Catholics are not saved by Works

[mgrfin]

Part 2

The Council of Trent drew up a direct response to the Protestant theory of Justification.

It said that we become just before God, not through a non-imputation of sin, but by an interior renovation of our soul which blots out sin. This is brought about by sanctifying grace, which is explained as a reality poured forth upon us, and inhering in us.

This is the overwhelming teaching of Scripture and of Christian writers from the beginning. There are numerous expressions used in Scripture which show that the state of grace involves a real interior change in the soul. Expressions such as ‘born again’, ‘regeneration’, ‘renovation’ and ‘new creature’. When St. Paul speaks of the ‘new man’ who is ‘created in justice and holiness of truth’, he is alluding to a marvelous change which is produced in us. The early Christian writers compared the water of baptism forming a new creature, bringing a new life to the soul. The Fathers of the Church extolled the glory of the soul which Christ has washed in his Blood. All this in direct contradiction to the awful teaching of Protestantism which would make the soul even of the just man a sinful thing, essentially corrupt and loathsome.

Sanctifying grace is a supernatural quality, a positive quality superadded to the soul. This brings us to the wonderful phrase of St. Peter (2Pet 1:4) who says that we are ‘partakers of the divine nature’. It is not a figure of speech: we are really made partakers of the divine nature. St. Augustine says, “He descended that we might ascend, and whilst retaining his own divine nature, he partook of our human nature, that we, while keeping our own nature, might become partakers of his. “O felix culpa” – Oh happy fault. The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel shows God touching Adam with his finger, and in touching us has transformed us into something like himself. For that purpose, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity became man and gave us ‘power to be made sons of God”.

In Catholicism, we stress the fact, and rejoice in it that grace makes us truly sons of God, and heirs of the kingdom of heaven. Before Christ can sanctify us and make us sons of God, we must ‘receive’ him and believe in his name. St. Paul says that the just man lives by faith, and we are ‘children of God by faith in Christ Jesus’.

The Catholic doctrine is very different from the Protestant Doctrine. Luther held that faith alone brought Justification, to the exclusion of all good works. “Good works’ were impossible, according to his theory of the essential corruption of our nature. And his faith was not so much an intellectual assent to the divinity of Christ and the Redemption, as a personal persuasion that our sins are ‘covered over’ and no longer imputed to us.

We must not be confused by the importance Luther placed on accepting Christ as our redeemer with the vicious character of his theory which leads to the inevitable disregard to the moral law.

No man can have faith in Christ unless the grace of God first draw him. It is for man to accept or to reject this grace. If he accepts it, he is led on to make a true act of faith, that is, he is led by God to believe what has been divinely revealed. With this faith, he is led to hope in God and to love him, and to urn his heart away from sin. Thus, under the influence of actual grace, a soul is prepared for Justification. Hence, it is not a matter of faith only, but of faith which leads to hope and love, and genuine sorrow; yet, faith is the foundation of the whole process. All is now ready for incorporation in Christ, which will bring life to the soul.
peace

 

[guanophore]

I find it interesting that RC’s wish to start a discussion here, with the title, Catholics are not saved by Works and all of you are trying desperately to prove that your good works really ARE necessary for your salvation!

That is not difficult for us. Salvation is by grace through faith. We are saved that we may complete the good deeds that God has prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Catholics just don’t separate these two verses from each other.

When I offer numerous passages that deny any role for our works in making us justified, you attempt to parse words like “works” and “law” in order to find some way to get the apostle Paul to agree with your man-centered “gospel” that has made your salvation into a human-merit process instead of a free gift!

You have clearly misunderstood the postings. Human merit cannot endear one to God. Only merit based on the works of Christ is of any advantage in the kingdom of God.

How is God glorified in any of this?

I do not think that God is at all glorified by your misrepresentation of Catholicism. It may be invincible ignorance on your part ( I hope so), or it may be that you are bearing false witness against your neighbors.

Does that even matter to you?

