Hello to you
Major,
You decided to do a study on the topic you posted I believe that is a great. While I agree with you - that faith plus anything else is heresy. It has always been faith that pleases God in which God rewards those who seek him out (Hebrews 11:6).
The thing is that most organization when it comes to Jehovah witness, Mormons, Baptists, all of them believe that Jesus Christ died, was buried and raised again. They simply have their own ways about going to do things when it comes to scripture.
The question I have is not God also calling to all of these people, even muslims, Buddhist? Just think about it for a moment.
Genesis 20:3
3 But God came to Abimelek in a dream one night and said to him, “You are as good as dead because of the woman you have taken; she is a married woman.”
God is capable to commune with people by and through means that we may say he can not. Which is a relief to believe that God by the Spirit is calling to all to come and be able to enjoy freely the waters that he gives, and food that he also gives who are spiritually hungry.
While it comes down to works, yes I agree with you - there is no way to by pass Christ to be made right with God. God also weighs out the measure of a persons heart in how they decide to live in relationship with him - Even Muslims as crazy or out there it may be for anyone to hear.
Even though people harp on works - God created us in his image to work - in which Good works (
https://christianforumsite.com/threads/bible-scripture-studies.61307/post-555261) are performed by and through the spirit of a person who seeks in faith to look towards the things of God, which leads to the believer allowing God to work in and through them in their hearts and mind through the spirit - and the person submitting in the flesh with prayer to God to help them by the spirit.
That is simply my thoughts on the matter, doesn't make it right and some people can go pretty extreme with some of their views, if they are not careful, but does God still love those people? Has their sin been paid for? I would say yes, and each person will receive their reward after leaving this life and going onward to the Heavenly Realms, be it on the outside of the kingdom or on by faith going into the kingdom of Heaven where God resides.