[Jason B]

Originally Posted by RevDWW

No act of obedience is need for salvation, isn't that what you've been touting DA? Just mental ascent and all is well? The only doing needed is to beleive?

You can go on with that but you'd need to disregard Hebrews and James when it comes to true faith. Why is it that each of the hero's of faith in Hebrews seems to mention the actions they took?

Or what of James:

Jas 2:17 Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Jas 2:18 Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.
Jas 2:19 Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
Jas 2:20 But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
Jas 2:21 Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
Jas 2:22 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
Jas 2:23 And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.
Jas 2:24 Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only.
Jas 2:25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot justified by works, when she had received the messengers, and had sent them out another way?
Jas 2:26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

Faith can not live without action.

This doesn't prove the UPC doctrine at all. All James does is affirm that we are justified by faith, NOT by any human achievement or obedience. However, James' point is simply that true faith (aka saving faith) ALWAYS results in action. Saving faith is obedient faith. Saving faith is submissive faith. Saving faith is living faith. A mere mental assent to the facts of the gospel without any further action simply proves dead faith, and thereby an absence of saving faith. James quite specifically disqualifies "easy believism", as does John throughout
1 John.

We are justified (saved) at the point of faith/repentance, but the EVIDENCE of that faith is in our good works(Epehsians 2:10), the first among which should be water baptism so that we can identify with the death burrial and resurrection of Christ.