It is disturbing to me that you persist in your erroneous beliefs, and do not seem to be able to accept correction.

And how does anyone know when they’ve done enough good works to attain salvation? If we can’t know, how do we stop living under fear of hell, and start living by faith in what JESUS HAS DONE?

You keep asking this, after you have been repeatedly told that is is a misconception. I think that you really don’t want to understand Catholic soteriology. You seem more bent on judging Catholics than learning.

 

[mgrfin]

Part 3

It is a fundamental principle of Catholic theology that we can do nothing of ourselves towards salvation, and this is true of the growth in grace. We can correspond with grace; and by corresponding with grace we can increase the supernatural life which we already possess.
It is clear this is clear from the teaching of the NT.

Peter says (2Pet 3: 18) “Grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”. Protestant Justification does not allow growth: our sins are either imputed to us or they are not. St. Peter’s passage and similar others are meaningless unless there be a supernatural life in which we go from virtue to virtue, are renewed from day to day, and thus become more and more justified. The fact is that we can grow in grace as the result of our own efforts, the question arises:

How do our efforts bring about this increase? Our answer is by meriting an increase of grace that we are able to develop our supernatural life. Our efforts do not actually produce the increase, but God grants it as a reward. And with the increase of sanctifying grace there is a corresponding increase in the infused Virtues and the Gifts of the Holy Spirit, all as a result of merit.

God alone gives grace and God alone increases it. The increase can be merited, and it is in this sense that with the help of God, our own actions can bring about the growth of the life of grace.
Remember, the increase in grace may be merited by us, but is not directly produced by us.
Protestants deny that there is such a thing as merit.

The Christian soul has it with his powers to increase the treasure of grace, which has been committed to him. He can pray for it, he can approach the sacraments with the knowledge that these are the divinely instituted means of advancing in grace, and he can exercise himself in good works.

peace

 

[mgrfin]

I find it interesting that RC’s wish to start a discussion here, with the title, Catholics are not saved by Works and all of you are trying desperately to prove that your good works really ARE necessary for your salvation!

QUOTE]

WRONG.

I find it interesting that you misunderstand the Catholic position on Justification. Maybe not only you, but some Catholics here as well.

Let us clear up this difficulty, with the clear words of the Council of Trent which in the Sixth Session, on January 13, 1547 took on Martin Luther, and stated our Catholic position on Justification.

It was the Council’s Canon 1. of this Session:

“If anyone says that man can be justified before God by his own works, whether done by his own natural powers or through the teaching of the law, withouty divine grace through Jesus Christ, let him be anathema.”

WE ARE NOT JUSTIFIED BY OUR OWN WORKS.

This is the defined teaching of the Roman Catholic Church.

peace

 

[mgrfin]

God took our sins away from us and placed them on Jesus at the cross–a legal transfer of sin from us to Him, so why is it impossible for God to impute His perfect righteousness to those whom He has chosen to save (a legal transfer of righteousness from Him to us)?

Rom. 5:19
For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.

NICK:

Your quote from Romans 5:19 does not prove your point. None of St. Paul for that matter proves Forensic Justification of Martin Luther.

Moreover,

Luther said that after Adam’s sin man lost his free will and was essentially evil, not capable of choosing between good and evil.

Luther had an easy solution to this problem of free will, or rather lack of it. God became a legal entity and chose not to allow the merits of Jesus Christ to blot out, to erase, to take away our sins, including the sin of Adam . Luther said our sins remain, but they are just covered over. (Forensic Justification of Protestantism).

But the Scriptures, the Patristic Fathers and Doctors of the Church have consistently said that our sins are taken away: “Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world, have mercy on us”.

Trent summed it up:

Canon 5: “If anyone says that after the sin of Adam man’s free will was lost and destroyed, or that it is a thing only in name, indeed a name without a reality, a fiction introduced by Satan, let him be anathema.”

I don’t know about you, but I am free to choose between good and evil. I am not forced to choose evil. Our society doesn’t believe in such compulsion. There would be no need of prison then.

