I can close my eyes and hear her say that. Classic.

I may be wrong, but I don't think this one's in there. If it were, then Martin Luther's path to God through through grace alone, faith alone, and scripture alone (sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura), would have been expressly undermined. Oversimplifying the argument for the sake of convenience, Luther taught that nothing we did could bring us closer to God; our fate on Earth and beyond is predestined. The notion of the necessity of coupling faith with good works is a hallmark of Catholic thought, but not necessarily Protestant Christian thought.

Perhaps your mom is thinking about what she learned in the Baltimore Catechism that was taught in Catholic schools for many years and that certainly made a connection between faith and actions. Or perhaps I'm mistaken and someone will point you to the appropriate Biblical citation.

It kind of reminds me of the classic

THE ROAD TO HELL IS PAVED WITH GOOD INTENTIONS

Perhaps this blog link will help.

It's been attributed to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux (1091-1153), as "Hell is full of good intentions or desires."

http://forum.wordreference.com/showthread.php?t=116365

It is one of my favorites too, but I like your mom's version it gets right to the point.

ginseng:

James 2:26: "For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also".

I like Jackbog's mother's down-to-earth translation.

"Imay be wrong, but I don't think this one's in there. If it were, then Martin Luther's path to God through through grace alone, faith alone, and scripture alone (sola gratia, sola fide, sola scriptura), would have been expressly undermined...."

I think Luther's revelation was that salvation is by God's grace alone. Works are not necessary, in fact can be an impediment to people who think they are too good for salvation. Works, i think, are evidence of living faith. It seems to me that Luther got in trouble for critiquing the top brass in the Catholic Church of his day and started to feel like God had abandoned him because everyone else did. The same thing happens in virtually all churches and secualar instituions, too. Kinda the way it always has been for whistle blowers in both secular and non-secular realms. But I think Jesus sets the example that God approves.

p.s.

Here is scriptural support for the foregoing I pulled off the internet.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from youselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " (Eph. 2:8,9). "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from youselves, it is the gift of God--not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do " (Eph. 2:8,9).
'

Radio face Lars Larson like to say "God helps those who helps themselves."

Nope.

That'd be Ben Franklin.

Another illiterate Bible-thumper, me guesses.

So early?

I guess it's Monday.