be saved". Here you contradict yourself acknowledging salvation without confession in certain circumstances. 8. But you are wrong. There is nowhere that we are told it is a "free" gift. Another contradiction, this time you contradict the Bible. KJV - Romans 5:15 But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 16: And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 18: Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. The verses nullify your whole argument. Not only your contradiction saying "free" gift appears nowhere but also saying we must do some actions in order to be saved. The very definition of the word implies it must be "free" to qualify as a gift. If you can give compensation for it, meaning it is not free, then it is not a gift. "something voluntarily transferred by one person to another without compensation" https://www.merriam-webster.com... 9. I am really getting confused. You state: "James is very clear that we cannot earn our salvation". But in answer to James"s question: What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? You state: "The answer to the question is obviously, NO". If so then you are saying we must do something apart from faith to gain salvation and doing something to get salvation in return IS earning it. 10. I agree that a believer in Christ must live a life based on the principles found in the Bible. James also addressed a point where he says faith is dead without works because saying you believe but living in away that do not resemble that nullifies you TESTIMONY and not your salvation. The Bible also states that it is because of believers that the unbelievers blaspheme. In this respect I agree but saying deeds somehow save us I do not agree. If I can do some work then I earn it. Faith is not the same as a work because it is something that takes place within the heart or mind of a man that no one else can see. I can say I believe but lie. How will you know? I can even say I believe and do good works and still lie. How will you know? To perform some physical work or executing some physical action is the same. Trying to use different words for something that produces the same end result is semantics. I call it semantics because one of the "actions" you try to distinguish from "works" comes from the Law. It was required of Israel to pass under the cloud from which baptism came. Your choice of words does not change this fact. 11. I obeyed what God requires from us in the Scriptures. I believed and still confess Christ as my Savior and was baptized in water. And that is a very short summary. Remember something; the New Covenant was given to Abraham. The Abrahamic covenant is concurrent with the Testament of Jesus Christ. Abraham was justified by faith before there was a law or any action to undergo or keep. There was no circumcision yet but still his faith was accounted to him for righteousness. We are under that covenant. If we earn something we are under the Mosaic covenant and not the Abrahamic covenant.