Canon 6: “If anyone says that it is not in man’s power to make his ways evil, but that the works that are evil as well as those that are good God produces, not permissively only but also proprie et per se, so that the treason of Judas is no less His own proper work than the vocation of St. Paul, let him be anathema.”

In other words, God produced the goodness of Paul and the evil of Judas, per Fr. Martin. So un-Christian a religion!

peace

PS Nick: You don’t even understand Luther’s concept of Forensic Justification. He said God did not take away our sins; he merely covered them over.

The Catholic position is that God takes away our sins through the merits of Jesus Christ.

 

[mgrfin]

But the question that no RC seems to be able to answer is why are you able to do what is good, and why are you repentant while many others are not? If you say its because you don’t reject grace, then again, why do you accept grace, and cooperate with grace while many other people don’t?
.

Easy question for any educated Roman Catholic: FREE WILL.

Luther rejected free will. Man was essentially evil, and could not choose the good.

How his religion ever got anywhere is beyond me.

peace

 

[mgrfin]

Merit:

It is a treasured belief in the Catholic Church that the soul which is in the state of grace can merit eternal rewards. This was denied by the Protestants who raised two objections: First, if we merit in the eyes of God we are making God our debtor, which cannot be; and secondly, to claim merit for our own actions is to take away from the sovereign merits of Christ who alone has merited for us the rewards of eternal life.

St. Paul: 2 Tim 4: 7-8: “I have fought a good fight: I have finished my course: I have kept the faith. As to the rest, there is laid up for me a crown of justice which the Lord the just Judge will render to me in that day: and not only to me, but to them also that love his coming”. The words ‘crown of justice’ and ‘just judge’ express forcibly the idea of a recompense which has been merited and is due in justice.

And those who suffer for Christ are encouraged by him with the thought of the reward which will be theirs. “Be glad and rejoice for your reward which will be great in heaven” Matt 5: 12.

Is God our debtor? No. My claim for recompense is based on a promise, promises throughout the NT. I have a right to a reward if I do what was required of me: God owes it not so much to me as to himself.

Secondly, merit does not take away from the sovereign merits of Christ. He has won for us the power of meriting; without him, we could never do anything which would merit in the sight of God.

1 Cor 13: 2-3. Unless I am in the friendship of Christ by divine love, which is inseparable from sanctifying grace, I cannot merit in the slightest way.

Sanctifying grace is the condition for all real merit before God. Another condition for merit is that the act should be done for God. Man can merit an increase in grace.

The first actual grace which a man requires to lead him to faith in God is outside of merit. It is God’s free gift. Likewise, the first infusion of sanctifying grace cannot be merited. Likewise someone who has fallen outside of God’s grace cannot merit his restoration to grace.

Calvin held that it is impossible for a man who had once been justified to fall away. OSAS. Luther held that justification can be lost only by the sin of infidelity. In other words, by the loss of that faith which, according to his system, justifies a man.

The teaching of the Catholic Church is that sanctifying grace is lost by every mortal sin. Scripture and Tradition point out the possibility of losing the grace which we have once acquired.

peace

 

[mikeledes]

You keep asking this, after you have been repeatedly told that is is a misconception. I think that you really don’t want to understand Catholic soteriology. You seem more bent on judging Catholics than learning.

:yup: And I’m almost certain he will bring up the “how many good works do you need to attain salvation” question again despite the fact that he’s been repeatedly told that that is a gross misconception of Catholic tecahing. What he consistently argues is Catholic teaching is not what I or any well-informed Catholic believes. Apparently, he prefers to learn about Catholicism from biased anti-Catholic sources than from actual Catholics.

God Bless,
Michael

 

[mikeledes]

:yup: And I’m almost certain he will bring up the “how many good works do you need to attain salvation” question again despite the fact that he’s been repeatedly told that that is a gross misconception of Catholic tecahing. What he consistently argues is Catholic teaching is not what I or any well-informed Catholic believes. Apparently, he prefers to learn about Catholicism from biased anti-Catholic sources than from actual Catholics.

