timdiggerm said:

But I definitely agree, there is no threshold

Great!

(except admittedly we Mormons believe in a few essential ordinances).

Oh uh.... but you said.... that's a contradiction?

Which is why I used the word "except". I am going by the words of Jesus, who said "he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved," and "Except a man be born of water and of the spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Baptism: an essential ordinance, spoken by Jesus, who I think never contradicted Paul, but even if he did, I would trust him over Paul.

Christ is the judge if our actions were pure and motivated by faith. He doesn't have a set scale for everyone. He judges us individually. I also agree that if one is truly converted and has faith in Christ, the good works will follow on their own, and any true disciple shouldn't even have to worry about how much good they are doing. A true convert simply does good for the sake of love and discipleship.

It is helpful, in terms of motivation, to not have works and salvation so tied together.

I don't disagree with you. Whenever I have the opportunity, I try to emphasize grace above works. I think the hangup in the minds of many members of my church is ultimately an overreaction to the extreme rejection of works altogether, as if they didn't matter. They do. I don't believe a simple prayer is enough to truly accept Christ into my heart, nor keep him there. But the truth is I think the Protestant definition is actually closer to the truth than the popular but incorrect mormon view.