Catholic earning salvation

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How do you respond to Protestants who point to CCC paragraphs 2010 and 2027 and say that RC’s believe we can earn our own salvation? Thank you!

Shari Clark
 
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We are saved by grace, not our own works themselves. And we require the grace of God in the first place in order to merit the graces for our salvation, which is why it says we do so when we are “moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity.”
 
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Did the person read 2025 and 2026? That seems to point to the source of that grace. Simple; there are others than can provide more depth.
 
We are saved by grace, and we accept this grace through works.
 
We have been saved by grace, accepted by faith which is also God’s gift.
 
Teachinmine said:
How do you respond to Protestants who point to CCC paragraphs 2010 and 2027 and say that RC’s believe we can earn our own salvation? Thank you!

Shari Clark
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The Trinity gives us the grace but without our willing cooperation it will not be fruitful: neither salvation nor merit (promised as a reward).

Council of Orange II:
CANON 18. That grace is not preceded by merit.

Recompense is due to good works if they are performed; but grace, to which we have no claim, precedes them, to enable them to be done.
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I don’t know of any Catholics who believe we can earn our salvation. The CCC says to the contrary, so why would we think that? Why would a Protestant point to those paragraphs and say that we believe we can earn our salvation? I don’t believe they would.
One time during a Tootsie Roll drive, as a woman was driving away from me in her car, (after donating fifty cents) she sarcastically yelled, “salvation through works, right?” I thought, “what the hell is she talking about?” Then I remembered that some people think Catholics believe they reach heaven by doing good things. It’s another misunderstanding. One of many.
 
Parable of the talents.

We are given talents by God, however the one who buried it (didn’t do good works) was not saved.
 
I think part of this is that Catholics believe Christ actually makes us holy, rather than just standing in our place. In the latter error, since it is essentially Christ being judged in our place, there is no value to our works at all, since that is not what is being judged.

On the other hand, we believe that Christ actually sanctifies us, actually absolves and helps us expiate our sins, and enables us to do good works so that when we are judged, we it is truly we who are being judged. All the descriptions in the Bible of our judgment shows us being judged on our works. But of course, God loves us first, while we are still enemies–the initiative to sanctify us comes from Him, not as a result of our merits.
 
In all honesty, this tactic is a straw man. It’s a confirmation bias. It serves to confirm one’s separation from the beliefs of the Church. It’s grasping at straws to manufacture a point of contention where there is none.

Grace vs works is just an endless circular (and pointless) discussion.
Grace vs works is a distinction without a difference.

When I hear this I usually just say, “well we don’t believe that, so you are not objecting to Catholicism but something else…” and that usually just ends the issue right there since there is nothing to disagree about.
 
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