God Bless,
Michael

 

[Jerry-Jet]

It is a Mortal Sin to worship “Faith alone” when God says that “Faith alone” does not save!

 

[Nick_Jones]

Easy question for any educated Roman Catholic: FREE WILL.

Luther rejected free will. Man was essentially evil, and could not choose the good.

How his religion ever got anywhere is beyond me.

peace

So you chose by your fee will to accept God’s grace, but many people chose by their free will to reject it. Now the question is, why are you able to use your free will to make the GOOD choice, while many other people only use their free will to make the BAD choice (to reject grace)?

 

[mgrfin]

So you chose by your fee will to accept God’s grace, but many people chose by their free will to reject it. Now the question is, why are you able to use your free will to make the GOOD choice, while many other people only use their free will to make the BAD choice (to reject grace)?

In creating us, God gave us FREE WILL. The choice of good or evil is mine only.

peace

 

[Sean_Boyle]

So you chose by your fee will to accept God’s grace, but many people chose by their free will to reject it. Now the question is, why are you able to use your free will to make the GOOD choice, while many other people only use their free will to make the BAD choice (to reject grace)?

This seems like an easily answered question. Think about it.

I think I see what your trying to get at, the question to answer your question is, does God create people to do evil or to go to hell?

Does the adage still exist, “I’m okay, because God doesn’t make junk”? Do you believe that God bothers to make worthless junk souls that are destined for hell?

 

[mikeledes]

So you chose by your fee will to accept God’s grace, but many people chose by their free will to reject it. Now the question is, why are you able to use your free will to make the GOOD choice, while many other people only use their free will to make the BAD choice (to reject grace)?

Why do you believe and others do not?

God Bless,
Michael

 

[mikeledes]

Just a clarification, man cannot chose God apart from the influence of His grace.

God bless,
Michael

 

[guanophore]

So you chose by your fee will to accept God’s grace, but many people chose by their free will to reject it. Now the question is, why are you able to use your free will to make the GOOD choice, while many other people only use their free will to make the BAD choice (to reject grace)?

Do you really think it is possible for humans to understand this?

 

[ryanoneil]

So you chose by your fee will to accept God’s grace, but many people chose by their free will to reject it. Now the question is, why are you able to use your free will to make the GOOD choice, while many other people only use their free will to make the BAD choice (to reject grace)?

I believe it comes down to HUMILITY AND PRIDE.

We are free because we have been created in God’s own image and likeness. God has redeemed us, but we choose to cooperate with this free gift by either accept it or reject it. We are free because we can only love if we are free. (Love is not forced by God, He wants us to choose to love Him) If we weren’t free, we could not truly love, and if we could not love, we could not enjoy God in heaven for all eternity.

We are not robots. We are free agents of God, just like the angels are, only with flesh and bone who live in a temporal world. By their own free will, two thirds of the angels accepted God’s Will (HUMILITY) and one third rejected it (PRIDE). Who tempted Adam in the garden? It was the Father of Lies, Satan. And how did Adam fall from grace? By using his free will to make a BAD choice.

Peace,

Ryan

 

[peary]

**We are saved by GRACE ALONE.

We are justified BY OUR WORKS.**

 

[mgrfin]

**We are saved by GRACE ALONE.

We are justified BY OUR WORKS.**

Wrong. This was condemned by the Council of Trent, 6th Session, Canon 1, January 13, 1547,

We are not saved (justified) by our works!

peace

 

[Nick_Jones]

Why do you believe and others do not?

God Bless,
Michael

I was completely unwilling to trust in Jesus or to believe that God exists until the grace of spiritual regeneration came to me as a free gift from God. It was God who caused me to see myself as I really am–a horribly vile and detestible sinner having NOTHING good to offer God. I knew that I needed God’s mercy and I got on my kness and I begged God for mercy. I was saved ONLY by what God did. Without God’s intervention I would still be in rebellion against Him.